"Where's Miles?" I ask, cutting her off, not wanting to hear another word about the amazing Drina and her velvet rope crashing abilities.
"Memorizing his lines. Community theater's doing a production of Hairspray, and he's hoping for the lead."
"Isn't the lead a girl?" I open my lunch pack, finding half a sandwich, a cluster of grapes, a bag of chips, and more tulips.
She shrugs. "He tried to convince me to tryout too, but it's so not my thing. So, where's tall, dark, and hot, a.k.a. your boyfriend?" she asks, unfolding her napkin, and using it as a placemat for her strawberry-sprinkle cupcake.
I shrug, remembering how, yet again, I forgot to secure his number, or find out where he lives.
"Enjoying the perks of emancipation I guess," I finally say, unwrapping my sandwich and taking a bite. "Any news on Evangeline?"
She shakes her head. "None. But check this out." She raises her sleeve, showing me the underside of her wrist.
I squint at the beginnings of a small circular tattoo, a rough sketch of a snake eating its tail.
And even though it's far from complete, for the briefest moment, I actually see it slither and move. But as soon as I blink, it's stagnant again.
"What is that?" I whisper, noticing how the energy it emanates fills me with dread, though I can't fathom why.
"It's supposed to be a surprise. I'll show you when it's finished." She smiles. "In fact, I shouldn't have even told you." She adjusts her sleeve and glances around. "I mean, I promised I wouldn't. I guess I'm just too excited, and sometimes I suck at keeping secrets. Especially my own."
I look at her, trying to tune into her energy, find some logical reason for why my stomach should feel as awful as it does, but I come up empty. "Promised who? What's going on?" I ask, noticing how her aura is a dull charcoal gray, its edges loose and frayed all around.
But she just laughs and pretends to zip her lips shut. "Forget it," she says. "You'll just have to wait."
Eighteen
When I get home from school, Damen is waiting on the front steps, smiling in a way that clears the sky of clouds and erases all doubts.
"How'd you get past the gate guard?" I ask, knowing for a fact that I didn't call him in.
"Charm and an expensive car works every time." He laughs, brushing the seat of his dark designer jeans and following me inside. "So, how was your day?"
I shrug, knowing I'm breaking the most fundamental rule of all-never invite a stranger inside even if this stranger is supposedly my boyfriend. "You know; the usual routine," I finally say. "The substitute vowed to never return, Ms. Machado asked me to never return-" I glance at him, tempted to keep making stuff up since it's clear he's not listening. Because even though he nods like he is, his gaze is preoccupied, distant.
I head for the kitchen, poke my head in the fridge, and ask, "What about you? What'd you do?" Then I hold up a bottle of water in offering, but he shakes his head and sips his red drink.
"Went for a drive, surfed, waited for the bell to ring so I could see you again." He smiles.
"You know you could've just gone to school and then you wouldn't have had to wait for anything," I say.
"I'll try to remember that tomorrow." He laughs.
I lean against the counter, twisting the cap on my bottle around and around, nervous about being alone with him in this big empty house, with so many unanswered questions and no idea where to begin.
"You wanna go outside and hang by the pool?" I finally say, thinking the fresh air and open space might calm my nerves.
But he shakes his head and takes my hand. "I'd rather go upstairs, and check out your room."
"How do you know it's upstairs?" I ask, squinting at him.
But he just laughs. "Aren't they always?"
I hesitate, wavering between allowing this to happen and finding a polite way to evict him.
But when he squeezes my hand and says, "Come on, I promise not to bite," his smile is so irresistible, his touch so warm and inviting, that my only hope as I lead him upstairs is that Riley won't be there.
The moment we reach the top of the stairs, she runs from the den and calls, "Omigod, I am so sorry! I so don't want to fight with-oops!" She stops short and gapes, her eyes wide as Frisbees, darting between us.
But I just continue toward my room as though I didn't even see her, hoping she'll have the good sense to disappear until later.
Much later.
"Looks like you left your TV on," Damen says, going into the den, while I glare at Riley who's skipping alongside him, looking him up and down, and giving him two very enthusiastic thumbs up.
And even though I beg her with my eyes to leave, she plops right down on the couch and places her feet on his knees.