No matter how much she runs, Laura is stuck in an endless loop of her past. With a transfer of school and a curly-haired boy who seems to be wherever she goes, it's a matter of time she realizes that her universe ceases at the sight of him-and runni...
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THE SKY WARPED INTO A DIM WHIRWIND THAT NIGHT, AND I FELL ASLEEP LISTENING TO HIS VOICE.I hadn't even realized when my consciousness slipped away. I had spent a majority of the time picking up little details of the instrumentals upon first hearing the song, and then humming along to the melody which struck like a breath of fresh air.
My fingers had ached to figure out the chords on a guitar. Evan had done a wonderful job, but there was one issue. The snippet he had graciously sent was way too short, and I fell asleep wanting more.
Then the next morning rolled on, and I realized that I couldn't really escape school, even if my head was in the clouds. We had a practical in Chemistry. And it could've been a decent way of getting started with the day, but Stella Reyes was upset—and that was posing to be a bigger hazard than we let on.
She knocked a whole beaker while adding acid to her solution. Xavier had reflexes one could doubt would only parallel any God's, because the way he managed to grab the falling instrument mid-air was not a feat of mere mortals.
"Jesus, Stella," he sighed. "You're dealing with corrosive shit. Stop being chaotic."
"I still can't believe it," she grumbled under her breath. "He left me out of everything. That complacent little piece of—"
Xavier bobbed his head to our direction. "Evan?"
She stared. "Tell your friend he can choke."
Partnering us up together was convenient for the teacher, because Stella was clueless and Xavier was perfect to teach. I had just tagged along, self-aware that I was potentially third-wheeling. But I had no other friends—so I made a note to apologize to Stella later.
"I'm sure he got busy," I tried to reason, because I could only wonder how much work he had on his plate. "He did message on our group chat. . ."
Xavier grinned. "I also find the need to remind you that you both hate each other."
"That's no excuse," she said, but it was. Stella and Evan were at war. Whether it was snarky replies or besting each other, none of us could catch a break from them. "And you don't say," she gave me a side-eye. "He tells you everything first."
I shook my head, but Xavier beat me to replying, "That's true. Hasn't he been messaging you every day?"
He had. He had a way of making time even when things kept him preoccupied. It could've been a superpower, or perhaps a magician's trick.
Evan Parker had seemed like magic to me since day one.
I didn't necessarily want them to know, but it seemed like Xavier already knew much more than I liked. Stella chirped in, eyes subtle. "He also only told you the reason for his absence this whole week. . ."
