LOVE, LIKE BLOOD

arty you've thrown

off, and all left were empty

in the air. Pieces of conversations an

rds the door-barefoot, missing

ee if anyone was still lingering. The grass was damp with

softly beside me-

ast

light push on the arm, more instinct than

looked out across the

. "But then I saw you come out here looking

t didn't quite reach my chest. "Y

sharp and careful. "S

a hand across the part o

new more than he said-but tonight, it was l

He paused. "D

w. "Ash got in her face. Provo

weight, sud

I s

elow his collar-fresh,

ly tugged his jacket tighter, as

ually. "Should've known better than

The excuse hung there-t

lm. Measured. Like he was waiting

odded once,

tretched

tonight?" I asked,

ifting toward the ho

wh

didn't reach his eyes. "On whether the

of my neck prickle. I wasn't sure if

e house, lights we

ough," I

dable look. "You should get so

laugh. "Apprecia

hould patch things up with Evie. Wouldn'

ng heavy in the air, sh

ing away-cool, calm, like he hadn't just dr

ill didn't know where he lived. Like he existed in a space just outside reach-close e

n turned back toward the fading noise of the hous

ays been a

gglers had left, I locked the doors, th

had laid her there after she blacked out-now she was sle

even for cheating. Honestly, If I were

e freshman year before

or. I couldn't let her see the cracks spreading inside me. B

-stage. One of those diagnoses that doesn't com

e, and said my days were numbered. No

y said, like tha

roids to keep the pain down, and endless appointments th

my parents in-make them stay home more, maybe si

trips, more flights. Staying gone wa

oice-to live,

re caution. Just reckless

Filling the silence with mus

ng out, I wanted

nt crossing li

I met h

eautiful but looked like they bel

't scream for attention

t's what

ging someone into the fire-She walked rig

omething familiar, like Sebastia

and finally took my

caught sight of the mark she left

g, half-aching, and wondered how

h of her was as reckless as tonight, and how muc

to be p

of

urn everythin

el like maybe, just mayb