“Hello, Myssa." Knox draws out, staring at me with a tilt of his head like he's examining me.
“Uh, Hi, Knox.” I raise an eyebrow at him.
Vix glances between the two of us, looking as confused as I do. But he just stands there, still staring at me like I have something on my face.
“Earth to Knox! You good?” I ask, waving my hand in front of his face.
“Oh yeah, uh, you guys ready to go?” He asks snapping out of his stupor.
“Yeah, weirdo,” Vix chimes, rolling her eyes.
After walking onto the elevator, we stand there in uncomfortable silence until the door open and we step into the lobby.
Breaking the silence, I ask, “Twenty-four Cakes?”
“Yes!” they both say in unison.
Walking out, I feel that odd sensation again ripple through me, and my steps falter.
“You ok?” Knox asks, watching me closely.
“Yeah, just felt…” unable to explain, my words trail off.
“Felt what?” He leans toward me eagerly.
“Nothing, never mind. Let's go,” I say, shaking it off as we walk towards the parking lot.
I’m not ready to have this conversation quite yet. I’m still trying to figure out how I’m going to start it.Hi guys, pretty sure I have a stalker from another realm. Can you please pass the syrup?Mentally groaning, I lean against the car in defeat.
Knox unlocks the doors to his Camero and steps away. I don’t give Vix any time to argue and climb into the back without hesitation. He holds his hand out for Vix to take.
“What’s this?” she asks, looking down at his hand with a furrowed brow.
“I’m being a gentleman and offering you my hand into the car,” he says with a grin.
“Since when?” she asks sarcastically, folding her arms across her chest.
The grin on Knox’s face morphs to a scowl, and he hesitates for a beat too long. Vix sighs with a dramatic eye roll. She pushes his hand out of the way and moves to sit in the car without his assistance.
Knox is rooted in place, his hand on the door, staring at Vix. His jaw ticks. Finally, he closes the door.
“Really? Don’t you think that was a little mean?” I say quietly.
She huffs, looking out the window and grumbles, “Well, maybe he shouldn’t have been flirting with the blonde earlier.”
“What was that?” I ask in surprise, making sure I heard what she said. That small admittance of jealousy was the closestshe’s ever come to revealing her feelings for him. Before she can answer, Knox opens the driver side door and slides in.
The tension between Knox and Vix is painfully obvious, and he stares at her for a minute before starting the car. Music fills the air, saving us all from further conversation as he starts down the road.
Staring out the window, I again question my sanity.Was what happened tonight even real, or am I truly losing my mind? Maybe this is what happens when you bury your grief. You make shit up in your head. The only thing tying this to reality is the fact that my arm still bears marks from what happened. But sometimes I wonder if I just did that to myself somehow.
How do I tell my best friends exactly what is going on. Would they even believe me? And if they don’t, where does that leave us? I can’t lose them; they are all I have left. I stare at them both from the backseat.
I catch Knox checking on me in the rear-view mirror. I’m so tired of hiding this secret. This burden I have been cursed to carry. I gently run my fingers over the now-healing scar Jasper left on me. A constant reminder that it seems so fucking real. I mean, seriously, I’ve been questioning myself for months now. I’ve always loved horror movies, but I never thought I would be living my own.
We pull up to the restaurant and park. Twenty-four Cakes is the go-to for late night or, shall I say, early morning breakfast. Nothing like pancakes and bacon at 3 am after a night of partying. We’ve been going there for as long as we’ve known each other. It’s a typical diner with bar seating and tables and chairs throughout with a modern vibe.
Vix doesn’t waste any time getting out of the car on her own and letting me out. Knox, still clearly confused by Vix’s actions, walks to the door to open it for us. Vix scoffs and marches past him, while I mouth a silentthank youas we both get in.
