He heads straight for the poptarts, debating out loud between chocolate or strawberry like it’s life or death. I hang back a step, looking for something worth eating, but my eyes catch on the tea off to the side.
There, right in the center, is the brand Iris likes.
Pretty box with flowers all over it and a fancy logo. I pickit up thinking about her face, all upset cause they changed it.
“Dude, ew,” Alex’s voice cuts in, closer than I thought.
I glance up. “What?”
“Tea,” he says, gesturing like it’s obvious.
I nod, looking down at the box. “Iris likes it. School switched to a different brand, and she was real put out about this morning.”
Alex snorts, tossing the chocolate poptarts into the cart. “Just get them. Maybe she’ll take your sorry ass back.”
“Wow, thanks for the support.”
“Dude, you’ve been killing my vibe for months.I’mabout to start begging Iris to take you back.”
“Oh,yourvibe?” I shoot back. “Ain’t that emo boy who wears too much eyeliner?”
“Exactly. And your sad old man country song energy is clashing with it.”
I shake my head, but I can’t help the grin tugging at my mouth. Kid’s got a point, even if he’s annoying as hell about it.
“All right,” I toss the box of tea into the cart. “Happy now?”
“Sure am. Oh! We need popcorn, grab some! And none of that healthy shit, we need extra butter.”
I don’t know how the kid isn’t five hundred pounds.
In the checkout line, while Alex is talking about what he thinks is gonna happen in the new superhero movie, I glance down at the tea again, smiling like an idiot, thinking about Iris’ face when she sees the teacher’s lounge fully stocked tomorrow.
“Come on, Romeo, the line’s moving,” Alex complains with a shove to my back.
By the time I’m done putting away the groceries, Alex is walking out of his room with his hood up, head down, eyeliner a mess like he was rubbing his eyes.
His good mood from earlier, gone.
“Where you going?” I ask, glancing at the clock. “We got movie night, remember? Superheroes, popcorn, too much candy.”
“I’ll be back.”
“Alex—”
“Later, Nate.”
I must’ve dozed off at some point.
The movie’s still on the menu screen, and the snacks are on the coffee table, uneaten. I pull my phone out of my pocket to check the time. There’s a missed call from Alex, and it’s damn near four in the morning.
Kid must’ve stayed out lateagain.
I’m about to go check on him when I hear a knock at the door, loud and firm, official sounding. Probably why I woke up.
My stomach drops to my ass.
I’m at the door in a second, faster than I ever moved in my life. When I pull open the door, two cops are standing there with a look on their faces that makes my blood run cold. “Nathaniel Wesley?”
