Literally.
I don’t know how she subdued Zayden, especially long enough to chop his fucking head off, and I don’t want to find out for myself.
“Someone like me?” Pandora repeats. “What does that mean?”
“I mean, it’s not like you need to take public transportation,” I tell her. “Blaze wouldn’t be caught dead on a bus.”
I can’t imagine she’s much different.
“Huh. No, I take the bus a lot in NB. I used to drag River and… well, the three of us would take the bus all over the city and check out different stuff. Or the subway. It’s actually kind of weird how much the public transpo sucks here in Harmony.”
I cast a sidelong glance at her. As skeptical as I am of her declaration, I find that I’m more curious about what she’s nearly dropped: the three of us.
Does that include the mysterious Rachel that River wanted us to find out more information about?
“Yeah,” I say noncommittally.
Pandora rests her head against my shoulder and taps her fingers along my arm. Every single touch sears my skin. I imagine she has little blades hidden in her fingers, waiting to stab me when I least expect it.
We hadn’t given her knife back to her, but I have no doubt she’s gotten a new one by now.
The bus announces the next stop, and I press the button to signal that we want to get off. Pandora glances up at the digital sign board, like she’s memorizing the stop. Not that she needs to, since she already has the address, somehow.
I have to wait for Pandora to get off me before I can stand up. I freeze when I recognize one of my classmates sitting near the front. He notices Pandora clinging to me, and he gives me a thumbs up.
Pandora catches the move and gives him a thumbs up back. “I’m getting laid tonight,” she says to him, loud enough that the entire bus can hear.
I sigh, which is probably not the expected reaction from someone who’s about to get laid by a gorgeous woman like Pandora, but I can’t help it. I head off of the bus, and I lead her down the block to the house we’re renting.
The house Blaze is renting.
The house I need to get out of as soon as I can figure out an alternative.
Fuck.
That’s going to be the least of my problems if Blaze finds out what I did.
I’m quiet as we walk, and I unlock the front door without a word. My heart has started to race again, pummeling the inside of my chest, and I take her to my bedroom.
My cheeks heat up as I stare down at the chaos.
Clothes are strewn everywhere from where I haven’t bothered to put them up, and while I haven’t had enough time to accumulatestuff, there’s enough to where it’s clear I’m a total mess.
I’m still not as bad as my mother.
I close the door behind her and lock it.
“What do you want, Pandora?” I ask, sitting down at the desk. “You obviously wantsomethingfrom me. Or are you just getting off on torturing me?”
Pandora tilts her head at me. “Is that a trick question? Of course I’m getting off on torturing you.” She goes to sit down on my bed, on top of a pile of clothes. “But I figure, maybe you and I can get off on torturing Blaze together.”
I lick my lips, which are entirely too parched. “What’s that supposed to mean, exactly?”
Pandora reaches for her phone again. After a few seconds, I hear a video start.
My own voice plays back at me.
“I… drugged Blaze last year.”
