Page 44 of Heart of Mischief

LOU:Srsly, tho. You better get here

LOU:Abby is scared shitless

LOU:He ran over a curb and she almost started crying

ABIGAIL:That is NOT true.

ABIGAIL:I have a stuffy nose today because I stayed up all night finalizing the details for the car wash this afternoon.

LOU:And by “finalizing the details for the car wash” she means “reading the best Valkyrie smut I could find on AO3”

ABIGAIL:Louise!!! What did I say about Valkyrie jokes?

LOU:That I am encouraged to make them as often and with as much detail as possible

ABIGAIL:That literally couldn’t be further from what I said.

ABIGAIL:Whatever.

ABIGAIL:Wherever you are, Charlie, you better be back in time to scrub some minivans. If you don’t show our friendship is over.

ABIGAIL:Unless Elias has already killed you.

ABIGAIL:That would be the only acceptable excuse.

LOU:

Charlie almost laughed but didn’t want Elias asking her what was funny. She typed out a quick response.

CHARLIE:Dw, I’m fine. Elias and I are chasing a lead on Rattatosk in the dunes. He had information I needed. And no, I still don’t trust him. I’ll fill you guys in on everything at the car wash.

She clicked over to her mom’s texts. They were short, and before she could read them, the top of her screen blew up with responses from Lou and Abigail, such asElias??andWtf????andMake sure you keep Find My Friends onandDid u get to ride in his convertible??andCuz I want to ride in his convertible sooooo badandI can’t believe you’re ditching class AGAIN(the last one, naturally, came from Abigail).

She ignored the group chat, focusing on her mom’s messages.

MOM:Be safe today. And have fun working on your project.

MOM:I’m so glad Elias is back. You really light up when he’s around.

Charlie groaned. Could her motherbeany more clueless?

“What?” Elias asked over his shoulder.

“Nothing.” She stuffed her phone into her pocket. “Just posting a photo of your back on Instagram and tagging our location. That way if you kill me, the police will know who did it and where to find my body.”

“Mmm,” he hummed. “Idohave a distinctive butt. It’s one of my best features.”

“Don’t flatter yourself.”

“I always flatter myself. It’s what makes me so fun.” He winked over his shoulder.

It felt so natural, the conversation flowing between them.Toonatural. She’d fallen back into their banter the way moths return to the glowing white light on someone’s porch—inevitably, stupidly, and with the certainty of a most excruciating death.

“Do you really believe I’d leave your body behind if I murdered you, though?” Elias asked. “That’s just insulting. How sloppy do you think I am?”

“Not sloppy,” she said. “Sadistic.”

“True. But you need not worry. The only person I’ll be killing today is anyone who tries to lay a hand on you.”