Page 93 of Heart of Mischief

“Yeah. Though, I might have… I don’t know. Oversold how hard I was trying?”

Charlie turned to Abigail. “What do you mean?”

Her friend scratched the back of her head. “Just that… well, you know she sits next to me in history, right?”

“Of course.”

“Right. Well.” Abigail’s eyes flashed over to Bex. “The Monday after homecoming, I walked into class ready to apologize. I had a whole story ready about how you had contracted a stomach virus and had horrible nausea slash vomiting slash diarrhea and needed to be taken home ASAP—”

“Your cover story was that I wasshittingmyself?” Charlie interrupted.

“And throwing up,” Abigail added. “Anyway, when I finally walked into history, I looked right at her, ready to launch into thestory. But her face…” Abigail’s eyes became uncharacteristically sad, bright moonlight reflecting off their downturned corners. “She was staring down at the desk. Staring so hard. She didn’t even look up when I walked over. Or when I sat down next to her. Or even when I said good morning. She just… stared. And then I noticed how red her cheeks were, and I realized… I realized she wasembarrassed. She thinks I ditched her because I don’t like her. Because I wasn’t having a good time. All of Sunday, I’d been thinking,Gods, she’s going to be so angry with me. She’s going to ream me out.But that’s howIwould have reacted. I never once considered she might have just been sad and hurt.” She shook her head, looking out across the bay. “Sometimes I feel like there’s something wrong with me. Like I’m physically incapable of putting myself in someone else’s shoes. Of seeing things from anyone’s perspective but my own.”

Speechless, Charlie stared at Abigail for several long seconds before her friend seemed to notice the silence.

“What?” Abigail asked.

“I just…” Charlie laughed, bemused. “I’ve never heard you be so self-effacing before.”

“Yeah, well.” Abigail’s lips twitched. “EvenIam capable of admitting to my flaws from time to time.”

“From time to time.” Charlie nodded, still laughing. “There’s nothing wrong with you, Abigail. It’s perfectly normal to have difficulty seeing things from someone else’s perspective. That you even recognize this about yourself means you’re already light-years ahead of most people.”

“Excellent,” said Abigail. “I love being light-years ahead of my peers.”

“I know you do.”

Charlie glanced over her shoulder, a gesture that was now reflex. She was constantly scanning her surroundings. Constantly looking for a squirrel with a red swirl on its forehead.

When she scanned the tree line, however, her eyes didn’t landon any squirrel. They landed on Elias, who was staring unabashedly at her from beside one of the kegs.

Her head whipped back around, tingles running down her spine. How long had he been watching her? And why, unlike before, didn’t he care that she caught him?

All day, Charlie had felt as if she were being watched. She had thought, earlier, that the prickle on the back of her neck was paranoia. That it was her belief Rattatosk waited somewhere in the trees, ready to strike. But now?

Now she realized where the feeling really came from.Whomit came from.

And as that knowledge settled over her, it felt as if she’d drained a mug full of perfectly heated chamomile tea, and the liquid was running down her throat and flowing out to every part of her body. Puddling. Filling her stomach and ankles and fingertips, spreading until every part of her felt warm and heavy.

It was a feeling she remembered. One that she hadn’t felt for a long time but could trace back to certain moments in her life. To running into her mother’s arms after tumbling from her bike. To snuggling under a fluffy blanket with Sophie. To Mason holding her and her sister’s hands during their first-ever solo walk to the park. It was a feeling that she never knew was there—until it disappeared.

Safety.

Elias Everhart watching out for her made Charlie feel safe.

Well, she thought.That’s suitably disturbing.

“Is that a yes, then?” Abigail asked, drawing Charlie out of her thoughts. Her friend was looking at Bex, swirling her foot nervously around the surface of the water. “I should go talk to her? Not to ask her out again or anything. Just to apologize. For real this time.”

“That’s a yes.” Charlie nudged Abigail with her hip. “Now get up there before you lose your nerve.”

Abigail exhaled and nodded once. Without another word, sheturned and splashed through the shallow water, back to shore. She pivoted on the packed sand, marching over to the dock.

“Someone’s on a mission,” came Elias’s voice from behind.

Charlie didn’t even flinch. It was becoming a pattern, Elias appearing the minute she was on her own. It was as if he couldn’t stomach seeing her alone. Or (more likely) he couldn’t pass up an opportunity to try and scare the living daylights out of her.

She didn’t look at him. “She’s going to apologize to her homecoming date.”