Page 3 of Left In The Dark

“Of course. I’m always happy to see you out having fun with your friends rather than lying in the barn, reading and ignoring life around you.”

“I’m not ignoring life. I’m only taking a break from the hard parts of it while getting lost between the pages of someone’s good days.”

She sighs, face softening. “Well, those stories will be waiting for you when you get home. Making memories at this age won’t.”

She’s right, I know she is, but she also doesn’t understand that one thing is much easier than the other and comes with less risks. I also don’t have to worry about being disappointed, because unlike not being able to choose what my nights out look like, I get to choose which book I read.

Jimmy yanks open the door after my second knock and drags me inside. “It’s about time you got here.”

“What are you talking about?” I quip. “I’m five minutes early.”

“Yeah, and you should be an hour early so I can make sure you don’t have any hidden snacks in your hair.” He looks me up and down, leading me to a living room full of people. Two I’ve never met before, one whom I have a class with but never talk to, and then of course there’s my other two friends.

Lydia waves at me, scooting closer to one of the mystery guys on the couch and clearly showing a major interest in him. I grin, walking toward the empty chair and pausing when I don’t see Stephen anywhere.

“He’s on his way,” Jimmy reassures me. “You might wanna work on your hair in the meantime.”

Reese laughs. “And tuck in that shirt, or maybe just lose the flannel altogether.”

“What’s wrong with my flannel?” I turn my eyes down at him.

“Nothing.” He rolls his eyes. “More layers for Stephen to rip off you, I guess.”

My face heats and I duck my head when I see two sets of eyes watching us. Lydia is still lost in convo with the good‑looking blond and Jimmy is handing me one of his dad’s beers.

“You sure he won’t notice these missing?” Reese raises a brow.

Jimmy shakes his head, plopping down on the coffee table as he twists the top off his beer. “Nah. He never notices shit. He’ll just blame my uncle. The man’s always coming over and eating all our food. I’m pretty sure he and my mom are fucking, too, but I bet the two of them would deny it if I asked.”

We all look at him, mouths gaping, and he rolls his shoulders, taking a swig of his drink. “Oh, I guess I didn’t tell y’all about all those sounds I heard coming from the garage on one of our half days. An hour later, they both came out adjusting their clothes and didn’t notice me standing in the hallway.”

“Fuck, man,” Reese spits out. “That blows. You gonna tell your old man?”

“Nah,” he sputters. “No point. He’s always going out all night and never telling anyone where he is, so I’m not sure he’s so innocent himself. Once my ass is out of here and away from it all, then they can live however the hell they want without getting me caught in the middle.” He sips from his bottle, face passive, and looks completely unbothered.

“Still sucks,” I add. “They shouldn’t be doing all that shit knowing you could be home at any given moment.”

“Yeah, but I guess it doesn’t matter when you become too selfish to care about anything other than your own needs.”

“I hear that,” I rasp.

Jimmy’s eyes meet mine. “You still being hounded by your dad over the farm shit?”

“Yup.” I blow out a sigh, flexing my legs. I don’t want to focus on the issues in my life while having fun with my friends, but they seem to follow me anyway. They live in the back of my mind, growing loud at random moments. I guess to remind me not to get too comfortable.

A knock has us all looking toward the door and Jimmy jumps up to answer it, whipping his head around to look over his shoulder and running his hands through his hair while gesturing to mine. Laughing, I pick up one of Jimmy’s mom’s crystal figurines and use it as a mirror, fixing my hair to where it’s going in one direction.

Stephen steps in seconds after Jimmy pulls the door open, and walks past him, waving at everyone. His eyes lock on mine and his smile has my heart stammering. “Hey.”

“Hey,” I say back, my stomach a bundle of nerves.

Sitting on the arm of the chair I’m in, he glances down. “Is it okay if I sit here?” He looks around. “Seems to be the best option since all the other actual chairs and couches are taken.”

Chuckling, I nod. “Yeah, that’s fine.”

Smiling, he turns himself more into me and his leg rubs over my arm. Flutters run rampant in my chest and it’s like we’re the only two people in the world when he starts complimenting my shoes. We joke, laugh, and shoot the shit until Jimmy decides to finally play the movie.

Staying where he is for the next two hours, Stephen leans down enough to lay his arm on the back of my chair and for his whole left side to press against mine. As we’re all heading home, Stephen agrees to ride with me instead of calling his mom to come get him, and we talk some more, singing together when a song we both love plays on the radio.