Page 127 of Resurgent

As if she can hear our conversation, Sasha steps closer to me, almost whispering, "Please don't make me be there when you tell him. He is NOT going to be happy about this."

"He'll be okay," I try, but the look she shoots me says we both know that's bullshit. "Okay, he won't, but I can't live my life like a victim either. Maybe a girls night out—drinks and dancing—will help me."

"Yeah, but—" Sasha starts, but I cut her off, "Sasha the baby's gone. It's not coming back. Aiden's gone, he's not coming back. I almost died, but I. Came. Back. And we only have a few more months until we graduate and my freedoms are limited all over again. What's stopping me from living my life for the little bit of time we have before we're shipped off?"

"What if you're not fully healed?"

"Sasha, are you telling me that you are suddenly doubting your healing skills?" she doesn't answer. "I'll take that as a no, because you would know as well as I do that I have been perfectly healed for the last week and a half and you've just been dragging your feet with giving me the all clear so that I could have extra time."

"Okay, fine. But—" her voice trails off, "Okay, you're right, but just be careful please. If anything happens to you while you're out with us, Matt is going to kill me."

"Considering it was all Emily's plan, he'll probably go for her first, so you should at least have some time to get a head start on the run." Sasha rolls her eyes as she opens her door, clearly just as unimpressed with my jokes as she was before the accident.

"You aren't worried, are you?" I ask Tyr, needing at least one person to not think I'm a fragile, broken doll.

"Why would I be?" he pushes through with a confidence that sends my heart soaring until he keeps talking, "I'll only be a thirty-second flight away if you need me."

"You can't fit in the building though," I argue before realizing I'm arguing against my own case.

"I don't need to…I can just tear it down."

I snort, his sincerity mixed with such an absurd conclusion so typically Tyr. "And kill everyone inside…including me?"

"You are smart enough to listen when I say run," he says plainly. "And I will let them all die before I let someone hurt you again."

"You're as bad as he is; you know that right?"

"Keep insulting me and I'll throw you in the ocean myself on our next flight," he chuffs, and I can't help but smile as my door closes behind me.

"There's my favorite girl in the whole world," Matt says, beaming up at me from where he's studying at my desk.

"You better be careful how loud you say that, or all of your new girlfriend's feelings will be hurt and they'll be coming after me next."

"First," he says, throwing a finger in the air, "I don't have girlfriends. Second, anyone who knows anything about me knows that you're always going to be my favorite."

I try to remind him that's going to change once he actually settles down, but he doesn't even let me get a word out.

"And third, you could take all of them, so I'd be more worried for their safety than yours."

"Oh, really?" I ask, ready to take full advantage of the opening he's given me.

"Yes, my little badass, your shooting was always accurate, but you've improved so much over the last couple of weeks. Once we add in more combat training, you'll be damn near deadly," he says, not knowing the trap he's fallen into.

"I'm so glad you feel that way. Now, do me a favor and remember that for the next 10 minutes, will ya?"

"What did you do?" he asks, unease already filling his voice.

"So, Emily kind of planned a girls night this weekend."

"Okay...?"

"Out at the bars in town—"

"Absolutely not," he rushes out, "I think it's great if you want to have girls night. Totally understand you spending time with your other friends and not with your…you know…but you're not going to the bar without me."

"I really don't want to, Mattey, but I can't exactly explain why I don't want to go into town without you without raising a million questions."

"I think it's pretty simple, I would have said that before the incident too. I hear you can meet all sorts of scum in Ravenwood, especially at the Staggering Ox."