Page 26 of Ghosted

High. Sharp. Pretty.

The sound cuts through the warehouse and wakes up all the wrong parts of me.

Fun, dark parts.

The parts that lean closer when someone else finally realizes the night has teeth.

Campus kids playing feral again.

Cute, in a deeply embarrassing way, I mean, animals at least know why they bite.

I lean against the wall, light another cigarette, and glance toward the crates. My little accident is still upright. Barely. One hand pressed to his stomach, face gone gray, eyes fixed on me like he’s finally pieced together the evening’s lesson.

The devil doesn’t always show up with horns.

Sometimes he smiles, forgives you, and waits until you’re stupid enough to relax.

I wink.

He looks like he might vomit.

Good for him.

Character growth.

My phone buzzes, and for one second, I almost hope it’s her.

That would be fucked.

Funny, though.

I check the screen.

Unknown number.

For a second, my mood lifts. Maybe the night is handing me something useful. Maybe Alice is stupid enough to be curious already. Maybe Jagger’s new little problem just got a lot more entertaining.

But it’s only some girl from last weekend asking if I’m coming to a party on Greek Row, followed by three eggplant emojis and a skull.

Christ.

I block her.

Boredom is a mercy, really.

Another roar goes up from the cage, but I’m already looking at the door Alice slipped through.

She left first, and Jagger followed not long after, which is adorable because if I know my brother, and tragically, I know that emotionally constipated little gremlin better than anyone—the creep is absolutely going after her.

Not in a normal way, obviously. Not in a calling-her-name, walking-beside-her, using-his-big-boy-words kind of way.

God forbid.

No, Jagger will keep his hood up, his hands in his pockets, and enough distance between them to convince himself this is something noble and tortured instead of what it actually is.

Following a girl in the rain because she made eye contact with him once and now his whole personality is under renovation.

Beautiful, truly.