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It’d begun snowing as I made my way outside, and I folded my arms over my chest, ducking my head low against the breeze. I loved snow when it first fell back in December, but since it was almost the middle of February, I wassoover it. Beyond over having to drive in it too.
Jeez, Stella was a negative nelly tonight.
As I made my way around the back side of Crushed Beanz toward the employee parking lot, I thought of my favorite Untapped Potential song to comment on their social media page. I really, really liked that new song, but my mind couldn’t help but wander back to that one line.Find me on the dance floor.
Harry on a dance floor, his hand coasting down my body, over my hips…
My dark SUV came into sight, a fine coating of snow stacking on top of it. With a little sigh, I reached into my pocket for my car keys, ready to press the unlock button.
But my fingers curled around something round, somethingdefinitelynot key-like. When I pulled it out, it was just lip balm.
I checked my other pocket, but my car keys weren’t in that one either.
No.Oh, no, no, no. No way.
This could not be happening.
I rushed toward the car to wrap my hand around the handle, giving it a good tug.
Locked.
I tried the rear doors.
Locked.
Before I had a chance to hope that maybe I left the keys inside Crushed Beanz, I saw them. Through the tinted glass, I could make out my car keys sitting on the bench seat, in plain sight. Mocking. They must’ve slipped out of my pocket while I changed clothes.
This could not be happening.
Absolutely no flipping way could I call my parents. It wasn’t past my curfew, but I was firmlyStella. Black wig, heavy makeup, ripped and frayed clothes. They would eat me alive. Heck, they’d probably try to perform an exorcism.
They’d take Stella away for good if they ever knew about her. They’d probably forbid me from seeing Margot too.
Except what were my options besides calling them? If I called any sort of locksmith to open the car, they’d call my parents. Margot wouldn’t be able to help me—she was good, but notthatgood. That left…
A piece of a broken parking block caught my eye in front of my car, bigger than the size of my hand. I stared at it for a long moment. Like the keys, it mocked me too.
Did I really have any other choice?
As I picked up the cold, stupid, heavy thing, my mind began racing for excuses.I came out to find it shattered, I could say, but then they would promptly ask me where I was. They wouldn’t quite believe it got broken at Margot’s house, a house safely tucked inside a gated community.
I accidentally smacked the seat belt into it. Except I wasn’t sure you could even break a window with a seat belt. Plus, if they found out it was even remotely my fault, I’d be grounded until they shipped me off to college.
Margot might know someone who could fix a broken window. The girls at Eastview might, too—they were resourceful. Street-smart. That’s how I got my fake ID. I just had to hide the damage for a night. I could say I left my windows rolled down because…well, I’d have to think of a reason why. How hard could it be?
I stood back from the car, lifting the cement piece. Drawing in an icy breath, I squeezed my eyes shut, and then I—
“Whoa, what are you doing?”
The sound of someone’s voice so close to me made me yelp in surprise, whirling around, cement still poised to throw.
“Don’t shoot,” he quickly got out, and then winced.
Harry stood a few feet from me, a light-wash jean jacket over his shoulders, wind threading its fingers through his auburn hair. His eyes were wide, his eyebrows raised. Both hands were level with his shoulders, and looped around a finger in one hand hung his car keys.
For a second, I just stood staring at him, watching as his eyes darted from me to the rock in my hand to the SUV.
“It’s my car,” I told him, my voice even.
