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We both look at him, then share a glance.
“It’s a little bland,” I say, finally. “Doesn’t do anything for you.”
There’s a brief moment of hurt on his face, but it passes quickly. “I’m bringing Ezra along,” he says. “I can’t manage both of you on my own.” His lips twist into a small smile. “You might have me make a stupid decision.”
“If that’s the case, then I’m going to invite Nya,” Tara says. Vance’s smile falls, and tension forms around his eyes. “We can make it a whole-day adventure for the five of us.”
“Wait, I didn’t say—”
Tara leans in, challenging him. “So you can invite someone else, but we can’t?”
“Doesn’t seem very fair to me,” I say for good measure.
Tara and Vance have a brief stare-off.
I try to think of Tara’s reason for wanting to bring Nya along, but come up short. The last time we were all together, I felt Nya was clear about her feelings about Vance. Has something changed since then? If it has, it seems Vance hasn’t gotten the memo.
“Fine,” Vance says. “But I’m driving.” He sticks the table with his index finger. “And you’re sitting up front with me.” He points to Tara. “I can’t trust you.”
Tara rolls her eyes. “Yes, because I was planning to sit behind you and stab you in the side of your neckwhileyou’re driving.”
Her joke doesn’t land with Vance, who reacts like he thinks she would do something like that. Maybe she would, to be honest.
I laugh. The haze that’s been clouding my thoughts finally starts to lift, and a spark of optimism gathers in my chest. A day out with my friends—even if we’ll have two sullen bodyguards in tow—sounds like it would be just the thing to remind me of who I am.
This will be our first outing where I can truly be myself.
For a few hours, I’ll be away from this oppressive school and Alexander won’t be around either. Already, it sounds like it will be one of the better days I’ve had since that explosion upended my life.
* * *
An hour later,we’re piling into Vance’s matte gray Lamborghini Urus. An eighties rap song wafts from the speakers. Somehow, I didn’t picture Vance as the type to vibe with that genre. It’s a pleasant surprise.
Tara takes the seat beside him. I end up with the middle seat—Ezra sits behind Tara, and Nya sits behind Vance. If she’s annoyed by his presence, it doesn’t show.
In fact, she’s in a better mood than the last time I saw her. She’s dressed casually in a thick, form-hugging sweater-dress, woolen stockings and knee-high boots. Her dreads fall loosely around her shoulders in a half-up half-down style, and her neck and hands are adorned with layers of gold jewelry.
On the other side of me, Ezra looks like he’s just rolled out of bed.
Of Alexander’s friends, he’s the one I know the least about. Meeting him hasn’t made him any less of an enigma. If anything, I have more questions. There’s a mysterious air about him that settles in your stomach if you look at him for too long.
Just like Vance, I can see why girls would like him. He has warm brown skin, a slew of piercings, and tattoos everywhere except his face. The last time I saw him, his dark shock of curly hair had been loose around his shoulders.
He’s had a haircut since. Now, the sides of his head are cut low, and his hair is still long on top of his head, but braided into small plaits and caught in a bun. Ezra is tall and lanky, taller than even Alexander—he seems a little cramped in the back of the SUV—and dressed in a full black outfit of a trench coat, turtleneck, jeans adorned with silver chains, and leather boots.
“What the fuck did I do to get stuck with sitting around here?” Ezra speaks his first full sentence since our group has converged. His voice is deep and silken.
Vance is guiding the SUV from the parking lot to the main gates.
“Blame Vance,” Tara says. “He forced me to sit here.”
“Only because I don’t trust her,” Vance says quickly, looking through the rear view mirror. “She can’t get into any trouble up here.”
Ezra’s chest rumbles. “You’re taking this babysitting shit seriously, aren’t you?”
“That’s his thing,” Nya chimes in. “He likes to act like he’s everyone’s father.”
A din of laughter erupts in the cabin. Vance’s face is stoic, which makes the whole thing even funnier. It’s probably a subtle dig at something we’re not privy to.
