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Throwing back the covers, I climbed out of bed. After using the bathroom and brushing my teeth, I padded toward the kitchen to get some food. On the way, I peeked into Mom’s room because the door was open. She wasn’t there. Not surprising. She took off sometimes without telling me.
In the kitchen, I looked around, but there was no note. That wasn’t anything new. When Mom popped out—and that happened much more often than a mother should leave her kid alone—she rarely left a note. What she did leave was food in the fridge and some cash on the table.
I grabbed an apple. Noting a ten-dollar bill and the six-pack of ramen on the counter that she’d thrown into the handheld basket at the grocery store before we’d met at the checkout, I knew what they meant. Days could go by until she was back.
With nothing better to do but get settled in, I went to my room and unpacked my clothes and the few personal items I’d kept over the years. There wasn’t much, because we often moved, sometimes in the dead of night with only minutes to get away. So things had to be light, or they got left behind.
I set out the picture frame of Mom and me at a beach, taken by my uncle. I had it in a plastic encasement, so when I swept my hand over a dresser, everything that tumbled into the box was safe from breaking. I’d wanted a picture of my uncle, too, but they said it wasn’t a good idea. With a pop, I opened the frame and took out the note my dad had left when he found us. It wasn’t anything good and was quite frightening. But it was a reminder that he was out there and to watch our backs. Mom had crumpled up the note and thrown it out. I was the one to retrieve it. I couldn’t help myself.
It felt like we were a million light-years from everywhere we’d ever known. Fortunately, I collected souvenirs instead of friendships. Like the lighter I’d tried to swipe from that beach house. It wasn’t like the freaking thing was expensive enough for the pretty boy to have gotten his panties all in a bunch. It wasn’t real gold. Who the fuck has an actual gold lighter in this day and age? Seriously.
The day passed uneventfully. By night, Mom still wasn’t back, and worse, the power went out. Disgusted that she hadn’t set it up, I grabbed my phone and a cord and headed to a coffee shop to charge it. Mom had left a total of ten dollars. I couldn’t afford to spend it all on coffee if it took her a while to get back, but I needed my phone at full power.
It was during the week, so maybe Mom was at her new job? I couldn’t be sure and didn’t want to call to find out, especially with my low battery. The walk to the coffee shop wasn’t bad. We were close. I could have driven, but I needed to get some energy out.
The Coffee Cabana had a great vibe. Outdoor seating with plants. Inside was darker with wood and metal tables and a few seating areas with bucket chairs and low light that created a relaxed, intimate feel. I fell in love with it instantly. A bunch of kids my age were hanging out. After ordering black coffee and not the more-expensive caramel latte like I wanted, I scanned the people. I needed information about the party last night—specifically, about the guy who’d caught me pocketing the lighter and then kissed me.
I’d taken care to downplay the goth look. The fake septum and nose piercings were out, as were the fake piercings that climbed my ears. My eye makeup was dark but subdued, and I’d left my black hair down. The goth perception was still there but not as in your face.
I did another quick scan to find the most socially insecure group. They were usually the easiest marks. Bingo! A group of three sat at a four-top in the corner, casting wary glances at a table of girls who fit the cheerleader, top-tier hierarchy.
Pulling out my phone, I studied the screen, faking absorption while casually sitting at their table. Conversation stopped, and I looked up, feigning shock. “Oh, I’m sorry. I wasn’t paying attention.” I made eye contact with the mousy brown-haired girl whose name I’d caught as I approached them. “Cami? I thought I recognized you when I came in. My cousin goes to school here. We met months ago when I was in town for one of those epic beach-house parties.”
She scrunched her brow. “Is Sally your cousin?”
“Yeah.” I grinned, swiftly changing the subject so they didn’t dig deeper. “That party at Phoenix’s last night was insane.”
“The best.” The brunette with oversized black-framed glasses gushed. “I never miss one of Phoenix and Shane’s parties.”
Ah, so Phoenix had a brother.
“You just want in Phoenix’s pants.” The girl with the pixie cut, whose name I’d yet to learn, giggled.
“Not Shane’s?” I took a slow sip of coffee.
“He’s dating Tracey. They’re always glued at the hip,” Cami answered.
“What about their cousin? I’ve been to their parties, but I can’t remember his name.”
Glasses girl’s eyes popped wide. “Cole or Damon?”
I laughed. Was there a little drool at the corner of her mouth? Can’t say I blamed her. “That’s right. There’s two of them. They’re so hot. Especially the dark-haired one with green eyes.”
“Cole.” Cami sighed dreamily. “Everyone at HVA wants to have the Elites’ babies.”
Score. Cole’s name was as sexy as he was. “Elite?” I had an idea what that meant, but I wanted to be sure.
“It’s what everyone at school calls Cole, Damon, Phoenix, and Shane,” Cami said.
Pixie cut broke off a section of a cookie on a small plate in front of her and chewed while staring at me a little too closely. “So, why are you here? I mean, where’s Sally?”
“She had a doctor’s appointment, and there wasn’t any more coffee at her place. I can only survive for so long without it.”
“Are you moving here?” Glasses girl took up the inquisition.
“Nah.” Time to make up a lie since I obviously couldn’t and wouldn’t tell them what my life was really about and how, more often than not, Mom was MIA. “My parents are getting a divorce. They ship me off to Sally’s when they need to hash stuff out.”
“That’s rough,” Cami said.
