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“Hey, no need to patronize me. I know I’m sexy.
Maybe not to you, because you have a growly boyfriend now—”
He cuts himself off with a laugh when I shove him. I know his teasing is in good fun, and that’s the only reason the shove isn’t hard enough to send him into the bronze sculpture of a woman dancing behind him.
“All right, all right. Have your fun now, but when you get a girlfriend, be prepared for retribution!”
“Aw, that’s cute. You think I’d let my future girlfriend anywhere near you.”
“You are being so mean to me today,” I joke as I follow him down the hall and up the stairs, our footsteps practically echoing in the huge home. There’s more art-work displayed all over the place, and a giant chandelier hangs beside the stairs at the top.
“I’d never be mean to you. Your very growly boyfriend might beat me up.”
I snort out a laugh at his ridiculousness. He’s said Jason’s my boyfriend more than I have, and even though he’s teasing me, I don’t think it’ll ever get old.
“He also said we should finish this project, so we better get to it,” I say, following him into a bedroom I assume is his. It’s huge, maybe the size of Dario’s entire second floor, which isn’t exactly tiny to begin with. Everything is very clean, neat, and organized, almost looking like a showcase house that no one lives in, which I wouldn’t have imagined for a boy’s room, but it’s in line with the rest of his house. His king-sized bed is perfectly made with more show pillows on it than necessary, the furniture is a deep walnut without any clutter on it, and the only things on the hardwood floor are strategically placed rugs, no piles of clothes or books or loose papers like my old room at Dario’s. There’s a desk with a big PC gaming setup, but Warren leads me to a sitting area where there are comfy-looking couches in front of a coffee table and a huge flat-screen television mounted to the wall. It’s like there’s a literal living room in Warren’s bedroom.
“Make yourself at home.” Warren gestures to the couches, and I try to act like I’m not completely out of place as I sink down onto the leather, pulling my backpack onto my lap. I almost feel like I’m not supposed to touch anything because everything looks so pristine, without a single speck of dust. It’s such a stark contrast to Warren’s laid-back demeanor.
He uses a remote to turn on the television to a channel that plays music before lowering the volume to an appropriate background noise.
“You have a lot of company up here?” I ask, since the space seems set up perfectly to entertain. “Everything is so neat.”
He lounges beside me on the couch. “Not really. I spend almost all my time up here, though, so I keep it organized. It’s easier for Sola when she cleans too.” He grabs a bowl set up on the coffee table that I overlooked before. “Chip?” he asks, crunching one in his mouth.
Along with the chip bowl, there’s a popcorn bowl, some cut-up veggies and dip, a few small bowls of different candies, and his notebook set to the side.
For some reason, the snack spread makes me relax a little, feeling less stiff in Warren’s pristine house. I peek into the candy bowl and laugh, calming completely. I set my backpack on the floor and grab a gummy bear. “Did you really get a bowl of all-red gummy bears for me? Or did you pick out all the other colors?”
His smile is wide. “I got an all-red bag. You know I aim to please.”
I pop more into my mouth. “Ever the entertainer.”
My phone chimes, and I pull it from my pocket to find a text from Jason.
Officer Dickwad just pulled me over again. Wasn’t even speeding. Didn’t give me a ticket, he was just being an ass and wasting my time.
That’s the third time this week.
“Why are you frowning like that?” Warren asks, studying me.
I set my phone down on the table. “Officer Liu is being a nuisance still. He keeps pulling Jason over for no reason and harassing him, and there’s nothing we can do.
I don’t know how I can convince him I had nothing to do with Lily’s disappearance, but I have a feeling it’s only going to get worse unless I can prove it to him.”
Warren frowns down at his lap. “And you still don’t want to tell your dad?”
I scoff. “Dario’s washed his hands of me. And even if he hadn’t, he’d probably believe Officer Liu. Nobody ever listens to me.” Well, at leastmostpeople never listen to me. Zia Stella’s all right. Jason’s been a shining light in my life since I met him, and Warren’s been a good friend too. “But you always do,” I amend. “Thanks for always letting me vent.”
His smile is still that friendly, wide Warren smile, but it seems a little tight. “I’m all ears for you.”
I’m not sure if I made it awkward, so I change the subject, pulling my book out of my bag and opening it.
“Well, we better get started before mygrowly boyfriendcomes back to get me.”
That eases the tension, real or imagined, and Warren picks up his own book.
“I hope you’ve read this thing,” Warren starts, holding up his copy of the Shakespeare play, “because between you and me, I’ve been using it as a paperweight.”
