Lexi paces in place. “Should someone go check?”
Everyone looks around.
No one volunteers.
I glance down at Lilac. She’s watching the doorway like it might bite. She’s out of her ever-loving mind if she thinks I’m going to let her go in there. I’ve played along like a good sport, but I’m ready to go home. She’s coming with me whether she likes it or not.
Lilac says suddenly, “Do you guys hear that?”
As if on cue, the wind picks up. It sounds like a shutter banging somewhere above, but I don’t actually see where the noise is coming from.
Then there’s a scream.
Lexi shrieks and grabs Eric’s arm instead of Ryan’s, and I’m suddenly more aware of why Mina and Lexi have been bickering the entire night.
Lilac jerks forward like she’s going to run into the house after her friend, but I catch her wrist.
“Don’t,” I growl.
Another scream.
Closer this time.
Everyone freezes.
Then the front door creaks again... and slams shut.
Then I catch movement to the side of the porch and realize that Adam is walking with Lexi, but they’re headed off into the treeline. Has everyone fucking lost their mind?
LILAC
“I’m going in,” I say, and I can hear the concern creeping into my own voice. I’m not best friends with Mina by any means whatsoever, but if she’s really hurt or stuck somewhere inside the building, someone needs to go inside to get her.
“No, you’re not.” Callum’s hand closes around my wrist. He’s not hurting me, only applying gentle pressure, but he’s making it clear he’s not going to let me do something dangerous. He’s being so confusing. Yeah, Callum always pops up, but he’s being borderline affectionate, and I’m not sure why. He’s never crossed that line with me before, but the way his dark brown eyes are boring down into mine and the way his thumb is stroking over the top of my hand tells me I’m about to find out.
I try to reason with him. “I can tell by the look on your face that you think tonight was a really dumb idea. I agree. We need to leave. I was trying to avoid my brother, but you can see how well that panned out for me.” I huff when Callum stays silent, watching my face like he’s trying to read a book. “Mina’s still inside. We can’t just leave her.”
Danny shivers beside me, arms crossed tight. “She’s just messing with us. Trying to scare everyone. You know how sheis.” He bites his lower lip like he’s nervous, but that’s kinda just how Danny is. Awkward, but willing to tag along on anything we want to do. He’s nice, but it weirds me out how he stares at me sometimes. I feel bad for him though because he has to get ready in the boys locker room, which is always taken over by the hockey crew.
“She screamed.” I look between all of them, voice rising because I’m torn between trying to find Mina and running back to the vehicle we came in. “You all heard it,” I say more quietly.
“She’s playing a part,” Eric says, shrugging. “Drama queen move. Bet she’s gonna jump out and screamboo.” He clears his throat, looking at Ryan. “Where’s your girl?”
“Shut the fuck up,” Ryan snaps, shoving Eric roughly, making him bump into Danny, knocking his slight frame to the ground.
I shake my head and on instinct reach out to help Danny up. His face is red, and he looks angry. “Don’t pity me! I can get up my fucking self,” he screams at me, and I instantly jerk back at his tone.
Callum steps in front of me, keeping a hand behind him to hold on to my arm. “You wanna try that again, asshole?” I take a deep breath, because Danny doesn’t know that Callum will pummel him for talking to me unkindly.
My chest tightens. “Callum?—”
“I’m not negotiating, bambi.” Callum takes a step toward Danny and says “Apologize to Lilac or we can work it out between the two of us, and I don’t think you want that.”
Danny is silent for a moment, but when Callum takes a step forward, he snaps, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” He paces closer toward the large gate we climbed over and he says, “We need to leave. None of this is going the way it’s supposed to. Mina is fucking with us. Let’s just go!” He doesn’t wait for us to respond, but instead squeezes through the slight gap like he’s done it a milliontimes before and disappears down the lane that leads down to our vehicle.
“You guys are so mean to him,” Tara says to Eric and Ryan, and then turns her attention to Callum. “He doesn’t even want to change in the locker room because your hockey friends bully him.”
Callum twists his face up like he doesn’t know what she’s talking about. “No one bothers with him.”
