“What? No!” I face-palm and shake my head. “I just don’t want to see my stepmother there, okay?”
“That’s a valid enough reason for me,” Nova says. “So, we’ll stay away from Susana’s.”
Olivia drops back into her seat and crosses her arms over her chest, all the while frowning. “Girl, I thought you were about to confess to a secret affair with some hottie. But I don’t mind eating here. Besides”—she gestures broadly—“shopping.”
“I love you guys,” I say with a smile.
I’m glad they aren’t pushing for more information. Yeah, they can be nosey and give me a hard time, but I appreciate them for sensing when I don’t want to talk about it.
“Did you hear about Mickey?” Nova says, shifting the conversation.
“What about him?” I say.
Olivia munches on her sandwich, her eyebrows hiking up her forehead as she curiously looks at Nova. I haven’t heard much about Mickey since graduation, and I kept it that way fora reason. He’s old news, and I’m sure he’s just as much of a jerk now as he was back then.
Nova leans a little closer as she lowers her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Aiden told me he’s dead.”
“What?” Olivia gasps. “No way! How?”
“You can’t tell anyone, okay? Or Aiden will have my head.” Nova looks around before she turns back to us. “Jaxon killed him. Aiden said he beat him until he wasn’t recognizable.”
Olivia makes a comment, but I don’t hear what she says. My ears ring, and I lean back in my seat as I digest the news.
Holy crap. He’s dead.
Karma finally caught up with Mickey after years of tormenting me, my stepbrother, and his friends. I’m not even the slightest bit unhappy about this news. The only thing upsetting me right now is my reaction, because I’mrelieved. It means there’s one less asshole in the world.
“Is that Dahlia?” Nova’s outburst brings me back to reality.
Olivia and I follow the direction of Nova’s stare.
Dahlia sits at a table away from the crowd. Jaxon sits next to her, with his arm slung over the back of her chair. He plucks a french fry from his plate and holds it in front of Dahlia’s mouth. Her black-painted lips part with a smile, and she nibbles the fry from his fingers. Jaxon’s pleased smile is the gentlest expression I’ve seen on him—besides the pictures on Dahlia’s Instagram. His eyes light up with adoration and love as he feeds her another french fry.
Warmth fills my chest as I watch them together. They’re clearly in love, oblivious to the stares they’re receiving. They don’t care about the judgement, and I truly envy them for it.
Yeah, I was shocked when I first learned about their relationship, but I don’t find it disgusting. Watching them together, I realize they’re perfect for each other.
Jaxon waits for Dahlia to swallow before he grabs her jaw, turns her head toward him, and smashes his lips against hers. She smiles and kisses him once before leaning away from him and playfully shoving his shoulder. She says something to him, but I can’t make out the words over this distance.
Olivia gasps. “Oh my god.”
“Did he . . . Did he just kiss his sister?” Nova says.
I rip my attention away from the couple in question and turn to my friends. They share the same shocked expression. I wonder if it’s the same one I had when I learned about Jaxon and Dahlia.
I shift in my seat and swallow hard.
If they find Dahlia and Jaxon’s relationship gross, what will they think if they ever find out about Ryder and me?
They’d shun me.
They’d make fun of me.
My heart hammers wildly, and racing thoughts fill my head. I’m terrified of their judgements and cruel words. Not just toward myself, but toward Dahlia and Jaxon.
“Let’s go say hi to them.” Olivia stands and grabs her tray.
My eyes round like saucers as my friends dump their trays and leave them on top of the trash can before prancing toward Dahlia.
