Landon pauses, a soft smile on his face as he thinks back.“Well, he took me swimming.I can’t really swim, so he taught me, kind of.We ate way too much junk food and hit an arcade to play some of my favorite games.And, yeah, we made out a lot, even if we didn’t… you know, have sex.”
“Sounds like you were pretty into him,” I say, smiling.
“I was,” he admits, shrugging.
“So… where is he now?The first guy, your ‘one true love?’”
Landon chuckles, shaking his head.“You’re so dramatic.”
“What?”I laugh, nudging him.“You can’t leave me hanging now.”
“He’s still here in the city,” Landon says, his expression shifting.“But I’d rather not talk about him.”
I nod, giving him a small."Fair enough."
After a moment, he grins and changes the subject."Since you're not planning on going back to your apartment, and you're done for the day at Gio's Burger, you up for doing something fun?"
I smile."Yeah, sounds good."
"Give me a minute to change," he says, rummaging through his wardrobe, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Maybe tonight will help me forget everything—at least for a while.
“Ah…” I scream, nearly ready to rip my 3D glasses off.Landon and Nat tricked me into seeing this 3D horror movie, and I hadn’t expected it to be this terrifying.
Now I regret not checking the tickets to see what kind of movie we’d be watching before following them to the movie theater.
“You’re not having fun, Cam, if you keep screaming,” Nat teases beside me.She’s sitting between Landon and me, looking way too relaxed for the scenes on screen.
“I can’t take this,” I mutter, almost passing out at the sight of the monstrous, bloodied figure now looming on the screen.I pull my 3D glasses off and take several deep breaths.Everyone around me is riveted by the movie, and I realize I’m the only one screaming.
Horror movies have never been my thing.I’ve never liked anything to do with gore, violence, or creepy monsters, and Landon knew that.
“I need to get out of here,” I whisper to Nat, hoping she’ll let Landon know.
Nat sighs, slipping off her glasses and watching me with a look of mild disbelief.I know that look; she’s probably thinking that I’m about to ruin the movie for them.
“It’s fine if you want to stay,” I assure her.“I’ll just wait in the lobby or get a drink.Call me when you’re done.”
Nat nods.“Sure, Cam, I’ll text you.”She puts her 3D glasses back on, and I can tell she’s already reabsorbed in the movie.
I shake my head, standing up and making my way down the aisle.The room is dim, and the audience is glued to the screen, barely noticing me.
Once I’m outside, I take in a deep breath of the cool night air, grateful to be out of that nightmare.It’s nearly 10 p.m., and the street is busy, couples holding hands as they walk by.I glance down at my phone, feeling a sudden urge to call Elias.We haven’t talked all day, maybe because we’re both a little nervous about our date tomorrow.
I scroll to his contact, hovering over his name, but I stop myself.It’s late, and he’s probably in bed or getting ready for tomorrow.I lock my phone and look around, wondering where to go until Nat and Landon are done.
“Cameron?”A familiar voice calls out, and I turn, spotting a sleek black car pulling up at the curb.Blaze steps out, wearing a black denim jacket, dark jeans, and boots.His hands are in his pockets as he walks toward me, his cologne catching me off guard.The last time I saw him was at the parking lot when Carter decided to make Landon the target of his usual bullying.
“What are you doing here?”Blaze asks, stopping in front of me.In the streetlight, he looks annoyingly good—his gray eyes practically glowing.
“Uh… I…” I clear my throat, trying to keep it together.“I came out with my friends to see a movie.”
“Then why are you out here?”
I chuckle nervously.“Didn’t really enjoy the movie, so I thought I’d get some air.”
“Was it that bad?”
