Evanescent - By Addison Moore Page 0,79

mustard gas, simply by standing in the same room.

“What’s got everyone in stitches?” Kres juts her neck out like a chicken.

“We were just talking about tonight.” Carter dabs the tears from the corner of her eyes. “What we are and aren’t wearing.”

“Oh?” Kres leans in as if she were about to lacerate me and was debating where to start first. Her dark hair gleams as it swoops neatly down the side of her face. Her eyes percolate as if a storm were brewing in each one. “It looks like one of you is in costume already,” she purrs. “You’re a slut, right, Laken?”

“I thought she was the village idiot.” Grayson spears me with her impotent remark.

I find it ironic that both Kres and Grayson accused me of being the very things they are—morons.

“Or maybe she’s both?” Kres and Grayson break out in cackles, proud of their standard-issue insults. Although I’ll have to give them credit, their two combined brain cells did have the ability to flush out bargain-basement mockery—whereas my superior intellect, albeit slow, failed to report for duty in the comeback department. Per usual.

Nevertheless, they can go screw themselves and they might just have to because I successfully managed to highjack both their boyfriends.

Ha! That’s the comeback! I can totally feel the inter-synaptic high-fives taking place in my brain.

They scuttle off as both Fallon and Carter offer me a silent condolence.

“Why do you let them talk to you that way?” Hattie shoots them a look that spells out die bitches more than words could ever do.

“Don’t listen to them.” Carter jumps in. “Just because you’re into two guys doesn’t make you a slut, and we don’t even live in a village.”

My mouth gapes open and I just stare at her a moment. It’s becoming, more and more, obvious each day why Carter would be a perfect life-mate for Fletch.

“You’re right,” I say, glancing over at Kres as she shoots me the middle finger. “Although it doesn’t change the fact I wish they’d both disappear from the planet. I swear, it would be doing all of humanity a favor.”

Hattie settles her black eyes over the two of them and gives a silent nod.

“All of humanity,” she whispers.

Cooper

Before I met Laken, I don’t ever remember being so punctual to class. She’s reverted me from an impressive tardy streak to the owner of a nearly perfect attendance record. Hell, I’d do both my homework and hers—write every report for her for the rest of her scholastic career if she wanted me to. I’d rewrite the history of the world in a monolithic manifesto if it pleased her.

The bell drills through the hum of voices and still no Laken. Edinger strides into the room, and for a moment my stomach seizes at the thought of Laken being a no-show, but she breezes in on his heels with Hattie, her newfound appendage, in tow.

Hattie takes her seat safely tucked across the room, which affords Laken and me a tiny window to communicate. Ever since the sleepovers ended, it’s been touch and go. Laken’s worried to say too much through texts or even over the phone, so this is it.

Laken wraps her ankle over mine. I’ve resorted to wearing socks that barely crest the top of my sneakers allowing for some skin on skin.

I lie my backpack down, and she does the same, creating a barrier for our intimate display.

Anything new? I ask, drinking down her warm skin against mine. Laken feels like heaven. I’d pay in limbs to have her lay over me with that body.

Hattie is psyched about tonight. She rubs her leg over mine in one long stroke that makes me sit up and take a deep breath. And exactly what limbs are you willing to give up? She teases.

I turn my head just slightly. Every single one.

She gives a little laugh. I would hate to see you sacrifice on such a permanent level. How about you save that rock hard body, and we see what happens after we get our families back. It comes from her soft—almost embarrassed she even went there.

The only thing I want after we get our families back is to see you happy—however that may be. I swallow hard, trying to put up a mental barrier long enough to wonder if what I just said was the truth. What about you? I ask, getting the conversation back on track. Are you psyched about tonight? Tonight is the night of Wesley’s big surprise. Laken seems to think they’re