Boom - Sabrina Stark Page 0,30

there were no guarantees. And besides, graduation was only two months away.

I was almost done.

Arden sighed. "Fine." And with that, she pulled out the lab key and inserted it into the lock. As she did, she muttered, "Just try not to blow anything up, alright?"

She didn't get it. My whole life was a powder keg, just waiting for a spark. Looking to drive the point home, I gave the forbidden lighter a final flick.

As the flame lit, I caught a whiff of something new – a smell that sent the blood rushing from my face, even as a sickening flash of light exploded out of the room. I gave Arden a hard shove as the door flew off its hinges, sending both of us reeling backward.

I dove forward and tackled her to the floor.

Was she hurt?

Fuck. If she was, it was all my fault.

If anyone should be hurt it was me. At that moment, I would've welcomed death rather than hurting a girl who'd done nothing worse than annoy me.

Arden was good. Yeah, annoying as hell, but good at heart. She was nice, too. People would miss her. But me? Not so much.

As these thoughts slammed around in my head, Arden kicked underneath me, trying to buck me off.

I refused to budge.

I didn't know if she was on fire or just freaking out. The smell of burnt hair filled my nostrils, making my blood run cold as sweat – or hell, maybe blood – dripped down my back.

Arden gave me a wild push. "Get off me!"

I still didn't move. "Not yet."

With a string of curses, she shoved again. And again. And again. Everything was a hazy blur until a surprising truth hit home. Holy shit, we were okay.

Or, at least, I sure as hell hoped so. Finally I moved aside and watched as Arden slowly sat up. With a trembling hand, she reached up to touch her face. She let out a long unsteady breath and lifted her gaze to mine.

I was staring now.

I was so fucking relieved she was okay.

And, as far I could tell, I was okay, too. Still, the explosion – or whatever it was – had left its mark on the girl in front of me.

Her bangs were singed, and her eyebrows were mostly missing. Still, in that one terrible moment, her face was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen, because by some miracle, I hadn't destroyed it.

Thank God.

Now, she was gasping like she was about to cry. Hell, I wouldn't blame her.

I wanted to gather her close and tell her that everything was okay, that she was alright, and that I'd never let anything hurt her again.

But I didn't. She wouldn't want it. And I'd done more than enough already.

She choked out, "How bad is it?"

I looked deep into her frantic eyes and told her the simple truth. "Not too bad. You're okay."

She frowned.

Once again, she reached up to touch her face. When her fingers brushed the spot where her eyebrows should've been, she gave a little gasp. Slowly, she peered up toward her hairline and froze.

She was seeing what I saw. Her bangs were a whole lot shorter and burnt on the ends.

She shook her head. And then, she looked to me. "You asshole!" Soon she was on me, like a cat on a mouse – except I was twice her size and several times stronger.

Still, I did nothing as she slapped, kicked, and cursed me up and down. By the time the janitors arrived to see what the hell had happened, I had a split lip and a bloody nose.

When they pulled her off me, I called out, "Don't!"

Still struggling in the janitor's arms, she demanded, "Don't what?"

I was lying on the ground where she'd tackled me. "I wasn't talking to you," I said. "I was talking to him." I meant the guy who was holding her back.

Ignoring him now, I looked up, meeting Arden's gaze. "If you want to kick me, go ahead."

By now, she was panting and crying. Through choked sobs, she said, "I don't want to kick you. I want to kill you."

I didn't blame her. Hell, I wanted to kill myself. And yet, I was surprised to discover I was happy to be alive.

Huh. How about that?

As far as Arden's words, I figured she was speaking metaphorically.

Turns out, I figured wrong.

Chapter 18

Arden – Present Day

On the phone, Cami gave a little squeal. "Oh, my God. You're kidding!"

Me, I wasn't squealing. I was reeling. In the privacy of the