Devils' Day Party: A High School Bully Romance - C.M. Stunich Page 0,133

Sonja?” Luke asks, and I smile prettily.

“I'm living in a time loop, Luke. This is day number twenty-one. I learned about you guys over a week ago.”

“Karma, stop it,” Luke chastises, but then she exhales as we enter the store, giving me a cautious side-eye. Isn’t it strange, how sometimes we can tell the truth and still be looked at like a liar? “Still, however you found it, I appreciate you taking it in stride.” She flicks her dark eyes over to Raz. He's standing near the cooler with Sonja, picking out some beer. How they're going to buy it is beyond me; I'm just assuming one or both of them has a fake ID. “Are you going to tell me how long this thing with Raz has been going on?”

“Since … forever ago,” I say with a smile as April moves up to join us. Like I said, she's one of us through and through, but she can always sense when Luke and I need a moment. “Raz and I have been into each other since freshman year. But if you're asking when we decided to scrap our bullshit and actually give into each other, that happened this morning.”

“How?” April asks as Luke stares at me like she's never seen me before in her life, like I'm a total stranger. That’s a good thing; I’d hate to be predictable, especially after everything that’s happened. I’m done with predictability; I want adventure.

“I crashed my car into Calix's, ran into the store where Raz was, and threw my arms around his neck.” I grin as they gape at me, moving around the store to gather snacks for later. I don't hold back either: cupcakes, cookies, chocolate bars, chips, jerky. What does it matter what I eat today? If I don't save Pearl, then I can't go on to see tomorrow. Then again, maybe the stone heart I sent her will help? Just one kind gesture can make a difference.

“You seem … different today,” Luke tells me, helping me carry the food up to the counter.

“Good way or bad way?” I ask, and her lips tilt into a small smile.

“Good way, definitely.” Her eyes flick to Raz's back as he flirts with the cashier in what I assume is an attempt to get her to overlook his obviously fake ID. I’m not jealous; she’s at least a decade older than us, probably more. She does seem to be enjoying his attention though. “Except, I'm not sure how I feel about this. He's so … cruel.”

My brows go up, but it's actually April who intervenes, pointing at Sonja's back as she, too, attempts to put the moves on the poor, confused cashier.

“Pot, kettle, black.” April points to the assholes in front of us and purses her lips. “If you plan on bringing them both to New Orleans with us, Thad is going to lose his shit. He doesn't play well with cruel people.”

New Orleans.

We’ve briefly talked about where the three of us might go after graduation, but we’ve never really pinpointed a locale. That is, until the day I hung out in Luke’s apartment with her and April, the same night I stole Barron’s sketchbook for the first time. That’s when Luke announced New Orleans as our destination and, somehow, April remembers that.

“They're just … sad,” I say softly. “That's all. Just sad.” I step up next to Raz and dump the food on the counter. He glances down at me as Luke does the same on Sonja's other side. His sharp mouth turns into a grin as the employee rings up everything and sends us on our way. “I'm surprised you were able to pull that off,” I admit as we head outside with bags of groceries and boxes full of beer.

“I have my ways,” he tells me as we load everything into the trunk. “I always get what I want.” The way he looks at me when he says that has me shivering. I can't decide if I hate that statement … or find it dangerously attractive.

“Do you?” I echo as the others climb in the car, giving us the briefest moment alone.

“I do.” Raz touches a finger to the side of my face, dragging it down to my chin.

“And what is it that you want right now?” I retort as he runs his tongue across his lower lip, leaning in and putting his palms on either side of me, flat against the trunk of the car.

“Do you really need to