Devils' Day Party: A High School Bully Romance - C.M. Stunich Page 0,79

tattoos, the long white tails curling on the ground behind him like the hindwings of a butterfly.

“Off you go,” he says to Luke before turning his multi-colored gaze on me. I very purposefully put the glass bauble down, just to let him know how close I was to hitting him with the damn thing. “Sonja's waiting at the bonfire.”

“I'm not leaving Karma here with you,” Luke scoffs, her sports bra—she definitely is not into frilly bras of any kind—hanging out of the pocket of her unbuttoned blazer. She pulls her goblin mask from her other pocket and slips it on. “Especially after the shit you pulled this morning. Shame on you.”

“Oh, yes, shame on us,” Barron deadpans, tucking the padlock key into the pocket of his black leather pants. He's barefoot, his rainbow Mohawk slicked back down the center of his head, the short dark hair on either side shaved with a matching design buzzed in. My lips tingle suddenly, remembering the deliciously wicked kiss we shared on the first night. “If you'd rather, I could lock you in until tomorrow morning? That's what Raz wants.”

“Why are you doing this?” I ask as I gather my shoes and socks, throwing my blazer over my arm as Luke lifts the book between her and Barron like a weapon, sidling past him and out the door. He glances back at me, his expression difficult to read on the best of days, let alone tucked underneath a mask.

What did I do today to get him to wear this mask? I wonder, pondering over my actions from this morning.

“Nature likes balance,” he replies, which is creepy as hell, especially in that low, dark voice of his. “Come with me.” He steps back and turns, moving down the stairs with heavy footfalls.

“He's so … off,” Luke whispers, rolling her eyes as we head down the steps after him. I'm not sure what's going to happen between her and Sonja, but I'm curious to find out. “Why is he always eating? Besides being a possible serial killer, the only thing I can pinpoint for his future is that he's going to develop type two diabetes before the age of twenty-five.”

“Oh my god, Luke,” I murmur, pausing at the bottom of the steps, the glow of the Edison bulbs bringing Barron's colorful hair to life. Whatever gel he's used to slick it back seems to have glitter in it, causing his hair as well as his chest to sparkle as he moves.

“Get lost, Lucille,” he says, gesturing with his chin in the direction of the smoke from the bonfire. “Karma and I have business.”

“I'm not leaving her here with you,” Luke blurts out, frowning in disgust, the hideous green goblin mask lending an air of fantasy to her expression. “And I'm not going to run off and throw myself into Sonja's arms after the bullshit she pulled this morning. Karma and I are leaving.”

“What business do we have?” I ask Barron, unable to resist the bait of his words. If this were a normal night, I'd happily leave with Luke and spend the rest of the night getting high and snacking, watching shitty old movies. But that won't stop the cycle I'm stuck in. Luke said I needed to master my environment. Well, I know these woods, the school, the town, like the back of my hand. What else could that mean then, if not the people that populate it?

Barron says nothing, leaning his big body against the trunk of a tree and pulling a plastic-wrapped rock candy sucker from the front pocket of his strange coat. He removes the wrapper, tucks it away again, and carefully wraps his tongue around the end.

“Luke, I'll catch up,” I promise, glancing back at her with a brief nod. “If I'm not at the bonfire in fifteen minutes, come find me.”

She gives Barron a hesitant look, but finally sighs and gives me one more quick hug.

“I'm going to see if I can't get my phone back to call April.” Luke takes off into the trees as I turn back to Barron, the intensity of his stare making me shiver.

“Come with me,” he says, turning and heading into the darkness of the woods with no explanation. Strange laughter rings out around us, punctuated by small shrieks of joy, and the occasional thready, desperate moan.

I set my shoes, socks, and blazer on the bottom step leading up to the treehouse, and then match my footsteps to Barron's. He seems to have a