sister.” He interrupts. “You’re curious how it all worked. How we worked.”
“I thought if I put myself in her shoes, even for a night, I’d maybe see how she ended up the way she did.”
“We had nothing to do with what happened to her, Palmer.” His voice carries a strong force, unwavering as if he believes what he’s saying is true.
“I want to believe you.”
“You do believe me, or else you’re no better than any of us up on the hill. You’d be a girl who slept with two of the guys who are responsible for the brutal demise of your heart.” He steps in front of me and bends down to hook his stare into mine.
“How’d you know?” I reach for the necklace through my shirt, gripping tightly to the silver locket. The sharp edges of the skeleton key bite into my skin.
Marek watches my hand. “Your sister didn’t keep our secrets from you, but she didn’t keep yours, either.” He watches me so attentively, I don’t think he realizes when he reaches up and grabs ahold of the hidden key around his own neck.
“Your heart. It’s what we’d say to each other, when things got bad at home, when our parents arguing seemed to never let up, or when one of us was worried about something. Like a way of saying ‘someone in this world has your back’,” I explain, knowing he already understands everything I’m saying.
Memories of Reed take over. Panic sets in, much as it has done hundreds of times since she’s been gone. It’s the universe’s way of reminding me there’s a hole in place of her. Nothing is the same. Not our family. Not school. None of it seems real without her in it.
Marek grabs me, holding me out in front of him by my arms. “Get it together, Palmer. Don’t let anyone see you cracking.”
“But I am.” I wave my hand in front of my face, a lame attempt to calm myself. “I’m cracking right down the middle.”
“Does this happen often? The attacks?” Marek cradles my face in his hands. Uncertainty and something else I can’t quite place shine back at me.
I try to regulate my breathing, but nothing is working. I clench my hands together, only to release the tight hold and shake them out.
A warm finger brushes along my skin, wiping away the evidence of my sadness. Marek. My eyes flutter, and through the thick dark lashes lining my eyes, I see him watching me.
“You’re only as weak as you allow them to believe you to be. You’re only as strong as you allow yourself to be. When it hurts, when you’re missing her so bad that it feels like it’s all collapsing in on you, take a minute and pretend that I’m standing in front of you.” He releases me from his hold, grabs my hand, and rubs his thumb over the back of it. “Notice all of my features and say them out loud to yourself. It’s a way to ground yourself, to bring you back from that dark place.”
“Inky, dark hair. Crystal blue eyes. A tight jawline. Your silver chain. The most immense soul.” I rattle everything off like it’s a grocery list, not like it’s everything he’s made of.
A goofy grin crosses Marek’s face. “See?” He runs his fingers over my collarbone and down to my hand, mingling his among mine until our hands are linked. “Your breathing is already calming.”
“Did you do that for selfish reasons, to hear the truth about what I see when I look at you?” I eye our connection, assuming he’s seconds away from dropping my hand. Instead, he guides me into the building. “Because what I see is different than what the rest of them see.”
“You shouldn’t see anything special in me, Palmer.” He deposits me into my seat. Surprisingly, he leans down on the top of my desk, resting his mouth against my ear. “The only interesting thing about me is you.”
His perfect lips glide away from my ear and over my cheek. The movement is slow and sensual. We have an audience, and still, I don’t push him away. What we’d shared in Byron’s bedroom is on display for our classmates to see. Leaning into him as his lips hit mine isn’t the best idea. We both shoot forward like a firework in the sky. Explosive. Unruly. Magical.
“Okay, you two, get a room,” Byron calls out, giving Marek and me no choice but to separate. He stands behind Marek,