move to accept my handshake.
“You shouldn’t thank me. You should watch out for yourself from everyone, especially me.”
Then he turned and walked back the way he came, disappearing into the shadows.
Chapter Nine
“I can’t believe I fainted.”
The words tumbled from my lips in a self-loathing whisper the moment I woke up the next morning. I pushed the nest of my dark hair from my face as I rolled onto my back. The bottom of the upper bunk loomed close above me, making me feel claustrophobic. I pulled myself up and threw my legs over the edge of the bed.
“Ow,” I groaned as my forehead banged against the bed frame.
“Hey. Good morning.”
True’s voice startled me, and my sharp inhale sucked saliva into my windpipe. Hacking coughs wracked my body, prompting True to sit down beside me and slap her palm against my back.
“Sorry,” she mumbled once my airway cleared.
“Not your fault,” I offered, clearing my throat. “I guess I’m just a little jumpy this morning.”
“Speaking of being jumpy,” True drawled, cocking her head. “Do you want to talk about what happened last night?”
“Not really,” I said, covering my face with my hands. “So embarrassing.”
“It wasn’t that bad,” she offered. “Plus, you got up close and personal with Mr. Sexy Pants.”
She waggled her brows suggestively, but I didn’t take the bait. Instead of laughing like she’d hoped, I let out another tortured groan. I felt like such an idiot, fainting like that. And not just fainting, but fainting in front of Levi Kass. I wanted to crawl into a deep hole and hide there forever.
“Hey,” True said softly, her hand rubbing light circles on my back. “Seriously, it’s not a big deal.”
“Says the girl who walked into a bunker with a hot guy and didn’t pass out,” I replied, my voice low.
“Why did you pass out?” she asked. “The nurse couldn’t find anything wrong with you and said it must’ve been low blood sugar. But, Piper, we’d just come from dinner. It couldn’t have been that.”
I knew exactly what had caused my blackout, but I pressed my lips together. I couldn’t tell her. If I told her, she’d think I was crazy—just like everyone else did right after the accident. When I was raving like a lunatic about boots and monsters.
“You can trust me,” True said, pulling me from my thoughts. “I promise you, whatever it is, I won’t tell anyone. And I won’t laugh.”
She pointed to her chest, made a big X, and then kissed her fingertips. Cross my heart and hope to die.
I stared into her deep brown eyes for an eternity, searching out any possible deception. There was nothing but raw honesty in her gaze, just as I suspected there would be. I didn’t doubt that I could trust her with my secrets. I’d only known her for a couple of days, but there was something about True that screamed honor and reliability.
Not trusting her wasn’t the problem, anyway. What worried me above all else was that she’d look at me differently. That she’d think I was crazy, imagining things… or lying to myself to make sense of an untenable situation. She’d pity me, changing our whole dynamic and ruining the friendship we’d been building.
Coco was the only person in my life who believed me, who accepted my story as solid truth. My mom sent me to therapy to fix me and make me face reality, my friends all deserted me once my depression and delusions became too much for them to handle, and my teachers looked at me with sympathy in their sad eyes.
Lightning doesn’t strike twice…does it? Could I really tell her and have nothing change between us?
“It’s okay,” True muttered, distracting me from my inner ramblings. “I can wait. You’ll tell me when you’re ready. Just know, I’m here if you need to talk.”
She started to get up, but I slapped a hand on her thigh, holding her in place. Her kind acceptance of my silence made me realize I wanted to tell her. No, I needed to tell her. I needed to know if she would really accept me, crazy ravings and all.
“I’ll tell you,” I said, taking a few seconds to arrange my thoughts. “I fainted because of what Levi said…about the bears.”
“Piper, I know the thought of bears freaks you out, and rightly so, but passing out cold seems like an extreme reaction. Even for you.”
She said that last part with a smirk as she bumped her shoulder against mine. It didn’t get the