Chapter Seventeen
Taylor
“You’re wrong. Iron Man would kick Thor’s ass, any day.”
Chase rolled his eyes. “He’s cocky, sure, but he’s not a god.”
“But he’s got the suit.” Bryce took a sip of his coffee, his plaid shirt unbuttoned and his Iron Man shirt showing—which was what had sparked this debate in the first place. “And he flies.”
“Thor can soar with the hammer, too.”
I shook my head, speaking up for the first time. “This whole conversation is stupid.”
Chase narrowed his eyes, lifting his black coffee to his mouth. “Oh yeah?”
“Why’s that?” Bryce asked.
“Because Captain America would kick all their asses,” I said, smiling. “With his eyes closed.”
They started talking at the same time, arguing their points.
I laughed, sitting back and watching them fly into a frenzy. As their voices rose, I looked to my left. There was a girl I recognized from class sitting alone. Every once in a while, she would look at us, and then quickly glance away.
She looked…lonely.
I was so proud of Chase for making a friend, and I really liked Bryce. He was smart, funny, and had a hell of an IQ. He and Chase had hit it off immediately, and it turned out they had a lot in common, including their love of Marvel characters.
Our little group had been hanging for a week now, just the three of us, and it was pretty much perfect if you asked me. But who said we couldn’t add to it?
When she glanced our way again, I smiled and waved at her.
She glanced behind her, frowned, and then looked at me again.
I waved a second time.
Smiling back, she waved.
I gestured her over to the empty seat at our table and mouthed, “Wanna join?”
“What are you doing?” Chase stage whispered.
“Making more friends.” I gestured her over again. “Come on.”
Nodding, she stood, collecting all her things with trembling hands. She practically ran over, smiling at me. “Hi.”
“Hey, I’m Taylor.” I pointed at Chase, who lifted a hand and waved. “My boyfriend, Chase.” Then Bryce, who winked at her. “And Bryce.”
“I’m Anna,” she said, flushing and looking at Bryce a second time.
So. She was into nerdy guys.
Excellent.
“Are you waiting for someone to join you?” I asked politely.
“N-No. I’m by myself.” She shifted her books in her hands. “My roommate has like ten people over, and I couldn’t concentrate, so I left.”
“Didn’t want to join in the party?” Bryce asked, crossing his arms.
“Nah. They’re not really my type.”
“What type are they?” Chase asked.
“Football players. Cheerleaders.” She shuddered. “Jocks.”
Chase twisted his lips. “They’re pretty much all assholes.”
“Yeah,” she agreed.
“He used to be one,” Bryce said, gesturing at Chase.
Anna turned beet red. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry—”
“Don’t be,” Chase said, laughing. “I was an asshole.”
“But he’s pretty cool now,” Bryce said, winking at Anna again.
She turned even redder. “I’m sure.”
“Wanna sit with us?” I asked.
“Yes—” she started to say, smiling.
Out of nowhere, Gary was there, behind her.
The dude was like a bad dream that kept coming back.
“You don’t want to do that.” He rested his hip on the table, not looking at Chase, and pointed at Bryce. “Loser.” Me. “Poor girl.” Chase. “Murderer.”
Anna gasped.
“You can do better.” Gary looked at us, nodded, and said, “Have a nice day, freaks.”
With that, he walked away.
I glanced at Chase.
His hands were fisted, and he was breathing fast.
“Don’t even think about it,” I warned, resting my hand on his thigh.
He shook his head. “Oh, I’m fucking thinking about it.”
“Asshole,” Bryce muttered, pushing his glasses into place.
Anna hadn’t moved.
Just stood there.
“That guy’s an ass,” Bryce said to Anna. “Don’t listen to him, he gets off on making people feel as bad about themselves as he does, and he’ll say anything.”
“Not entirely true,” Chase argued. “He wasn’t lying.”
Bryce frowned. “Yes. He was.”
“You can go if you want,” I said, meeting her wide eyes. “No one will judge you.”
“What did he mean about…killer?” She laughed nervously, her grip on her books tight. “I mean, like, not literally, right? That’s one of his lies?”
“No, that part was true,” Chase said from between clenched teeth. “I killed my best friend.”
Anna stepped back.
I smacked his arm. “Stop being such a frigging martyr. You did not kill him.”
Bryce nodded agreement.
“But—”
I held my hand up and made a closing motion with my fingers. “Zppp.”
Chase slammed his mouth shut. “Did you seriously just—?”
I did it again.
“What’s happening right now?” Anna asked slowly, looking from me, to Chase, to Bryce, then back again.
“Did you hear about the football player who died?” I asked.
She nodded. “My roommate is a cheerleader, so yeah. I heard about it.”
“Did you hear about the guy who was driving at the same time?”
She nodded again, slower this time. “Racing him?”
“He wasn’t racing him. He was trying to stop him from driving drunk.”
Anna opened her mouth, shut it, and opened it again. “Are you sure? That’s not what I heard…” She broke off, looking at Chase again with understanding. “Oh.”
He pressed his lips together. “Yep.”
She shifted her weight onto her left foot. “You’re…him? The other guy? The one who lived?”
“Yeah,” he said drily. “Just like Harry Potter.”
She still stood there.
Not leaving. Not sitting.
Bryce snorted. “You’re not as cool as him.”
“I agree,” Chase said.
“He was trying to save his life,” I told her, ignoring the boys.
“Yeah, but I didn’t, did I?” Running his hand through his hair, he looked up at Anna. “No one will blame you if you turn around and act like you never met us. I’m the freak of the campus, and everyone hates me. No one wants to attach themselves to that kind of social suicide.”
“I do,” I said, glaring at him.
Bryce also looked less than happy. “Me, too.”
Anna took a breath, closed her eyes for a second, and then sat down in the empty chair. “Me three. Those guys are jerks, so I’ll believe you over them any day.”
I grinned, happiness filling my chest. “I knew you were cool.”
She laughed. “Well, I don’t know about that…”
“Me, either,” Bryce shot back, turning in his chair toward her. “But I know how to find out. Marvel superheroes.”
She raised her brows, also tilting her body toward his. “What about them?”
“Like them?”
She rolled her eyes. “Is the sky blue?”
“Sometimes,” Bryce replied.
“Which one is the best?” Chase asked, resting his elbows on the table.
“Answer carefully,” I warned playfully.
“Oh, well, that’s easy.”
We all leaned in, waiting for her answer.
“Hulk.”
Bryce groaned.
Chase threw his head back and covered his face.
Anna looked around. “What just happened?”
“You gave the wrong answer,” Bryce said.
“What the hell does Hulk have besides green skin and a bad temper?” Chase asked.
“Huge muscles?” she said drily. “And really big feet that could crush everyone else.”
Bryce rubbed his forehead. “Wow. How impressive. Big feet.”
“Oh, and who do you think is the strongest?” she shot back.
“Iron Man.”
She laughed. “As if.”
“I like her,” Chase said, grinning.
“You?” she asked, pointing at him. “Who do you like?”
“The only god of the group.” He shrugged. “Thor.”
She shook her head, then looked at me. “And you?”
“Captain America.”
“Ugh.” She grabbed her books and pretended to stand. “I can’t do this.”
“Sit your ass down, girl,” Bryce said.
She sat back down. “Did you just mention my ass?”
“Maybe,” Bryce said, flushing. “I…uh.”
She waved a hand. “That’s it. You owe me a coffee.”
“What kind?” Bryce asked right away, looking way too relieved to be off the hook.
“Nonfat café con leche.”
He blinked. “Huh?”
“Never mind.” She sighed and stood. “I’ll go with you. Come on.”
Bryce stood immediately. “You guys want another?”
“I’m good,” I said.
“Me, too,” Chase added, throwing his arm around my shoulders.
I snuggled in.
Bryce and Anna went up to the register, arguing over who was better: Iron Man or Hulk. I laughed and looked up at Chase. “I like her.”
“Me, too.” He rested his chin on the top of my head. “You’re good at this.”
“At what?”
“Making friends. Finding people who need you and pulling them in.” He swallowed. “People like me.”
My heart ached. “You technically found Bryce.”
“More like he found me,” he argued.
“Yeah, I guess.”
“I really like this group, and the fact that I have friends I can count on to stay by my side now,” he said slowly. “I’ve been really happy with you here, Taylor.”
“I’ve been really happy, too.” I pulled away so I could see his face. He looked a little sad, which was at odds with our conversation. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he said right away, smoothing his face over immediately.
“Chase…” I started, glancing over my shoulder. Anna and Bryce were still in line, arguing and moving closer to one another with each angry hand motion. “We promised to be honest with one another, and you’re not being honest right now. Is it your shoulder? Is it hurting you? We can go—”
“No. My shoulder is fine.”
I frowned. “Then what—?”
He let out a breath and ran his hands through his hair. “It’s just…” He swallowed and looked at me. “I’m happy.”
I blinked. “And that’s making you upset because…?”
“Joey’s dead.”
“By his own actions.” I slid away from him, resting my leg between us in the gap between our chairs. “You can’t keep blaming yourself for his death. He drank too much. He refused to listen when you told him not to drive. He chose to race you. None of that is on you.”
“I know. I do.” He shrugged, avoiding my gaze. “But I can’t help thinking that I don’t deserve it, and because I don’t, something is going to ruin it soon.”
“Chase…”
He clenched his jaw. “I know. I’m trying to be optimistic, but it’s kind of hard when the past year has been nothing but shit. Old habits die hard. I keep thinking one of these days, you’ll all realize I’m a lost cause and just kind of leave.”
That kind of honesty hit me hard. My heart pounded against my chest because I would have to walk away from him eventually. I had to do it. If I stayed with him, if I didn’t walk away, my parents could lose their jobs, and I couldn’t let that happen. Eventually, I would have to leave him, even if I didn’t want to.
There was no other choice.
“Taylor—” he started.
My phone rang, and I glanced at it on the table. Grabbing it gratefully, I lurched to my feet. “It’s my mom. I have to take it.”
And with that…
I ran like the devil was chasing after me.
Oddly enough, the devil looked a hell of a lot like Mr. Maxwell.