Page 49 of Shades of Silver City

Craning my neck in Archer’s direction, I subtly try to eavesdrop, but he speaks in a hushed tone. I pick at some of the reddish-brown clay beneath me.

Wiping my hands on my jeans, I turn my attention back to my own phone. My most recent message from Jeremiah stares back at me:

Bossman: Your fired.

Leaning my head back, I exhale heavily. The adrenaline has finally settled, and in its place a numbness has taken over.

The thought of leaving The Rising Star makes my head a little lighter.

No more serving Fredrik and dealing with his condescension. No more getting slapped on the ass by drunken twats. No more worrying about what fights will break out during my shift. No more stressing about whether or not I’ll earn enough tips to justify the exhaustion.

And damn, I am exhausted.

I smirk as my thumbs dart out to compose a message to Jeremiah. I’m putting the nail in my coffin. But after what happened this morning, and with Archer’s generous offer dangling in front of me, I can’t pretend to care anymore.

Me: YOU’RE* fired.

Bossman: No, YOU are.

Me: Yeah, I’m aware.

I chuckle when three little dots appear, indicating Jeremiah is forming his response. Quickly tapping his contact icon, I hit “block” before he can say anything further.

Mellie will be pissed, if she isn’t already, but I’ll talk to her later.

When I glance up at Archer, he’s leaning a shoulder against some exposed brick and watching me with a curious expression. His phone is pressed to his ear, and every few seconds, he opens his mouth and says one or two words.

We continue to watch each other. Ever so slowly, his mouth curves up in an amused grin.

I fight the urge to smile back, reminding myself that I should be pissed off—or at the very least, annoyed. But still, only numbness settles inside me.

That and a migraine.

Massaging my temples, I try to relieve some of the tension there. It’s probably due to the pile of hair on my head. Reaching up, I give the elastic band a few tugs until my hair falls free and cascades in jagged waves around my shoulders. A few white-blonde pieces fall into my face, and I blow them aside.

Sneaking another look at Archer, I catch him watching me with a heated gaze. When our eyes meet, he straightens up and quickly turns away, putting his back to me.

Mindlessly, I finger the lump where the small baggie sits in my front left pocket. Luckily, I was able to snatch it up as Archer caveman-carried me out of the bar. It’s gotta be dreamdust.

I’m tempted to pull it out and examine it, but I don’t know if that’s safe. I’ve heard that even the smallest of inhales can get you high off your ass. It’s allegedly infused with magic that causes you to think you’re dreaming—which causes you to act like a real jackass. Even having it on me is unsettling.

I snatch my phone back up and open the message chain from Mellie.

Mellie: What the hell!!!!!!

Mellie: J just dropped the towels off. Where the hell r u?

Mellie: Girl, he’s gonna fire u.

Mellie: Hello?

Mellie: U ok?

Mellie: U better be ok. When I find out ur ok, I’m kicking ur ass.

Heat blossoms in my face as embarrassment and guilt finally make an appearance. At least it’s a step up from the ice-cold numbness I was experiencing a moment prior.

Another notification pops up, this time a text from Reed. I groan, tossing my head back against the wall behind me. My eyes shutter, and I take a few deep breaths, steeling myself. I guess he did me a favor by cheating on me—he gave me the nudge I needed to finally end things between us.

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