Page 86 of Dark and Dangerous

Great. See you then!

And then I throw her a lie, to avenge all the ones she’s given us.

Harlow

I love you

I fall into a heap on my bed, wondering how it is I went from the best day of my life to one of the absolute worst.

My mom is having an affair.

With myuncle.

My dad’s brother.

The same man who helped us move here.

The same man who got a transfer to the same city where my mom works.

Not only are they having an affair, but they’relivingtogether.

And my dad has no idea.

And the worst part?

The part that breaks my heart in two?

I’m going to have to be the one to tell him.

54

Jace

I tried to rush through the rest of my work once I got the text from Harlow telling me she was at the creek and to come see her when I was done. Usually, it means her mom’s home and she doesn’t want to be there. I hate that Harlow’s there, alone, and I can’t be with her, but I can’t make computers faster than they are—no matter how good I am with them.

By the time I’m done, an hour’s passed since her message, and I give Lana a quick rundown of everything, how to use it all, and tell her to call me if she has any issues. Though I hope she doesn’t. Since there was no school today, I need to get a couple of hours’ practice in, and then devote the rest of the night to Harlow.

I bypass my house, not bothering to check on my grandpa, and note that Harlow’s mom’s car isn’t at their house.

Harlow’s bike is leaning against a tree when I get to the creek, and she’s sitting on the log that was once mine and mine alone. She doesn’t look up when I get there, and that can only mean one thing: she had an interaction with her mother that’s killed her mood and will undoubtedly put her in a low state for days. It happens every fucking time hermom says something to her, and it’s one reason that—if Harlow hadn’t agreed to come with me when I left—I would’ve wrapped her in a blanket and thrown her into my van, just so she could get away from her mom’s toxic bullshit.

I step out of the van, make my way over, sit down beside her, and throw my arm around her. Usually, she’ll nuzzle into me, and we’ll sit in silence until she’s ready to speak.

That’s not what happens now.

Now, she doesn’t come closer, but speaks right away. “When did you know?” She doesn’t look at me when she asks this, just stares down at the ground.

Sometimes, I fear the wrath of my undoing. Meaning, I’m always scared that I’m doing something wrong. I never had that fear before Harlow because I didn’t care what I’d lose because of my actions, or lack of. I care now. Ilovenow. “Know what?”

She looks up, her eyes meeting mine, and it’s obvious she’s been crying, and I wish I knew why.

“Know what?” I repeat.

“That my mom was having an affair with my uncle?”

Shit.I’m caught—deer in the headlights—and I should’ve expected this at some point, but I wasn’t prepared. “I…” I trail off, unsure of what to say.

“Don’t deny it, Jace. You sat with me, right here,” she cries, pointing to the creek edge. “And you asked all the right questions. Who was he to us? Where does he live? Doesn’t my mom work in the same city? You knew, and you didn’t tell me!”

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