Page 107 of Cook

After a minute, she smirked though, a hint of scandal in her light green eyes. “In that room, though, he didn’t account for the return air vent, so I heard a lot of illegal shit. When I finally got out, I had a ton of information on him. A whole stack of journals filled with names, places, details. More than just the drug and sex trafficking that went on in that club.”

My bottom lip jutted, but I pinched it to keep from pouting so obviously. I never got a chance to overhear things or to escape.

With a deep huff, Roni swiveled her chair to face me again. “Maddie, I know this is all weird to you.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, forcing another bite of Cook’s omelet into my mouth. I didn’t want him to think I was ungrateful, but I had lost my appetite. The food tasted like sand.

“You don’t have to pretend with me,” pushed Roni. “I know. I’ve been there. I’m still there sometimes. In the nightmares, anyway. I can be there for you, Maddie, if you’ll let me.”

I drew my eyebrows together. “And how would you be there?”

“I can be your friend.” She took my hand, giving it a squeeze. “You can talk about what happened to you at Enigma, but we can also go get drinks or go to movies or hang out. Cook said he got you a phone, so take my phone number.”

She scurried behind the island and grabbed a yellow stack of paper. After scribbling some numbers, she pulled the top sheet off and handed it to me. The back was sticky.

“Text me,” she said, “and I’ll text you back when I can. Obviously, I can’t respond while I’m at work, but I’ll get back to you after. We can do what other people do.”

Roni left out the wordnormal, but it was there between the other words.

I snorted. “I don’t know what normal people do. I’m just trying to figure out my own life.”

“Valid.” She placed a hand on my forearm. “Everything you do is valid. You are doing what you need to do to survive.”

“I’m doing more than surviving,” I disagreed, slithering my hand out of her grasp. “I’m living now.” My voice wavered when I didn’t wish it to. Fuck, why did it have to give me away like that?

“I know,” said Roni in a small voice. “But know that you can count on me, Maddie. We can be friends.”

I already had a friend, Bou. Or at least, I thought she was my friend. Oh, and Belle. I liked Belle a lot. Weren’t all of Cook’s friends my friends? Celt might be the odd one out, but he was the one I needed to impress the most.

“Will you help me with Celt?” I asked.

“With Celt?” Roni scrunched up her nose. “Why would you need help with him?”

“I don’t think he likes me.”

Roni snorted and waved off the notion. “He’s concerned about all your scars. The visible ones and the others too. Trust me, if you make Cook happy, he’ll worship the ground you walk on.”

“Not sure about that,” I mumbled.

Roni smiled, almost naturally now. “Look at us. Already talking boys and boy problems. This is the fast track to friendship.”

“Really?” I asked.

“Did you want to talk periods? Or how work sucks? Or favorite bands?” Roni held out her arms. “Ask me whatever you want.”

I wasn’t even sure where to start. The only person I’d ever been close with was my sister, and that was before we had periods. If I ever really knew, I had long since forgotten what it was like to have a friend.

In the old mill, my friends consisted of other captives. We became allies, not friends, and we never shared except to warn each other. I didn’t give my measly rations to another hungry person, and I didn’t comfort someone who was crying, because I would’ve been punished too.

I didn’t know what it was like to have a friend, the same way I didn’t truly remember what it was like to have a sister. I had no idea what the fuck I was doing with Cook, but I just knew it felt good. Right.

Roni raised her eyebrows like she was waiting for me to say something. Ask her anything, she’d said, so I asked, “Have you ever been to the nightclub Serenity? It’s run by Sloan M—”

The door swung open, and Cook and Celt stumbled in, laughing. Their cheeks were red. Their muscles strained under their T-shirts as they carried heavy boxes into the apartment.

Scowling my confusion, I watched the antics cautiously. They’d said working on Celt’s bike, not moving more boxes.

Roni ran over and grabbed something off the top of Celt’s load, and they put everything down in the living room.

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