Page 8 of Blades of Obsession

“Next!” the barista with fiery red hair calls out, snapping me back to reality.

I step forward, my heart doing a weird little flip. “Hi, um, one medium… vanilla latte. And Skye?” I quickly turn to Skye, trying to divert attention away from myself, but she’s glued to her phone.

“Caramel iced coffee. Medium.”

The barista smiles as I hand over my card. Skye and I have this system where we take turns paying. “Oh, it’s on the house,” the barista says.

I blink, a little thrown off. “Really?” She nods, and I mumble a quick, “Thank you.”

I’m tempted to ask why, but who complains about free coffee? My dad loads this card every month, but it’s not that much, so I’ll take what I can get. Tossing a few loose bills from my purse into the tip jar, I grab our drinks and we find a cozy little window seat.

I’ve been having a string of good luck lately, and this is just one more thing to add to the list.

Last night, the dining hall worker told me my dinner was free there too, which was a relief since my meal budget isn’t exactly the highest. And get this—the cheer team got brand new uniforms, out of nowhere. Apparently, some big donation came in, and suddenly we’ve got uniforms thatactuallycover more skin, plus the fabric is so much softer.

It’s like the universe is handing me all this good luck to try and make up for something. Or maybe it’s a sign that I’m overdue for something bad to happen…

“Come on, Skye, what’s going on?” I exhale, blowing the steam off my latte. She’s taking her sweet time telling me whatever’s got her worked up, and since she invited me out for coffee to ‘talk’, I know it’s something big.

“How did the football game go this afternoon?” she asks.

“Good, we won. Now stop trying to change the subject.”

“Okay, okay. You remember Rhett? The guy who talked to us during your practice a little while ago?” She fidgets with her cup before taking a small sip.

“Vaguely,” I say, even though I remember exactly who she’s talking about. He saved us from that football player who I swear had something stronger than water in his bottle.

“Well, he texted me and invited me to a party at his house tonight. But it’s a plus-one party. You know, you have to bring a friend to get in.”

“Absolutely not.” I shake my head, already knowing where this is going.

“You’re my only friend! If you don’t go, I can’t go,” she whines, her pout in full effect.

“My dad would kill me if he found out I went to some kind of frat party. Then he’d bring me back to life just to kill me again.”

“And didn’t you say you were working on not giving a fuck what your dad thinks? What better way to start than going to a party?”

I open my mouth to argue, but something catches my attention out of the corner of my eye. I turn just in time to seehimwalking out of the coffee shop. When did he even get in here? Right before the door closes, he glances back at me—and winks.

He. Freaking. Winks.

My brain stalls for a second, and I completely blank out. All I can think about is that stupid wink and the way it made my stomach flip, like I’m some teenager experiencing her first crush.

What is wrong with me?

“Amelia!” Skye’s voice cuts through the fog, pulling me back to the present. She grins wickedly as I try to hide the heat rising to my face. “You were checking that hot guy out, weren’t you? The one you keep asking me about?”

I clear my throat. “No. And I only ask about him because I keep seeing him. Like now. How is he always around? Wherever I go.”

“Ooooh, maybe it’s fate and it’ll be like some romance novel where you guys fall in love. I’ll go give him your number for you!” She rises from her seat, a smug smile on her face.

“Skye! Sit down!” I hiss, grabbing her arm and pulling her back.

She bursts into laughter, clearly enjoying teasing me. “So?” she says, pouting again. “Can you please come with me to the party?”

I sigh. Maybe Icoulduse a distraction from the pest who’s been occupying way too much space in my head lately. Something to keep me busy so I don’t obsess over every little interaction with him.

Besides, this is supposed to be the year I finally break free from my dad and his incessant rules. I still don’t understand why he’s so dead-set on keeping me away from the things other college kids get to enjoy.

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