Page 56 of Dire Straights

“I can’t carry a tune even if I did,” he admitted, reaching down into the box to pull one out. “But I’ll take your insistence of our resemblance as a compliment.”

“Totally intended,” Arie promised him with a wink. “You should let me color your hair. You’d look great as a blonde.”

“Pass,” he answered flatly.

“I think you look great like you are,” I inserted. He turned to me, giving me another one of those really affectionate looks that turned my stomach inside out. I thought for a second he might have actually kissed me even though we were in front of everybody, but everyone’s attention was suddenly yanked in another direction.

When Aspen emerged back from the kitchen with a stack of the small paper plates to serve the cupcakes on, he ended up crossing paths with Caelyx right as he was turning the corner to the hallway. Stumbling over Caelyx’s foot, Aspen let out a kind of squealy sound that I just knew he’d agonize over later as he plummeted toward the ground. Caelyx’s arm whipped out, catching Aspen by his chest and preventing him from smashing his face on the floor.

“Watch it, Cupcake,” he suggested, and Aspen immediately bristled. They didn’t get along and usually bickered back and forth anytime they were together. I was pretty sure the only person Caelyx liked annoying more than Maddy was Aspen. And he was really, really good at it.

“Why don’t you watch where you’re walking, moron,” Aspen spit back at him. “And don’t call me Cupcake. Fucking creep.”

“Why?” Caelyx wondered, his grin looking sadistic at Aspen’s reaction. “You’re small and cute, and I’m sure under all that Hot Topic glamor, you’re just a misunderstood little sugar cube.”

I winced. If there was anything Aspen hated, it was being referred to as small or cute. Ironically, Caelyx was barely bigger than him. An inch taller, maybe two. But it was obvious he knew exactly how to get under Aspen’s skin. Straightening himself so he was standing upright, Aspen gave him a shove into the wall, stalking past him to set the plates down onto the table.

“Now, now, children,” Cyprian chided gently. “It’s a party. Let’s be civil.”

The cupcakes were really tasty, and I was glad to see Maddy actually ate two of them. It made me feel kind of sad when he obsessed so much about nutrition and stuff. But maybe that was stupid. Maybe I should have been paying a little more attention to my own diet. But fat and sugar were so good.

As we snacked, Aspen brought up the fact that Maddy had agreed to download Federation of Fables and play with us, and Che seemed particularly excited. He didn’t like playing with randoms, and that would mean one less random on the team to be toxic or throw the game.

As we were all discussing the basics to get him started, there was a knock on the door. Caelyx happened to be the closest person to the door who actually lived here, so he swung it open. From the angle on the other side of the room where I was standing with Maddy, I couldn’t see the open doorway.

“No solicitors,” he said automatically, which probably sounded rude but I could understand. Because it was a college town, they actually did get a lot of people going around door to door trying to sell stuff or enroll people in those multi-level marketing scams. After a few moments, Caelyx turned around to talk in my direction. “Ren, you have a visitor.”

“But I don’t even live here,” I responded in confusion. And pretty much anyone who would be looking for me was already in the room.

My stomach dropped into my guts, my blood suddenly feeling icy cold in my veins, as Gwen emerged from the doorway, glancing around at the streamers and balloons floating in the room before her eyes landed on me.

“Gwen?” Her name flew out my mouth automatically, but hearing it out loud, even in my own voice, was so unpleasant. Even when I talked about her to other people, which I tried not to do very much, I just saidmy ex. Maddy was kind of pressedagainst my side, and I felt him tense as he realized who she was. “What are you doing here?”

“I drove up here to surprise you. I went to the dorm building your mom said you were staying at, but you weren’t there, so…”

So this was something she’d planned with my mom. I inhaled deeply, trying not to scream in frustration. What exactly did I have to do to make it clear I didn’t want to talk to her?

“Okay, but why are youhere?” I asked, still not understanding. It’s not like she could have asked someone where I’d be and they’d know Maddy’s address to give her.

“Well…” She hesitated, like even she knew her answer was sketchy. “Your phone is still registered on my Apple Maps. I just never deleted you, so…”

I really, really hated that answer. She could have ambushed me anywhere, anytime. But I’d completely forgotten that I’d shared my location with her at one point. I would definitely be disabling that option through my app as soon as humanly possible.

“I’m kind of in the middle of something right now,” I said, gesturing around the room. The room that was very obviously housing a party. “It’s not a good time.” Actually, there would never be a good time, but I wasn’t sure how to say that without sounding like a supreme jerk.

“But I drove all the way up here,” she repeated, brows furrowing.

I was pretty sure she’d dressed up, too. She was wearing a cute sweater and a short skirt with tights and boots, and nice makeup that complemented her pretty features. She was objectively a really attractive girl, but that wasn’t what I’d liked about her. I’d liked the chubby, glasses-clad girl I’d met in sophomore year who’d actually been nice to me.

“But you didn’t even ask me if I’d be busy or anything,” I countered. Everyone in the room was staring at me and it wasuncomfortable and awkward and I didn’t want to be there. I just wanted her to leave.

“It was supposed to be a surprise,” she repeated. Her voice had a twinge of hurt to it, but she was pretty good at playing the victim and making me look bad in that way. “Can we just… talk outside?” She asked.

It was the last thing I wanted to do, but I also didn’t want to keep having this conversation in front of everyone. When I turned to Maddy, I couldn’t exactly decipher the expression on his face. I hoped he wouldn’t be mad at me for bailing on his party, even if it was just for a few moments.

Every step was agony, but I followed her out, closing the door behind me so that no one else would have to hear us.

“You shouldn’t have come,” I said, after we’d walked around to the side of the house so we weren’t in direct view of the street.

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