Page 97 of Sinful

I grinned as I took the hand he offered and let him lead me away.

SIN

Istared down at the note in front of me. Keeping the smile off my face was impossible at this point, so I didn’t fight it. In fact, I was embracing it. Being able to smile made me feel not so worthless. It made me feel like maybe there was more in the world that was possible for me.

Sirena and I been passing notes back and forth to one another all week. Each day, I’d wake up and actually be happy to be alive because I knew I’d get a message from her. We’d discussed my love of random facts in our previous note-passing. Sometimes, we talked about the weather. The nuns. Our favorite foods. Books. Sometimes, though, the conversations got deeper, like her telling me she wanted to dance and sing again or me telling her I could play guitar and was taught by my dad and wished I could pick one up and play again without remembering him.

Today was a random fact day, however.

Sinful,

Did you know snakes can predict earthquakes? You said you liked weird facts. I thought maybe you’d like that one.

Yours,

Siren

Taking my pencil,I wrote back.

Siren,

Did you know the Mona Lisa doesn’t have eyebrows? A lot of people overlook it and never even notice it. It’s because it’s been cleaned so much that the eyebrows have faded.

I didn’t know that about snakes. Thank you for the information. I’ll be sure to run if I see snakes slithering out of Michigan.

In other news, Ashes messaged and said he’s going burning tonight. He asked me to come over just a few minutes ago and hang out with you. I said yes.

I’m really looking forward to it. You make me forget how to be sad.

Yours,

Sinful

I foldedthe note and held it in my hand. The moment the bell signaled the end of class, I was out of my chair and headed to the cafeteria, knowing I’d find her there.

Rounding the corner, I saw her already sitting with Stitches.

I slowed my rush, knowing I couldn’t just walk up and hand it to her in front of him. Our notes were our secret. Being unsure if the guys even knew she was communicating to me like this, I didn’t want to be the one to put it all out there. Sure, I’d had Bryce notes to pass for me, but that was a one-time thing. It didn’t count.

“There’s a package for you,” Mirage’s voice was in my ear.

I glanced over to see him at my side, his blue eyes fixed on Sirena at the table with Stitches. He kept trying to feed her, but she brushed him off, a smile on her face, before taking his fork and attempting to eat on her own. We watched as he quickly turned her attempt into a playful fork fight, their forks clanging against one another as she tried to eat on her own. She finally succeeded, making a grin spill over Stitches’s face.

I smiled at the scene, wishing I was part of it.

“In a way, you are,” Mirage murmured as Cady joined Sirena and Stitches at the table, Ashes soon adding to their group. “Part of it. You get to see the happiness from afar.”

“It’s not the same.”

“It’s good in a different way. Embrace that.” He clapped me on the back. “Anyway. The box is on your bed. It’s pretty big. You should probably go and open it. It was moving.”

“Moving?” I looked sharply at him.

He nodded, not bothering to look at me. “Yep.” He pulled a carrot out and bit into it, not paying me any attention. His blue eyes moved from Sirena and Stitches as he took in the rest of the students slowly, like a hunter, surveying which small defenseless animal he’d attack next.

He was doing whatever weird thing his brain compelled him to do, so I backed away with a sigh, really hoping there wasn’t something alive in a box on my bed.

* * *

---