Page 122 of Vile Boys

“Here.”

A hand rises from the fountain, and I swear I’m seeing the dead rise.

Or maybe I really am drunk.

I step closer to get a good look because I swear I recognize that voice.

A guy in a pair of purple pants, a black top, and a shark necklace dangling from his neck lies on the fountain stones.

“Blaine?” I walk up close. “What are you doing here?”

He drops a book on the ground. “Reading.”

I frown. “In the middle of the night?”

“Couldn’t sleep.” He smiles.

I pick up the book. “How do you even read here when it’s dark outside?”

He raises his phone and shines the bright light in my face, making me squint.

“It’s not easy, but I make it work,” he says, chuckling. “Come. Lie down with me, darling.”

I sit down on the fountain and sigh out loud. “I don’t know if I want to.”

“Do you have somewhere to be?”

“Nowhere in particular,” I reply.

“Then why not just lie down for a second?”

Hmm … can’t refute that logic. And I could really use a breather if only for just a moment.

“I’m not asking you to bare your soul,” he says. “Just lie down for a moment. Take a breath. It’s worth it.”

“But why?” I ask, placing my bag on the ground.

“You’ll see.” The deadly smirk on his face makes it hard for me to trust him. But he’s the only guy out of the three with a sliver of chivalry, so I decide to lie down after all.

But when I blink, it’s so hard to believe my eyes I have to rub them with my hands.

“Wow,” I mutter, gazing at all the stars above.

With the water cascading down the fountain sounding like a rippling stream, it almost feels like we’re somewhere off in the mountains far beyond the human world.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

It is. It’s gorgeous. Like out-of-this-world divine.

And looking at all those stars beyond almost makes whatever I’m going through feel so tiny compared to the vastness of outer space that it calms down my racing heart.

“No wonder you wanted to lie down here,” I say.

“Obviously. Reading these books is so much better under starlight.” He chuckles again. “Well, I mean, the stones are harsh underneath my head, but all these stars make it worth it.”

“Why not just lie on the ground?”

“In the dirt? With my hair? Ew,” he says, making me laugh. He briefly glances at me before continuing. “There are bugs in the grass too, and I don’t want those squiggly legs crawling all over me.”

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