Page 86 of Inception

Nikki’s scarlet lips twisted into a smile as she drank in Gabriel from head to toe, who in turn, proceeded to ignore her completely and perform a quick crowd-sweep instead. I felt my own grin deepen with satisfaction as hers faded out. She turned on her heel and walked back over to Trace who was talking privately with Ben.

I noticed he was holding fast to his promise to stay away from me, physically, though his eyes were a different story.

“I think you need to kiss,” said Taylor.

My head snapped back to her, eyes gaping.

“The kissing booth,” she clarified. “Nothing cleanses the pallet like a good make-out session, and it just so happens that you’re signed up as an official Kisser.”

“I’mwhat?” I laughed, because it wasthatabsurd.

“I signed you up,” she beamed, her eyes drifting casually between Gabriel and me. “Well, both of us actually. And Carly.”

“Well, you can just un-sign us up because there’s no way I’m kissing strangers in a kissing booth after getting called a—” I broke off, preferring not to rehash the sordid details of my scarlet letter in front of Gabriel. “I’m not doing it.”

“Come on, it’ll be fun, and besides, it’s for charity. And it’s tradition. And it’s for charity!” she repeated sans eloquence.

“I’ll tell you what,” I smiled and shoved my hand into my pocket, wrangling out a twenty dollar bill. “Here’s a twenty. Let’s not and say we did.”

She shook her head decidedly. “I’m not reneging on tradition, and you shouldn’t either. Do you really want the ghosts of carnival’s past haunting you until graduation?” The glimmer in her eyes told me this had nothing to do with spooks and everything to do with kissing hot senior boys.

“I’ll take my chances.”

She turned to Gabriel, eyelashes fluttering in full-flirt-mode. “How about you? Care to volunteer those fine lips in the name of charity?”

“Taylor!” There had to be laws against this sort of thing.

Gabriel cleared his throat, looking wholly uncomfortable.

“Alright, never mind,” she said with a sad frown that almost made me reconsider.Almost. “I can totally take a hint.”

That had yet to be proven.

“Meet back up in thirty?” she asked, hopeful. “Those bumper cars have our names written all over them.”

“You got it.” I gave her a quick hug and then hauled Gabriel off by his jacket before she had a chance to change her mind.

A medley of animated songs and sound bites filled the airwaves as Gabriel and I traipsed through the crowd of carnival goers, side by side. The moon hung low in the distance, plumes of mist slithering over its crest like a band of wandering ghosts. Otherworldly in every way.

“Are you going to tell me what that was about back there?” asked Gabriel. I could feel his eyes boring into me.

“What? With Taylor?” I shrugged. “She can be a little pushy sometimes, but it’s harmless. You’ll get used to her.”

“No, not her. The other one.”

“Nikki.” I shuddered for dramatic effect.

“There was a lot of tension.” He placed his hand at the small of my back and steered us around a pack of idle bystanders.

“I guess you could call it tension. Personally, I think pure unadulterated hatred is much more fitting.” I met his solemn eyes and smiled. “It’s been like that since the first day I met her. At first I thought it was just some territorial thing over Trace, but now…I don’t know,” I said, flashing back to her tryst with Caleb. “I’m not sure what it’s about.”

“He was supposed to be your Keeper, wasn’t he?”

“Yeah.Supposed tobeing the operative words.”

“And she’s also Anakim.”

I looked up at him. “Are you going somewhere with this?”

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