Page 33 of Scattered Glitter

If Ezra hadn’t come home in time to pummel the guy, who was two heads taller than our friend, onto the floor before getting him arrested, I don’t even want to imagine what could have happened.

It was also discovered that he’d been stealing Levi’s used underwear.

It’s no wonder Levi refuses to let anyone else into our circle after that. And honestly, neither do I. I trust Ezra with my life, withourlives. He’s the only one who has earned that. So, when he wanted to train me in hand-to-hand combat, I didn’t argue. I knew why. Ezra can’t be there all the time. And Levi is not always going to be careful, not always going to see the threats coming.

But I do.I have to.

Still, I wonder how the hell Ezra even still has his job. He’s with us, or more specifically, with Levi, almost all the time. It’s not like we need the money. Like most things Ezra does, that job feels more of an obligation he can’t let go of rather than a passion.

“I’ve got him,” I assure Ezra, though my mind is already elsewhere—where the girl with my watch has gone.

The graveyard is eerily quiet now, the kind of silence that comes only at this hour, which was the whole point of coming this late. No eyes on us, no questions, only the solitude of this place. It’s how I wanted it, and truth be told, we didn’t need Ezra to tag along. Part of me thought maybe he’d want to visit Oscar too. He loved him as much as we do.

Yet, when we got here, Ezra had simply said, “I’ll wait in the car,” as if being this close was too much.

Maybe it was.

Grief is a funny thing.

Maybe he carries it in the quiet, the way he does everything else, in silence until it weighs him down so much he can’t move forward.

Ezra doesn’t push back, but I can practically hear his frown over the line as the car engine hums to life. “She’s getting into an Uber. Black Toyota. I’m following her now. I’ll let you know where she stops. Call if you need anything.”

“Will do, tall, dark, and handsome,” Levi purrs, his voice dripping with sarcasm, cutting off whatever gruff response Ezra was about to throw back.

Levi is always unbothered, playful, even in situations that should feel serious. It’s how he copes and keeps from letting the world sink its claws into him. He deflects everything with humor, and I guess I’m thankful for that. It keeps him lighter. Keeps me lighter, too, when things feel like they’re too much.

Lately,everything is always too much.

“Stealing from us?” Levi’s voice breaks through my thoughts, laced with the same admiration I’d heard earlier. “God, that girl is fucking gutsy.”

I huff, shaking my head. “Yeah, well, I’ll admire her when I get my damn watch back.”

There’s a moment of silence, and then we take the few steps to Oscar’s grave, both pulling out the coins we brought. I flick mine in the air, watching it spin and turn before it lands on the ground in front of the cold stone.“Sometimes it spins, sometimes it falls,”I mutter under my breath, repeating Uncle Oscar’s words.

Levi follows, his coin flipping through the air, making Pebble coo in response. “Two sides of one coin, destiny calls.”

I glance at him, and the numbness that’s been clinging to me for months loosens its grip, making room for a dullache in my chest. Levi’s eyes are brimming with tears, the rawness of his grief so painfully visible. Reaching for him, I pull him into a side hug, and Pebble flutters to the top of Oscar’s gravestone, disturbed by the sudden movement.

“I miss him,” Levi breathes out. “I miss him so much it physically hurts.”

“I know,” I whisper, squeezing him tighter.

Because it’s not my grief I feel. It’s his. I’ve buried mine too deep to face. Levi wears his pain on his sleeve while I’ve chosen to drown mine.

“We’re going to makeherpay for it,” Levi almost spits, his hands balling to fists.

I nod, though the words sit heavy in my gut. I’ve known that’s where his thoughts would go the moment we set foot here. It’s the only thing keeping him going, other than the champagne and the endless parties he throws himself into. I can’t shake the worry, though. If we follow through with Oscar’s plan, if we expose everything Veronica Harrington did, not only to us but to this entire damn city, there’s no telling what it will cost us.

It already cost Oscar his life.

“Maybe we should let it rest,” I say, quieter than I mean it. “Maybe Uncle Oscar… maybe he lost the game they were playing. And it’s notourgame, Dove.”

Levi pulls away, the warmth of the hug replaced by cold air between us. “She made it our game the second she killed him,” he snaps. His chest rises and falls as if he’s trying to steady himself but failing. “Fine…” bitterness creeps into every word, “… let’s ignore all the shady shit she’s done. Let’s pretend she’s not the worst person alive.”

He drags a hand through his hair, his anger unraveling into something rawer. “Can you live with yourself knowing he died trying to stop her, and we just give up?” Levi pointsto Oscar’s gravestone, his voice cracking. The sound of it stops me short—it’s not just rage now, it’s grief.

“Can you? Exposingher,bringing her down… it’s his legacy. It’s what he would’ve wanted us to do. It’s what’sright.” I open my mouth to respond, but he’s already pushing forward. “If you don’t want to help me, fine. I’ll do it on my own.”

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