Page 60 of Scattered Glitter

And I fucked it all up in one night.

Another enemy pops up on the screen, and I blow his pixelated head off without blinking, but instead of the rush I usually get from the victory, my brain immediately wanders back to her, to the way her body moved under my mouth, the way she looked at me right before she kicked me out.

She’s gorgeous in a way that makes me want to forget my name, but it’s more than physical. It’s how she holds herself like she’s carrying the weight of a world no one else can see. Her laughter has this edge as if she’s daring the universe to knock her down, or she can make the room brighter just by existing in it. And yeah, I’m fully aware of how insane it sounds to fall this hard for someone I barely know. But I’m not just some lovesick idiot. I’ve been around enough to know when something is real.

And with her? It feels fuckingreal.

Last night, I spent hours combing through four different strip clubs looking for her and even went back to Vortex. Nothing. No sign of her. How the hell does someone that sparkly just disappear? It’s like losing a star in the night sky.

Maybe I should show up at her place. Knock on her door and tell her we need to talk. But fuck, that’d be creepy, right? I’d look like a fucking stalker.

I mean, if I found her at work, that’s cute, right?

Not creepy.

My thumb slips on the joystick, and my character gets shot in the head. A bright redELIMINATEDflashes across the screen. I slam the controller down, growling under my breath as I lean back, staring up at the ceiling. “Get a grip,Sy,” I mutter, running a hand through my hair. “You’re acting like a goddamn teenager.”

Weed usually calms me down, slows the shitstorm in my brain, but tonight I may as well be pouring water on a grease fire. Useless.

Fuck, I should have done something, said something more. Instead, I let her kick me out like a goddamn idiot.

Sparkle has got me by the balls, and I’m losing it.

Closing my eyes, I tune in to the music blaring through my headphones, trying to pull me under the way it always does. Tonight, even the music can’t drown out the thought of her, shimmering like glitter in the back of my mind, refusing to be shaken off.

Gaming doesn’t help.Weed doesn’t help. Hell, even the thought of fucking anybody else doesn’t help anymore.

I take one last drag of the blunt and flick it into the tray, the orange ember glowing for a second before dying out.

I need something else, something physical to get her out of my system. Standing, I stretch my arms above my head and glance at the clock. It’s early evening, but maybe Ezra is home. I crack my neck as I head for his room next to mine, finding the door ajar. But when I peek in, the room is empty.

“Ez?” I call out softly, pushing the door a little more, but the only answer is silence.

Great.

I shove my hands into my basketball shorts pockets and make my way downstairs, only to find him in the kitchen, getting a glass of water like it’s the most normal thing in the world while I’m over here practically losing my shit.

“Ez.” I lean against the doorframe. “Down for a session?”

Ezra turns, giving me one of those looks, the kind that tells me he doesn’t even need to ask what’s wrong becausehe already fucking knows. I don’t try to hide the edge in my voice or my restlessness. My energy is a mess, my thoughts are tangled up in her, and I need to hit something.

Hard.

“Sure.” He doesn’t call me out, though, just sets the glass down. Before we can move, the sound of the front door opening and closing pulls my attention.

Koen and Levi stride into the kitchen, looking as though they’ve been deep in conversation.

“How was it?” I ask, more out of habit than actual interest, anything to distract me from the chaos in my head.

Levi grins. “Oh, that girl is so damn good.”

Koen fumbles with his hair as he mutters, almost reluctantly, “Yeah, she’s good. I don’t know if she’s goodenough,though. We need her to be at least as good as Ric.”

I snort. “Nobody’s as good as Ric.”

Koen shoots me a dry look. “Fine.Nearlyas good.”

Ezra, who is now leaning against the counter, raises an eyebrow. “He still hasn’t changed his mind?”

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