Page 52 of Gathered Sparkle

“I’m talking to Levi,” I say sharply, keeping my eyes locked on him. “What’s your fucking problem?”

“My problem?” Levi’s voice rises again, his eyes blazing. “My problem is that you not only fucked shit up, no, you also broughthimhere!” He jabs a finger toward Nicholas, who remains silent. “And he’s acting like the pampered prince he is, muttering shit that he has to be somewhere.” Levi looks up at Nicholas over my head. “Then fucking go! You don’t belong here anyway.”

Is he fucking kidding me?

“Enough.” I square my shoulders, ignoring the sharp pull in my arm and the way my legs feel unsteady beneath me. But Levi actually steps back, startled. I get the distinct impression that nobody ever talks back to him when he’s like this. “Yes, I fucked up,” I admit. “And yes, you have every right to be pissed at me for that. But you havenofucking right to be pissed at him for being here. If it weren’t for Nicholas, both of us would be dead right now. Not just because of my stupidity but also because ofyours.”

“I was only in there because you weren’t capable of doing what we needed you to do.” Levi’s anger feels sharper than it should, each word landing like a blow on skin that’s already bruised.

“Dove,” Koen warns, but I pay him no mind.

“Yeah? Maybe I’m not capable!” I fire back. “But you weren’t either! What the hell were you even thinking, going in there alone without telling anybody? That was a fucking suicide mission!”

“We need that evidence,” Levi growls out. “She has to pay for what she did to Oscar.”

“I know!” I shout right back. “I know, okay? I’m not arguing with that. But Nicholas hasnothingto do with this. I went in after you, and I would have never gotten you out without his help. Do you even know what he did? He carried your unconscious ass out of there.Carried you,Levi. Did nobody bother to tell you that?”

Levi’s eyes widen, his anger flickering with uncertainty. He glances up at Nicholas over my head, and I turn to see he’s still standing behind me, his expression clearly unimpressed.

“He did?” Levi questions when his eyes find mine again.

Nicholas scoffs behind me.

“Yes, he did,” I snap, stepping closer to Levi. “He saved your ass and mine. And this bullshit attitude you’ve got? It’s not only ungrateful, it’s disgusting. Stop it. Right. Fucking.Now.”

Levi glares at me, his jaw clenched so tight I can practically hear his teeth grinding. But then something shifts. His shoulders slump, his gaze drops to the floor, and he mutters something under his breath so quietly I can’t catch it.

It’s not an apology, but he stopped yelling, so I take it.

“Good. Now, let’s all calm the fuck down before we say or do anything stupid.Again.” Exhaling sharply, I try to steady the anger still coursing through me when I turn to Nicholas. “You okay?”

“I’m fine.” He nods once curtly, his lips pressed into a thin line.

But he’s not fine. I can see it in the tightness of his shoulders, the way his hands stay buried deep in his pockets. He avoids my gaze.

“I’m sorry. You don’t deserve this.”

From any of us.

Nicholas finally looks at me with hurt or exhaustion, or maybe a mix of both. “It’s fine.”

My fingers brush against his arm, a silent apology. He doesn’t flinch or pull away, but he doesn’t respond either. And somehow, that hurts more than rejection would have. “You said you needed to be somewhere?”

“It’s over now anyway,” he replies, with a shrug that’s not as nonchalant as he probably wants it to be.

Then it hits me.

It’s Wednesday.

“Oh no. The parkour training? Nico, I’mso sorry.”

He shrugs again, the motion even more stiff and unconvincing. “It’s not a big deal. I just… forgot to let them know it wasn’t happening.”

“You’re still doing parkour?” Koen speaks up.

Nicholas doesn’t answer and avoids his gaze.

“He’s not justdoingit.” I step in before Nicholas can downplay it further. “He’steachingkids. It’s amazing. He’s amazing with them.”

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