Page 22 of Chasing Wild Heart

“Do you think he’ll come to the art show next week?” Tabby asks, breaking the parade of dumb questions swirling in my mind.

"I don’t know," I answer with a small shoulder shrug, remembering talking about it with him earlier in the week.

He asked if I was part of the show after seeing fliers around campus. Thanks to my brothers' short attention spans anddisinterest in art, I've learned to highlight the important parts. But Dash genuinely seemed impressed and asked questions about my work.

"We'll be there, and we'll kick his ass if you want us to," my teammate reassures me. "But I also can't wait to see Perry."

While I love my friends' company, the final touches need my full focus during the last week. Tiny distractions could lead to major mistakes, and I'd rather not add more stress to my life.

"He looks fabulous," I share, smiling widely at the mental image of the nearly complete octopus.

"Caw caw caw!"

Tabby and I stop at the same time at the sound of an obnoxious but hilarious impression of a crow. Or raven. I groan, pinching the bridge of my nose, while Tabby laughs hysterically.

Despite my protests, Eden and Daphne appointed themselves as "Sisterhood of Dash Watch" members who would keep me posted on his whereabouts. With Eden's love for secret codes, she created a call signal in case I didn't have my phone or hear it. I didn't realize the sign would be for everyone within a one-mile radius.

Tabby wraps her arms around her stomach and laughs harder when we turn to see Eden and Daphne charging toward us with their heads and eyes tilting in one direction. I don't bother following their mad gaze to know Dash is nearby.

"Caw caw caw caw!"

I slap my hand to my forehead at Daphne's high-pitched, more feminine attempt. "They know they're not being super discreet, right?"

"I don't think they care," Tabby wheezes, bending at the waist, as Eden lifts both arms up and down. As if she's flying. Like a crow. Or a baby bird learning to use its wings.

Other runners warming up on the path and spectators milling around stop momentarily to watch the amateur vaudeville act.

"What are they doing?" Dash asks genuinely confused, standing beside me. "Is Eden pretending to be a bird or something?"

I shake my head in disbelief, unable to convey all the emotions slamming into me.

When the two members of the ultra-sleek covert operation finally notice Dash's presence, their eyes go comically wide with surprise.

"Shit!" Eden shrieks, glancing at her partner-in-crime for direction.

"Caw caw!" Daphne grabs her hand and makes a beeline for Tabby, who is laughing so hard tears stream down her face.

Betraying the so-called sisterhood, Daphne and Eden flank a hysterical Tabby, hook their arms around hers, and practically drag her away.

Assholes,I swear with a resigning sigh.

"Are they okay?" Dash's brows furrow as he watches the trio of traitors run off happily. "Never mind. I'm not sure I want to know."

When Dash shifts his gaze to me, I mentally agree with Eden's earlier assessment: he looks like shit. Fatigue and melancholy dull his normally bright blue eyes. His once confident posture shows signs of uncertainty and restlessness.

I want to feel the warmth of some sort of satisfaction, but I just feel sad. That he looks broken. Despite the hurt lingering inside me, I'm tempted to throw my arms around him and stupidly kiss him to make him feel better.

Instead, I pop a shoulder casually before taking a step back.

"Juni, wait," Dash says quickly, reaching out to touch my arm, but drops his hand. "I just wanted to check in with you before the race."

"I'm doing great." I wince slightly, not loving the bitchiness tone of my sarcastic remark.

"I'm sorry," he blurts out, his hand rubbing the back of neck.

"Agh!" I throw my arms up in the air before shooting him the evil eye. "You think now is a good time to talk?"

This is coming from the girl who wailed, "They killed the puppy," and sobbed uncontrollably while watchingJohn Wickwith her brothers in a packed movie theater. I blamed my hormones for the outburst, and my brothers banned me from all future screenings in public.

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