Page 152 of Ink Deep Devotion

“Then stop acting like one.” Nova sings. She loves provoking Dash. She tugs me into the sun’s light. Dash talks to the guys, but his eyes watch me like a hawk.

How the hell will Avery pull this off?

“I wish you were walking with me. I wish all the guys were. It feels odd to be the only one in our group acting normal and walking across the stage.” I grasp at my graduation gown and fan it. I’m going to have sweat marks by the time I get on stage.

“I’d never be caught in that shapeless bag. No offense. And this hat,” Nova cringes.

“It’s a cap.” My lips tug up, but giggling seems like a bad omen. I gulp and look around.Where Is Avery?

“It should be burned.” Nova flicks the tassel.“Who designed this? I’d like a name and address so I can pay them a visit.” Nova pulls out a classy pink lip gloss.“And you know the guys, that gown is a terrible idea if you need to pull out a weapon. It’s like wearing a tent.”

“I wish they didn’t need weapons.”

Her nostrils flare.“Can’t you smell that tension? Shit, the security here must be insane, Mila. A room filled with powerful families pretending to be normal for an hour. It’s thrilling.”

“It’s bizarre.”

“This is all for the press, so everyone thinks Empire is like every other Ivy League school.”

“And I’m the doll performing.” I bite.

“You are; make sure to smile because I’m a sucker for those little dimples you have.” I shove her shoulder playfully.

Standing still, I allow her to coat my lips in the sticky gloss, but I’m careful not to let my secrets get trapped in it.Just stay calm.

Dash’s eyes sweep back and forth as if he’s chasing the lipgloss applicator down in a fit of jealousy that it’s touching my lips because he can’t.

“Dash knows you are planning on running,” Nova whispers as she plunges the applicator back into the tube so she can apply a second coat.

I step in front of her so Dash can’t see my face.“I know,” I did a lot of things that Avery didn’t demand of me. I just need to make sure Dash looks everywhere else besides my friends at school. So, after he shoved me into his room at night, I started planting false information on my computer.

"What are you up to?" Nova grins, her smile unsettling as she tilts her head—like a crow with an eerie amount of intelligence. I honestly think she would plot the end of the world if she thought she could claim victory over it.

“I took a page from your handbook. I left little clues and saved emails. I booked plane tickets paid for with my cryptocurrency account. I didn’t delete my browser history.” It will only take Dash a few hours to find my hidden account. I had drained most of it when Nova was trying to purchase me the fake ID the first time. I opened that account when I sold my first painting. It was something I had that was purely my own and not my father’s.

“You’re playing the player.”

I nod and peek around her.Blink.I take a mental snapshot of Dash and savor it. My nails scratch my inner palm, remembering how his face felt cupped in my hand, how soft his cruel lips were, and how his eyes shifted from cold to warm—all those times we showered together and bared our souls.

It’s now just memories.

“Mila.” Nova drops her gloss into her bag. I also don’t miss the small handgun inside.“There is a lot of shit about to go down. Don’t trust anyone. Whatever plans Blaze helped you with,” she glances towards the guys,“betray him. Don’t trust anyone but yourself.”

I bite my cheek. A few nights ago, Nova snuck into Dash’s room and suggested that I ask Blaze for help. I think it was her version of an apology for failing to get me a fake ID. She thinks Blaze is helping me. Dash will think that too.“Blaze didn’t help me,” I admit. There, I hope that clears his name from the list Dash will surely make once I vanish.

Nova’s smile drops, mixed with curiosity and concern.

“I’ll be safe.”I hope and pray. Sleepless nights are now a best friend with whom I share too much time. I’m putting a lot of trust into a girl that I really don’t know.

“You know I’m here for you if you need me.”

“Thank you for everything, Nova. I didn’t think I had the strength until I met you.”

Her gray eyes narrow. She’s too smart. She knows a goodbye when it’s painted with camouflage.

She rolls her lips slowly, like a sharpening stone gliding over the blade’s edge.“There’s a lot of security,” her tone is stern.

“I know what I’m doing.”

---