Page 74 of The Masks We Wear

She’s sitting in the seats one row back on the opposite side, but I can make out her lavender cream even from here. It fills my nostrils with its hues of lemon until she’s all I can smell. My head feels high, dizzy as it becomes intoxicated with the scent. I didn’t realize how much I missed it.

Remy clears her throat. “Go. Sit with her.”

Guilt rams into my chest, and I snap back in my seat. “I’m sorry, Remy. That was rude. Talk to me. How were midterms?”

She rolls her eyes. “Boy, I’ve talked to you every week. Really. It’s a three-hour ride. We’ll have plenty of time to catch up.”

“Exactly.” I push my back into the seat, twisting my knees so they face her.

Every nerve in my body is on fire, pulling me, begging me to talk to the brown-eyed girl two feet away, but I don’t. Not yet. I need to wait until I know exactly what to say and when I’m a little less high on her smell because this time, I’m going to get it right.

Remy gives me a once-over and sighs, resting her head in the crook of my shoulder. “Isn’t today…?”

She doesn’t have to finish for me to know what she’s talking about. I nod, letting my head fall on the top of hers. “Yeah.”

We sit in silence for a moment, and the next thing I know, a dark veil closes over my eyes.

THIRTY

By the time our bus pulls into the hotel, the back of my neck is raw from the friction of my necklace, and my nerves are shot to hell. The entire three hours, I had to text my support system to keep from jumping over the seats.

Another suggestion from Dr. Floren.

“Create a small circle of those you trust who you can reach out to when you are feeling overwhelmed or upset. Sometimes even when you feel extremely happy. These people can help you calm down or talk to you in order to help find a solution.”

Mr. Jones rises, holding up a hand to silence the dozen of students all buzzing with excitement. My eyes drift to Spencer and notice he’s leaning to the side and can easily see me out of his peripherals.

It forces my spine to straighten, and the hair on my nape stands at attention.

“Alright. We’re running a little behind, but you all have practiced repeatedly over the past few weeks, so I’m confident you have your data memorized by now. We’re in section forty-five B. I’ll call you by partner groups, give you your badges, and then I need you to hurry inside. I’ll also give the team leader your hotel key for the night. Remember, we’ll have dinner after and breakfast in the morning at eight sharp. Good luck, Bulldogs.”

Team leader?

Mr. Jones must’ve forgotten that Spencer is no longer teamed up with a guy. I make a mental note to tell him later as I pack my things inside my purse. He begins calling names, and as luck would have it, Spencer and I are the first called.

He reaches Mr. Jones before me and grabs our lanyards, exiting the bus before I’ve slung my bag over my shoulder. I fumble after him and down the steep stairs.

Spencer stands at the bottom, leaning against the bus, with his hands in his dark jeans. His chocolate locks are a little longer, curling around the shell of his ear. My heart thumps violently in my rib cage, and I’m almost certain he’ll be able to see an outline of it if he looks down.

“Hey.” His voice is throaty, and my breath falters.

I swallow, reaching out for my badge. “Hey.”

“How are you?” he asks, handing me the lanyard.

Our fingers brush against each other, and a shock sparks the length of my forearm. I clamp down on my bottom lip to keep my smile from stretching too far. “We aren’t in the color room, you know.”

One of his shoulders hitches up, and his dimple appears with a smirk. “Yeah, but I still want to know.”

I open my mouth to answer, but Remy appears at our side, her partner following close behind. She eyes us for a moment before tapping me on the shoulder. “Let’s go, you guys. Time to win some money.”

Some money?

Spencer nods and turns but waits until I’m next to him before leading the way.

It’s strange. We wrestled as kids, shared the same bag of popcorn, and slept cuddled up in a treehouse. Yet being six inches away from here right now feels like I’m a breath away from the sun.

Stop.

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