Page 28 of Runaways

"Did you guys come here together?" Brielle asks. "Are you like…a couple now?"

"What? No. We just pulled up at the same time."

"Okay, just checking. I don't know why you're so defensive about it. Do you want a drink? We have white wine coolers in here," she says, gesturing to the cooler beside her. "And there's vodka and beer inside. I know you prefer whiskey, but my parents only allow clear drinks in the house."

"It's fine—I'll have a wine cooler. Thanks."

I grab one and sit beside her at the edge of the pool. At my other side, a phone buzzes. My heart skips a beat before I realize it isn't mine, and when I look over, the background lights up with a photo of Kendall and Zach kissing. Kendall is in the water, floating on a raft opposite of Alexis, and Zach is on the other side of the deck, talking to Leo and Josh.

I may not be in those apartments with my old friends anymore, but I never stopped playing games.

After ensuring no one is looking, I use one finger to slide Kendall's phone forward until it falls into the pool. The music outside is loud enough to mask the plopping sound it makes when it hits the water. I sit back, satisfied that no one noticed, and it'll probably sit there for a while and be completely trashed by the time she fishes it out.

Sometimes, I'm their friend, but sometimes, I'm like the abandoned children from my grandmother's creepy bedtime story, playing cruel jokes on them and waiting for someone toget mad enough to notice it's been me the whole time and do something about it.

But I'm not a child, and I don't want to eat them. I just want a little taste of their pain, something to temporarily fill that hole. I want to eat the looks on their faces.

And Kendall deserves so much worse.

"Where's my phone?" she asks when she joins us ten minutes later. "Has anyone seen my phone? I swear it was right here."

I shrug. "No. I haven't seen it."

I bring my drink to my lips to hide my smile.

four

Smells Like Teen Massacre

Tate

"They're both there, for sure," I tell Silas. "Charlie just posted a picture, and they're both in it. You can pull up to the gate now."

"What about Noah?" he asks.

I clench my teeth, biting back the rage boiling to the surface at just the mention of her fucking name. "We talked about this already, and I'm not going to do it again. Noah is a fake fucking bitch, and she means absolutely nothing to us. If she's there, then she'll get what she deserves, too."

"I get that, but—"

"They killed my fucking sister, Silas."

"I know; that's why I'm here. I'm here for Mia, and I'm here for you—"

"No one leaves there alive. If you want to back out, do it now. I've got shit to do."

I crush another pill between my teeth and wash it down with water. It won't help with the way the adrenaline has my leg bouncing, but I'll need the pick-me-up.

But the truth is I've been looking forward to this, foaming at the fucking mouth for it. It's the same feeling I got on Christmas morning when I was a kid…or the first time I slipped my sister's best friend's panties off of her. I think if Silas and I are both honest with ourselves, we've known for a while that we're not only capable of taking a human life, but that we'd end up doing it, eventually.

At least we have a good reason this time. What better motive than revenge?

"Backing out? This was my idea. You won't be able to pull this offandget away with it without me," Silas says.

"Well, I don't care about getting away without you."

"Good. Because you can't. And you won't have to."

I smile, leaning in and placing a hand on the back of his neck before bringing my lips to his.

---