Page 13 of The Darkest Note

I tap her phone. “I’ll keep this until I can get to my room.”

Her eyes widen. She shoots from the table and pounces on it. “No, no, no, no.”

The alarm bells start going off in my head. “Why don’t you want me to use your phone?”

“I…”

I move the device out of her reach and flick through the tabs. “What’s on here?”

“Nothing,” she says guiltily.

As if on cue, a video of none other than Zane Cross pops up on my sister’s phone screen. He’s in a dark background with some kind of mood light reflecting white and giving his tan skin a natural glow.

And there’s a lot of his skin glowing.

Because he’s naked from the top all the way down to the V-lines disappearing beneath his sagging sweatpants.

Zane flashes the camera a lusty look. His eyes are at half-mast and his lips are glistening. As he moves his hips in a slow, undulating roll, he lip syncs,“Baby, you know you’re the only one I want.You like that?’

“Oh my gosh!” Viola jumps on me, snatches the phone and huddles it close to her chest.

I’m so shocked, I don’t even know how to react. “What the hell is that?”

“It’s not what you think okay?”

“I don’t even know what to think!”

“I’m not thirsting after Zane Cross.” She pauses and thinks about it. “Okay, maybe I kind of am.” Her voice rises in pitch. “But look at him? Who wouldn’t?”

I take a threatening step forward.

She inches backward. “But that’s not why I’m studying his videos.” Her words spew out in a rush. “I need to grow my makeup channel quickly so I can get monetized. The best way to do that is to collab with a popular account and since Zane has, like, a bajillion views and you’re going to the same school, I thought—”

“Whoa. What makes you think that us going to the same school means anything?”

Her big brown eyes peer into mine. “He’s one third of The Kings, one of the hottest bands in town and you guys are probably, like, a few lockers away from each other. ”

“And?”

She arches a brow. “Haven’t you seen them around?”

“Not once.” I shake my head. Not that I’m looking for them. I stared Dutch Cross right in the eyes at the back-to-school showcase which is something I rarely do. I plan to avoid him especially. I can’t take the chance that he recognizes me.

Viola’s mouth droops in disappointment. “Can’t you introduce me to him? Please. It’ll really help me out.”

I snatch the phone back from her. “Homework. Now.”

She pouts.

I whirl around. “And don’t you eventhinkof contacting Zane. A thirteen year old girl has no business interacting with his kind of content. Ever.”

She stomps her foot, but she doesn’t talk back. Since mom wasn’t much of a disciplinarian—or cook or chaperone or much of anything really—I’ve been doing most of the child rearing. I’m not sure whether I’m doing a good job or not. I just know that no one will look out for us if I don’t.

When I’m back in my bedroom, I set the phone on the bed. Temptation wells within me. I’m curious to see if Zane has any new content. Maybe with his brother Dutch.

My thumb hovers over the phone, but I come back to my senses quickly. I fling the phone away like it’s contaminated and pick up my own device.

Rick’s number is one of the few in my contacts list.

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