Page 52 of Boys Who Taint

Aspen and Levirun around on the playground, constantly chasing each other for at least thirty minutes now, and I’m left hanging from the swing.

“Aspen,” I call. “Aspen, look!”

But she’s too busy with him to even notice me when I’m doing a really neat trick.

Upside down, I watch them roll around on the grass, annoyed that they won’t even look at me. “Aspen. Hey, Aspen!”

Levi tickles her.

“Stop, stop!” she begs.

She giggles nonstop, the sound infectious enough to make even me grin.

“No,” Levi says, laughing like a maniac.

She tries to crawl away, but he grabs her with two hands and lifts her off the ground. “C’mere!”

She squeals as he carries her away, her eyes glowing as she glances at him. “You’re so strong!”

She pinches his muscles.

Blinking, I stare.

He throws her onto a giant pile of leaves, roaring like a dragon, while I’m still left dangling from the swing. I slowly let myself down, realizing I will never get her attention.

I sit down on the swing, pinching my arms the way she pinched him.

A smile forms on my face. If that’s what it takes, then I have work to do.

Aspen

Present

I throwanother piece of wood onto the bonfire, and the blaze that erupts makes my entire body zing with adrenaline. God, I love watching the flames dance in the sky.

“Having fun?” Grey asks.

I nod and chuck him a block too. “You try it.”

He reluctantly holds it in front of him and then throws it in, stepping back as the flames begin to lick his skin.

“The pain is part of the rush.” I wink.

But when I look through the crowd of people dancing, I spot Levi standing near Apollo and a group of friends from the Phantom Society. Something about the way he’s staring at me makes all the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

And I can still hear his warning ringing in my ears.Stay away from him, or else…

Grey is coughing hard, so I grab his arm and drag him away from the fire, back to our little spot in the woods. “Here, drink this.”

I hand him my vodka and Coke. He gulps it down, then breathes out another cough. “Jesus, what did you put in this?”

“Vodka.” I laugh. “You drink alcohol, right?”

“I thought you meant they had beer!”

“They do, but this gives the night a little kick,” I reply.

He shakes his head. “I’m woozy. I need to sit down.”

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