Page 102 of The Depraved Prince
“Hey! My older sister Penelope told me you drove by?” Leah tells me sleepily.
I start coughing and choking on my spit.
I’m caught.
“Are you okay?” she asks with a giggle.
I suck in a breath and try to clear my tangled nerves. Shit.
She knows I was there…
“Yeah. I did, but I…”
“Sorry, I was so tired from work today that I napped hard. I just woke up. Why’d you leave? Come back. We haven’t hung out, and I miss you!” she chirps happily.
Why is she lying?
“You know Leah…you don’t have to lie to me. Even if the truth hurts, I can take it. But lying to me about being with Coletonight is just weird. If you guys are together, that’s fine. I want you to be happy, and if it’s with him?—”
“Millie? What are you talking about? I’ve been alone since I got home from work. I mean…yes, Cole and I talk, but we’ve never done anything romantic or past friendship. I would tell you if we were dating. I just got you back. I don’t want to ruin our friendship.”
“Leah,” I call her out, appalled. Why is she lying and doing it so confidently? “I saw you with him tonight through your window.” I pause, shuffling the phone to my other ear. The front door to my father’s house slams shut, and I don’t think twice about it. I know Nash is back home from studying.
“I saw you…with Cole. I went up to your window and was going to try and tap on your window like I always used to do. But then I saw that you were quite occupied, and you were…” I shake my head, blinking rapidly, trying to keep my voice as casual as possible. I don’t want those images in my head right now. “I left right away, and it’s okay. I?—”
Leah interrupts me. “I swear on my mother, Cole wasn’t here. I’ve been napping!”
I try to respond, but then I hear a dead tone. All the electricity flickers momentarily before it goes out, and the phone dies. Did she hang up on me? She wouldn’t do that to me. She’s not like that. She’s the type of friend who addresses harsh topics until we find a solution. Never angry or close-minded.
“Leah?” I ask, ensuring we lost connection. She doesn’t respond, and I get a horrible feeling. Trepidation crawls into my skin, and I grip the phone tighter than I should. Darkness floods the entire house, and rain starts to tap harshly on the roof and windows, joining my shallow, fast breaths. Thunder explodes and rattles the windows.
No.
No.
We’re not doing this.Everything is fine. I’m okay. I’m safe. No vampires are here, and I am leaving tomorrow.
Optimism.
“What the hell?” I place the phone back on the wall. “Nash! What’s going on? The electricity is out?”
I’m returned with silence, which fuels my negative thoughts more.
Why isn’t he responding?
“Nash? Are you home?” I walk into the living room and expect to see him on the couch, but he’s not there. I furrow my brows, confused, and continue to call out to him.
“Nash!” I bypass the dining room and the kitchen, opening the door to my father’s room, and pause. I don’t know why I hesitate, as if I’m about to see my father walk out of his bathroom to tell me to stop my shouting. Flashes of him in his work uniform, fatigued red eyes, and darkened under circle holding my dinner plate for me. But it’s just that. A flash of a memory with nothing to support it. He’s gone.
I will not cry…
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I close the door and turn around to face the dark hallway. I check the parking lot through the front window by the living room, but I don’t see Nash’s Jeep.
Huh?
I must have left the front door open when I came back home. I must have forgotten to close it because I was so jumpy from seeing Cole with Leah that I wasn’t careful.
I need to find a flashlight. I rummage through the kitchen drawers, pulling them out individually, but I don’t find any. I only see utensils, random batteries, and postcards.
