Page 15 of Hide and Seek
“Right?” He slips his closed knife into his hoodie pocket. “They just can’t help themselves.”
“Have you had dinner?” I ask.
He shakes his head, not at all fazed by my abrupt topic change. “Want me to text Killer and Felix and see if they’ve eaten while you take a shower?”
I nod and stand.
“And bro?” he says as I grab the camera box.
“Yeah?”
“You’re getting emotionally involved,” he says, all traces of joking and teasing gone. “Either rein it back in or be prepared for everything that comes with it.”
“I’m fine,” I insist. “It’s just a job.”
He shoots me a dubious look and picks up his phone. “Whatever you say, bro.”
I bite back my retort and put the camera box in my nightstand for safekeeping. He’s wrong, but there’s no point arguing with him.
I just need to finish the job and figure out what the hell we’re going to do about Myles, and that will be the end of it.
4
MYLES
I’m rushing upthe back stairs of Boone House when my phone rings, the sound loud and shrill as it echoes off the concrete walls of the stairwell.
There are only a handful of people who call me instead of texting, and I’m not in the mood to talk to any of them. Instead of ignoring the call and putting my phone on silent like I want to, I pull it out of my pocket and check the caller ID.
It’s my mom, and the last of my good mood fades as the call ends. Keeping an eye on my screen, I hurry up the last of the stairs as a bunch of texts come in one after the other.
Mom: where are you?
Mom: you don’t have class now
Mom: and it’s not dinner time
Instead of answering the texts, I quickly unlock my door and call her as soon as I’m inside my room and sitting on my bed.
“Myles?” she asks, answering after half of a ring.
“Hi, Mom,” I say, keeping my tone even and casual.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, everything’s fine. I had my headphones on and didn’t hear the phone ring.”
“Oh, okay. But try to be more observant in the future,” she says, the relief in her voice overshadowed by her obvious displeasure. “And don’t spend all your time at your computer. Have a life, make friends. Enjoy college like a normal person.”
“I was studying,” I say, the lie slipping out so easily. “Been doing a lot of that with exams starting next week.”
“Good, good,” she says distractedly.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
I’m close with my parents, and I love them, but we’re not a talking family. We don’t call each other just to chat or shoot the shit, so if she’s calling, there’s a reason.
“I need to talk to you about your school break.”
