Page 110 of Until We Burn
“Can’t you tell her about your plans to help her?”
“She’s walking on fragile ground with my brothers.” I frown. “She won’t do anything drastic like this, especially with Jonathan's offer to secure her future. This plan will have to stay between us.”
Suddenly, my phone rings.
Kai’s name flashes across the screen. The rational part of me says I should call him back. But the part of me that aches for his calm, gentle voice draws me to answer the call.
Stella waves her hand. “You can take that. I’m going to order some takeout.”
When she shuts the door behind her, I quickly answer the phone.
“Hello?”
“Hey, princess.” A soft, relieved smile falls upon my lips as I hear Kai’s voice. “How’s your day going?”
I slouch against the table. So much has happened today that I don’t even know how to answer that question.
I scratch my brow. “Well, CatchCo’s CEO just got back to me today and now we have the evidence we need to clear my name.”
“That’s amazing, Di! I told you it’d all work out!” Kai laughs. The sound eases the knots in my stomach. I shut my eyes, wishing I could hold it close and hear it forever.
I’m about to vent about the day I’ve had before I’m cut off by the sound of Kai’s bedroom door whipping open.
“Bro, bro!” Luke’s voice bursts through the speaker. “You can’t go to the Halloween party with Diana!”
“What? Why?”
“Wallace is at the student council office, and he just saw Sophia’s name on the Eventbrite list!”
“Fils de pute,”Kai curses.
“Wait, wait.” My heart races fast with hope. “Sophia is going to the DHU Halloween party?”
That’s our chance to get her phone.
“I need to be at that party,” I scramble out. “I’ll tell you why in an hour. Can I come over?”
CHAPTER 45
DIANA
Every partof me stands on edge, warning me that this is a bad idea.
But having bad ideas is better than having none.
Stella arcs around a curb, driving down the street toward Kai’s apartment. The moving car aggravates the nausea swelling in my gut. It clashes with the hope and fear of possibly pulling off this absurd plan.
“And you’resureI’m allowed to go to the party even though I’m not a DHU student?” Stella asks.
“They’ll let in anyone with a valid ticket,” I assure. “The good thing is, the boys bought our tickets, which means our names won’t be seen on the Eventbrite list and we can slip in without Sophia or anyone else knowing we’re there.”
“Right.” Stella drums her manicured nails against the steering wheel of her silver BMW. “So, out of curiosity…how exactly do you know the guys we’re meeting up with? Because no offense, you don’t look like a hockey girlie to me.”
I hesitate. Stella had promised to keep our conversations confidential, but she’s not legally bound to keep quiet about my other secrets. I don’t trust her enough to tell her about Kai and me being friends with benefits.
I slouch back into my seat with a fake smile. “We were partners on a group project. We just naturally became friends after that.”
Friends.
