Page 68 of A Dead Girl's Guide to Living
“Damn,” I muttered. “You really are treating this trip like a school project.”
“I like knowing things!” Ellis defended. “I store information like a computer, don’t ask me why. Facts arefun. I know, it’s not as sexy or cute as being cool and spontaneous.”
I smirked, feeling that part of me, the one that had been simmering since Liv’s words last night in the motel room, start to stretch and stir.
“Oh, it’s incredibly sexy,” I told her with a wink. “Nothing gets me going like facts about bridges.”
She let out a choked sound, red blooming up her neck, and I smirked inwardly. Beneath the carefully layered puzzle that was Ellis Langley, there was someone I wanted to know better, despite my better judgment and past experiences.
The steel of the bridge groaned now and then, stretching under the sun. A group of cyclists passed us at one point, one of them grinning with the manic cheer of someone who’d had a granola bar for breakfast and genuinely thought cardio was fun.
“I’ve never done anything like this before,” Ellis said quietly, crossing her arms as we walked.
“Walked a bridge on a forced road trip?” I teased, a lightness bubbling in my chest.
Ellis shot me a look, but it lacked its usual bite. “No... I mean, I haven’t traveled without the destination being a hospital.”
My brows lifted, and I blinked.
“Wait,” she added quickly. “I lie. There was this one trip to Disney when I was like five.”
Something sharp tugged at my chest. I wanted to say something, but I’ve never been great with words unless I’ve got a tarot card in my hand.
“Well,” I said suddenly, “if you collapse on the bridge, I’m not carrying you.”
Ellis huffed a laugh. “Noted.”
Something sparkled in her green eyes then, the dim, faraway look disappearing as she truly smiled, and I had to swallow,trying to ignore the way her face lit up under the midday sun, her red hair glowing, her braid almost completely unraveled.
We reached the midway point, standing between two graffiti-covered signs.
“We’re in two places at once,” I pointed out, stretching my legs and planting one foot on the Illinois side and one on the Missouri side. “Quick, take my picture!” I said, holding the pose with a grin. “Then we can try and get a selfie!”
Ellis laughed and quickly lined up her phone, snapping a few shots.
“Okay,” I said, straightening. “Your turn.”
“Oh, I don’t need—”
“Shut up and get a photo, Ellis,” I ordered, nudging her arm.
Her expression didn’t match the sigh she gave, there was no real annoyance there. She mirrored my position, letting out a squeak as she almost lost her balance, then smiled and hissed through her teeth, “Hurry!”
I snapped it.
“I should probably film some content,” Ellis said quickly, stepping out of the pose.
“Oh yeah,” I murmured, momentarily forgetting she was supposed to be doing that. “Still no Liv,” I added with a frown.
“She’ll grace us with her presence when she’s ready to shit all over our day,” Ellis muttered, lining up her phone.
I gave her some space, walking over to the edge of the bridge and peering down at the water below. Behind me, I could hear Ellis talking into her camera, gushing about the bridge and the trip so far, touching on Ted Drewes. My ears perked up when she mentioned meeting a follower and gave a shout-out to Emilia.
Damn, she was good.
“All right, done,” Ellis said a moment later, pocketing her phone and walking over. “Do we have to walk the whole bridge? Is that the rule, or can we go back to the car?”
“I’m not sure, actually,” I admitted with a shrug. “I’m starving. I want lunch, and I haven’t seen Liv since we got here.”
