Page 53 of The Hallows Boys

I don’t want you trapped in this town like me, Kaiden. There’s more for you out there – better.

I fear he’ll one day die of a broken heart, from the pain and grief that haunts him from my mom’s passing. The least I can do is make him proud before he does.

If he knew about the things I do in the dark, he would expire completely.

ChapterTwenty-Three

SAGE

Iwake up with a bone-deep chill settled inside me. It’s like there’s a ghost or something hanging on my back and sucking all the warmth from inside me. The sun has set, and my room is pitch-black when I slip from underneath my blankets. I hit the switch on the wall for the lights before making my way to put some clothes on.

As I dig through my dresser drawers and comb through the clothes hanging in my closet, it feels like I’m looking through mountains of unfamiliar clothing that seem out of place. Almost as if all of it has grown old and tired in the last few hours that I’ve been sleeping.

I start pulling stuff off of hangers and letting them fall to the floor, desperate to get them out of my sight. Once the floor of my closet is lined with light colored dresses and fancy tops, I heave a breath. I pull a blue blouse from its hanger, fingering the intricate stitching around the neckline. My mother bought me this just before she died – she told me the light, sky color would make my eyes stand out.

I toss it to the floor with a grunt. The next thing I grab is a Yves Saint Laurent dress my father gifted me for my birthday. I scoff as I squeeze it in my fist. The cream-colored material sends a lick of sadness through me.

This isn’t me anymore. I feel as if I’ve left the girl that would wear these clothes in the wind behind me.

I go back to my dresser, leaving my discarded clothes on the ground, and pull out the black band tee I wear for working out and a pair of leggings. I get dressed quickly, then make my way downstairs for some food.

My grandmother is in the living room, knitting and watching something on the TV, but I don’t say hello, I just walk past the door and go to the kitchen.

I find my dinner in the fridge, wrapped in foil, with my name written on top in permanent marker. I smile at the fact my grandmother went out of her way to save me a plate, even though I was a bitch to her earlier.

Pulling the foil from the plate, I find some sort of casserole underneath with a dinner roll. I pop it in the microwave and hit the automatic button for two minutes. While I wait, I grab my phone from where I left it yesterday on the counter and scroll through some of my notifications.

There’re a ton of texts from Juliet, and as I read through them, my gut flares with guilt.

10:32pm:There’s a Halloween party tonight, you in?

11:03pm:Helllllooooo?

11:07pm:I’m not going without you, but I also have the best scooby doo costume so call me!!!

12:00am:Boo! Did I scare you? Happy Halloween.

12:26am:Are you alive?

1:01am:You’re with them… aren’t you?

1:02am:They picked you.

I lock my phone again without answering, lying it face down on the counter when the microwave beeps.

How am I going to tell her? She hates them, that I know – she’s made it very fucking clear how she feels about them. But I never joined theI HATE THE HALLOWS BOYSclub she seems to be the sole member of, so does it really matter what I did?

Unless she finds out I’ve danced with the devils and decides she doesn’t want to be my friend anymore.

I sigh, pulling my dinner from the microwave. I grab a fork and my phone, then head back upstairs to eat.

My gran doesn’t look up from the TV when I pass the door, so I creep up the stairs and go to my room. Putting my plate down on my bedside table, I find a soothing playlist on my phone since I don’t have a TV in my room yet and shuffle it so I have something to occupy my mind while I eat.

I shovel the food in my mouth, my legs crossed on my bed and my back curled over the plate. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I started eating, and my body seems to say a silent thank you to me for finally giving it fuel after 24 hours.

When my plate is clean, I put it back on my bedside table and cuddle up in my blankets, resting my head back against my headboard and dropping my eyes closed.

After a minute, there’s a light knock and when I look up, my gran is poking her head through the cracked open door. “Sage?”

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