Page 74 of Lucky Hit

THIRTY-TWO

OCTAVIA

The movie playing in front of us does nothing to distract me once Tyler slips out of the balcony, phone in hand.

As per Morgan's request, we're huddled up in our living room watching a bunch of horror movies. Movie nights have been Morgan's thing all for as long as I've known her. Sometimes they cheer me up, but not tonight.

"Where are you going, man? This is the best part!" Matt yells and throws his hands into the air.

Tyler ignores him and shuts the balcony door, being as secretive as ever. Over the past few months, Tyler and I have become pretty close. Well, as close as one can get to him since he isn't exactly a people person. And from what I've learned, he isn't a sharer.

"Shut up!" Morgan snaps at Matt, staring at the T.V in anticipation.

"You shut up!" Matt shoots back.

As much as I love listening to their bickering, I try very hard to tune them out. I need to think. The past twenty-four hours were torture.

When I got the call from Matt last night asking if I'd seen Oakley, my mind went into overdrive. Where could he be? Is he okay? Nobody seemed to know where he was until this morning when he finally had the decency to let us know he's alive. How gracious of him.

I spent today trying to stop myself from calling him and giving him a piece of my mind. To distract me, Morgan suggested a movie night.

"Oh, my God! You dumbass!" Morgan screams and throws a handful of popcorn at the T.V in frustration. "Did you see that? How many times does a dumb blonde have to run towards the killer and die before they know they shouldn't? These girls make us blondes look bad."

Matt and I lock eyes, laughing to ourselves. Morgan is too precious for this world.

I stare out at the brooding man on my balcony. Tyler is leaning forward, his forearms resting on the balcony, a lit cigarette hanging from his lips. I let out a sigh and move to join him.

The quiet click of the door closing behind me catches Tyler's attention. He looks at me with raised eyebrows and sends me a nod by way of greeting.

"You really shouldn't smoke," I murmur and join him by the railing.

His low chuckle fills the small space. He takes another drag and blows smoke out in front of him. "I know."

I frown in bemusement. "So, why do it?"

He takes another drag and sighs. "It helps me calm down."

"Why do you need to calm down?" I ask and curse my lack of self-control.

It takes him a few seconds to respond, but I don't miss the way he tenses.

"When's the last time you talked to your boyfriend?" he grits out.

My stomach sinks the second his words slip past his lips. I scowl at him. "When he texted the group chat this morning, why?" I'm sure Tyler can hear the worry in my tone.

He takes a final drag from his smoke and stamps it out on the railing. He wipes his hands on his jeans before running them through his hair. "I think you should call him."

My stomach jolts. "If you know something, you need to tell me, Tyler. Is he okay?"

"He's fine. Just call him, okay? I'm already more involved than I want to be." He pushes himself off the railing and awkwardly pats my shoulder. "I'll leave you to it."

I wait for him to go back inside before I turn my phone on. No missed calls from Oakley pop up on my screen. Maybe I should take the hint and not call him? What if he doesn't want me to? It isn't like he's been responding to me lately. I'm ridiculous—I need to just do it. He's my boyfriend.

He picks up on the third ring—at least I thought it was going to be him.

"Oakley's phone," a high pitched voice sings over the electronic music booming in the background. Is he at a party? Are you kidding?

I clench my teeth and try hard to keep my cool. "Who are you?

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