Page 30 of That Sik Luv

I rub the back of my neck, straightening again. “Yeah, I’m good. I’ll be fine,” I say, brushing him off.

He looks like he wants to say something about my outfit choice, but doesn’t want to offend me. “Laundry,” I say, shaking my head. “Piles up, even when it’s only me around.”

Laughing it off, he bites his lower lip, giving me a shy smile. “Bishop Caldwell is going to have a heyday with you, girl.”

I sigh, sinking back in the seat. “I know.”

“Well, hopefully, he’ll let you out of the confessional long enough to attend the Governor’s Ball with me tonight,” he jokes, running a hand over his shaved head. “You’re still down to be my date, right?”

My cheeks flush at the charming smile he’s flashing at me. He’s being all coy and cute about this whole date thing. I’m finding this new flirty side to him somewhat intriguing.

“I am.” I smile back at him. “Picking out my dress this afternoon.”

He shakes his head, grinning almost as if in disbelief. “You’re going to look amazing.”

I laugh as he dreamily gazes at me. “You don’t even know what I’m going to be wearing.”

He grabs my hand from my lap, holding it in his as I hold my breath. He looks down, slowly sliding his fingers through mine. Immediately I wonder if he’s going to need new tires by the end of this hand-holding experience. Peering down at his thumb that’s gently rubbing over the top of my hand, he looks up, searching my eyes. “I just know you will. You’re beautiful, Briony.”

“I see your windshield is fixed,” I say quickly, clearing my throat as I slide my hand out of his, changing the subject. “How’d you explain that one to your father?”

He stares at me for a second before talking. A second that says so much. A second that tells me whatever conversation he had with his father was concerning enough to have him wondering what to tell me.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but some strange things have been happening around here lately,” he says, facing the road, putting the Jeep in drive as he continues. “Things that don’t really make sense. This being one of them.” He nods towards the windshield.

My nerves fire up and the feeling of nausea hits again. I grip the slacks covering my knees.

“My friend left town. He just...vanished.”

Dizziness overcomes me, and I close my eyes tightly.

Saint turns to look at me right as I open them, and I pretend to look confused, hoping he can’t see through me entirely.

“What friend? Who?” I ask, knowing exactly who he’s talking about.

He sighs, looking back towards the road before us. “Jacob Erdman.”

I feel the saliva accumulating in my mouth, the need to swallow never more present. But I don’t want to swallow. I’ll seem guilty if I do right now. I’m an anxious mess.

“W-what do you mean...left town?”

“Apparently, he wrote a letter to his parents, saying he was done with this life. Religion. The Academy. That he wanted to see the light. The true light. Whatever that means.”

Aero.

“The handwriting was awful, as if he wrote it with his opposite hand, but it was still his handwriting,” Saint continues as he makes the turn onto the school’s street. “Greg and Nancy are a mess. They are so confused because he’s never acted as if he wanted any other life. This Academy and our religion were his life.”

I feel the beads of sweat forming on my forehead.His hand. He couldn’t use his right hand. I’m going to be sick.

All the thoughts and concerns about Jacob are completely thrown through the window once we pull into the school parking lot.

“What is that?” Saint says, his eyes narrowing to gain focus in the distance as he parks. “What does that say?”

A crowd gathers outside on the sidewalk that leads to the front doors as students file into the building. Getting out of the Jeep, Saint and I grab our bags, throwing them over our shoulders as we approach the group of students congregated outside near the four glass doors.

Eyes from the onlookers turn to us. Scowls of disgust, narrowed eyes of disapproval, and pitiful looks of disappointment find me as we continue to walk closer. My heart literally stops in my chest when I see the graffiti.

Spray-painted across the entire entry to the Covenant Academy is my literal demise.

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