Where the Darkness Goes

Chapter 24

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

GARRETT — AGE 18

That night, by the time I make it back to our room at the lodge, Will is already there, and it’s no surprise that he’s broken the rule about having girls over. As I open the door, two guilty heads whip around to face me.

Cassidy Cole is standing next to the bed, her blonde hair wild and messy, lipstick smeared. She looks at Will, who just shrugs with a deep frown and quick shake of his head that tells her everything’s fine and not to worry. She sets back to work buttoning her jeans.

“Sorry, bro. Were you waiting for us to finish?” Will asks, tossing a boot across the bed to Cassidy.

“What? Oh. No. I was…out.” I’d planned to tell him about Tessa right away to relieve the last remnants of my guilty conscience, telling me this is too good to be true, but that’ll have to wait until we’re alone.

Cassidy pulls her boots on, then stretches across the bed and plants a kiss on Will’s lips. “Text me, okay? And save me a seat on the bus ride home in the morning.”

He squeezes her boob, and she swats him with a loud laugh. “Okay, I will.”

Once she’s gone, I drop down on my bed and kick off my shoes. Will’s smile is bright enough to light a city. I smirk when his gaze finally drifts from the door to me, as if he just remembered I’m still here. “So, I guess that’s a thing now.”

He drops back on his pillow, arms under his head. “Yeah, something like that.”

I open my mouth, prepared to tell him about Tessa, when he speaks before I get the chance.

“Hey, you know that jewelry she’s always bragging about? The really expensive stuff from that director with the weird name?”

Everyone in school knows about Cassidy’s Hollywood necklace, because she’s brought it up every chance she could since around middle school.

“Sure. What about it?”

He props up on one elbow, his face serious. “We’re going to steal it.”