It’s our last kiss of senior year and now, officially, senior year is over.
***
The Landon house looks as if it’s been bombed by a paper-shredding factory. I take that back, it looks like every piñata that has ever been created has detonated on the premises.
Mom insisted on throwing me, Gage, Brielle, Em, and Drake a graduation party even though sweet little “Misty” is hardly two weeks old. Last week, Gage helped Tad move a bona fide “full-size” coffin up into the master bedroom for Beau, now that Misty occupies the mini casket. I suppose I could do them the favor and move out—not that I have any cash. My once-upon-a-trust-fund was squandered on the brain malfunction known as the Gas Lab.
“Skyla!” Mom calls from the kitchen. She’s got the baby papoosed to her chest, only instead of suckling off a faux nipple, Misty has scored the real deal, and Mom isn’t shy about it either.
“Present and ready for duty.” I swoop in to help her slice and dice a watermelon for the house full of guests swarming around us.
“Thanks.” She makes a face. “I wanted to let you know that the Gas Lab received a strange shipment yesterday.”
“Really?” That place has been ticking like a bomb ever since the anonymous donor put a cap on its life, otherwise known as August. “Did the mystery man show up again and demand his cold hard cash back?” That was sexist of me. It could have just as easily been a woman.
“No.” Her eyes widen as if I should have already guessed where this was going. “He left cold hard
appliances
—an industrial deep fryer—a proofer. And he also left this.” She produces a white envelope, small like an invitation or a thank you.
I pull out the card, and emblazoned across the front is an iridescent blue butterfly. I stare mesmerized at the beautiful illustration before opening the card.
Skyla,
This might help the Gas Lab get off the ground.
Love,
Logan
“He signed it,
love
.” Mom makes a face as if it were scandalous.
“He does love me.” I blink back tears. He’s coming back, but a small part of me doesn’t believe it. Logan has been slow to initiate the treble, and I can’t, for the life of me, figure out why.
“Take this outside for me, would you?” Mom picks up the platter and shoves it into my chest. “It’ll take your mind off things. And Skyla?”
I turn back around.
“I’m really proud of everything you’ve accomplished. You are my daughter in every single way—you’ve got to know that.” Her eyes glitter with tears.
“I know.”
I head out to the backyard where most of the guests have congregated under a canopy of stars. The haze still hasn’t settled in for the night.
“Skyla!” Brielle calls from the patio, and I make my way over. “Can you believe it? We did it! We’re finally free! No more school ever again.”
“What are you talking about? Aren’t you going to Host?”
“Are you kidding? I’m thinking about taking a semester off and finding out who I really am. I could use a breather.”
“Right.” I plunk down the platter of watermelon next to the overgrown graduation cake Mom ordered with five black caps decorating the top. I make a face at the entire arrangement. “I don’t know. It’s just hard to believe senior year is over. Life just seems like its on fast-forward. One day we’re going to wake up and we’ll be old. The sad part is we probably won’t even notice. I mean, how the hell are we supposed to know we’re old?”
“We’ll know we’re old when we start adding the words
better than sex
to our favorite desserts.” She pops a brownie in her mouth and examines me a moment. “So whatever happened, Skyla?” She hitches her auburn hair behind her ear. “I mean, Logan split town, so it must have really killed him when you chose Gage.”
“Something like that.” I pan the vicinity. Gage is late, and Marshall is embroiled in a heated debate with Barron over what makes a better superconductor, so I steal a moment and fill her in on everything that transpired. I tell her exactly what my celestial mother said.
“Oh, Skyla.” She collapses over me with a heart-stopping hug. “That’s like”—she scans the sky for words—“a beautiful bummer.” She pinches her lips to the side. “But you know what? I’m going to be there for you no matter how bumpy the ride gets. I’ll be honest, I was sort of rooting for all three, so I guess in a twisted way, I win.”
I nod because really there are no words. A
beautiful bummer
pretty much sums it all up.
“How are things with Drake?” I know for a fact he and Em are back on the platonic track, but he’s been leery of flaunting Brielle in her face, so it sort of feels like they’ve cooled it, too.
“We’re taking it slow. We’re dating.” Her face fills with color. “He wants to wait until Em has the baby, then we’ll—you know.” She wags her finger in the air with the thin silver wire wrapped around it, the red paper still hanging on for dear life in patches.
“Upgrade the twist tie to a ring?”
“That’s right.” Drake comes up behind me. “You’ll see. I’ll make an honest women out of both Bree and Em.” He slops a kiss off the side of her face, and she laughs. I’m not sure either of them grasps the meaning of those words.
Someone tweaks my ribs, and I jump.
“Hey!” I spin to find Gage’s smiling face. His dark hair shines in this dim light, glossy as wet tar.
“How you holding up?” he whispers, dotting a kiss over my ear.
“Better now.” I clasp his strong arms around my waist and sway like a reed in the wind—unmovable, unbreakable with Gage wrapped around me like a shelter.
“OK—OK!” Tad claps up a storm as if he were calling a circus to order. “I’ve got a couple of rug rats that gotta hit the casket, let’s get this show on the road. Lizbeth, pull out the presents.”
Mom scoops up a set of colorful gift bags off the table and hands the pink ones to me, Bree, and Em, the blue ones to Gage and Drake. We open them at the same time with Gage holding back just enough to be sure I unwrap whatever it is first. I unfold the tissue and reveal a white plastic container. A metal disc sits inside with a round circular blade. Gage and I hold up our matching gadgets and thank Mom and Tad.
Ethan steps in close and sniffs. “What the hell is it?”
“It’s a cheese grater for your feet!” Tad expands his chest proud at his disastrous purchase.
God, I hope my mother had a coupon for these, or I’m going to feel really bad when I donate it.
“
Dude
.” Ethan snatches one out of Drake’s hand. “I totally need this.”
I can feel a rise of bile in the back of my throat.
The guests mix around the yard once again as Mom and Darla start in on cutting the ginormous cake. Darla and Demetri have yet to set a date for their impending nuptials. I have a feeling they never will. The way Demetri dotes over my mother, it’s pretty clear the war for her heart is still going strong.
Barron and Emma make their way over to us, along with Giselle.
“I’m so proud of you!” Giselle beams. “Are you coming to Ellis’s later?”
It’s no secret Ellis and Giselle are officially together, and the sweet part is I’ve never once seen him try to maul her.
“We’ll be there.” I relax into Gage.
“We wouldn’t dare miss the last party.” Gage gives me a firm squeeze. “Who are we kidding, this is Ellis. There will always be a party.”
“Well, before you disappear”—Emma dips into her purse—“here’s a little gift from the two of us.” She hands Gage an envelope and me a small box.
“You first,” I say, turning to him.
He plucks out a card and reads it to himself. Gage holds up a key and smiles.
“Key to my dorm. I can move in anytime.”
My stomach sours at the thought. I’ll be commuting to Host, even if it’s just a ten-minute ride on the ferry. Not to mention, Gage scored a football scholarship, and I’m already staring down the barrel of student loans to fund the next leg of my scholastic career.
“That’s great,” it comes out weak. Not great. I can’t even feign happiness for Gage. I can’t help it, though, it sort of feels like the dorm key was Emma’s final F.U. to me. I’m sure she’s arranged a cheerleader as his roommate.
“Open it up, Skyla.” Giselle bubbles as if she were just as anxious to find out what’s inside.
I peel back the wrapping just enough and open the lid. I pull back the tissue and am shocked to see what’s staring back at me.
A breath gets caught in my throat, and for a second I think I might pass out.
Ever so carefully I pull out the tiny clown’s head I’ve seen dangling from Barron’s windshield.
“Why would you give this to me?” I ask softly, not to be rude, just genuinely curious.
“It’s from me, Skyla.” Barron produces a serene smile, and a sense of calm swallows up my rage. “You don’t know this about me, but I, too, had a very real phobia of those creatures. It wasn’t until I had a good friend tell me that in order to get over my fears I had to face them.” He adjusts his glasses as if to see me better. “You, Skyla, are about to become the overseer of the factions. A lot is riding on your wellbeing, both emotional and physical. Face your fears. Look them in the eye every single day, and own the right to be strong in their presence.” He gives a peaceable smile. “I don’t need it anymore. Skyla, you’re like a daughter to me. I hope you’ll appreciate it as much as I did.”
I fondle the face of the hideous creature and remember how the Fems tried for so long to master me with my fear. There’s no doubt in my mind that I’ll have to face new threats. There are still so many things I need to do, and at the top of that list is shutting down the tunnels.
“Thank you.” I look into Barron’s face, and for the first time I see traces of Logan hiding out in his features. I reach over and give both him and Emma a heartfelt hug. “You’ve both been like family to me, and I can’t thank you enough.”
Mia and Melissa speed over, passing out cake, and we each take a piece.
“Look who’s here?” Gage points over to Ezrina and Nev, speaking with Marshall, and we excuse ourselves.
“Look what the cat dragged in—a
bird
,” I tease while hugging Nev.
“He almost killed us,” Ezrina muses in her Chloe skin. She’s dressed like a nun while sporting her thick-framed prescriptives. She’s got her hair notched in a bun, and she’s hardly recognizable as Chloe Bishop, which I totally appreciate.
“I drove.” A devious smile rides up Nevermore’s cheek. “The horsepower is amazing. I must say, I was a bit blown back at how difficult it was to navigate. It looked so easy from the sky. But it was fun as high heaven.”
“Too bad that fun will be short-lived.” Ezrina plays the part of killjoy, impeccably. “The cost of fuel is through the roof. Until we can produce our own, there’s no hope we’ll get far.”
Marshall balks. “Honestly, Rina? The way you’ve been hitting the Internet, with my plastic, you’d think it were
my
face on the dollar bill.”
She gives him a playful swat.
“I have a little surprise for the two of you.” I bite down on my lip while inspecting Ezrina and Nev. “Chloe and I were fifty-fifty partners in the Gas Lab. That means the two of you have your own business to run.”
Ezrina and Nev look equally unimpressed.
“It’s this oxygen slash instant coffee shop,” I try to explain.
“I’m familiar.” Nev nods. “I’ve done more than my fair share of fly by droppings on the dimwits unlucky enough to patronize the place.”
“Oh.” My enthusiasm wanes. It turns out they’re more in tune with reality than I suspected. “Anyway, Logan gifted it a bunch of new equipment, and you’re all set to open the one and only donut shop on the island.”
Ezrina purses her lips at Nev. “You’ve always had an entrepreneurial mind.”
“And you have a way with recipes,” he counters.
Gage nuzzles his lips next to my ear. “All’s well that ends well.”
I give a brief nod, and my spirit soars for a moment because I damn well know it isn’t the end.
Marshall raises a brow as if he’s just agreed with me. “All’s well that ends well indeed—especially when the best is saved for last.”
I avert my gaze as my lips curve up on the sides. It looks like I’m up for a lifetime of Marshall and his sexual innuendos, not that I mind.
I tighten Gage’s grip around my waist.
I just wish I had a lifetime of Logan and Gage as well.
“Ms. Messenger.” Marshall pulls a long white envelope from his lapel. “Principal Rice asked me to give this to you.”
“What’s this?” I take it from him and pull out the contents.
“It’s a check.” Marshall steps in.
“Oh my, gosh,” I whisper. “This is from the Kate Winston Scholarship Fund—ten thousand dollars.” I look up at him, stunned.
“Her parents never faulted you, Skyla.” He gives a brief nod. “More importantly, Kate wanted you to have it.”
My heart breaks for Kate.
I look up at Gage and smile. “Host University, here we come.”
Gage presses in a kiss over the top of my head, and an odd thought comes to me.
“Hey, Marshall?” I lean in. “That night we went back to get Logan’s body, you mentioned there was someone in that haunted mansion you wanted to speak with. Who was that? Was it Liam?”
“No, Skyla.” His features harden as he looks past my shoulder. “It was Demetri’s son. Be warned, he loathes Celestra.”
A shiver runs through me, my blood turns cold as ice. All of the pieces are coming together now, but I’m not interested in probing into this tonight—not until I’m forced to. Tonight is about Gage and celebrating the end to a rather long journey—and the beginning of a new one that consists of just him and me.
***
Gage and I finally make our way to Ellis’s epic graduation party. The Harrison house is dim per Paragon party regulations, and the bodies are wall-to-wall thick with half of them belonging to students from East. I spot Carly Foster and Carson Armistead both sporting sweatshirts from Host, and I make a face. Hopefully they’ll fade into the woodwork, but more than likely they’ll become the staple skanks of frat houses everywhere. Not that I care. The only guy at Host I’ll have my eye on is Gage.