Page 25 of I'm Gonna Get You Back
“Don’t believe everything you hear,” I say.
She rolls her eyes playfully. “Okay, keep your secrets to yourself for now. Delaney has all weekend to get it out of you.”
“Delaney?”
She laughs again. “Remember how she always knew everything about everyone?”
“Oh, right.” I force a laugh in an attempt to calm my spiked pulse.
When I can tell she’s about to ask me more aboutmyseason, I excuse myself, saying I need a drink. But really, I need air.
I swivel my head around one more time looking forher, only to run into Kenji. He wraps me in a bear hug.
“Mitchell with you?” he asks, pinching the cuff of his white dress shirtsleeve to adjust it.
As if on cue, Mitchell walks up holding two red cups. I don’t want to know what’s in them, but if he’s gunning for Legacy this year it better not be liquor.
Kenji doesn’t pull Mitchell into a hug when he sees him. Instead, he hits him gently on the shoulder. “Hey.”
Mitchell grins and hits him back. “Hey.”
I frown as I look between them. Why are they being so weird?
In spite of myself, I scan the room again.
“Clara’s not down here,” Mitchell states as if he can read my every thought. It annoys me so much I’m tempted to punch him.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I grumble.
He starts laughing. “Sure, okay.”
“How’s she been?” Kenji asks Mitchell. I’m pretty sure he does it so I don’t have to, and I shoot him a grateful look.
Mitchell sighs. “Kind of a mess, honestly.”
I wish that made me feel better, but it doesn’t. I don’t like thinking of her in pain. Or of anyone else comforting her.
“Reid!” It’s Nicole again, tugging on my arm. “My friends at school don’t believe me that I’m hanging out with you.”
She holds up her phone and rests her head on my shoulder as she takes a picture of us.
“They’re going to freak out. They’re always like, ‘You’re such a liar!’ But boom—sent.”
I force a smile, dying a little inside. “Uh, happy to help.”
“We’ll have to get one of all of us Legacies,” she says.
In the next instant, Amaya approaches and Nicole pulls her into a squealing hug. I don’t know how to extricate myself this time, so I stand with them awhile as they laugh and talk and reminisce about high school.
“Did you guys see that Legacy Lore account?” Amaya asks at one point, her expression worried.
She must mean that profile Kenji sent earlier. I nod. I barely lookedat it, but I didn’t like it. Not the vague threats about us or the way it referenced the assembly last year.
“It’s wild the way people come for Legacies,” Kenji says.
Nicole rolls her eyes. “It has, like, twelve followers.” She puts one hand on Amaya’s arm and the other one on mine. “I doubt it’s anything to worry about.”
Amaya nods, but she doesn’t look particularly reassured. I don’t blame her.
