Page 31 of I'm Gonna Get You Back
“Absolutely not, we never get to hang.” Kenji tosses a blanket at Reid and grabs a hold of each of our arms, yanking us along. “C’mon. Just the crew.”
With a heavy sigh, Reid goes with him. I could stay up here, or leave before they notice I’m gone. But as Reid walks off, it leaves me with more questions than before.
Was he limping? Why does he look so tired? What’s really going on with him?
What if I never know?
The thought of him never opening up to me again—of it truly never being like it was between us again—is a stunning realization.
Something I don’t fully understand steels in me. I can’t let that happen.
Iwon’tlet that happen.
I take off after them, bolting down the stairs to keep up. But a group is rushing up at the same time, and someone knocks into me, sending my camera tumbling off my shoulder.
“Shit!”
Reid turns at the clattering crash of my camera hitting the ground,but I barely register him doubling back. I scramble to pick it up, examining it closely, hunched on the floor.
There’s no obvious damage, but plenty could still be wrong. I check the focus and the lens, panning around the party. But it’s too dark. When I step into the closest room and flip on the lights, I instantly regret it.
Because Nicole and Logan are tangled on a bed, kissing with enthusiasm. Enthusiasm that dies the second they see me and my camera pointed at them.
“Oh my god!” Nicole springs back, her hair mussed, her black shirt twisted around her torso. She scrambles away from Logan. “Are youfilming?”
“No!” I lower the camera, flustered all over again. “Well, yes, technically it’s recording, but I didn’t mean to—I’ll delete it.”
I back up, but my shoulder blades hit a strong chest. It’s only then I realize Reid followed me. The lift of hope I feel at that is instantly muted by the strangeness of walking in on two people I’ve barely ever seen talk to each other, all over each other. That Legacy Lore post pops into my head.
@LEGACY_LORE: There’s a lot more to this class of illustrious Legacies than meets the eye.
They’re not wrong.
My back is still up against the heat of Reid’s torso, and I step away quickly. Nicole watches the whole thing, pressing her lips together in a way that increases the furious look on her face.
I spare a glimpse at Logan, who is fixing his hair in the mirror. He seems completely unbothered by the whole thing as he says, “West mentioned you’re working on the new video. I’m doing sound for the banquet, so let me know if you need anything.”
I nod awkwardly. Logan and I worked together on yearbook, and since he’s majoring in audio engineering, he’s always who I went to for help with sound issues. He leans in close and says something quietly to Nicole that makes her flush.
As he walks past us, he claps Reid on the back. “Room’s all yours.”
“God.” Nicole smooths her hands down her shirt after Logan leaves. “My boyfriend and I got into a fight and this is the first thing I do… When will I learn that tequila isnotmy friend?”
“Do you want some water?” I ask.
“Don’t worry about it.” She hops off the bed, and her expression grows irritated as she appraises me, then says to Reid, “That didn’t take long.”
I’m not sure what she means other than to assume it’s still the tequila talking.
When she’s gone, Reid’s smiling a little. “Wow. Never a dull moment in Woodhurst.”
Even that shred of a smile makes me crave more. I cock my head to the side. “How badly would they kill me if I put this in the banquet video?”
“Oh, I think we’d be talking a murder only podcasters could solve.”
I laugh, and his smile widens. It’s the cheeky one that winks with amusement. We seem to realize at the same time that this immediate back-and-forth is weirdly familiar. Like old times.
Reid blinks and clears his throat, breaking the spell.
