Page 43 of A Thousand Second Chances

Percy chuckles, seeming surprised at the sound. “Guess so.” He stands, brushing sand off the back of his shorts. “Well, even if this seems like it won’t pan out, we’re invested now, so we might as well see it through. We can discuss our next steps once we’re back in town.”

Quinn takes in the waves and the beach stretching around us. “Anything else exciting happen during either of your original lunches I should be prepared for?”

“Not really,” I say. “We grabbed food and chilled on the beach.”

Except…

I whirl on Percy. “Wait. You weren’t at the beach with the rest of us. You left and went into the woods. Oshkoff sent me to find you when you weren’t back in time. What wasthatall about anyway?”

Percy hesitates, shifting from foot to foot. “My dad wanted me to visit a spot there,” he says at last, staring at the sand like it holds the secrets of the universe.

His obvious reluctance to discuss it stokes my curiosity, but I hold myself back. Judging by how he’d reacted to his dad’s text during the last iteration, maybe his family’s not as picture-perfect as I remember. If so, it’s none of my business.

“Cool!” Quinn interjects. “Let’s go check it out.” Percy looks like he wants to argue until she adds, “No stone unturned, right?”

“Right,” Percy replies after a moment, his voice resigned. “This way.”

He leads us across the street toward the start of a trail up the hill. We follow it in silence beneath the dappled awning of trees. Even Quinn remains uncharacteristically quiet. Maybe she picked up on Percy’s tension—it’s kind of hard to miss. He looks like he might implode at any moment.

It’s not a long hike, and we soon emerge by a massive hunk of rock. Quinn’s eyes widen when she spots it. “Ooo, that’s Friendship’s Altar, right? I read about this spot online.”

Percy nods, and she rushes forward to study the stone, slowly circling around it. Personally, I don’t get the hype. It looks like any other rock except taller. Percy, however, stares at it with an unreadable expression, too many conflicting emotions flickering across his face for me to parse.

Against my better judgment, I step up next to him, shoving my hands in my pockets. “So, why did your dad want you to come here?”

Percy swallows, his gaze fixing for some reason near the bottom of the stone. He doesn’t answer for a long time, and I’m about to give up and go join Quinn when he finally whispers, “It was an important spot for my parents. They came here right before their wedding and many other times since. They even engraved their names somewhere near its base.”

I grin. “Wow, Perce. Who knew your parents were such delinquents? Pretty sure defiling state property is a crime.”

He gives me a half-hearted grin that doesn’t reach his eyes. “Probably.” A beat of silence. “I’m not sure if their initials are still there. I…I couldn’t bring myself to look the other day.”

“What? Why not?”

“I was afraid I wouldn’t find them.”

I shrug, not seeing what the big deal is. “So what? Have them carve their initials again the next time they come.”

Percy’s breath hitches, and I glance over, astonished to see fresh tears trailing down his cheeks. “Perce…” I take a step closer, our shoulders brushing. “What is it? Are you all right?”

He shudders, a sob racking his chest, and before I can think better of it, I reach up to enfold him in my arms. He’s stiff and unresponsive, and after a few awkward seconds where he doesn’t move, I slowly release him and step back.Well, shit.Guess he didn’t appreciate the gesture.

Not knowing what else to do, I opt for humor and give him a wry grin. “Who knew your mom liked things rock-hard.” I waggle my eyebrows at him suggestively.

It’s the kind of stupid joke we used to make all the time. I expect him to snort or roll his eyes, maybe make a mock gagging noise and order me to stop. What Idon’texpect is the flash of raw fury in his eyes or the way his face hardens. I stumble, almost losing my footing on the loose leaves coating the clearing. It takes me a moment to realize Percy had shoved me away.

“What the hell?” I snap.

The glare he levels at me stops me in my tracks, my own budding anger turning to shock. I’m not sure I’veeverseen him more furious. Hurt, sure, but he looks like he’s physically holding himself back from decking me right now. It’s the closest to hate I’ve ever seen on his face, and I feel the weight of it like a chain constricting my chest, making it impossible to breathe.

“This is a goddamn waste of time,” he growls. “We never should have bothered trying.”

I swallow, struggling to find my voice. “Triedwhatexactly? Retracing our steps?”

“Working as a team! Pretending like everything doesn’t turn to shit when we’re together!” He takes a deep breath. “Look, I did my best to make this work without dredging up the past, but I think we should go our separate ways. You do your thing, and I’lldo mine.” He looks away, deflating. “It’ll be better for the both of us.”

I stare in stunned silence at his retreating back as he hurries for the path leading to the beach until long after he’s vanished from view. Quinn hovers nearby, clearly unsure what to do next.

Join the goddamn club.