Page 13 of Darling Venom
Even the devil needs a friend.
“How do I know you’ll keep your side of the bargain? You could do it as soon as I leave here.”
“I could,” Kellan agreed. “But I won’t. I gave you my word. I’m depressed, not a lying jerk.”
“Then what?”
He shrugged. “It was your idea to bail.”
His eyes glittered, and for a brief moment, I thought he might be truly happy.
I snapped my fingers. “Let’s make a pact. I read about it in a book, actually.”
“A Long Way Down.” Kellan nodded, rolling his winter-in-London eyes with a smile.
Nick Hornby was the guy who made contemporary literature great again in Britain and cemented the coolness of soccer to the middle-classers.
I shouldn’t have been surprised Kellan knew this. He came from a house where people actually read.
The books. The punk-rock music. It was like Kellan and I shared a secret language. Locked in the same orbit, completely in sync when everyone else around us was off key.
Kellan’s eyebrows jumped with surprise, maybe realizing what a pact would mean. “You want to stay in touch?”
My cheeks burned. “I do.”
I thought about all the crap I would get for befriending Kellan Marchetti, but somehow, I didn’t really care. Kellan did, apparently, because his face shifted from hopeful to agonized.
“Sorry, I don’t do friendships.” He nudged my shoulder with his, his voice almost kind. “Better for both of us. Don’t take it personally.”
“I don’t care what people say.”
“That’s because you haven’t heard them saying spiteful shit yet. Let’s make sure it stays that way. I’m not saying no to friendship.” He shook his head. “I’m just saying… Well, ours would be adjusted. Fri-end-ship.”
“Every Valentine’s Day.” I grinned. “On my birthday, we meet.”
“On this rooftop.”
He looked up to the sky, at the vastness of the universe. Shoulder-to-shoulder, we star-hunted for a supernova that would crash and burn.
I felt more alive than I had since Mom and Dad died now that I’d decided not to join them.
“Same day, same rooftop, same t
ime.” I checked the clock on my phone. It was close to midnight. I’d arrived here at eleven.
We sat here for an entire hour?
“And if one of us decides to do it…” he trailed off.
“We give the other a heads-up,” I finished.
Kellan nodded in agreement. “I know the drill.”
“Oh, and don’t forget to give me back my book. It’s from the library. I don’t want to get fined.”
“Rock ‘n’ roll, Charlotte Richards.” He saluted me with the hand that held the book. “Before we leave, I want you to promise me something. Like, really promise.”
I stared at him, waiting for him to continue. I knew better than to agree before I heard the fine print.
