Page 16 of Darling Venom
Kellan was a friend without being one. A dark, clandestine cave I slinked into when I bothered to get my nose out of my textbooks.
I didn’t think anyone in my class knew what my grades meant to me. Why I broke down crying when I saw an A-minus. Why I chased teachers in the hallways and always arrived everywhere fifteen minutes early.
I was the designated brainiac, but only because I couldn’t afford to be anything else.
I was about to go downstairs when I heard it.
Tap, tap, tap.
I’m going to kill you for being late.
The thought made me chuckle.
He showed up on the edge of the rooftop. He wore a kilt over black skinny jeans, a distressed hoodie, and a denim jacket on top with patches from punk bands.
Wordlessly, Kellan took off his backpack, unzipped it, and threw something into my hands. “Happy Birthday, Dicks.”
I unwrapped the doughy, round thing. A blueberry muffin in a Costa paper bag. My mouth watered, my stomach growled, and I resisted the very serious urge to hug him.
Maybe because I was delirious with hunger.
Maybe because Leah “forgot.”
Again.
“Thanks.” I played it off, plopping down and tucking in.
Kellan settled in front of me. Seeing him here out of context reminded me he was a boy.
A cute one at that.
Even so, we were kinda pathetic.
When we’d made that pact, we’d both assumed we would have nothing to do every Valentine’s Day for the rest of h
igh school.
No dates.
No celebrations.
No one in our lives.
And we were right.
Pathetic.
He watched me eat, cracking open a can of Bud Light and guzzling the beer. “How’s the black slug doing?”
Subtext: Do you still want to jump?
I shook my head, my mouth full.
Kellan watched me in amusement, producing another muffin from his bag. He threw it at me like I was a feral animal he needed to feed through bars. I was too hungry to care. I felt subhuman as I ripped into the second muffin.
“Are you not tempted? Not even a little?” He was going for mischievous, but I could hear the disappointment in his voice.
“I’m a long way from happy, and there are still moments when I want to do it, but I think I’m okay.”
