Page 155 of Off the Rails

There was no running from it.

I would honor it.

But I refused to let her continue to believe that lie.

Standing on shaky knees, I rolled my neck to stretch it.

As soon as I was steady, I marched out and into the rising sun’s light.

Digging my hands deep into my legging pockets, I kept my head down as I headed back toward Jungle Jolt. I was going to pack my bag, take whatever punishment Cyrus wanted to give me for breaking the rules, and leave Feverpoint.

I couldn’t live with her. Not when she thought I could do something so horrible.

As I walked through the center of Feverpoint, passing Prize Alley and the decapitated stuffed animals that hung from nooses, Nash and Blade jogged to catch me. With their masks off, they wore massive smiles on their faces.

“You did it, Trinket!” Blade jumped with joy as she walked alongside me.

“Forty-mother-fucker-grand, baby!” Nash whooped as she sidled up, Trixie balanced on her shoulders.

But I kept my eyes forward, my jaw clenched tight.

For a moment, they let me walk in silence.

“Are you okay?” Nash’s brow furrowed.

Shaking her head, Blade tried to catch my eye. “Did something happen?”

There was worry in their faces, at least from what little I could see while I kept my eyes on the path.

We crossed over into Jungle Jolt, rainforest canopy and faux-monkeys towering overhead.

I couldn’t stomach speaking to them.

How could they believe it? That I would do that to Cyrus?

I’d played along with the religious bullshit that kept me safe at Heirs of Promise but I hadn’t believed it. Certainly not enough to turn Cyrus in for being queer.

How fucking ridiculous.

After I’d let Blade and Nash in, the thought of them thinking I was capable of turning Cyrus in made me sick.

It was insulting and just plain wrong.

And none of them had the balls to even tell me.

I pressed up the apartment stairs — my legs exhausted from Fright Night.

At the top of the steps, I threw open the loft door and stormed through the living room.

“Tess, seriously. What’s going on?” Nash picked up her pace, jogging to keep up with me.

I grabbed my work duffel bag and tossed it on the bed, grabbing as much of my stuff as I could and stuffing it into the vinyl bag.

Blade and Nash tried to stop me, grabbing at the bag and forcing me to meet Nash’s gray eyes. “Stop. Just talk to us. Please.”

But my lips refused to move.

Even when Cyrus appeared in my doorway.