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I would destroy an entire world for this girl.

46

COLE

The party was still raging so eventually we went downstairs.

It was weird.

No one acted like anything had happened. Lee and Cassian were welcomed as if they’d just shown up to the party. Pats on the back. People held out their hands for hellos. People offered drinks. Food. It was Lee’s house and people were offering him plates of snacks. Chips. Pizza. I have no idea who made pizza? Or ordered pizza?

There were the looks, though.

I got lots of them.

But no one said anything rude or passive-aggressive.

When I went to grab a soda, Maya and Rebecca made sure to walk with me, like they were my personal bodyguards. At one point, grabbing a plate of food beside me, Maya said under her breath, “We got you. We didn’t realize the extent of how serious the guys were about you, but we got you. Girl code. Like, for real for real. Lee has a killer house for parties, but if he or Ripp do one thing to discredit you and make you sound like a girl, they’re dunzo.” She sliced her finger across her throat, making a clicking sound. “Got me? I’m tired of girls turning on girls. We’re not about that and we both apologize if that didn’t come through until now. Fuck those guys. You get me?”

“Uh. Yeah.” What universe had I just stepped into?

Rebecca moved in closer, asking under her breath, “Is it just me or does Ethan Graham look completely different? He’s hot. When did he get hot? I’m going to go make a move.”

“Oh! Wait.”

She waited.

Crap. I wasn’t sure what I could say. “Uh. He might be under the influence. You know. Of something.”

She snapped her fingers, smiling at me. “Say no more. I’m now officially his guardian angel.”

And she was. She sat with him the rest of the night as he slowly came out of whatever happened to him. If he was stoned or if that was a side effect of having a ghost shove her way inside of him. It wasn’t right, but I talked to Lee and he was going to have Noah put the word out for Beatrice. When she showed up, we’d be notified and we’d go handle her.

She didn’t deserve to keep being a ghost if that’s what she was going to keep doing.

Sabine could get a second chance. Beatrice, from the sounds of it, already had too many chances.

The rest of the night was nice.

At some point, we ended up in the basement. Cassian was playing video games with someone, and one of them won. I didn’t pay attention. I was on the couch when he came over. He was a little buzzed, gave me one of his adoring smiles and lifted me up to sit me down on top of his lap. Cassian leaned back, yawning, and said, “Most everyone’s gone. I think we should watch a movie.”

Nimrod scrambled for the remote. “Fuck yeah! It’s still Halloween. You know what that means.”

I waited, bracing for someone to say we should watch Scream.

Nimrod answered himself, excited, “Practical Fucking Magic, dudes and dudettes.” He stood with the remote and brandished it in the air. “Get ready to ride your own brooms.” He pressed a button, but the news came on instead. “What? No.” He shook the remote. “This is broken. Lee. Your remote is broken.”

Lee came into the room, striding swiftly with a bowl of popcorn. He handed the bowl of popcorn to us and took the remote from Nimrod. “It’s not broken. You need to hit the M button for movies. See—” He pointed the remote at the television screen.

But the news suddenly switched to a story about a power outage. I jerked forward. “Wait.”

Lee took me in, took in the news, and slowly he turned the volume up.

“This is breaking news. There has been a massive power outage. At first it spanned the blocks from Haven Rock High School, leading out of town and past the landfill. It looks like the only house that still has power is this one.”

Someone gasped.

It was a picture of Lee’s house.