Page 29 of A Liar's Twisted Tongue

Except it is. Though only Kai, Calista, Lilac, and I know that.

“Where’s Kai?” Jermoine asks Calista.

She blows the smoke in his face. “I don’t know, probably being a droozen idiot somewhere else.”

The joint makes it back to me, and when Lilac approaches no one moves to make her a seat.

“Stalker at two o’clock,” Eleanora whispers to Calista. They both snicker. Fleur hits Eleanora in the forearm.

“There’s a life outside of pointless drama,” I say. “You’d do well to find it.” Eleanora looks at me as if I’ve said something much worse than the truth.

I get up and join Li.

She stutters when she says, “You don’t have to miss out on the fun.”

“Please,” I scoff and hand her the joint I never passed along.

“Thanks.” Lilac shrugs and takes a hit while we walk to a mostly empty fire pit. I sit, and with one look the small group dissipates.

“It was awkward,” Lilac mumbles. “Right? You got that too?”

“Eleanora’s on a power trip?—”

“I’m talking about Calista.” Her eyebrows knit together and she frowns, passing me the joint with an almost limp hand. “But you should’ve never been with Eleanora,” she whispers.

I take a hit of the joint. “Yeah, I know.”

“Do you think it’s always gonna be this way?”

“Truly?” I ask. Lilac nods. “I hope not.” I think it is going to get worse.

“Me too.” We pass the joint until it’s ash and Lilac calls, “Azaire!”

I look up to find him walking toward us, tugging on his beanie and smiling.

He sits down shyly with a small, “Hey.”

“How’s Wendy?” I ask.

“Oh,” he says with a short laugh, looking down and smiling. “It wasn’t… we were just talking.”

“You talked to her?” Lilac says with a smile.

“That’s a bigger step than you’ve ever taken,” I add.

“It’s,” he shakes his head, “it’s probably nothing.”

“Make it something,” I say.

“I think that’s a huge step,” Lilac says. “Have you ever seen Wendy talk to anyone?”

“Of course I have,” Azaire says.

“I don’t know, it’s been a few years.” I look at my sister, thinking I’m going to get a response. What I see is her staring at Calista while she and Eleanora laugh in her direction. “I’ll be right back.”

I walk the short distance to their fire, surprised to see the ground spinning a little. “Hey,” I say happily, squatting down and taking a bottle from Breck’s hand and the other from Eleanora’s.

“What the?—”

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