Page 47 of The Penalty

I shake my head. “Wish I never told you that one.”

“Well, guess what? You did. And you should know that a southern lady never forgets a bit of hot gossip.”

And that’s one more reason not to tell Georgia any more secrets I don’t want thrown back in my face for the rest of the year, or probably my life. We haven’t known each other that long, but I think these ladies are in it for life.

“Actually, Beau was with him, so even if I was about to sneak into a haunted closest, twas not to be.”

“You should just tell your brother. He’s going to find out eventually, and it’s going to be so much worse if it comes from somewhere else.”

I’m looking at Annie for help, but she glances at her hands, avoiding my gaze. Clearly, she agrees with Georgia. “I can’t. I promised Dev I wouldn’t tell him. This whole thing hinges onsecrecy.” The thing I really should do is break it off. Whatever it is, we haven’t exactly discussed the details yet. But every time he sends me a funny text, or I think of him, I get all hot and bothered. I confessed more things to him about my life when we met at the con than I have to any of my other friends over the years. I want to peel back the layers he’s still keeping tightly wrapped around himself, and I want to explore every inch of his body. I think I might actually be addicted to him.

Annie looks back up at me, and she looks conflicted. “The only thing I’m worried about is the fact that he’s keeping you a secret. That never ends well. I’m worried about you, and I don’t want you getting hurt.”

It’s a bit of a cold shock hearing that. Does she think he’s got someone else on the side? I mean, he could. He’s a very private guy and I really don’t know that much about him, but he never seems to leave the school, so I doubt he has anyone long distance.

“It’s not like that. We’re only keeping it a secret from my brother. Besides. I don’t want my dad finding out, either. As amazing as Dev is, I’m sure he wouldn’t approve.” A shitty but true fact.

“Okay, but be careful please, Cece.” Her hand is warm and comforting when she places it on mine.

“I will. It’s all good. I got this. Now, should we get to work on this novel?” We’re t minus 45 days from the deadline.

Georgia pops her last fry in her mouth, her tongue darting out to lick the last bit of salt from her lips. “That’s my cue to leave. I’ve got an art history lecture to get to, anyway. Yougals have fun.”She waves the tips of her manicured fingers at us, standing up and sashaying off.

“Later, G,” I say.

“Ta ta.”

“That was a surprise.” I’d only been expecting one roommate, but I got two for the price of one.

“I ran into her in Keefe after class, and she said she was going to waste away to nothing if she didn’t get some food, so I invited her for a snack. But I told her we were planning to work, so she couldn’t linger.” That’s right, they both take most of their classes on the west side of campus where most of the art centric buildings are.

“It’s all good.”

“We should get to work. I was thinking about what you said about Zane, and the relationship between him and Eliza. I’m thinking we could slip their tryst into this story arc, but I think it ends in a betrayal. We can leave it on a cliffhanger and then decide where we want to go with it in the next arc.”

I never intended for my superhero to have a love interest in my graphic novel, but after Annie and I started talking and agreed to a collab, it sort of clicked. It felt right for her. It’s not her entire identity, but she is a woman with needs, and I love seeing her take charge. The romance is a side plot, but it’s been working and adding depth to all the characters. Especially her rival and potential lover. He’s one of the bad guys, but that’s the thing about life. Everyone has a little hero and a little villain inside. It’s the actions you choose that define what kind of human you are. Or in her case, half alien.

“Amazing. Did you read over the Offset guidelines for submission?”

“Yup. And I think it’s going to be tight to get a finished product ready to go by the deadline, but with the two of us working together on it, we can do it.”

It’s hard to believe I’m getting my first graphic novel finished and polished to submit to a publisher. Offset Inx may be a small press, but they’re looking to add some new local creators to their team. I had a chat with them at the con. When they first posted a call for submissions, I didn’t think I’d be able to make the deadline. But working with Annie, I’m confident we can do this.

“Fantastic. I sketched out a couple more panels. Let me know what you think.” I’m chewing on my lip, hoping she likes them. Dev told me my work was amazing, and asked to see more, but I think he’s biased because he’s seen my boobs.

She actually squeals as she’s flipping through my notebook. My new friend that usually has all the chill squealed at my work. I release the breath I was holding and lean back in to see what’s got her excited.

“This is perfect. I know we were talking about adding an edgier look to the design, and I think you’ve got it here. This scene is perfection.”

Pride swells in me. Other than the odd enthusiastic high school teacher, praise for my artistic skills is not something I’m used to. I’m kind of loving this teamwork, and I can’t wait to see where our collaboration leads.

Chapter 16

Rescue Mission

Dev

Another day, another winfor the Lightning. I was flying high on the ice after the game, but now that the adrenaline has won off, the ache has set into my left side. I had to hand out some pretty tough set downs to our opponents and my arm is feeling the brunt of the punishing hits.

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