Page 98 of Even in the Dark

Now Seb and Xave have reached us.

“Show’s over!” Silas calls out to the slew of bystanders. A bunch of my other friends have come over too, to see if I’m okay, forming a wide circle around me. And I get why Dylan hates the attention all the time. It’s awkward being on show when your emotions are involved.

Seb puts an arm around me. Brings me in close into a one-armed hug. “You okay?” He looks down at me.

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

“What the hell was Beaumont doing here?” he asks, his eyes darting briefly to the wooden steps Carter and his friends just ascended.

“Not sure… How did you even know he showed up?”

“Xave texted,” he says, confirming my suspicion that Xave has been aware all along of what went down that summer.

Dylan wanders back over, left hand shoved in his pocket. Eyes a little less icy. Shoulders a little less tense. Caroline, Maggie, and Jackie slip into the tighter knit group around us, and most of the other people who stuck around after Silas called out start slowly trickling away, resuming frantic conversations or headingto one of the coolers for more beer, or towards the trees to resume making out.

Maggie glances at me, then at Dylan, who’s tugging at his lip ring with his front teeth and rubbing his hand against the back of his neck. “I know what we all need,” she says, breaking the awkward silence.

She tells us her idea, and we all agree. Even Dylan. Reluctantly, but still… he agrees.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Scarlett

“Prepare to be impressed!” Maggie calls from behind the long curved counter at Board and Brews, butchering what I think is supposed to be a southern accent. “Loaded nachos coming up, y’all!”

Seb, Xave, Jackie, Dylan and I are all crowded around a long table, coats and hats and extra sweaters piled high on the table next to us. Silas and Caroline are in the kitchen with Maggie, already getting started on the three platters of nachos they promised would blow our minds. I didn’t realize Caroline worked here too, but it’s obvious with how comfortable she is behind the counter, that she does.

Maggie didn’t turn on all the lights when we came in, so there’s a warm, dim glow that makes the large space feel cozy and a little secretive. Like we’ve discovered some hidden spot where no one else will find us. Silas put music on as soon as we came in, andI Can See Itby My Bloody Valentine is playing softly through the speakers mounted on a couple of the walls.

“I can help make the nachos, if you guys want,” Jackie calls towards the kitchen.

“NO!!!” Silas, Maggie and Caroline all shout in unison. Then everyone cracks up.

“Well, as long as you’re sure.” Jackie makes a face, and we all laugh again.

I’m not sure what the inside joke is there, but clearly something to do with Jackie being terrible in the kitchen. Which seems weird given she did that whole road trip in the summer selling home-baked cookies and stuff at music festivals across New England. Or maybe it’s just nachos she’s bad at making.

“You’re not getting any fancy tomatoes on the side, by the way,” Silas calls over, eyes on me, the glimmer of humor balancing the gruff tone of his voice.

“Fine. But you can say goodbye to your double-digit tip,” I retort, and he grins.

There are a few bowls of candies on the table we’re sitting at, and Seb and Xave are playing some lame game where they take turns guessing what flavor jellybean they’re eating with their eyes closed. Dylan is sitting next to me, observing everything. Silent and serious and tense as hell. He’s wearing the same stoic, bored mask he wears at school. But at least he’s here. Out of his house, with other people his age. He didn’t bail, which I expected him to, after everything that went down at the bonfire.

I’m not as affected as I thought I would be after seeing Carter tonight, especially after I built it up so much in my mind these past few weeks—what it would be like coming face to face with him again. But honestly, I was more affected by seeing Dylan almost losing it in front of half the SH Prep student population. Seeing him almost let loose on Carter, despite having one arm in a cast, made me realize how not worth it Carter is. How unworthy of that level of emotional response he is. In the end, Carter did win in a way, because he ruined the end-of-fall bonfire for a lot of people I care about. Or cutting it short, at least. Him showing up made me miss out on something that could have been really awesome in the present because of something crappy that happened in the past.

But the night isn’t over yet. I’m in a really cozy coffee shop with people that matter so much more than what Carter Beaumont thinks of me.

“Let’s go find a game to play,” Jackie suggests, pushing her chair out.

Seb gets up and follows. Xave stays put and we chat for a few minutes.

“Hey, Dylan!” Silas calls over. “You’re not vegetarian or anything, are you?”

Dylan looks confused. “That when you don’t eat meat?”

“Yeah.”

“Nah. I’ll eat anything.”

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