Page 121 of Liars

Doing my best to ignore Evan, I bundled into a puffer coat and stepped outside. Poppy’s car was parked in front of the house, her music blasting loud enough to shake the windows. I grabbed my bag, throwing one last glance over my shoulder before heading outside. Evan’s black sedan was already idling, warming up from the cold.

Sliding into Poppy’s passenger seat, I let out a breath. She shot me a grin, her bubblegum-pink lips parting in excitement. “You ready for your first Public football game?” she asked sarcastically, knowing damn well neither of us had any intention of staying for it. “Go Ravens. Rah. Rah. Rah.” Poppy’s stunningdeep-red hair was tied into two low ponytails. Her outfit was as unique as she was but not what I would have classified as winter appropriate. She was going to freeze her ass off in that tulle skirt, opaque tights, and combat boots, but at least she had half a mind to wear a coat. A cigarette dangled between her fingers, and the window was cracked to dispel some of the smoke lingering in the car.

I didn’t mind the ashy smell. I’d always kind of enjoyed the scent, especially when mixed with cologne or, in Poppy’s case, her sweet perfume. “Oh, absolutely,” I said dryly, clicking my seat belt into place.

As she pulled away from the house, Evan’s car followed. I didn’t even need to look back to confirm it.

“You sure we can pull this off?” she asked, tapping her long black nails against the wheel.

“We have to,” I murmured, watching the streetlights blur past.

It took us fifteen minutes to get to the school, where the parking lot was already filling with students and parents decked out in school colors. Poppy slowed the car, scanning the area.

“There’s no way we can park close,” she muttered.

“Good. Park somewhere away from the lights,” I instructed. “I don’t want to make it easy for Evan to spot us when we duck out.”

She smirked. “So sneaky. You’re becoming a regular criminal living with those boys.”

After another few minutes of circling, she finally pulled into a darkened area on the far side of the lot, tucked between two trucks. Evan’s sedan rolled in behind us, keeping his distance but still too damn close.

We slipped from the car into a night steeped in adrenaline. The crowd’s roar swept over the lot in waves, buzzing beneath my skin, curling tension through my gut.

“All right,” Poppy said, looping her arm through mine. “Let’s go pretend we care about football before we vanish into the night.”

I forced a smirk, but deep down, I knew this wasn’t just about sneaking out. This was about finding the truth. And I had no idea what I would learn or if I’d be able to accept it.

After sitting in the stands and watching the first quarter of the game unfold, I concluded I wasn’t the biggest football fan. It was different than watching the guys’ practice, more intense and a hell of a lot louder. I wasn’t big on crowds and being sandwiched into the stadium like packed sardines, and the eagerness to leave grew inside me with each passing moment.

I must have been nibbling on my nails, and Poppy noticed. She reached for my hand just as Kreed threw a long pass down the field. The ball spiraled through the air. “Let’s go,” she said as Mason jumped and his fingers closed around the ball. He had it secured to his chest before his feet hit the ground.

I nodded and followed behind as she led us down the aisle, and we watched Mason race toward the endzone. We weren’t too high, perhaps five or six rows, so by the time he crossed over the line, scoring Public another touchdown, we were heading for the exit, using the wild crowd as cover.

It was like a breath of fresh air, sneaking out of the game to the parking lot. Laughing, we dashed through the rows of cars, weaving in and out, the lights from the football field lighting up the school grounds. Our breathless giggles were drowned out by the roar of the crowd.

Evan was somewhere behind me, doing his best to keep an eye on me, but I didn’t mind, not with the taste of freedom making me lightheaded and a bit reckless.

I missed this so much.

Poppy cranked the engine in her car before even closing her door. The tires were rolling as we clicked on our seat belts, mycheeks hurting from smiling so much. I couldn’t remember the last time I felt like this. Like I was seventeen.

“Holy shit. That was thrilling. Is he still behind us?” Poppy asked.

I glanced over my shoulder out the back window, seeing the familiar sleek black car pull out of a parking spot. We were turning onto the main road. Evan had a bit of catching up to do, but I didn’t doubt he would. It was a long shot thinking we’d lose him. “Yeah, but you can bet your ass he’s cursing my name.” I’d been a thorn in my guard’s backside since I came to live with the Corvos. He should ask for a raise.

I leaned back in my seat, watching the trees blur past the window as we made our way to meet her friends. Behind us, the black car carrying my security detail trailed at a steady distance.

“Okay, now that I’ve got you alone,” Poppy said, tossing me a mischievous grin as she reached for her pack of smokes in the cup holder, “you and Kreed? Something’s up. Spill.”

I scoffed, shaking my head. “I made a dumb mistake.”

“When it comes to the Crew, every girl in this school has probably had the same thought.” She put the slim white stick between her lips, using her free hand to control the car and keep us on the road.

“Even you?”

She sparked her lighter, her gold eyes flicking off the road for a second. “Even me.”

“You’re talking about Nash,” I guessed.

---