Page 12 of Zero Chance

“Not sure she’ll be returning, sorry,” Keene answered casually as he nibbled away.“But you know…” He leaned toward Xander and bounced his eyebrows once.“Ifyoustayed the night in my room, you could have yourownjuice for breakfast every morning again.”

Xander scoffed.“You’re a pig.”

“Amen,” I agreed under my breath.

No one ever heard me when I said crap under my breath, so when Keene swerved an arch glance my way, I nearly jumped out of my skin.

“Just keep scanning,Frankie,” he commanded.

“Oh, hey!The Book Thief,” Alec exclaimed, noticing the hardback Xander had just returned on the counter.“I loved that movie.”

Xander whirled to gape at him.“There’s amoviefor it?” Her gaze veered to me in condemnation, and I only shrugged.“Oh, that’s it.”Glancing back at Alec, she announced, “We’re totally watching it.Tonight.”

“Really?”He brightened in pleasure.“Okay.”

Only for Keene to dash his dreams with a snort.“Yeah.That’ll be fun, what with thepartytaking place in our living room.”

“Oh, right.Crap.”Xander deflated.“I forgot about that.”With a sympathetic glance toward Alec, she revised, “Tomorrow night.”

While he nodded, agreeing, she pointed between both guys.“That reminds me.Will you two please tell Frankie shehasto come to the party?I need her there.”

While Alec opened his mouth, looking put on the spot, Keene laughed outright.“Yeah, right,” he scoffed.

Xander shot him an icy glower.“What isthatsupposed to mean?”

Skimming his gaze over me, Keene merely smirked.“Nothing,” he murmured.“Just that you’re delusional if you think this antisocial piece of introvert would haveanyinterest in attending an actual party.”

I mean, he was absolutely right.Iwasantisocial, an introvert, and had no interest in attending an actual party.But something about the way he said it—as if all those points were actuallybadthings—just pissed me off.

“It’d be like a vampire stepping into the sunlight,” he went on, still laughing over the idea.“She’d freaking combust in the doorway.”

“Or maybe she’d sparkle,” Xander countered encouragingly as she motioned to me.“Like the vampires inTwilight.”

Keene snorted, only to lean toward me and taunt, “Combust,” in a low, intimate tone that caused butterflies to stir in my stomach.“Poof.Right up into flames.”

Narrowing my eyes, I flipped him off.

Xander laughed.“And you say she’s not social.Oh, hey.Speaking of socializing.”Whirling toward Alec, she pointed.“I had this idea for an epic reel I want to post, and I think you could edit it to perfection.”

“Really?”Eyebrows arching with interest, he said, “I’m listening.”

“Okay, so it starts with this girl in the dark, like she’s totally afraid, right?”

“Alright.I see it,” he murmured, tipping his face down to absorb the idea as Xander hefted her book bag from the floor where she’d had it sitting, resting against the side of her leg.“Whoa, hey.Let me carry that for you.”

Alec easily swiped the backpack from her grip and swung it over his shoulder along with his own backpack, so he was carrying two.

Xander had told me Alec had really been pampering her since she’d donated a piece of her liver to save his sister four months earlier.

And that was another thing about Xander Union.

She was apparently caring and altruistic enough she justdonatedvital parts of her body to non-relatives she’d only known for a few weeks.

While she and Alec started away from the checkout station together, deep in conversation, Keene lifted his hands to let them know they were leaving him behind.

“Uh, excuseme,” he called, except they were too far away to hear.“Yeah, just go ahead and abandon me, like some kind of useless third wheel.Wasn’t like Younger and I came in heretogetheror anything.”

Glancing at me, he motioned after them.“Did you see that shit?They do it all the fucking time too.Just go off in their own little world as if no one else exists.It’s plain rude is what it is.I mean, it wouldn’t be so bad if she’d sleep with me already.But no…”

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