Page 31 of Lifebound

If she heard me, she didn’t care. She stopped right across the road, took off her sneaker, and threw it at one of the men, shouting,“Get the fuck away from there, you piece of shit!”

I panicked and ran as I called her name again.

Meanwhile, the guy she’d thrown her sneaker at grabbed it.

I’d have never believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, but he simply raised a hand, slightly turned his head to the side, and grabbed the sneaker as if it was nothing.

Betty continued to scream. I stopped in front of the guy and said, “So sorry, so sorry—that’s just my friend, so sorry!”

I reached for the sneaker he was looking at in confusion and took it from his hand, then ran to meet Betty right in the middle of the street as she was preparing to take off her other sneaker.

“You are out of your goddamn mind!” I hissed and grabbed her by the arm, took her back toward her house, behind the thick trunk of the willow tree that grew at the edge of her front yard.

“What the fuck are those punks doing? Are they grown-ass men—am I seeing right?! Is this what thisFUCKING TOWN HAS COME TO!”

That last part she shouted at the top of her voice, so I had no choice but to put my hand over her mouth to shut her up.

“Those grown-ass men arefaefrom a different realm! Just shut up and listen for a second! Stop screaming!”

Betty stopped instantly, as if I’d pressed anoffbutton on her body. She stopped moving, stopped blinking and breathing, and just watched me with those big eyes. Her blue hair glistened under the soft lights coming from the side of her house—and I realized I’d never taken enough time to appreciate how utterly perfect my best friend was.

It’s not goodbye,I had to remind myself, and I finally let go of her mouth.This is not goodbye, damn it.

Even if for some fucked up reason, itfeltvery much like it.

“I need you to back the fuck up to the part where you saidfaeand start from the very beginning.” Betty’s voice was calm. She didn’t look like she was going to start screaming again soon.

With a sigh, I dropped her sneaker to the ground, took in a deep breath, and as fast as I could, I told her everything that had happened since I left the cemetery.

ten

Betty absorbedevery word I said. We were both leaning against the tree that blocked our view of the street and my house because I’d needed a moment to justnot seeanything at all. A moment to gather myself.

She had her eyes cast downward, and she was lost deep in thought for a little while.

“So, the prick finally makes himself known,” she then said. “The fucker. Does he even know what these people have been doing to you all these years? Honestly, I think I want to go with so I can smack him upside the head—he’s a fucking prick.”

My best friend.

“Are you serious right now? I just told you he’s sick, almost dying.” I’d told her this—I’d told her everything. There were no secrets between Betty and me, except for the really,reallydark ones I never dared to even reveal to my own self.

“Yes, well, he should have thought about coming to talk to youbeforehe got sick, don’t you think?”

My mouth opened and closed a couple times, but I legit had no idea what to tell her.

I mean, we were here, talking aboutfaeand another realm and a life-binding,and she didn’t question any of it for a second. Instead, she was pissed off that the guy hadn’t come herebefore.

Suddenly my heart broke a little. “You’re a piece of work, you know that?”

She ignored me, naturally.

“But wait, wait, hold on a minute. So, you’re just going to go there and heal the guy—and then what? What’s in it for you?”

“I’malive, in case you missed it.Becauseof that guy.”

“Wait, wait,” she said, her lips stretching. “Are you going tomarryhim when he wakes up? Because I’m kind of picturing a reverse Sleeping Beauty situation here. Is he gonna, like, propose to you right away?” She grabbed me by the shoulders. “Are you going to be a princess, Nilah? Because I’m telling you right now that I am your maid of honor.”

I rolled my eyes. “I amnotgoing to be a princess, for fuck’s sake.”

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