Page 59 of Burn

I swing my head to her dramatically. “I’mnotobsessing over her.” And then I have to ask, because I’m really fucking curious and despite what I say, Iamobsessing. “When did you see her?”

“At Starbucks a couple days ago. She came through the line.”

I give Jacey a “what the fuck” look when the light on the crosswalk turns white, and we begin walking. “Why didn’t you give her my number?”

Jacey blinks slowly and then rolls her eyes. “Uh, dude, if you remember correctly, I’m the one who gave Gemma your number back in the day and look how that turned out . . .”

I forgot about that. “Oh, right. I hate you.”

“No, you don’t.” We’re another block toward our apartment and I’m feeling like my balls are going to freeze off when Jacey laughs lightly. “I made a resolution.”

I’m not interested but I say, “Yeah?” anyway, trying to give her the impression I care what her silly resolution is. She makes one every year in attempts to make her life better than what it is.

“Yup. I’m not going to sleep with E anymore until he tells Daphne about us.”

I snort. She doesn’t want to know what I’m going to say to this one, so I keep my mouth shut.

She glances over to me. “What?”

I don’t look at her and dodge the homeless people camped out on the sidewalk huddled together for warmth. “Nothing.” As we walk a few feet past the homeless couple, I notice another woman tucked into the alley, homeless too, but she’s not wearing a jacket. Just a long sleeve shirt.

Peeling off my jacket I hand it to her but don’t say anything.

She smiles weakly and takes it. “Thank you, sir.”

I wink at her and regret it immediately because I’m positive it’s in the teens tonight and believe it or not, I don’t like the cold.

Jacey bumps my shoulder when we begin walking again. “That was nice of you.”

“Yeah, well I’m fucking freezing now.” My skin pebbles with the cold, a shake I can’t stop spreading through me.

“Did you make one?”

I raise an eyebrow. “Make what?”

“A resolution.”

“No.” I laugh, shaking my head that she would even ask that. “Resolutions are for assholes who are too much of a pussy to make a fuckin’ decision and stick with it, so they use a holiday to motivate themselves. I can guarantee yours will be gone by the end of the week.”

Jacey whips her head to glare at me and digs her cell phone out of her pocket. “You know, there are these brief moments when I think to myself, why aren’t we together, and then you open your mouth and speak and I remember what a fuck face you are.”

We’re at the lobby doors of our apartment complex now. Reaching forward, I open the door and motion her in. “Being a fuck face and speaking the truth are entirely different, by the way,” I point out.

She rolls her eyes, attention on her phone. “Uh-huh.”

Inside the elevator, she gasps at something on her phone.

I laugh lightly, still trying to warm myself back up. “Does E want you to come over?”

“No . . .” Her widened eyes meet mine. “Do you know that Shade Sawyer guy?”

“That freestyle racer who won the X-Games?”

“Yeah, that one.” She holds up her phone, pointing to a news article on Twitter. “He had this childhood girlfriend, or not even a girlfriend anymore but a friend he was constantly trying to save, but she’s like, a coke whore or something like that. Anyway, he left town a couple days ago, and she killed herself tonight.”

I know I’m supposed to act surprised, but I don’t. I’ve seen too much in this world to be surprised by anything. “Shitty.”

Jacey slaps her hand against my chest. “Dude, that’d be like me killing myself. You’d totally cry if that happened.”

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