Page 32 of The Dangers of Daydreaming

“Yep. Kill a guy for not enjoying the third degree.”

So maybe I’d come on a bit strong. I was a little out of practice with these kinds of conversations. “Well, if you do decide you want to stop avoiding answering, I’m here.”

“Thanks, Luce.”

“Nicknames now?”

He lifted a shoulder, glancing in his rearview as he changed lanes. “I don’t know, do you have one for me? Besidesmenace.”

I didn’t answer.

“Your silence is suspicious, Luce.”

“I don’t have a nickname for you.”

“Wow, so convincing.”

“I don’t,” I promised. “But my cousins do.”

He looked my way quickly, brows lifted. “Now you have to tell me. You wrote home about me?”

I rolled my eyes. “Hardly. But of course, my best friends knew about my nemesis. Poppy has a thing for nicknames, so you got one and it stuck.”

“Am I going to need to drag it from you?”

“It would serve you right after the hoops you just made me jump through to get a little information about your feelings.”

“Ew, feelings. I’m allergic to them, you know. Like cooties. Nicknames, however, aren’t so terrible.”

I couldn’t help the bubble of laughter that rose at that.

“Shark attack.”

“Shark—” He laughed, and I bit my lips together to hide my amusement. “Is it because of my name? You made fun of me for my name?”

“No, no, no, you were the one doing all the making fun. Poppy just felt like it was an apt description since every one of our encounters was usually…”

“Deadly?”

I swatted at him. “No. More like painful.”

“Man, I’m sorry.”

I didn’t want the light mood to go again. “Don’t be. Ultimately, your name was just an innocent bystander to Poppy’s brain.”

His grin was broad when he met my eyes again. “How many cousins do you have?”

“Eight, but Kaden doesn’t count, so really just seven.”

“Kaden doesn’t count?”

“He’s an idiot. Anyways, I’m close to five of them. We talk almost every day. Get together at least once a month. Commiserate over nemeses, and such. You know, the usual.”

“I don’t know, actually. I’m an only child, and both my parents were as well.”

“Oh. That’s… lonely.” I was reminded of my feelings about how lonely I’d been after my parents divorced. But at least I still had people, even if I felt like an ill-fitting puzzle piece.

“Sometimes. Tell me more about Kaden. What did he do to get in your black books?”

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