Page 32 of Trusting Skulls

Lexie

The birds fly from the trees as I sit up, laughing loudly. I look at her letter again. “That girl,” I say out loud, picturing her stomping her tiny foot, angry that the club has stayed hot on her heels.

But the shortness of her letter leaves me wanting more. I think that’s exactly what she was going for.

I fold it up but notice there is something written on the back. I latch onto it. It’s just a doodle, but to me it’s everything. It’s a tiny drawing of a cup of iced coffee with her name on it.

Before I left for treatment, there were several nights I helped her get home safely after she had partied a little too hard. The next morning, I always left her favorite iced coffee in the cup holder of her car.

My finger traces the heart she drew around it. She never acknowledged it until now. It’s a thank you.

But more than that, it’s a step forward.

Chapter Twelve

Lexie

Ihand Jesse her phone when she stands to stoke the fire. Over the last few days, I poured all my emotions onto the pages of the journal Ash sent me. Tonight, the four of us burned it in the fire pit. I thought it would bring me peace, and it did, so why do I still feel like I’m on the verge of tears?

After I tossed it in the fire, Raffe stood up and threw in several pieces of paper, then Jesse did the same followed by Dirk. It eased a bit of the lonely part of my heart, but it also ratcheted up my emotions to the point of snapping.

I lean back and pull out the letter Ash wrote me, reading his postscript over and over.

P.S. I handed you a pin, hoping you might show me how it worked. You didn’t disappoint. It took everything in me not to reach out and touch you there. The place you keep hidden behind your hair. Next time, I’m not going to stop myself.

I fan my face, rubbing my hand over the back of my neck. It’s just the fire.

When my eyes lift from the page, Dirk smirks. “Want to share with the class?”

My mouth falls open, and I hug it to my chest. “No.”

“Oh, come on now. We’re all adults.”

I scan the words again, my heart beating wildly. Will they think badly of me because of Ash’s suggestive postscript? It’s not dirty. Not really. No, it’s definitely not. He just wants to touch the back of my neck. The pads of my fingers rub over the spot again. But with my reputation they’re going to think…

Raffe taps my knee, and I look up to find him crouched in front of me. “Let’s take a walk.”

He takes the letter, folds it neatly, and then hands it back to me. Not once does he take his eyes from mine.

My hand trembles as he holds his out for me.

As soon as we step away, I glance over my shoulder. Dirk trails us with a smug look of satisfaction over his scary features. Damn it. He’s still trying to push my buttons, and he’s succeeding.

I hold Raffe’s hand tightly with both of mine, tipping my head back as we walk. He guides us effortlessly down the path. I used to walk like this with my dad when I was little. He never let me fall. It’s dizzying, but I love it.

It makes me feel like I’m floating.

After a few minutes, he stops, looking up at the twinkling lights himself.

“I don’t think I can do this,” I tell him.

“What scares you?”

He pulls us farther down the path until we come to a bench that overlooks the dark vastness of the mountains. It sends a shiver up my spine. It’s so immense.

“Between the stars and the endless view, it makes me feel a little insignificant,” I say, ignoring his question.

He takes a deep breath, patiently waiting for me to answer his question.

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