Page 15 of Tag

I popped over into the other thread and saw Cade actively arguing with Rook, while Nick sent increasingly disturbing GIFs just to troll them. I was 90% sure they were all in the same house while doing this. I wouldn’t be surprised if Cade and Rook were sitting next to each other on the couch. The girls and I were just as bad. Roxxi often texted me from two feet away, still managing to act like it was classified information. I was about to open Layla’s message when my phone lit up again, this time with a call.

Rye????

I answered before the second ring. “Why are you up?”

His voice came through smooth and familiar. “Why areyouup?”

“I couldn’t sleep.”

He chuckled softly. “It’s a good thing I called, then.” There was a pause long enough for his words to linger. “What’s keeping you awake?”

I hesitated, glancing toward the darkened hallway that led to Ashton’s room. “…thinking, I guess.”

“Yeah? About what?” His tone was light, but something was knowing beneath it, like he already had an idea. I bit my lip, caught in the familiarity that came when it was just us talking late at night while the rest of the world felt distant. Well, usually it did. Tonight, I was distracted by the sound of music and gunfire.

“Are you guys seriously gaming at—.” I pulled the phone away to check the time again, squinting at the glowing numbers. “12:38 in the morning?”

“The hour means nothing in times of war, Sass,” he deadpanned. “We were doing some party stuff before now.”

“Did Nick decide on the location then?”

“Can’t tell you that.”

“Why not? That isn’t fair.”

“You weren’t recruited to be on the PPS,” he stated so casually that I started to wonder if it was a real thing.

“What’s the PPS?”

“Party Planning Squad.”

I laughed softly. “Do you hear how that sounds? Also, that’s rude.”

“It’s not rude. It’s accurate.”

“Fine. Don’t tell me. I’ll just have to torture it out of you.”

“I’d let you,” he murmured, so quietly I almost missed it.

I swallowed and steered the conversation in a safer direction. “All jokes aside, you should really be in bed. Growing boys need their sleep.”

“You can’t say ‘all jokes aside’ and then immediately joke, even if you’re terrible at it.”

“Excuse you, I’m being cereal as hell right now.”

He groaned. “It’s almost one in the morning, and you’re saying shit like that?”

“Growing boys, Rye. Sleep is essential.”

“I’m 6’4”, Sass. I think the growing part’s over.”

I padded across the living area and slipped out onto the balcony, quietly sliding the glass door shut behind me. The chill wrapped around my legs instantly, but it wasn’t unwelcome. The air was crisp, edged with moisture.

Fog and dew clung to the parked cars down below, their silhouettes faint under the soft glow of the streetlamps. The lights of Hemlock Heights twinkled in the distance, half-hidden behind the haze, like a dream you weren’t sure you remembered right.

The thought had his last text coming to mind. “Oh—speaking of size…”

He made a sound that told me exactly where his mind went.

---