Page 10 of My Revenant
“Who’s Dex?” I asked, in almost a whisper, hoping that Becca wouldn’t catch on to the obvious interest I held for the leather-clad stranger.
She didn’t seem to. She just thought quietly for a moment before speaking again. “That’s right, he started school just after you left.”
“He’s not from here?”
“No, he is. He lives with his mom over in Meadow Park. I don’t know for sure, but I heard his mom just didn’t bother sending him to school, so by the time CPS got involved and made him go, he was like, super behind.”
I frowned as I glanced over at him again, wondering how true that story was.
Could he really have a mother who just… couldn’t be bothered sending him to school? My mother was neglectful, which was the whole reason shelikedsending me to school—so I was out of her way. What about his father? And what would he do all day if he wasn’t at school?
Rumors spread easily in Port Skelton, and the facts often had little to do with the stories people told. I hoped this one was fake.
Becca cleared her throat, snapping my attention back to her.
“Hmm?” I acted confused about why she would be staring at me like that.
“He’s bad news, Jonah. You should stay away from him.”
“Of course I will,” I scoffed. “Why would I want to go anywhere near him? Or any of them?”
Becca narrowed her eyes. “I meant what I said before. You can like whoever you want—men, women, neither, both—doesn’t matter, I’ll still love you.But…” She paused and gave me a very serious expression.“You can’t likehim.”
I rolled my eyes at her. “I said I’ll stay away, fuck, would you drop it?”
She stared for a long moment, making a pensive sound before huffing and dismissing the topic altogether. I was grateful for that. I had more questions now than I did before, but I wanted time to run through them in private, to let myself examine this weird feeling in my chest that came with Ice-Eyes, Dex Weller.
As she rambled on about some girl in our class, I tried very hard not to let my eyes flick over to the table on the other side ofthe diner. The one in the fading sun’s rays. The one that, quite coincidentally, currently sat two idiots and the most beautiful man I had ever seen in my life… who may or may not be part of a gang. I definitely tried.
I also failed.
Like a magnet, my eyes were repeatedly pulled back to him, and after the fourth time, all the oxygen left my body in a mad rush when those silvery blue ones locked onto mine in return. He was staring back at me.
I hated when people looked at me, but this felt…different.
Vaguely, I was aware I should do something. Look away maybe. Glare? I’d usually glare. What was I doing currently? I had no idea.
I stared.
He stared.
We stared.
Then he winked at me.
“I have to go,” I snapped, slamming my hands down on the table as I stood to my feet and rushed to the exit, right past his table where I heard him snicker as I pushed the doors open and escaped into the breeze.
six
Jonah - Present
VODKA LIME SECRETS.
I didn’t see Pink-Sweater again over the next two days, but his car stayed in the lot, unmoving.
I wasn’t sure what he was doing here, but as far as I was concerned, no news was good news. He would probably just move along like everyone else who came through here always did.
I only needed to be here for the weekend. Marty would pay me on Monday morning, and then I’d be out of here. I’d decided my next destination would be Darkwater Cove, but not for any other reason than that I’d seen the name on a map.
