Page 16 of The Backtrack
“She wore all black back then and a lot of shimmery eyeshadow.” Damon’s fingers danced around his eyes, as if that would somehow emphasize his point.
Sam stared at Damon in horror. Was that really how Damon remembered her?
“Um, you’re one to talk. You smudged your eyelineron purposeand cut your own bangs,” Sam said.
“She’s got you there, bro!” Myles covered a laugh with the back of his hand. She remembered Myles, who’d been the opposite of emo, with trucker hats, popped collars and multiple Livestrong bracelets.
“She was also the tallest girl in our class,” Damon offered.
There was uncertainty, and then some recognition sparked in Myles’s eyes. “Oh, shit, I remember you now. You were Damon’s spooky girlfriend.”
“We were just friends,” Sam and Damon said at the same time, maybe too fast and too furious.
“You look so different, like a fancy statue.” Myles thoughtfully gazed at her.
“Thank you?” She had no idea if “fancy statue” was a good or bad thing.
“Weren’t you like a vampire or something?” Myles asked, quite seriously. “Like, you drank people’s blood?”
“What?” Marissa asked, but she looked a bittooamused by the accusation.
Sam tried not to roll her eyes. “I was really into theTwilightbooks, and then someone started a rumor that I liked to visit the graveyard and dig up bodies. Because I’m a redhead, and we’re—”
“Soulless vampires,” Marissa finished the sentence for her. And something about that irked Sam.
But she did her best to hide her emotions. “It happens to the best of us.” Sam lifted the beer to her lips, suddenly self-conscious about the reminder that she was, well, a loser in high school.
“I heard you left Tybee and joined a cult.” Myles frowned. “Are you still in the cult?”
“No, I’m not still in the cult.” Sam bristled. “I wasneverin a cult, to be clear.”
“Shouldn’t you be wearing one of those flowing robes if you’re in a cult?” Myles, apparently, was hard of hearing.
“I’m not in a cult!” Sam shouted at the exact moment Fall Out Troy ended a song. Her declaration sailed over the crowd and they all turned to look directly at her. “Jesus,” she mumbled to herself, feeling her cheeks flame. “I’m a pilot.”
“Sam’s back home for a bit, but she flies all over the world,” Damon said. “She’s traveled more than all of us combined.” He sat back and sipped his beer, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, all while never breaking eye contact with her.
Was Damon...impressed by that? Just stating a fact? She wished she could read him the way she’d used to.
“Rock on,” Myles said. Then he leaned toward Sam and whispered, “I won’t tell anyone that you’re a vampire. That can be our little secret. And let me know if you need a tour guide while you’re home.”
When he pulled back, he smiled, but Sam flashed her teeth just to up the ante. He seemed to flinch, which was really more satisfying than it should’ve been. She couldn’t believe this guy had accused her of drinking blood andthenthought hitting on her was a fair next move.
“Great to see you.” She gave him a gentle shove away from her, which didn’t seem to faze him in the slightest.
“Damon, giveTwilightgirl my number!” Myles called out over his shoulder.
As he walked away, Sam turned to Damon. “Myles? Wasn’t he on the soccer team? He was...popular and mean.”
“Yeah,” Damon said, then took a sip from his drink.
“He was always nice to me.” Marissa shrugged and sipped her beer.
Sam ignored her, wanting clarity from Damon. “So, what, you’re friends?”
There was the Damon whom Sam remembered from high school, and then there was this strange reality, where Damon was dating a cheerleader and best friends with the popular kids.
“Myles is cool now.”
