Page 119 of The Friend Scheme
There’s a lull. Luke stands up, and aims his gun over the roof of the car.
He fires. I hear a single shout.
I know I’m never going to get that sound out of my head. For the rest of my life, it’ll be etched in.
The night stills.
I think he hit him. Luke has finally done it.
He’s killed someone.
“It’s done,” says Luke. “Let’s go.”
We all climb into the car, and I catch a glimpse of the house. It’s totally shredded. Through the shattered windows, I can see a body on the ground. He’s barefoot. We might’ve woken him.
I look down.
The once pretty flower garden has now been totally eviscerated. I was a part of this. A man is dead, and I was a part of it.
That’s undeniable.
I stare out the window again.
Tony plants his foot on the gas, and we speed away, into the night.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Jason is leaning against the pink wall of the Sunshine Diner.
It was his idea for our first date.
It’s the same chain as the one we went to on the night we met, but it’s not the same location. That one is too close to the bar where my family hangs out, which meant I wouldn’t be able to relax. If it’s even possible to relax on my first-ever date. Or at all, given everything.
I can’t stop thinking about Ryan. And about the unknown man Luke killed a few nights ago.
Yet we keep pretending we’re just ordinary guys, not involved in the underworld at all. I know we both want that so badly. But still. How long can we keep pretending?
Jason has his earbuds in. He’s nodding his head along to whatever he’s listening to. He’s so damn cute. Even with everything going on, I can’t help but notice that. He’s wearing a casual green button-down, skinny jeans, and sneakers.
I love that he’s wearing a button-down. It nails home that this is a date.
The lot is dimly lit, with most of the light coming from the neon sign on the front of the diner. I weirdly love the mix of neon and nighttime. Something about it is kind of cinematic.
Jason notices me and raises a hand.
Everything feels so surreal.
I’m on a date. Not only with a boy, but withJason. The sweet, gay gamer, who gets me in a way nobody ever has. A freaking star baseball player, who is smart and funny andsodamn hot.
But he’s JasonDonovan.
How can I keep ignoring that part of him?
But I needed to see him. Even though he’s a Donovan, he’s the one person who gets it. Nobody else I know understands how I feel about this world. Everyone else expects me to be fine with the fact that Luke killed someone a few nights ago. I’m supposed to be happy about it, even.
Not Jason, though.
I feel like he gets it. Getsme.
