Page 170 of A Dead Girl's Guide to Living
Liv slipped past us as we stepped inside, her heeled boots making no sound as her fingertips trailed across every surface, as if desperate to feel textures again. Her face was rapt, devastated, and I watched as she paused by a cluster of frames, her own face beaming back at her—alive, immortalized on glossy paper.
She reached for one frame, her fingers brushing the silver, and a lump lodged in my throat. It was her and Jedd, just the two of them, arms thrown around each other, cheeks flushed, some party blurred in the background.
My chest ached for her, and Dove took my hand.
I watched as Liv moved on for a moment before she stumbled and froze. My eyes followed hers to a coat hanging on a rack by the door—pink, oversized, faux fur. It stood out like a sore thumb among the neutral tones of the loft, a small fragment of her world still alive in this one.
Liv turned to us, her eyes glassy with tears she couldn’t cry. No words formed on her lips, only a broken gaze, and I pressed my mouth together hard, staring at my feet before I could unravel with her.
Jedd came back into the room carrying two bottles of water. He handed one to each of us before dropping into an armchair. I swallowed and followed Dove to the couch, where we perched side by side. The silence hung thick in the air, broken only by the gentle hum of the AC.
“You have a really nice place,” I said softly, my hands wrapped around the bottle.
His eyes flicked to me, softened for a moment, and he gave a single nod. “Thanks.”
Dove uncapped her bottle and took a long sip, as if giving herself something to do while we all orbited slowly around the elephant in the room.
Then Jedd leaned forward, elbows braced on his knees. “So,” he said, his eyes pinning me in place. “You have her heart?”
As if my heart had heard him, it seemed to skip a beat and my pulse skittered. My hand went to my chest, where I knew that red line sat, and I rubbed it instinctively.
“I do.”
“I knew she was a donor,” he said, his brows knitting together. “She bragged about it the day she signed up. And I knew… I knew most of her was given. I just never thought—” He broke off, shaking his head. “Never thought I’d meet someone walking around with… well, with part of her.”
A lump rose in my throat, and I squeezed the bottle just slightly, the plastic crackling loudly enough to give me away.
“I never thought I’d meet someone who knew her.”
Jedd turned to Dove. “So, you knew Liv? That’s what your message said… and you’re friends with the person who got her heart?”
The disbelief in his voice was thick, underscored by something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Suspicion?
Dove straightened beside me.
“No, I never knew Liv,” she said, taking a breath and ignoring the look growing on Jedd’s face. “Look, what we’re about to tell you is super fucked up. Like, so crazy you might think you just let two nutcases inside your home. But I promise, what we’re about to tell you is the truth. We aren’t lying. This isn’t a trick or anything.”
Jedd arched a brow and Dove looked to me.
“Okay, um,” I began lightly, my voice suddenly foreign to my ears as I watched Liv walk around and perch on the arm of Jedd’s chair. “So, what I’m about to tell you is nuts. And I’m not judging you for whatever reaction you have to this… you know, once you hear it…” I glanced at Liv, who ran a hand through Jedd’s hair.
He didn’t even flinch.
“So, you know I have Liv’s heart in my chest. I got it when she died. You know all this. Obviously I got it when she died—like, that’s what happens. Um. So. Liv has been with me since then. Like, attached to me. I—I mean, Dove and I… we can see her. And um, she’s here. Right now. Sitting next to you on the arm of your chair.”
Jedd blinked once, then glanced down at the arm of the chair where Liv sat—where he would, of course, see nothing. His expression was unreadable for a heartbeat, then his lip curled as his face hardened into something sharp.
“Wow,” he said dryly, slowly clapping his hands together.
Dove shot me a look.
“That’s a new one. I’m almost impressed. I haven’t hadthisscam before, so you guys are really digging deep for new material. Wow. I can see the headline already. ‘Dead Girlfriend’s Ghost Tethered to Organ Recipient.’ Cute. So what are you,podcasters? TikTok influencers? Who do you work for, and how much did they pay you to come here and fuck with me?”
His words hit me like a slap, and heat flooded my cheeks.
“What?”
“Don’t play dumb,” he snapped, his eyes narrowing. “I’m not a fucking moron. Everyone wants to hear the story, and I’m the only person not opening my mouth. Everyone wants me to spill. This—” He jabbed a finger toward me and Dove. “This is sick. Pretending you have her heart? What the hell iswrongwith you?”
