Page 48 of A Dead Girl's Guide to Living
Deep down, I knew she wasn’t really worried about the cross-country road trip—maybe mildly—but most of it came from the fact that she still hadn’t learned to stop waiting for something bad to happen to me.
And neither had I.
She’d worried about money before giving me an envelope filled with cash and a black bank card, then left me to it, at my father’s prodding.
He’d been very giddy about the whole thing. Of course, I’d left out the finer details.
“Go see the world, Ellis,”he’d said with a grin.
There was no way I was telling them I wasn’t doing it for the experience and that I was currently under duress from a pink-haired ghost whose heart beat in my chest, who had threatened to haunt me for life if I didn’t comply with her ludicrous demand to drive across the country and find her mother.
I sighed loudly and sipped my coffee too fast, instantly regretting it.
“Shit!” I hissed, pulling the cup away from my lips.
“Fuck!” Dove gasped, doing the same, her expression twisted in a scowl.
We looked at each other and unexpectedly, a laugh slipped from my lips. Short, surprised, and unwilling, but it escaped all the same.
Dove grinned, flashing a set of perfectly straight teeth, her pink lips framing them, and for the first time since meeting her, I didn’t immediately want to throttle her.
We exited the shop and began walking toward the sign. The cool morning air was slightly warmer than it had been earlier, and I knew I’d be shedding my sweater soon.
“Look,” Dove started, eyes fixed firmly on the ground ahead. “I’m sorry. About the detour. I know all of it... was a lot. But in my defense, I thought I was going in solo. I just had to do it.”
She paused, taking a breath.
“My grandmother, Margaret, I was never allowed to call her Grandma, she lived life freely, and she deserved freedom in death too. She wanted her ashes scattered across the Pacific, and my uncle wanted her locked up next to a man she despised. I couldn’t let it happen. And the stars kind of aligned here.”
The weight in her voice surprised me. It sounded raw, cracked around the edges. She cleared her throat and took another sip of coffee I knew was still too hot.
She soldiered through the burn.
I relented.
“It’s... fine,” I forced out, still unsure if I believed it. “Just… no more break-ins or stealing human remains, and I won’t lose my mind. Okay?”
“Okay,” she echoed with a nod, a crooked smile tugging at her lips.
I looked back down at the lid of my cup, frowning at the unfamiliar warmth blooming in the center of my chest.
“All right, ladies!” Liv shouted, suddenly appearing between us and throwing her arms around our shoulders.
And it was strange… I could feel her.
But I also couldn’t.
How did someone even explain that?
“It’s photo time!” Liv looked at us as if she were delivering the most groundbreaking news ever. Then she darted in front of us, spinning dramatically in a circle on the sidewalk. “We have to capture the moments, all of them. Ellis, you need to film your little videos.”
I gaped at her. “Huh?”
“You’ll be filming a video for your online followers, all waiting to die!” Liv announced.
I blanched, and Dove looked at me blankly.
“Listen, it’ll be a nice break from ‘Top Tips to Stay Comfy During Chemo’ and ‘Best Pillows for Open-Heart Recovery.’”
