Page 112 of Exposed

Friday

Brooklyn

I was used to living in isolation with Miller. It felt odd to be in a room so full of other people. And also so normal at the same time. I still barely knew any of these women, but they already felt like family. And it was silly but…I could picture doing this all again soon. But for a wedding instead of prom.

I touched the center of my chest and felt Miller’s rings.

“What are you doing over here all by yourself?” Kennedy asked and sat down next to me.

I laughed. “I didn’t realize I was being weird.” But I guess I probably was. I wanted to join in on the conversation. Instead I’d found myself slipping away to the side to observe. I was uneasy tonight. But it had nothing to do with Matt’s friends. It was because my father kept texting me. And every time I thought about him I felt…scared. Scared for myself. Scared for my son. It felt like I was back in high school all over again. Especially since we were getting ready for a dance.

“Seriously, are you okay?” Kennedy asked. “You look a little pale.”

“Don’t tell Justin that. He’ll think you’re insulting his makeup skills.”

She laughed. “But really, Brooklyn. If there’s anything you need to talk about…you know I’m here. I don’t want this to be weird between us because of the Matt thing.”

“It’s nothing to do with that, I promise. I just…” my voice trailed off as I took a deep breath. “The last time I went to a dance, Isabella kidnapped me and tried to kill you.”

“Luckily she’s dead.”

“Yeah, but my dad’s still alive. And I have this really uneasy feeling in my stomach.”

“Club Onyx is a secret club. No one’s getting in without an invite.”

“Well, that’s good to know.” But it didn’t make my stomach settle. I stared at Justin and Bee laughing about something. I wanted to be that carefree. I just wasn’t sure I knew how. “I’ve never told anyone this but…whenever everything seems to be going well, it never feels permanent to me.” I touched the center of my chest again. “There always comes a point when I start to hear this clock ticking down in my head. Like I know I’m running out of time.” I started blinking fast. “And I started hearing it in my head this morning.”

“Hey.” Kennedy grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “Nothing bad is going to happen tonight.”

“I know but…I’ve never been wrong. I heard it before my mom died. And Uncle Jim. God and I felt it at the lake house.” I closed my eyes, begging the tears not to fall. “I felt it and we stayed and…”

“Well your clock is wrong,” Kennedy said. “You only just got back. And I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

I laughed. “Are you hiding a gun somewhere in your camera bag?”

“No, but maybe I should get one.” She smiled. “Really, everything’s going to be fine. And if you think Matt is going to lose you again, you’re crazy. I’m surprised he even let you out of his sight for this long.”

I laughed. “You don’t think we’re moving too fast?”

“Matt has been in love with you for 16 years. If anything, you’re moving incredibly slowly. I’m surprised you’re not already married and pregnant again.”

I nodded. I hadn’t told Kennedy about my fertility issues. And now I was just hoping I was wrong about all of it. Maybe Matt did have access to better doctors. Maybe he could make our dreams come true after all. But my hope was shrouded by the sound of the ticking in my head. I tried to push away the thought.

“And what about you?” I asked.

“What about me?” Kennedy grabbed her camera and took a photo of everyone getting ready.

“How are things going with Felix?”

She tried to hide her blush by staring down at her screen. But she wasn’t hiding anything.

“Things are great with Felix,” she said. “He was only supposed to be in the city for a few days, but he extended his trip indefinitely. So we could spend more time together.”

“That’s great.”

“Yeah. I think maybe he’d been avoiding the city just like I was. But now that you’re back…it feels weird that we weren’t all here the whole time.”

“Maybe he’ll move back too.”

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