Jessie Humphries - Killing Ruby Rose

When we got back into Liam’s Jeep, his family came outside to wave good-bye. A pang of envy struck me as I absorbed the way they beamed at Liam. They were a family—perhaps a damaged, struggling family on some levels, but they were together.

A wave of fear came rushing in right after. What if they lost him because of me? How would they ever fill the hole that Liam would leave? It made me sick to think my selfish desire for his help could destroy their world.

“Was my family that bad?” Liam asked after a few minutes of silence.

“What? No.” I shook the sour look off my face and attempted to smile. “It’s not that. They’re all lovely. Your mother is so beautiful. Where’s she from, by the way?”

“Costa Rica. My dad was a big wave chaser.” He grimaced a little at the mention of his father.

“What shift does she have to get to?” I asked, trying to get away from the dad subject.

He frowned. “She’s sort of a…bartender. Works nights. It’s not like she’s the most powerful attorney in the county or anything, but she makes unbelievable tamales most Sundays.”

I’d trade the powerful-attorney thing any day for a mom who would look at me the way Liam’s mom looked at him. With obvious love—like he was the most wonderful thing in the world.

“What is it, then?” Liam said. “Did Tug put something slimy in your pocket when I wasn’t looking? He does that—”

“No, Tug is hilarious, and Christian is a little heartthrob. Really,” I assured him. “Your family is great.”

“Then why’d you just go all brooding brow on me?” he asked, not paying nearly enough attention to the road.

I rubbed my forehead. “Look, I’d never forgive myself if anything ever happened to you because of me. Your family needs you.”

“Well, I need you , Ruby,” he said flatly. “You make me crazy, and constantly worried, but…I need you.”

“Yeah, you need me like you need a hole in the head,” I said, realizing immediately what a distasteful joke that was. I wasn’t sure I’d ever been told that I was needed before. “Sorry, I didn’t mean that.”

He wrinkled his nose for a second, then reached out and touched my hand. “Let’s make a deal, OK? Let’s play pretend.”

“Like pretend we have supernatural powers and can actually defeat the evil villain?” I shook my head. As if.

“Even better, let’s pretend we’re normal seventeen-year-olds, and we’re going to a high school dance. Curfew is two hours later than normal, and nothing else matters tonight. You’re just a girl—an insanely sexy, kick-ass girl, obviously. And I’m just a guy—a totally hot yet sensitive guy, of course.” He smiled. “And we’re going to rock this Sadie Hawkins dance tonight! That kind of deal.”

I laughed. “OK, deal.”

“Sweet.” He turned up the stereo and started moving to the music. I laughed even harder. “I promise, tonight will be epic!”

As we pulled into the school parking lot filled with matching teen couples, I shooed away the creepy-crawly thoughts of Silver showing up to ruin my night. Just as I started imagining some terrible incident involving blood and punch bowls, Liam opened my door and reached for my hand.

As if he could sense my nervousness, he leaned in and kissed me, forcing the worries away. I tensed up at first, then gradually relaxed, my mind going blank as his fingertips threaded through my hair. Tasting him, breathing him, feeling him, wanting him, were the only ping-ponging thoughts I could find in the corners of my mind right now. Nothing and no one else mattered.

A tingling sensation of desire formed deep within me. I wanted to pull him back inside the Jeep and go someplace else where we could be alone.

He pulled away sooner than I wanted.

“If I have to do that every time I catch you brooding,” he said breathlessly, “I will.”

“Is that a threat?”

“It’s a promise .” He pressed his lips together in a way that made me want to kiss him again. Then, taking my hand, he led me through the parking lot and into the gym full of handmade posters, dangling streamers, and so many strobe lights a girl could have seizures.

The first person I saw as we walked through the balloon archway was Alana. She saw me, too, but instead of brightening with a flash of excitement like the one I felt at seeing her, she looked away in a flash of something else. Anger? Hurt? Fear?

I wanted to run and talk to her, find out who her date was. Maybe slap her on the butt and say “good game” in a husky voice to make her laugh. That’s what we did and who we were before. I wanted that back. Maybe Liam was wrong, and I couldn’t be normal ever again.

“Why are you tempting me?” The sensation of Liam’s breath on my ear made my knees come dangerously close to wobbling. “A promise is a promise, and I am a man of my word. Shall we dance?”

“Uh, don’t you want to go see some of your buddies?” I looked over to his Amazon-birds entourage in brightly colored shirts—and did a double take. Four guys. Four girls. Four sets of T-shirts in solid colors. His best friend, Chase, and his girlfriend, Meg, in purple. His other friend Jett, with his date, in yellow. And the fourth couple, in red, Jace the Ass Face with none other than One-Up Taylor.

“Is this a group date?” I asked Liam, horrified.

They were all looking at us now, some of them waving us over.

“Not exactly,” he said, holding his finger up to his friends, asking for a minute. “Traditionally, in high school, teenagers attend dances as a group. But…” He paused, looking at me. “ We can do whatever you want.”

I tried not to feel trapped. “Did you not hear my objection to the awkward group-date thing?” I asked, just a little too snarkily. “Liam, Jace and Taylor both hate me!”

“Whoa.” He let go of my hand so he could cup my face. “I had no idea they were even coming. It’s not like they asked my permission,” he said, snarking right back. “But honestly, tonight we don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. We can keep our distance.”

“It’s not like I want to be the jerk girlfriend, but…” I didn’t know what to say without sounding exactly like a jerk.

“Hang on, did you just call yourself my girlfriend?”

Oh, double snap. Liam’s eyes crinkled with amusement.

“I didn’t mean to infer—”

“Wait.” He put one finger over my lips, looking like a retriever who’d just heard one of those silent dog whistles. “This is my song. Come on!”

As we slow danced to the cheesy remix of an ’80s love song, he drew me in tight and I laid my head on his chest. How many times had I dreamed of being this close to him? All I knew was that it was better than I’d dared to imagine. It was the way his hips moved against mine. The way his lips brushed my neck as he sang the ridiculous chorus lyrics. The way he assured me with every movement that he wasn’t letting go.

He knew me for exactly what I was, and he was still here.

I was disarmed, in every way.

In order to avoid spontaneous combustion, I had to distract myself, so I peered around the dark gym watching the lights trickling over the crowd.

Suddenly, a movement caught my eye—the outline of a man with broad shoulders in the dark corner of the gym.

“Oh no,” I whispered. “Not here. Not tonight.”

I stopped dancing—and breathing.

“What’s wrong?” Liam asked.

The figure couldn’t have been more than thirty feet away, but in the darkness my eyes strained to see him clearly. A jock couple in atrocious lime-colored TapouT UFC shirts moved directly into my line of sight. I wanted to tap them out.