He immediately regretting being so open. Ty now probably thought he was pathetic too. “Do you know her?”
“Kind of. Just a little. We have a mutual friend. She came up in conversation the other day.” She shook her head. “Life is so weird like that.”
“Who’s the mutual friend?” JD asked.
“Oh, I’m not sure if you know him—he doesn’t go to Ascension,” Ty said, plucking a grape from its stem and popping it into her mouth. “His name is Colin. He’s a musician—”
“I know who Crow—who Colin is,” JD said, feeling the familiar burn of resentment in his chest whenever he thought of Crow. “What was he saying about Em?”
Ty cocked her head to one side and gave him a smile that indicated she knew more than she was letting on. “He just mentioned he knows her, that they’ve been hanging out, that’s all. . . . ”
JD tightened his hands into fists again. He desperately wanted to pump Ty for information, but he refused to embarrass himself so blatantly.
“Are you and Em, like, a thing?” Ty asked.
“We’re—no,” he said after a moment’s hesitation. “She lives next door to me. I’ve known her forever.”
“And you love her,” Ty said matter-of-factly, as though daring him to correct her.
JD looked away. Was it that obvious? Heat crept into his neck. There was no point in denying it. So he just said: “I’ve just . . . I’ve seen her get hurt. She has terrible taste in guys.”
“She must, if she’s not into you,” Ty said playfully, but the compliment only made him feel worse. Because Em wasn’t into him, and that was the point.
He could feel Ty watching him closely. “Last year, Em fell for the world’s biggest d-bag. He cheated on Em’s best friend—with Em. I warned her about him, but she ignored me.”
“Sounds like she made a pretty bad mistake,” Ty said, popping a grape’s skin with her teeth. “Did she pay for it?”
“Did she . . . what?” JD looked confused. “What do you mean?”
Ty shrugged. “I just mean, did she learn from her mistake?”
JD shook his head. “I don’t know. I think so.” Had she? He didn’t know. “What about you?” he asked pointedly. If Ty was going to put him on the spot, he should be allowed to do the same to her.
“What about me what?” she asked.
“Any unrequited love of your own?” ?What he wanted to ask was, Who are you really? What are your secrets? Did you know Chase Singer more than you’re letting on? Did you date him?
Ty shrugged, pulling a strand of hair around in front of her shoulder and tugging at it as she talked. “Not really,” she said. “I’ve never really been able to date someone seriously. Every time I try, it ends badly.” Her voice was less musical than usual.
Suddenly JD felt terrible. Here he was, suspecting this girl—who was basically a stranger to him—of lying, of knowing Chase, of maybe even having seduced Chase on the night of his death. It was absurd, and now he’d gone and made her feel sad. He really had a way with the chicks.
The light was quickly waning, and the magic of the evening felt drained. “I think we should start heading back,” he said. He placed his cup back in the basket, along with the remaining food items.
“And miss the rest of the sunset?” Ty pouted. “Some urban explorer you are. . . . ”
“I’ve got homework,” he said, unable to come up with a clever response. When he stood, JD felt dazed, unsettled with the turn this conversation had taken.
She led the way back down to the main level, but as JD was descending the narrow staircase, one of the boards broke loose under his foot, and he felt himself falling forward.
Ty reached out and he grabbed her hand, steadying himself.
“Sorry about that,” he said. “The ground just completely came out from under me.”
“I saved you,” Ty responded, laughing in that same husky way that she had at the pizza parlor. “Looks like you owe me one.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
“W . . . T . . . F?,” Gabby said as she slid into the red vinyl diner booth. She drew out every letter. “You better tell me more about this Crow sitch. Especially if I’m going to be expected to cover for you. Thank god your mom fell for the I-was-having-a-boy-crisis-and-needed-Em-please-don’t-ask-any-more-questions bit.”
Em cringed, imagining what could have happened if Gabby hadn’t thought so quickly on her feet. “You saved my ass, Gabs,” she said. “I’m definitely buying your meal.”
The past forty-eight hours had been hell. Though she’d slept well in Crow’s bed, she’d basically been awake ever since. She’d lain wide awake in her bed the last couple of nights, staring at the ceiling and getting up periodically to peer out from behind her curtains. The feeling of being stalked was constant. And she’d woken up with a hot, black anger flowing inside of her, like a physical force.
It was undeniable now. Ever since that night with Crow, she’d gained a horrible clarity—that the transformation was definitely happening, and quickly. She had no idea how to reverse it.