Page 24 (1/2)

"OhDylan’s neck "You two are fucking adorable"

The color drains fro away fro back in the seat If I didn’t learn about her past, I’d question why she did it, but now that I know, I understand, at least to an extent I turn around in rows quiet

Nova starts fiddling with the bands on her wrist that she wears to cover the scar I lowerhow I felt after Lexi’s funeral, even though I’d never round, made me feel helpless, and I had the intense need to turn everything off Was that how Nova felt after her boyfriend died?

Without even knohat I’, I slide my hand across the seat and to Nova’s lap She flinches from the initial contact and I almost expect her to jerk away But she reers around her wrist, pressing theainst the small, bumpy line on her skin, just below the bands She rests her head back against the seat, her heart rate quickening, before returning to a steady, consistent beat The feeling of it calms me down, because it reminds me that there’s life in the world, and that hearts do keep beating even after they break

Nova

"I can’t believe you boughtin disbelief at the pink drue, and the door is shut to lock out the icy air, the snow, and the outside world It’s oing to drive irly drums

"Do you like them?" he asks, his arms crossed over his chest He looks really worried, like I’ pink drums

I spread my arms out to the side "Of course They’re pink druh, and for a second the brown in his eyes alolden "Good, because I orried you wouldn’t"

I presswith exciteets so annoying using the school’s, especially because all the guys think it’s a guy’s instru with them"

"They’re just jealous" He drops down in a ca over tothe snowstorm, and his cheeks are a little flushed from the cold He has a black hooded jacket on with the sleeves rolled up, and there’s a ring of murky water around the bottoot"

I sit down in the stool and pick up the sticks "But you already knohat I’ve got You’ve heard me play like a thousand times"

"Yeah, for a crowded room" He relaxes back in the chair "But I want you to play just for me"

I air-jam for a s "Whatever you want Make it h"

I hate it when he says that, because he’s the kind of person who’s always looking deeper into things than a nor, but each one has a flaw, is either too fast or too slow, or I can’t play it as good as I want to just yet Finally I decide just to play et out of my head since the day he first kissed me

"Okay, I have one, but you have to proh?"

"Because I ood"

"I’h at you" He’s no longer joking, and I love hiht there that I love hih I’ve known for a while, but like always, I chicken out

Sighing tolike I’ to slam them down and make a lot of noise, but when I touch the and purpose I start playing the song, getting er I play At one point I shutlost in the beat, getting swept away to another world while I think up lyrics in my head and whisper them under my breath If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear I’d died for a moment and leftends, and the moment of peace floats away and is replaced by nervousness I open lance towhen I don’t see him anywhere

"Was I that bad?" I wonder aloud, frowning at the sticks in my hand

"No, it was perfect" The sound of his voice right over my shoulder causesthe dru heart "Shit, you scared h at me, nor does he smile He simply studies me with a perplexed, somewhat astonished look "That was beautiful," he conclusively says and traces his fingers across my cheekbone "Happy birthday, Nova," he whispers