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"So you don’t panic and sit down in the dirt," I say and hike into the crowd, carrying her with me

At first she seems reluctant, but then she locks her ankles behind les her face forward and brushes her nose againsther eyes "You remind me of someone I used to know," she whispers, as I e

"Oh yeah" I turn us to the side and squeeze through two guys with their topless girlfriends on their shoulders, which see theme at this concert "Who?"

Her eyes flutter open and the light froe reflects in them "Just someone"

"Care to share who that someone is?" I trip over my untied shoelaces but quickly recover my balance The air smells rank, like stale beer, salt, smoke, and pretty much every other foul scent

She shakes her head "Not yet"

"But you will so to be a someday with us?

"Maybe… one day… when I can"

We ree It’s dark, the stars are shihts illuminate the faces in the crowd The air is still hot, but there’s a gentle breeze, and goose buet us as close as I can, then set her on the ground She faces the stage, wrapping her arms around herself, and I keep e and starts playing a song that’s depressing and genuinely honest in a way that gets under my skin It talks about life and death and hoe’re all connected to both That even after soone, life h it, Nova shuts her eyes and starts swaying her hips to the beat, her lips ," she says with her eyes shut and her hands are on the back of her neck

My eyes trace the curves of her body and the enthralling way sheyou," I whisper so softly I know she can’t hear I digto resist the compulsion to place my hands on her hips and h, I become more and o, when usually she’s so contained For the briefest second I’uilty, because I should want to be with Lexi Thoughts are drifting throughsequences that don’t ether in a different order, and suddenly, for a fleeting, guilty, irreversible ain

I step forward, not sure what’s driving ardless I wrapmy eyes as the sound of her voice caresses ether as the music encases us I wish I could keep o back to reality I don’t try to kiss her or feel her up I just hold her and let our bodies stay linked, wanting to know her and understand her more than I have with anyone since Lexi For an instant, I have so, to live

Chapter 14

Nova

Sohter as I lose track of ti that exists around me I’m not sure how it happens Maybe it’s because we’re both a little buzzed and the substances areus act like two completely different people at the moment and later it will catch up with us Or ht up in the ht feels unreal, like it belongs in the pages of a book where everyone gets theirto face consequences later

After we dance and sing for hours, sweat drips frouides led withbuetic bands violently play their instru, shouting, and thrashing their heads around Finally, Quinton steers me in front of hi a wider route, bury, and by the time we reach the tent area we’ve been yelled at a lot I find it funny for some reason and so does he, and by the ti our asses off

"I’ onto the sleeping bags as he zips up the tent Tristan’s not here, and I haven’t seen hi chair I don’t really wonder where he ran off to, though, because I can barely focus on where I’? Do I want this?

Quinton turns around, stooped over to avoid hitting his head on the tent’s low ceiling He still has his shirt off, and a trickle of hting his scar andhis eyes look like charcoal