All We Left Behind by Ingrid Sundberg

All We Left Behind by Ingrid Sundberg

Author:Ingrid Sundberg
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Publisher: Simon Pulse


Kurt

The Firehouse is crowded, packed with people from school. There are a couple guys from the team who nod when I enter, but I pretend not to see them.

The place is like a cage. Brick walls. Fire poles. Too many chairs.

“What do you want?” Marion asks, and I look at the chalkboard covered with eight hundred menu items.

People stare. People definitely saw us at the party. I’ve heard the rumors. And the swimming thing is getting around too.

“Coffee, black,” I say to the girl behind the counter, and Marion orders some fancy soy double who-knows-what. I taste blood in my mouth.

“That’s seven fifty,” the coffee girl says, and I nudge Marion.

“Don’t you think you should pay for this after busting my teeth?” I joke, but she doesn’t get it.

“Sure,” she says, pulling out her wallet.

“I’m kidding,” I say, nodding to her cash, but she stands there with her wallet open. “Put that away. I got this.” I throw a ten on the counter, swallowing back the pink in my mouth. Damn coffee’s expensive.

“Thanks,” she says, fiddling with her purse and grabbing too many napkins from the counter. I move to put my hand on the back of her neck, to get her to relax, but the guys from the team are watching us. My hand stops halfway between her and me, hanging there like a useless slab of meat.

“Sir? Your change?”

I swing my hand to the coffee girl like it’s what I meant to do in the first place, and Marion looks at me funny. I shove the change in my pocket, grab our drinks, and turn to the room.

“Uh . . .” There are no empty tables. “Let’s go outside.”

“In the back.” Marion points to a table crammed in a corner and walks toward it. I pass Hector, from the team, as I follow her, and he gives me a nod. I roll my eyes. He winks with a knowing grin, like he gets it. Coffee first. Fun second. Only that’s not how this is going to work. And I hate that Hector looks at Marion and thinks it is.

The chairs suck. They’re made of cheap metal rods, bent funny and poking in every direction. I sit across from Marion, with everyone behind us, and shift my weight. Only everything’s too close and I elbow the dude at the table beside me.

“Watch it!” He shoots me a dirty look.

“Sorry, man,” I say, trying to give him some space, but there isn’t any to give.

“It’s not normally this crowded,” Marion says, glancing at the guy. Her eyes fall to her coffee like that might be a complete lie. Red flushes over her neck and I think about how I wouldn’t have been able to see that when we were swimming.

“You come here a lot?” I ask, and she hugs her mug close.

“Yeah, with Lilith mostly.”

I nod and sip my drink. It tastes like dirt.

She busies herself by pouring sugar into her cup and I try to ignore the doo-wop fifties music coming out of the speakers.



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