Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

Author:Kacen Callender
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2020-02-26T00:00:00+00:00


Fourteen

THE ADDRESS EZRA TEXTS ME TAKES ME TO GREENPOINT, past all the closed groceries and bakeries, into the streets with flickering streetlights and the kind of dark alleys I’ve always been warned not to go down alone. Brick factories that are 100 percent haunted start to pop up. The blue dot on my GPS keeps jumping back and forth, and I can’t find the street where the party is supposed to be. I kind of want to kill Ezra right now. This is exactly the sort of shady part of town that’s just a little more dangerous for someone like me.

I turn the corner, and there’s a line wrapped around the sidewalk. People in short skirts, netting, and tanks filter into one of the warehouses. I run across the street, checking both ways even though there aren’t any cars around. I join the end of the line, the bouncer checks my fake ID, and I slide in through the heavy metal doors.

A staircase leads up into darkness, music thumping. I hold on to the railing to steady myself as I climb the steep stairs.

There’s another pair of doors on the landing—and when I open them, the music blasts so loudly that it almost knocks me off my feet. There’re no lights except for red streaks, illuminating faces and hands thrown into the air. Music with a heavy beat vibrates through the floor, up my shins, and the crowd—I didn’t even know so many people could be stuffed into a single room—moves as one. I might be the only person standing still. People are dancing against each other, against the walls, against the bar, against the speakers, as if everyone’s been cursed to dance until they die.

I don’t see Ezra anywhere. I make it through the crowd, across the dance floor, to another set of doors. I burst through them, taking one long breath. I’m on a rooftop. There’s enough space for dozens of people to stand around, talking and smoking. The wall is only waist-high. It’d be too easy to trip and fall over the side. A cool breeze wafts in over the skyline of warehouses and factories, glowing yellow lights against the black night.

I text Ez to let him know that I’m here. I’m always a little nervous around huge crowds of people I don’t know. I walk through the groups slowly, checking to see if I recognize anyone, glancing at my phone over and over again to see if Ezra has responded. Arms grab me from behind, yanking me into a tight hug, and Ezra laughs in my ear.

“You’re so late,” he whines.

“Sorry,” I say. “Got distracted.”

Austin appears at Ezra’s side. I feel a twinge of disappointment. Even if I’m tired, I was kind of looking forward to hanging out with just Ezra. I don’t really feel like dealing with his maybe-and-looking-more-likely-boyfriend.

“Hey!” Austin says, head bopping to the beat.

I nod and force a smile. We all stand there for a solid five seconds, looking at one another. It’s awkward as fuck.



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