My Murder Year by Kate Larkindale

Author:Kate Larkindale
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romance, dating, death, young adult, contemporary, teen, ya, lgbtq
Publisher: Evernight Teen

Chapter Twenty-Two

It’s completely dark by the time Zane pulls up in front of Halmoni’s house. Through the brightly lit windows I can see figures moving about. Too many figures to be only my family. Has the wake moved here now? I groan. I don’t want to go in there. I don’t want to talk to anyone or try to be polite. I want to lock myself into my room to curl up under the covers with my memories of how Zane felt and tasted. But I don’t have a room here. Maybe Teddy will let me share his.

“It’ll be okay,” Zane murmurs, his hand stroking the back of my head.

I lean into his caress. It feels so good. I want to purr like a kitten or something. “I wish I didn’t have to go.”

“Me too. But I guess we can’t always do what we want, right?”

I lean over and kiss him lightly. “Thank you,” I say. It’s not half what I want to say. It doesn’t even skim the surface.

Zane grabs a pen from the jumble of stuff crammed into the space under his car’s radio. Grabbing my hand, he scrawls something across my wrist. “My number,” he says. “Call me any time, okay? Any time. I mean it.”

I nod.

“In fact, call me tonight. Before you go to sleep.”

I’ll have to borrow K’s charger. I nod again, unable to trust my voice not to break if I try to shape words. Then, because I’ll cry (again) if I stay there any longer, I push open the car door and step out onto the street. The sidewalk is cold against my now bare feet. My stockings are in tatters around my ankles. Turning, I wave to Zane, but he doesn’t leave. He sits there at the curb, watching me until I’m on the porch, my hand on the knob. Only then does he honk the horn once and peel out.

I stare after him until his taillights disappear around the corner before letting myself into the house, taking a deep breath to steel myself for what might be waiting for me behind those doors.

Voices spill from the living room and I head in that direction. Peeking around the doorframe, I try to assess the scene. Mama K is sprawled on the couch with her arms wrapped around Teddy. He is strangely still, as if accepting that right now, K needs him to be there for her to hold onto. Halmoni stands by the window with a bowl of something she’s offering to Zoya. Galina is nearby too, her back to me as she stares out the window that only throws back her reflection. Ropati and Jarboe sit in the two chairs flanking the coffee table. Both hold teacups they sip from. A couple of the lesbian ladies are there too, hovering around K like bees around a flower.

I don’t want to go in there.

Teddy glances up and sees me. “Stas!” he cries, wriggling his way out of Mama K’s embrace to bounce over to me.

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