But I wondered about him-wondered what he could do and how he did it. I wondered if I could trust his darker side, a side that I'm sure not even Izzy had witnessed. If she had, she would have told me all about it.

I blew a breath, pushing out of bed and going towards my window for the second time that day. I looked at his home, and when it occurred to me that he would no longer be living there after two weeks, I had the urge to cry. I couldn't imagine not having him there. I couldn't picture another family in that home because, to me, that was the Blacks' home.

The first real, genuine people I met. A family that accepted me-took me in with welcoming arms and put a smile on my face every single day. They were my friends. My life wouldn't have been as much fun without them.

I hated change.

No matter how awful I felt or how heavy my heart would get when I thought of Izzy, I missed her like crazy. I felt awful about the wreck. It was my fault Theo didn't pick up the first few times. He was too busy trying to secure time with me, considering her phone call just another weekly conversation that could wait.

I called her immediately, and when I did, I spent almost an hour with her on the phone. Luckily, Theo had just left to handle some car business, which left her lounging in her dorm room on her twin-sized mattress. I remembered how her dorm looked: pink everywhere. Pink sheets, pink rugs, pink pillows, a pink lamp, even pink magnets to go on her mini fridge. Izzy loved pink just as much as I loved purple.

"But seriously. Are you okay, Iz? I got your pic of the car. That thing is totaled. You're lucky you made it out alive, girl."

"I'm fineeee. Trust me. Even though the accident was totally not my fault, they're trying to pin it on me. That guy hit me!"

"Yeah, but at least you made it out safely. That's all that matters."

"You sound like a parent," she laughed.

"Because I care?"

"Ehh." She made a pfft noise through the phone, as if she were exasperated. "So, I'm not sure about this whole summer relationship thing anymore. Dylan is starting to get clingy," Izzy said out of the blue.

"Why do you say that? Because he kisses you and actually cares unlike Marco did?"

She scoffed. "Oh my G.o.d, Chloe! Did you really just go there? The Marco card? What a b.i.t.c.h."

I laughed. "You know it's true. If a guy doesn't treat you like s.h.i.t, you get bored. A terrible thing to want, Iz."

"Yeah, but even though Marco was a total d.i.c.k, he made up for it... with his beautifully big d.i.c.k." She busted out in a laugh, and someone in the background shouted something. "Oh, bite me, Jessie," Izzy spat.

"Holy s.h.i.t! Jessie the Prude is still your roommate?" I was rolling with laughter now. Jessie went to Bradshaw with us. The biggest geek of all. There was nothing wrong with being a geek, but when you're a geek that snitches and lies... well... it's simple. You get shunned.

"Yes! And she's so f.u.c.king annoying!"

"Right here!" Jessie shouted in the background.

"Duh, Prude, I see you." Izzy snickered.

I shook my head. "You are so mean to her."

"Well, maybe she should find another roommate. She's lucky I agreed. She's still a liar. I don't know why I still put up with her. Why are you even here? Why aren't you home for the summer with your family or something?!" All of her questions to Jessie were rhetorical, and I was dying on my end, as in laughing my a.s.s off. Izzy groaned. "Let me stop before she snitches on me. Anyway, back to Dylan... I don't know. He's always calling and texting, and when he's around I have, like, no s.p.a.ce to f.u.c.king breathe. Yesterday morning, I asked him to buy me a donut and an iced latte from Dunkin Donuts, and he bought me a whole dozen. I was grateful, I really was, but then he spent the whole day in my dorm after I specifically told him it was my girl time and I wasn't up for cuddling. G.o.d, Chlo, you know how I get around this time of the month. b.i.t.c.hin' it out to the max."

"Yeah," I snuffed, "I know. Trust me."

She sighed. "He just doesn't get me."

"Sooo why are you still with him? Why waste your time? His time?"

"s.h.i.t, I may get annoyed, but he has something to make me forget his clinginess! That magical mouth of his-now he can munch on p.u.s.s.y like it's dinner." This time, my laugh felt like it could shake the walls. Izzy joined in on the laugh as I clutched my sides and then swiped joyful tears from the corners of my eyes. "He does this thing-this circle motion with his tongue. Oh my gosh, Chloe. How could any woman ever get rid of that? An expert p.u.s.s.y eater." She continued her sniggling. "I love it, I swear. Maybe I'll get over him being so clingy if you get a boyfriend too. That way, we can both b.i.t.c.h and complain. Then we can do double dates and someone can distract him with sports talk or something when we go out. Yeah, totally do that, Chlo. Find a guy before I finish summer school so we can set up a date!"

"Yeah, I don't think I'm gonna force a relationship just so your clingy boo can be distracted."

"Boooooo," Izzy droned. "Fine. Your loss. How has summer been, though? Besides Papa Knight, is everything else good? Is Bristle Wave still a f.u.c.king bore?"

"Bristle is still quite boring, but I can't complain about the scenery. Dad seems to be doing better-oh, and I didn't even tell you that Mariah and Tiny came here last week!"

"What!?" she exclaimed.

"Yep. We went for dinner and ice cream first. We were supposed to be on a boat, but Mariah's dad never rented it out. But later that night we went to Brix, and guess who was there?"

"Who?" she indulged. I knew she was glued to the phone.

"f.u.c.king Riley Hunt... again! He saw me, but I had to pretend Tiny was my date for the night just so he wouldn't bother me. But the d.i.c.kwad just turned to Mariah like I wasn't even there. I swear, boys are just stupid. Tiny got so p.i.s.sed and was about to pick a fight, but I spared Riley by dragging Tiny's lanky a.s.s out of there and dragging them to Dane's."

"Oh my G.o.d! Are you serious?"

"Yes. Tiny was so mad the whole ride. They were wasted, Izzy."

"Ugh! See! I should be there. I'm so jealous."

"Please don't be," I said. "Trust me, you aren't missing much. Mariah and Tiny coming here was probably the most fun I've had so far." And Theo, the voice in the back of my mind whispered.

Izzy groaned. "Well, keep being bored until I can come home. Hopefully I can get a chance over the weekend. If I could leave now, I would, but some of my cla.s.ses are on stupid campus."

"I know. I understand. I'm fine, Iz. You just worry about school. Bristle will always be here."

"I know. It's just so f.u.c.king boring on campus when no one is here. I have no choice but to focus." She laughed and then sighed as if all her stress had faded. "Man, I needed this talk. I swear you are my cure for a s.h.i.tty, s.h.i.tty day."

"Aww," I cooed, teasing her. "Don't be so melodramatic."

"Dude, I'm not. I'm serious. Other than my dad, you are the only person I can really trust and talk to about anything. You know me. I hate people sometimes, but I have never come close to hating you."

My smile dropped, as well as my beating heart. She said this, but little did she know that we both were breaking that trust day by day. I wanted to cry, get rid of the ball of pain building up around my heart. G.o.d, I just wanted to tell her, but I didn't want her to hate me. I didn't want her to change-us to change. I didn't want to lose my best friend. I refused.

f.u.c.k, I was selfish. So very selfish.

"I love you, Chlo. Fa'sho."

I laughed, but the line of my eyes burned, thick with unshed tears. "That is still the corniest line I've ever heard."

Her giggle was comforting. "Whatever! I still think it's cool. And it fits. Now say it back before you break my heart!"

With a steady voice, a gentle smile, and a tear I knew she couldn't see trailing down my cheek, I finished our little rhyme, ignoring the thickness in my throat. "I love you too, Izzy Boo."

"See!" she busted out in a laugh just as I did, swiping my face. "Now, that's corny."

G.o.d, I loved these chats with her. The mindless, careless conversations I could share with her about any and everything. I missed the h.e.l.l out of my friend, and it was still hard to wrap my head around the fact that I was holding one of the biggest secrets of my life from her.

After saying goodbye, I hung up. My head lifted, and I looked towards the collage of us pinned to my bulletin board. The photo of us on prom night was my favorite. We were flawless, and we didn't need dates because we were our own dates.

All the girls at Bradshaw envied us, our friendship most of all. They treated us like Regina and Caydee from Mean Girls, only we weren't mean and our friendship wasn't fake... and we didn't only wear pink on Wednesdays, especially Izzy. Everyone adored and hated us at the same time. They wanted to be us, which was weird because we sometimes didn't like being us.

Like now. I wished I wasn't myself. I wished I hadn't become so close to Izzy's father. I wished he was someone else-someone I could actually be with without the fear of losing someone else close and dear to my heart.

Downstairs, Margie and Dad were sitting on the living room sofa, watching a movie about vampires. I stepped around the corner, blinking as Dad actually sat there and watched the flick, eyes intense as he ran his hands over his peppery hair.

I entered the living room, snickering while folding my arms, and they both looked my way. "You guys are really watching this?"

Margie gave a helpless shrug, and Dad nodded. "I've always wondered what you liked so much about it." He scratched his head. "Gotta tell you, baby girl. I still don't get it. The whole glittery thing, the heavy breathing, and the d.a.m.n werewolves... I am so lost."

I laughed. "It's a girl thing. You have to read the book to understand."

"Ehh. Seems like soft vampire p.o.r.n to me. I'll pa.s.s." Apparently, this was one of his good days. Weird, it seemed on and off now, switching sporadically.

Margie shook her head with a laugh, and then she stood from the sofa. I turned for the kitchen, and only seconds later, she appeared. "Um... Chloe?"

I spun around, meeting her warm grey eyes. "Yes?"

Tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, Margie came my way, brows puckered. Immediately, I noticed the look of worry on her face, the questions running rampant in her eyes. "The man across the street- the one you're interested in- how long have you known him again?"

"About ten years now."

"Ten. Wow." Her eyes expanded. "Was he married once before?"

"Yes." I crossed my arms, stepping towards her. "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious." She put on a smile. "I see why you fell for him. That's a handsome man."

I chewed on a smile, uncrossing my arms and going for the fridge. After pulling out a cup of strawberry yogurt, I turned for the table in front of the bay window and sat. "He is pretty good looking."

"Yeah," she sighed. Margie's fingers twisted in front of her. There was something wrong. She seemed nervous, like something was bothering her. Before I opened my yogurt, I dropped the cup and narrowed my brows in her direction. "Margie? What is it? What's wrong?"

She looked towards me, stepping forward. She was hesitant at first. "My son is..." She started but quickly waved a hand, dismissing the idea. "Never mind."

When she began to turn, I called for her, hopping out of my chair. Glancing back, she looked from the countertops she'd wiped spotless to me. "Margie, you can talk to me," I a.s.sured her.

She inhaled, releasing a puff of breath as her shoulders visibly relaxed. "Okay... well, it's just my son. He wants to spend some time in Bristle with me. He said he'd get a hotel, but I would hate for him to go through the trouble. I know you aren't used to strangers and I would hate for you or even Mr. Knight to think I'm trying to take advantage of my stay here, but-"

I stepped forward, holding my hand up. Her words stopped flowing in an instant, eyes glossy. d.a.m.n, I don't know what it was about Margie, but this woman had deep-rooted issues. It seemed she was afraid of asking for things, like someone had punished her before for asking for anything at all. I was truly sympathetic for the humble woman, but I needed her to know that everything was fine. "Margie," I murmured. "It's okay. He can stay here. We have another guest room and he's more than welcome to use it. I don't mind at all."

"Oh, G.o.d." She cupped her mouth. I was about to consider her dramatic, until she continued. "Oh my goodness, Chloe, thank you! Last night was my first time seeing him in three years. I truly, honestly, need this."

Oh. I felt bad for my previous thought. Three years?! Wow.

I dropped my hands, watching as two stray tears fell down her cheeks. I went back for the roll of paper towels, ripping one off and handing it to her. She accepted it, wiping her face clean. "Three freaking years?! Margie! Why has it been so long?"

She shrugged. "He has been very busy with his life. He's an orchestrator for a high school in Arizona. He hardly ever comes home because he's so swamped. And me... well, I happen to move a lot too. By the time he can actually come visit me, I'm booked for another caregiving job or working late hours as a nurse. We still keep in touch-he calls every day-but it has been hard not seeing my only child. Mi hijo." My son.

"Was he raised here?"

"We lived in L.A." she smiled. "I was born in Mexico but raised here in the U.S."

"Oh. How neat. It's insane for him not to see you for three years, though. As a teacher, there's really not that many excuses."

"He has his reasons. He wanted to stay away from California to grow as a person-escape certain... things. He called me last week, told me his band had entered the finals and was traveling to Bristle Wave High for a performance. He took that as a sign of G.o.d telling him he was ready to come back this way."

"That's great!" I beamed. "So when will he be here?"

"Tomorrow morning, if that is okay." She looked at me for rea.s.surance, grey eyes bright. I nodded. Her happiness was contagious. How her son could abandon his sweet mother, I did not know. If my mom were anything like Margie, I would have come home more often.

"I was thinking of making a big breakfast, and I promise you I will still be giving Mr. Knight the best care. He will never leave my sight. Let's just hope that he cooperates with Sterling around. He isn't very fond of people he doesn't know."

I scoffed. "Yeah, he's always been that way. He doesn't like to get to know people unless he has to, but I'm sure Dad will be fine. He'll live. Breakfast sounds great! I'll be sure to come down for it and meet your son. He sounds like a nice guy."

"He is a great man. He's accomplished so much when I didn't think he would. He's made me one proud mama!"

"I bet."

"Margie, the remote please!" Dad called from the living room.

Margie glanced over her shoulder and then looked at me. Laughing, she said, "Let me go get that. Thank you again, lovely. I swear, you are the sweetest girl." She patted my arm and then turned around, hurrying out of the kitchen.

I went back to the table for my yogurt. Unlike Dad, I loved to meet new people. Margie was a great person, and I was sure her son would be too, so there would be no worries about leaving them home alone.

After going for a run, coming back home to shower, and eating lunch, I took a nap but wasn't quite sure when I'd fallen asleep. By the time I awoke, it was dark outside, nothing but the streetlights glowing outside my window.

I scrambled out of bed, going for my cellphone on the desk. I s.n.a.t.c.hed it up, seeing two missed calls from Theo and one from Izzy. A text accompanied Izzy's call.

Izzy: My dad is acting weird. He seems happier....

I blinked at her message. No smiley face. No big, fat LOL. No second text message, hara.s.sing me about what I was doing or why I wasn't replying (which was normally the case.) Was she onto us? Onto me? He seemed happier how? Since when? So many questions ran through my mind. I felt my heart racing, palms becoming clammy.

I disregarded her message, plugging the thought in the back of my head to make sure I returned her text. I went to my call log and saw Mr. Black(2). Two missed calls.

Walking towards my window, I saw that his driveway was empty, his home dark. Only the porch light illuminated. Picking my phone back up, I pressed the call b.u.t.ton, and the phone rang twice before he responded. "h.e.l.lo?" His voice was heavy, the way he sounded when he'd had a few drinks.

"Theo? Are you back?"

"Got back about two hours ago. What happened earlier? Called you twice. Wanted to see if you wanted to catch drinks with me somewhere?"

"I was asleep," I informed him. "I don't know when I fell asleep, but I was clearly exhausted." I looked towards my alarm clock. 10:18 P.M.

"Where are you drinking at?"

"Rykes."

I frowned. "Ew. Rykes."