Part 2 (1/2)

”Jeremiah, can we go to your room?” She rubbed his back. ”I need to tell you something in private.”

”Oh?” Jeremiah looked at her with a bored expression.

”Yes.” She licked her lips slowly, and I watched as she slipped a finger into her mouth. ”I need to tell you something very badly.”

”Well, okay then.” Jeremiah grinned as he realized that what Macy had to tell him had less to do with talking and more to do with sucking, a fact that was unmistakable to all three of us standing there. ”I'll see you guys in a bit,” Jeremiah said with a quick smile, and he and Macy walked away. I looked over at Angelina to see if she was upset, but she just gave me a sweet smile and laughed. I raised an eyebrow at her, and she whispered in my ear.

”I'm not a dumbo, Nicholas. Maybe I have my own reasons for dating Jeremiah.”

”Oh?” I looked at her with a frown. Was she just interested in his money?

”Maybe it was the only way I could get to hang out with you.” She winked, and my heart stopped beating. Was she kidding? ”Want to get out of here?” she asked softly, and I nodded, not quite believing my good luck. Was Angelina Walker really interested in me? We headed toward the front door of the apartment, and I saw Oliver standing there looking at us with a frown as we were about to leave.

”Where are you two going?” he questioned us in an aggressive tone. Oliver looked stiff and out of place at the party, and a part of me wondered what else I could do to help him a.s.similate a bit better to college life. When I first met him, I'd a.s.sumed that he was a younger version of me and that once he made friends he'd lose his awkwardness, but that never happened. Instead, he seemed to be odder than ever. And he seemed to have become closer to Jeremiah than he was to me.

”We're skipping out.” I smiled at him. ”Want to come?”

”What do you mean? This is Jeremiah's party.” He looked angry. ”You can't leave. Not until the party ends.”

”We're bored,” Angelina said, and flipped her hair. ”Why don't you come with us? We can go to Harvard Square.”

”You shouldn't be going anywhere with Nick,” Oliver said accusingly. ”You're Jeremiah's girlfriend.”

”Not anymore.” She laughed.

”Since when?” He blinked rapidly.

”Since now.” She put her arm through mine and kissed me on the cheek.

”Nick?” Oliver's eyes widened.

”Yes?” I couldn't stop myself from beaming.

”Jeremiah's your friend.”

”And he's in the bedroom with Macy,” I snapped, annoyed that Oliver was trying to make me feel bad. ”Look, we're leaving. Are you coming or not?”

”No.” He looked disappointed. ”I'm not leaving Jeremiah Bradley's big party, and you shouldn't be either.” I felt sad as I listened to him talking. He said Jeremiah's name in such a reverential way that it broke my heart. Maybe I would have been better off leaving Oliver in the lab by himself that day. He seemed to idolize Jeremiah in a way that wasn't healthy.

”Well, have fun, Oliver,” Angelina said sweetly. ”Let's go, Nicholas.”

”Bye, Oliver,” I said, and followed Angelina out of the party. As soon as the door closed behind us, we ran down the hallway and scrambled down the stairs. Bursting onto the pavement in front of Jeremiah's apartment, we giggled as we stared at each other. We stood there for a few moments, just taking each other in. Angelina's face was bright and cheery, her sparkling hazel eyes glowing green as the streetlights lit the side of her face. Her lips were pink and luscious, and her long brown hair shone like spun silk. She had such a look of happiness on her face that I couldn't help grinning back at her.

”I'm so glad Jeremiah had this party,” she said finally.

”Why's that?” I asked softly.

”Because I got to leave with you.”

”Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked, and took her hand. ”Jeremiah might be mad.”

”I'm sure. What about you?”

”I'm positive,” I said steadily, and grinned.

”So you do like me?” She c.o.c.ked her head as she stared at me. ”I wasn't sure.”

”Oh, I more than like you. I love you,” I said, and then I groaned. I wasn't sure why I'd told her I loved her. It was uncool, and I was scared that she'd think I was a psychopath.

”You love me?” She raised an eyebrow at me and then giggled.

”You think I'm a loser now, don't you?”

”No,” she said shyly, and stepped toward me. ”I think you're sweet.”

”Really?” I asked doubtfully.

”Really.” She kissed me lightly on the lips. ”You're sweet. And I kinda think I might love you as well.”

”But you don't even know me.” I frowned.

”I know you as well as you know me,” she said lightly, and I touched the side of her face.

”He's going to be p.i.s.sed, you know.” I sighed as I gazed at her. I knew Jeremiah didn't love Angelina, but he saw her as a conquest, and he wouldn't be happy to lose her.

”He'll be fine.” She laughed. ”What's the worst he can do?”

”True, he can move on to other girls.” I nodded, but there was a fear in my stomach that wouldn't go away. What would Jeremiah try to do? For some reason, I had a feeling that it wouldn't be as simple as we hoped. I could only hope that he would move on with his life and just forget that Angelina was the one that got away.

four.

Bianca London Present Day ”Let's go somewhere.” Steve stepped back after replacing his flask in his pocket.

”Go?” I asked him. Was he out of his mind? Did he think I was going anywhere with him? ”With you?”

”Yeah.” He nodded, unblinking. ”I had a thought.” He looked over at Rosie. ”Maybe now is the time?”

”I think so.” Rosie nodded, her eyes narrowed.

”The time for what?” My voice rose. What were they going to do to me? Where did they want me to go? ”I thought you said you only wanted to make sure I saw the tape. Why do I have to go anywhere with you?”

”Bianca, there's someone we want you to meet.” Rosie pursed her lips. ”You need to come with us.”

”No one the two of you know is someone I want to meet,” I said scathingly, though I was starting to panic. What were they planning? I tried to imagine what Jakob would advise in this situation. He'd tell me to stay calm, take a deep breath. He'd tell me not to let them see my fear. I felt my heartbeat slowing as I pictured his face and imagined him speaking to me rea.s.suringly.

”Can't you ever just listen?” Rosie looked annoyed, and then her voice softened as she looked at me. ”Please, Bianca.”