Page 74 of Pretty Thing

Slinking around to the front of the house, I head for Kris’s car. It’s parked at the front of a long line and has a foot of snow on it, but I made sure to memorize the make and model. Pulling the knife out of my pocket, I flip it open and slice her front tire. The blade sinking into the rubber is satisfying.

Keep it up, Kris, and you’ll lose more than a tire.

I find a new hiding spot across the road between two dark houses to wait.

The Newmans’ door opens, and I watch Eden hug Kris before stepping onto the porch. I don’t give a fuck about Kris, but when Kyle wraps his arm around Eden’s waist, it makes me homicidal.

By the time Kyle helps her into his vehicle, it’s just after ten and the snowstorm has worsened enough to blur the entire street white.

I wait patiently until Kyle’s truck pulls away before finally forcing my frozen legs back to my car. I take the opposite route to her house so there is no chance of us crossing paths. When I arrive, there is no sign of Kyle’s car or tire tracks in the driveway. I park on the street, but waiting in the car just makes me anxious.

“Fuck it,” I grumble. Getting out, I opt to sit on the front steps.

My mind drifts aimlessly, and something becomes crystal clear. Homes can burn down. People can leave.

But Eden cannot leave me…not ever.

My fingers curl against the edge of the step when headlights finally appear at the end of the street. The moment his truck turns into the driveway, I stand and revel in the annoyed look on Kyle’s face. It’s comforting. He knows I’m a threat to him, but he has no idea how much of a threat I actually am.

Eden smiles when she sees me.

For one awful moment earlier, I wondered if it was just me counting the hours until I saw her again, but as our eyes meet…I know that I’m not the only one.

I take a deep, shuddering breath, the first one since Eden left.

twenty

​. . .​

Eden

“What the hell is he doing here?”

Kyle sounds annoyed, and I know before looking that he must be talking about Felix.

My eyes dart up, and sure enough, Felix is standing on the porch. He looks like a dark shadow with the light at his back.

Felix is smiling with his hands in his pockets, but there is an air of danger around him. The same unease that you might feel walking down an alley late at night when you see someone walking toward you. A light prickle forms at the back of my neck, but it’s not fear that I feel as the sensation moves down my spine and heating every part of me.

My stomach flips with the thrill of him being here.

“I guess he’s waiting for me,” I say, and Kyle turns his head to look at me.

“I don’t like this guy, Eden. I mean it. There is something very wrong with him.”

Anger burns in my chest, and I grip my cane tighter.

“You don’t even know him. Not really. Why won’t you just give him a chance? Why are you and Kris so determined to make him out to be some cartoon-like villain?”

Kyle’s eyes harden.

“Because I know his type and he’s going to try and come between us.”

“Excuse me? He’s doing no such thing. It’s you and Kris who are being weird and frankly fucking rude. Let me guess, you believe this bullshit about the rats too?”

Kyle grabs my arm and out of the corner of my eye, I see Felix take a step closer, his expression dark.

“Eden, listen to me…I can just tell. Trust me.”