Page 53 of Cemetery Boys

Julian jumped. The yearbook was in his lap and he shut it quickly with a snap.

“What are you doing?” Yadriel demanded.

Julian blinked. “What?”

“What are you—?”

“Nothing!” The wide-eyed look on his face, accompanied by rosy cheeks, was so guilty that it was almost comical. “Look!” Julian said, jumping to change the subject as he haphazardly opened and closed the cover.

Yadriel’s face screwed up in confusion.

“I can pick it up and move it!” Julian told him, flashing a smile.

“Oookay.” Yadriel stepped closer. “Why are you—?”

Julian quickly stood up from the bed, tossing the yearbook to the side. A Sharpie fell through his lap. “Maritza’s waiting for us, right? Come on,” he said, making for the door. “Time to sneak out and go find my friends,” Julian told him as he walked out into the hall.

Yadriel shook his head and picked up the yearbook. Before putting it away, he flipped it open to his picture. His own face looked up at him, smiling in a way that made him look like he was in physical pain. He wore the same black hoodie, his hair carefully styled.

He was about to snap it shut when he noticed.

Beneath his photo, his deadname had been scribbled out with black marker. Under, written in lopsided letters, it read, YADRIEL.

NINE

“I can just jump out the window,” Julian suggested as they stood at the top of the stairs, trying to come up with a plan.

Yadriel spun to face him. “What?” he said, giving Julian a bewildered look as he toyed with the St. Jude pendant.

Julian stared at it, his fingers brushing the same spot on himself.

“You’re not serious,” Yadriel said.

Julian rolled his eyes before locking them onto Yadriel’s. “What’s it gonna do, kill me?”

“I think a bigger problem would be people seeing a body falling out the window.”

“Then you come up with something!”

“Shh!” Yadriel paused to listen, but the chatter continued downstairs, undisturbed. “As tempting as it is to throw you out the window—”

Julian’s mouth flew open, but Yadriel cut him off. “I think the best option is to just walk out the front door.”

“You just said we can’t let anyone see me—”

“Right, so we’ve got to be sneaky about it.” Yadriel huffed a breath in an attempt to steady his nerves. “I’ll go into the kitchen and distract them, and you sneak out the door, okay?”

Julian looked doubtful, but he bobbed his head in a nod.

“Stay close,” he said as they slowly moved down the stairs. A shiver rolled through Yadriel, like icy fingers trailing up his spine.

Julian’s voice said in his ear, a cool breeze ghosting against his neck, “You got it, patrón.”

Maybe that was too close.

They went down the stairs, and Julian pressed himself against the wall next to the entryway to the kitchen. Yadriel cut him a glance before walking into the kitchen.

“Hi, Lita,” he said, and he was greeted by a cacophony of hellos. Every set of eyes swung to Yadriel, and he shrank at the sudden attention.