Page 89 of Cemetery Boys

Julian laughed. “No, but there was other stuff to keep me occupied,” he said, before twisting around and heading down the street.

“Uh-huh,” Maritza hummed, looking over at Yadriel with a smirk. “I’m sure there was.”

Yadriel scowled, hating how hot his cheeks felt. “Shut up,” he hissed under his breath.

Luckily, Julian was up ahead and out of earshot, yanking leaves off bushes as he walked by.

“Hey, I’m not hating,” Maritza said, at least having the decency to keep her voice down. “I mean, having a ghost boyfriend might be kinda hot.” Her knowing smile was obnoxious.

He shoved her and, great, now his armpits were actually sweating. “Itza!”

She laughed, very pointedly looking Julian up and down from behind. “He has been practicing his ghost moves, maybe—”

“Oh my God, stop!” Yadriel said sharply, unable to take the teasing anymore. “It’s not like that!” he huffed. “It can’t be like that.” His eyes trailed off to Julian, watching as he hopped up onto a short brick wall surrounding someone’s house and walked along it.

Yadriel tried to stomp down the fluttery, twisty feeling, the low rush in his stomach.

“I mean, might as well enjoy it while he’s around,” Maritza whispered, giving him a little nudge with her elbow.

“He might not be around for much longer,” Yadriel snapped. The butterflies were quickly replaced with queasy churning. “Especially not after last night.”

Maritza frowned. “What happened last night?”

Keeping his voice down, Yadriel told her about Julian’s unbecoming the night before. How he’d writhed in pain. The blood on his shirt. The way he’d disappeared. The memories turned the blood in his veins icy.

When he finished, Maritza’s teasing smile and knowing looks were gone, replaced with one of pure alarm. “That’s so creepy.”

Yadriel shivered. “Yeah, no kidding.”

“I don’t think he should stay with you anymore.”

It was so unexpected, Yadriel came to a halt. “Wait, what?”

“Maybe we should leave him somewhere during the night, like back in the old church?” she suggested, her eyes trained on Julian’s back.

Yadriel frowned at her, suddenly feeling both defensive and protective of Julian. Exhaustion and frayed nerves did not help his mood. “What are you talking about?”

Maritza made a frustrated sound at the back of her throat. “What if he loses it and goes all dark spirit on you in the middle of the night?”

Yadriel shook his head. “Julian wouldn’t hurt me.”

“Julian wouldn’t,” she said. “But if he goes maligno, he’s not Julian anymore.”

Yadriel turned away from Maritza’s knowing look. “Let’s just get through today, okay?” Yadriel said. “Luca said he’d meet us right after school.”

Maritza sighed but didn’t argue further.

Yadriel watched as Julian dragged his fingers along a chain-link fence. He squinted in the sunlight, grinning as a cherry-red muscle car drove by, cumbia blaring from the speakers. Julian was happy in the city, Yadriel could see that. He liked the noise and the bustle and the people. It suited him. It was where he belonged. Not dead and in the afterlife, no matter how nice it was.

For the first time, it struck him how terribly unfair this all was. He hadn’t really thought about what it meant, when all of this was over, after he released Julian’s spirit and he was gone.

He didn’t deserve death. He didn’t deserve any of this. Julian had literally died protecting his friends. And Yadriel was quite certain he didn’t deserve Julian. There was no reason for Julian to help him find Miguel, but he did it anyway, and there was no way Yadriel could ever repay him.

He gave everything and expected nothing in return.

Yadriel’s heart ached.

No, none of them deserved Julian Diaz.