The weeks following the shooting are some of the hardest Starkton High School has ever seen.

Elowen is awaiting trial. Since she's almost eighteen, she'll be tried as an adult.

Rob endured emergency surgery—something he and I have in common—but he's going to make a full recovery. He's expected to return to classes soon.

Both traumatized, Wesley and Shenae are continuing the rest of their high school education at home. After everything, I don't blame them.

Declan, Cordelia, and Effie have all made a conscious effort to acknowledge my existence. They regularly say hi to me in the halls and even sometimes sit with Damian and me at lunch.

As for Jose, he's taken a newfound interest in me, too. He initiates conversation whenever the opportunity arises. Foolishly, I gave him my cell phone number, and he calls at least once a day just to "check in"—something he never even did when we were together. My gut tells me that he might want to reignite the spark between us.

And for some reason, the thought of picking up where we left off two years ago doesn't make me happy.

"At one point, you wanted to get back together with him," Damian recalls as we walk to our lockers.

I shrug my shoulders. "Yes, but that was a long time ago. I don't have those feelings for him anymore."

His cerulean eyes widen. I swear that I see a flicker of hope in them. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah," I reply. "Fifty-one and forty-nine might equal one-hundred, but Jose and I are not a perfect match."

"But he knows about Hank now. Wasn't that what held you back before?"

"You know, I almost forgot about that."

"That you told an entire room of hostages about your piece-of-shit dad?"

"Don't worry," I assure him, "I'll just use my maniacal mind power and make them forget."

Before he can finish rolling his eyes, Cordelia rushes toward us, her high heels clacking against the tile. Despite her popularity, I've grown fond of the Queen Bee. Underneath the superficiality, she's bright, hard-working, and compassionate.

She kind of reminds me of an old friend.

"Layla!" she exclaims, almost crashing into me. "Layla, what are you doing over spring break?"

"Um, nothing," I respond. "Why do you ask?"

"My family owns a cabin in Cheboygan. Some friends and I are travelling there for the week," she tells me. "I was wondering if you and your boyfriend wanted to come?"

I blink. "My boyfriend?"

She points to Damian. "Are you two not—?"

"No," we say in unison, both blushing a shade of red that matches her lipstick.

"He can come, anyway. What do you say?"

"I'm flattered, but why are you inviting me?" I ask bluntly. "A couple weeks ago, we didn't even know each other."

"I invited everyone who was in... who was in the room that day," she confesses, pushing a strand of raven hair behind her ear. "I just... I don't know. I thought it would be a fun way to forget about what happened. If you don't want to come—"

"We'll be there," Damian cuts in, wrapping an arm around my shoulder.

"Awesome! I'll text you the detes!" Beaming, she struts away.

I slap Damian's chest. "What the hell was the for?"

"Oww! Stop hitting me!"

"Why did you agree to go glamping with Cordelia?"

"What? It might be fun," he says, shrugging his shoulders. "Besides, we could use a getaway."

I let out a sigh. I suppose he's right. An escape from Starkton would be good for both of us. He's still getting over Jessica, and I'm... well, I just hate this washed-up town.

Cordelia, as promised, sends me the information about her cabin. It sounds more like a mansion, complete with six bedrooms, four bathrooms, a five-acre yard, and a hot tub.

Oh, and there will be no adult supervision.

Damian and I ask Moira if we can go. She says yes, on the condition that we watch out for each other.

I don't think she needs to worry about that.

The night before the trip, Damian and I chit-chat while we pack our bags. I'm more excited than I thought I would be, and he's practically shaking with anticipation.

"I can't wait for the hot tub," I comment.

"Me, either. Don't forget the hiking trails, the nightly bonfires, the lack of resentful ex-girlfriends...." With a sigh, Damian shoves his swim trunks into his suitcase. "Fuck, I need this trip."

"Apparently," I mutter under my breath.

"Just promise me we'll have fun," he says, turning to face me. "No stress, no drama, no life-threatening heroics."

"I'll do my best." I wrap my arms around his waist, resting my cheek against his sternum. "Hey, did you start using a new body wash?"

"Yeah, I needed a change."

"You smell good."

"Thank you."

I feel the color drain from my face as I look up at him. His blue eyes meet mine, and I struggle to catch my breath.

"Damian?" I murmur.

"Yes, Layla?"

"Remember the other night when we almost—?"

"I remember."

"Would it be so bad if we...?" I taper off, shaking my head at the ridiculous idea. "Never mind."

"No, tell me," he insists, his voice laced with desperation.

There's a knock at the door. We jump apart so fast that I almost fall on my butt.

"It's getting late," Moira announces, poking her head inside her son's bedroom. "You two have an early start tomorrow, right?"

We both nod our heads.

"Get some sleep. I'm headed to bed myself. Goodnight."

I don't waste any time leaving Damian's room and scurrying to my own. He and I have been teetering the line between friends and more-than-friends lately. I don't want to cross it.

<><><><><><>

"I don't think I slept last night," Damian groans.

I rub my eyes. "Me, either."

We agreed to meet Cordelia in the school's parking lot at eight a.m. sharp. Thanks to my best friend's preternatural ability, we're the first ones to arrive.

About fifteen minutes later, a forest green SUV pulls in, followed by a bright red mini van. Both vehicles come to a stop, and Cordelia, Declan, and their friends spill out.

I recognize Effie, who waves when she spots me. There are a few other boys who look familiar, although I don't know their names.

As we discuss who will drive with whom, another car speeds into the lot: a '91 Toyota Camry.

Oh, no.

"Cordelia," I hiss, "you didn't tell me that Jose would be here!"

"I said I invited everyone who was in the room with us, didn't I?" she asks, pursing her lips.

"I mean, you did, but you didn't say he'd be joining us on a week-long overnight trip," I clarify.

"Was I supposed to?"

"He's my ex-boyfriend, so...."

"Oh, shit," she mutters, clenching her pearly whites. "Well, this ought to be an interesting vacation."

Shaking my head, I glance at Damian. He seems agitated now—and not just because he's sleep-deprived.

"I'm riding with Declan," he declares. "If you want to ride with Jose, you can."

"I want to ride with you," I say, baffled by his sudden change in demeanor.

"Whatever." Shrugging his shoulders, he climbs into Declan's SUV.

Well, then. So much for a stress-free, drama-free trip.

A/N:
A week away in a schmancy cabin? Sign me up. I do love hot tubs 😉❤️