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Chapter 14

ℤ𝕒𝕟𝕖

I make my way out the swinging double doors and onto the city sidewalk.

"Zane?" a familiar voice calls from down the street. I turn to see Kami making her way toward me in a gray plaid suit and red heels.

"Hey!" I say as she pulls me in for a hug.

"What are you doing here?" she asks, pointing to the building behind me. "Were you at the library?"

"Oh, uh... yeah," I say, slipping the books behind my back. "Just doing some research."

"That was smooth as sandpaper, Z." She smirks and raises her eyebrows. "Care to tell me why you just hid those books behind your back?"

Fuck. I should've known, very little gets past Kami.

"Simple, love. Because I didn't want you to see them."

"Cute," she says, narrowing her eyes and holding out a hand.

"Alright, nosy," I say, holding out the books for her to see.

"Autobiographical Confrontation in Pivotal Life Events?" she reads aloud with a confused look on her face. "And... Reunion at Murder High?"

"Yep," I say, slipping the books under my arm.

"Okay, now I'm actually worried about you. What the heck are these about?"

"I told you, they're just some research. It's a long story."

"Research for what?" she asks. "Are you plotting a murder at a high school reunion or... okay I don't have a joke for the other one because I have no idea what it means."

"I'm not planning a murder."

"But you are planning some other high school reunion crime?" She laughs as I shoot her a glare. "Besides, we didn't go to school so..."

"No crime of any kind."

"Wait... high school reunion... Is that what this is about? Are you going to Ava's reunion or something?"

"Maybe," I mumble. "Are you gonna make a big deal about this?"

"No, but I am going to ask why you got books to research for a reunion."

"It's just... I wanted to be prepared."

"For a party? Come on Zane, you're a Siren. We're great at social events and winning people over."

She's certainly right, for the most part. Sirens are naturally charming and social events come easy to us, whether we enjoy them or not. But the other day with Ava's dad got me a bit off my game. It was as if he didn't think I was good enough for his daughter. Luckily, his opinion means nothing to Ava, but what if it had? It's usually a bad idea to alienate your girlfriend's father within minutes of meeting him—not that punching him in the jaw did me any favors either.

"I just want to make a good impression," I say. "I've never been to one of these before."

"Really? You've never been invited to a reunion?"

"Of course I've been invited, but it sounded rubbish so I never actually considered going. Up until recently, I've made a point of avoiding humans and these sorts of things. Have you?"

"Yep," she says. "It's fun to be someone's arm candy and have a whole room of people staring at you. I love to go with people who were nerds back in the day, because the look on everyone's faces is priceless. 'Why yes, I am incredibly attractive, thank you.' It's a blast! Plus, I never actually went to any school so I don't have to deal with the drama and anxiety."

"Interesting..." I say, pondering to myself for a moment. "Maybe you can help me... possibly with a couple things. What are you doing here anyway?"

"Checking the bulletin boards." She points to a public posting board through the library window. "A couple of my informants don't like talking in person, so I use the boards to keep in touch."

"Are you free now, then?"

She eyes the board for a moment.

"Sure," she says with a nod, putting her hands in her pockets. "What's up?"


*****


I open the door to Jen in a black silk dress. She has her arms crossed and is tapping the toe of her high-heeled shoe against the floor. A woman stands behind her in a black lace top and slim red pants.

"Jen," I say. "I thought we were supposed to meet you downstairs."

"You were," she says. "But I texted Ava fifteen minutes ago and she said she was 'almost ready' so I figured she was full of it and I should come up and get her butt in gear."

"Ava," I call out. "Jen's here! We're all waiting for you!"

I welcome Jen and her friend inside and they seat themselves at the kitchen bar.

"I'm Zane by the way," I say to Jen's friend, who I assume is her roommate.

"Deb," she replies, giving me a slight nod of recognition.

"Did she find something to wear?" Jen asks. "Or is that why she's taking so long?"

"They've been in there for hours," I say.

Meanwhile, I put my suit on an hour ago and have been sitting here for 45 minutes. Usually, Ava's not particularly high-maintenance, but she's not the problem today.

"They?" Jen asks. "Don't tell me she's bringing another date, because I swear to god if Ava has two dates and I have none I'm going to lose my shit."

"No she's..." I start to say, but am interrupted by Ava emerging from around the corner.

"Okay, sorry, I'm ready!" she says, hopping out on one heel as she slips the other on her foot.

She's wearing a bright blue, skin-tight sequin dress with full-length sleeves and a dangerously short skirt.

"What the heck, Ava!" Jen squeals. "I thought you said you weren't buying something new! I know for a fact I would remember seeing this one."

"Kami insisted I borrow it," she says. "Is it too much?"

"Too much? Only in the sense that I'm going to have to kill you for showing me up. Can we get a twirl?"

Ava does a little spin in place, revealing the dress's low, open back.

Holy shit.

I'm going to have to kill Kami for this one.

"Okay," Jen says. "I hate you. I mean, I love you, but I hate you. I'm starting to think I should've brought you as my date."

A quiet growl rumbles in my chest but I do my best to mask it with a cough. Ava gives me a slight smirk before turning back to Jen.

"Well, about that," Ava says, "I actually can't be your date."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Jen says. "You're all in love with the big British beefcake over here."

"No, not that. Because you already have a date."

"Deb doesn't count."

"Wow, thanks," Deb says, sticking out her tongue.

"Sorry, Deb," Jen says with a smile. "You know what I mean."

"Alright," Kami says as she rounds the corner in an ultra-tiny leopard-print dress. "I'm ready! Let's do this thing!"

Jen turns to Ava, then to me, then back to Ava.

"Okay, this is the best present anyone has ever given me," Jen says, smiling wide.

"I know, right?" Kami says, grabbing her purse. "Now are we gonna go make everyone jealous, or what?"


*****


We pull into the parking lot in front of East Port Charlotte High School, a bland brick building with a browning lawn out front.

"So this is your high school?" I ask Ava as we step out of the car.

"Yep," she says. "I know, terribly exciting isn't it?"

"I like learning about your life."

Ava gives me a quick smile before following the group inside. The school halls are lined with gray lockers and directional arrows are taped to the linoleum flooring. We follow the arrows and signs until we're greeted by a blond woman in a black dress. She's standing beside a plastic folding table covered in name tags.

"Hey there!" the blonde says to us. "Jen, Deb, hey! We have name tags pre-written for former students, so just grab yours and head on in! Feel free to grab a blank one for your guests."

The girls nod and look over the table for their name tags.

"You must be a guest," the blonde says to me. "I'm pretty sure I wouldn't forget you."

She bats her eyelashes at me and giggles.

I'm used to humans fancying me, though this woman is surprisingly forward since I'm clearly here with a date.

"I'm here with my girlfriend, actually," I say, walking up to Ava and wrapping an arm around her waist.

"Oh," she says. "That's a shame. Is your girlfriend a former student?"

"Come on, Claire," Jen says. "You remember Ava."

"Ava Reynolds?" she asks as Ava turns to her. "Oh my gosh, I totally didn't recognize you without the dyed black hair in front of your face!"

"Um... yeah, it's been a while," Ava says.

"You know, Erica's brother was asking about you earlier," she says with a wink. "You should go say hi."

My eyes narrow as I tighten my grip around Ava's hip.

Who is Erica's brother and why does he have a death wish?

"Oh um..." Ava mumbles. "Will do, thanks."

"Ava!" a man's voice calls from down the hall.

I swear to god if I turn around and see Mike's bloody face, I'm going to end him.

Ava's eyes go wide before she turns around and I follow.

"Hi Dave!"

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