And then I couldn’t help but gasp as I felt her shove me away sharply, eyes wide with startled fear and realization. She sat up straight and pushed me back. My hand stayed tangled in her hair. She sat there still, chest heaving. She wasn’t smiling but there was a wildfire in her eyes. Terror. Fear. Shock.
I opened my mouth to say something—anything—but I was interrupted by the last sound in the world I wanted to hear right then.
“Connie? Alex?” A voice called out in the distance. We shot each other a quick glance before turning to lock eyes with Orla, who stood just a few meters away, illuminated by the moonlight at the end of the alley. “Are you down here?”
“Yeah,” Connie choked out, plastering on a thin smile. I sat up a little straighter, trying as subtly as I could manage to smoothe
