~ Harley ~
We don’t call it a relationship.
That’s the first rule.
We don’t call each other late at night.
That’s the second.
We don’t talk about the future.
That’s the third.
We broke the first one in under a week.
I’m in my room, door locked, lying on my back staring at the ceiling when my phone lights up.
Quinn.
You busy?
I don’t answer right away.
I think about Darla asleep down the hall.
About my aunt’s thin walls.
About how every smart voice in my head tells me to say no.
Then I type.
No.
Three dots.
Come outside.
My heart jumps.
I sit up fast.
You said no showing up unannounced.
I said no showing up inside.
Pause.
I’m outside.
I swear under my breath.
I throw on a hoodie and shove my feet into sneakers. I don’t look in the mirror. I don’t want to see my fac
