4 Waxing & Waning Read Free Page A

… unique.”
    “Oh, well, that’s a nice word for it.”
    Once our laughter subsided, I took a deep breath. That was the first time I’d managed to chuckle out loud since killing Laura. It felt good. It didn’t feel normal, but it felt like … a relief.
    Paris must have read the expression on my face. “How are you?”
    I lifted my hands, palms up, and shrugged. “I’m a work in progress. How are things at home?”
    “Tense,” Paris said. “Laura’s mom didn’t take her disappearance too well.”
    “D-d-does she know?”
    “That Laura is dead? I don’t think so. How could she know?”
    “She must have suspicions,” I said.
    “She probably does, to some extent at least,” Paris said. “She has no idea what the truth is. She couldn’t. I’m not telling, and no one else at home knows.”
    “But … for her to just disappear like that … that’s probably not normal for Laura.”
    “I don’t think either one of us knows what normal was for Laura,” Paris said. “I think that Laura was beyond normal for a really long time. What happened wasn’t your fault. It was Laura’s.”
    “I know,” I said. “Rafael told me the same thing every day over the summer.”
    “So, he really did spend the whole summer with you,” Paris mused. “I wondered if that would take.”
    “Why?”
    “Because of Aric.”
    Hearing someone else say his name was like a dagger to my heart. “What about him?”
    “Zoe, you can lie to yourself all you want,” Paris said. “I know that you loved him.”
    “I never told him I loved him.”
    “That’s a distinction you’ve made in your head,” Paris said. “I know you did – and I think you probably still do.”
    “Well, I don’t. He lied to me. He betrayed me.”
    “He did,” Paris agreed. “I’m just not sure if he meant to.”
    “What is that supposed to mean?”
    “It means that Aric was in a tough spot,” Paris said. “He literally could not go against his pack. I think he was doing the very best he could to keep you safe and remain loyal to them at the same time. I don’t know how he could win.”
    “But I’m the one who lost,” I said, my voice barely a whisper.
    “He lost, too.”
    “I … I can’t think about him.”
    Paris patted my arm. “I know. So, are you and Rafael dating now?”
    I shook my head, my blonde hair brushing my shoulders. “I don’t know. I don’t think so.”
    Paris arched an eyebrow, waiting for me to continue.
    “He’s kind of like a worried father all of the time,” I said. “I mean … I’m attracted to him in a way. But … .”
    “But?”
    “He’s cold and distant sometimes, and I don’t just mean his demeanor,” I said. “His skin is … cold. He looks down on people because he doesn’t think they’re mature enough. He’s just … irritating.”
    “Well, he probably looks down on people our age because he’s been around for hundreds of years,” Paris said. “To him, we must seem awfully naïve and immature.”
    “I guess.”
    “Let me ask you something,” Paris said. “Are you keeping Rafael at arm’s length because of him and his attitude? Really? Or are you keeping him at a safe distance because your heart belongs with someone else?”
    “Aric isn’t an option for me,” I said, my voice firm. “We can’t go back, and there’s no way to move forward. It is what it is.”
    “Okay,” Paris said, holding her hands up in mock surrender. “I just want you to be happy.”
    I did, too. It just didn’t seem like a possibility right now.

Three
    “What does your class schedule look like?”
    It was the next day, and Paris and I were lounging on the couch watching television.
    I glanced at the sheet of paper in my hand. “I have three on Mondays and Wednesdays and two on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”
    “Anything good?”
    I shrugged. “I have creative writing and editorial writing, both of which I’m looking forward to.”
    “You do like to write,” Paris said. “Do you have a