Revealed (Unbound, Book 5)

Chapter Forty

"Oh, hey. Nora! How's senior year going?" Amy, a girl that was in English with me freshman year, asked. "You moved, right? Sorry about your mom."

I stopped beside her and smiled. It'd been a long time since we'd talked—at least a year—but I remembered pairing up for projects. She was in foster care after her father was arrested, and she loved coming over to my house whenever we had to meet after school. Between working and school, she was a workhorse, basically taking care of herself and preparing to get away.

"Thanks. Yeah, I moved, and I'm finishing the year online now." I raised my voice so Trevor, who was chatting with the group beside us would hear. "It'll be a couple of months before I can move home for good, though." I winced. "Still have to wait until I'm eighteen to legally be allowed to take care of myself, you know?"

"Crappy." She nodded. "I get it, though." She took the last sip of her drink, then set it on the counter to pour a new one. "So, are you applying to colleges?"

I shrugged. "Undecided."

"Do you want a drink?"

"Sure!" I yelled enthusiastically, finally satisfied as Trevor perked up and looked our way. "Just... I'll have what you're having."

"Nora?" Trevor took a couple of steps and then he was in front of me. "I thought I saw you here, but thought I was losing it. How are you?"

"Oh, hey Trevor!" I said loudly. "Wow, it's been a while, huh?"

"Yeah." He nodded and glanced back at his friends, deftly waving goodbye before they moved on to another room. When he turned back to me, he smiled, and I felt a little flutter of the attraction I'd realized when we'd been set up on our one and only date. "So, really. How are you? I'm so sorry about your mom. Julian told me. It's... Well, it's why I never called. I didn't think you would want to talk with some guy you met once."

"Oh, thanks!" I smiled as Amy passed me the drink she'd poured, and I tentatively took a sip of the berry wine cooler. I wasn't usually a drinker, but after talking to Duvessa and now running into Trevor, I decided it was a special occasion. I had questions I wanted to ask and having something to sip on would keep me from turning it into an interrogation. "This is good."

"Right?" She smiled and cast her gaze to Trevor, then back to me. "If you want more, it's the bottle on the counter. The Smirnoff. Help yourself. I won't be having any more."

"Thanks, Amy."

"No worries." She smiled again and cheersed the air, then started backing out. "See you around, Nora! Maybe at college."

I raised my glass and took another sip, then shifted my focus back to Trevor as I leaned against the island. "So, did you come with Julian? He didn't say."

"No, I'm..." Trevor looked down and sipped his cup before looking up and clearing his throat. "I'm here with someone. Julie."

"Oh?" I raised my eyebrows. "From Pederson?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I met her at one of these parties when I came with Julian, and we hit it off. I come back every other weekend or so, and sometimes I get dragged back to parties. Like Julian and Nancy, I guess. Just not as much PDA."

I laughed. "No one can top that."

"No, I don't think so."

"So, where is she? I don't remember a Jules from school."

"Julie," Trevor said, and I shrugged, taking a big sip of my drink. "Her friend got into an argument with someone, so she's taking her home quickly and coming back."

"Why didn't you take her friend home? Or go with her?" I asked, and then poured more cooler into my cup. With the drinks Amy poured, plus my top-up, only half the 2 liter was gone. There was no way I could finish it like she suggested.