The Lost Girls || Bbangsaz

XVI

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After we ducked into a storage closet to avoid Gwen, we managed to sneak back out of the school without a confrontation. I had to believe Hanni would be safe, as long as she continued to see the truth about Elton. I knew how smooth he could be, though.

"You have a goofy look on your face." A strong gust of wind blew Hyein's scarf into her face, and she swatted it away. "What happened?"

"Nothing happened." Something had definitely happened. I touched a finger to my tingling lips, where I could still feel the press of Hanni's mouth against mine. It had been different than Elton's kisses. His had been firm and demanding, like I owed him something. Hanni's had been like a question she let me answer. It had been wild and frenzied, but also sweet and a little insecure. It had been real. Kissing Hanni had been what I'd always imagined kissing was supposed to be like.

"You can trust me, you know. Even though I have zero interest in romance, you can still talk to me about that kind of stuff." Hyein's mouth formed a downward slash, and her thin eyebrows pinched together. Her signature annoyed face. At least one thing hadn't changed in thirty years.

"I'm putting my neck out here for you."

"I'm not ready to talk about it yet." Hanni and I couldn't go anywhere. Our entire plan to kill Elton revolved around keeping her mortal, but I'd always know what it felt like to kiss as if it were my last, and I'd never settle for less again.

"And neck puns are beneath you. We've got to go that way." I pointed to the left, in the direction of the library. Dani and Haerin needed to know Frankie hadn't sold us out.

"Okay." Hyein rubbed a hand against her heart. "When you want to talk, I'm here."

It almost sounded like she cared, and I didn't know whether or not to trust it, so we walked in silence.

Everything had changed. Once upon a time I could've walked these streets blindfolded, but now every corner held reminders that I no longer belonged here. The ice cream shop where we used to get slushies after school was a bank. The convenience store that had been family owned was now a Walgreens.

Hyein nodded to Bab's Bakery, which was miraculously still in business. "Remember when we made that bet with Bab?"

I smiled at the memory. Bab had been in her seventies back then, she was probably dead now, but she made the best glazed doughnuts.

Made to order, so they were always hot. Hyein once bet her that the two of us could eat four orders-forty-eight doughnuts-in one sitting. If we won, shed put our picture on the wall and give us free doughnuts for a year.

We both ended up puking in a bucket after our ninth doughnuts.

But it inspired Bab to start the Forty-Eight, giving challengers forty-eight minutes to eat forty-eight doughnuts. The winner got free doughnuts for a year, their picture on the wall, and a T-shirt. I pecked in the windows as we passed. New pictures had been added since the last time I'd been there, but it was nice to see that some things stayed the same.

I stuck my tongue out. "Please tell me that's not our living legacy?"

"Nope. I found our real legacy a few months ago." Hyein crossed the street and motioned for me to follow.