Beside

5 - panic

"Fox, what do you want to be when you grow up?"

"Not scared. That's all."

"I want to be your friend. That's all."

"Deal. But only if we can have a dog."

"Yes. I love dogs."

· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·

F O X

I'm half a step from shoving Jed over the balcony when Cam steps between us, all five-foot-whatever of her in that ridiculous bananarama hoodie. Charlie squirms in her arms, his little black-and-white paws scratching at her chest, trying to get in on the action.

"Jed said he was leaving." I crack my knuckles one by one. "Jed should leave."

"You're a meathead," Cam says, clutching Charlie tighter. "We can't just boot out our friend!"

"We had an agreement."

"So what? He's one of us!"

I glare at said one of us. Jed's standing still, eyes fixed on some point in the sky. I'm tempted to shake him—or, as I said, shove him off this 80-floor building—but Cam would throw me off next.

"Jed. You got anything to say for yourself?"

He glances at me. "Orion's belt is tilted."

"Orion's belt is tilted!" Cam reiterates, bouncing Charlie like a toddler.

"Stop," Noah groans. He's leaning on the glass railing, eyes half-shut. He's more useless than a condom in a nunnery right now, rubbing at that scar on his face like it's a worry stone.

Back in the apartment, there's Chris. Fuck if that wasn't the surprise of the month. Listen, Jed's a cosmic weirdo, who believes in fate and all that, but I never believed him.

Chris is pacing back and forth, holding her ribcage, biting her nails, glancing at us out here every four seconds, eyes darting away. Those jeans cling to her in a way that's got me wanting to thank the universe, but I can't tell Jedidiah that.

"Captain Control Freak!" Cam snaps, smacking my head.

I huff in a breath. "This is about space, and the fact that Jed said he was moving out. I pay two-thirds of the rent." I lean back against the railing, feeling the cold bite into my spine. "I'm calling it."

Cam's face falls. 

Noah straightens up, sending me a cold look. "Enough. We'll move all the shit out of Other Bedroom and put it in storage downtown. Jed can stay. Chris can move in."

"Jed pays for storage," I declare, glaring at the guy. He's still staring at the sky, that infuriatingly blank look on his face.

"Wealth is an illusion," Jed murmurs.

"So is my patience," I shoot back.

Cam steps into my space. "You just want her to stay because she's pretty. You're such a dog."

"Woof."

"You know what, Freckles? You're gonna meet a girl who makes you question every single rule you've ever made, and I'm gonna be there to see you drown in the mud of it."

"Sure. Come on, you can tell her."

I slide the door open and head back into the apartment.

Chris looks up when I walk in, eyes wide and a little glassy. It looks like she's seen a ghost. Am I remembering last night wrong? I better not be.