Neriah Hale lost her family at the age of ten, leaving her in the town of Beacon Hills with no one but two boys and a secret that she'd spent her whole life hiding. But when one of the two boys gets bitten, she has to reveal her true self to help sa...
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FOR the first time in a long time, I was finally allowed to join my dad at work. Which was why we were parked in his cruiser outside of our favorite burger diner with our dinner.
Riah was at Scott's tonight, having a movie night since she said she desperately needed one after the last few days.
To be honest, I was surprised she started talking with Scott again. After the whole him meeting her dad thing, she was pissed off with him on a level I hadn't seen since we were kids.
"Did they forget my curly fries?" my dad asked around a mouthful of his burger.
Looking from him to the bag of food in my lap, I reminded him that, "You're not supposed to eat fries, especially the curly ones."
"Well, I'm carrying a lethal weapon," he stated, sending me a look. "If I want curly fries, I will have the curly fries."
I gaped at him, shaking my head. "If you think getting rid of contractions in all your sentences makes your argument any more legitimate, you are wrong," I shot back, smugly chuckling while taking a sip of my drink.
"How Riah puts up with you is a mystery," he sighed, taking another bite of his burger. "Makes me question a lot of things."
"Oh, trust me, Dad, I question myself about a lot of things when it comes to her," I mused, nodding my head.
"You do now?" He looked over at me with a small smirk. "I knew you liked her."
Huh?
Choking on my burger, I looked at him with wide eyes. "What? I don't like her!" I exclaimed.
Why would he even think that?
Was I missing something?
"Don't think I haven't noticed," he chuckled, as if I wasn't internally freaking out. "I've seen the way you look at that girl when she's not looking. Also, I know you take care of her a lot more than you do with anyone else."
"We're friends," I reminded him, baffled by his words. "I look at everyone the same, and friends take care of each other! That's all!"
"You give up your room for her," he started. "You cleared out a drawer for her. You always buy her favorite foods and keep it stocked up in the house. You even buy her shampoo and conditioner before she runs out," he pointed out, throwing his hands up. "You like her!"
Shaking my head in denial, I focused on my burger. "Riah has had a no-boyfriend policy since I can remember. Have you ever seen her with any other boys except me and Scott?" I sent him a pointed look, and he stayed quiet. "Exactly. We're just friends, and we don't like each other more than that."
He furrowed his brows at me. "You're smart, kid. But I didn't think you were oblivious."
"Oblivious?" I questioned him.
What could I be oblivious about?
The police radio beeped, pulling me out of my train of thought. "Unit One, do you copy?" the dispatcher asked, and I reached for it, only for my dad to slap my hand away.
Clearing his throat, he sent me a pointed look, and I slowly sat back in my seat. "Sorry."
"Unit One, copy," he said into the radio, holding it close to his face while I shoved a few curly fries into my mouth.
"Got a report of a possible 187."
Nearly choking on my curly fries, I snapped my head to my dad. "A murder?" I mumbled, dropping a few curly fries from my mouth.
Dad ignored me, starting the car.
I quickly swallowed my fries and dropped the bag of food near my feet just when his phone started ringing. "Who is it?" I asked, being a little nosy.
Reaching into his pocket, he glanced at the caller for a second before answering it. "Riah? Is everything okay?" my dad questioned into the phone, and my eyes widened at her name. A few seconds passed of me cursing the fact that I didn't have Riah's or Scott's super hearing before worry covered his face, and he looked at me, turning on the police lights. "I'm coming, kid. Stay right there, okay?"
"What happened to Riah?" I asked my dad in a fit of panic, my heart racing.
Riah was supposed to be with Scott tonight.
Oh god, did something happen to them?
Of course, it was the one night I wasn't with them.
Dropping his phone in his lap, my dad started speeding. "Where is Scott, and why is Riah on her own?" he demanded in a sharp tone.
Sinking down in my seat, I felt my heart drop.
Riah wasn't with Scott...she was alone for once, and something happened.
