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twelve

"MOM?" REED BODNER'S VOICE WAS HOARSE AS HE SHOOK OUT HIS WET HAIR. He stepped into the entrance room hallway, slipping off his sneakers by the front door and unzipping his jacket. Gen was trailing behind him, her drunkeness having thankfully worn off slightly after the two hours they had spent at Kyle's party.

Her brown hair was sopping wet, and she pushed it out of her eyes, wishing desperately she had an Advil. Reed had been right about her drinking habits, per usual. Her brown eyes widened as she looked around the Bodners' huge house, wondering how it felt to live there. The entrance hall stretched into the main ground floor, where a huge spiral staircase led upstairs. She was pretty sure his mom was a doctor, which made a lot of sense. It was so different from her family, what with her parents gone all the time and her four younger siblings either at a friend's house or who knows where, and the whole feel of this was very unfamiliar for her.

"Reed?" A voice said anxiously, and Gen heard the sound of heels clacking on the marble floor. A woman with dark brown hair appeared from around the corner, and she let out a cry of relief, rushing towards her son.

She threw her arms around him, clutching him tightly. "Reed! The police were at that house that you went to- there was live coverage of that poor girl's body- I thought-"

"Shh, mom," Reed awkwardly patted her back. "S'okay, I'm alright. We got out of there pretty fast but, uh, well-"

He pulled away, rubbing the back of his neck before gesturing to Gen. "Mom, this is Genevieve Oritz. Her parents aren't home right now, and her siblings are staying with other family. She'd be all alone at her house, so I thought- I mean, can she stay here?"

Reed's mother broke into a warm smile at Gen, holding out a hand. "Of course you can, Genevieve. We're happy to have you, especially with all the tragedies that have happened."

Gen smiled back. "You call me Gen if you want. Thank you so much, Mrs. Bodner."

"You're welcome," She said, and turned to look at Reed. "I actually have to run. They need me at the hospital. Are you two going to be okay here by yourselves?"

Reed nodded. "Yeah, mom, we got it. Be safe, okay?"

She kissed him on his cheek before she grabbed her purse and keys from the front door. "There's microwave dinners in the fridge- help yourselves! I'll be late, so don't wait up."

"Love you!" Reed called back, and his mother blew him a kiss before disappearing into the raging storm outside. As she left, there was a loud crack of thunder, and Reed turned to Gen. "Come on, I'll show you my room."

She nodded, trying not to look astonished at the magnitude of his house as he led her up the stairs. They reached the top, and he opened the last door on the left, flicking on his lights. "Here it is. My safe space, I guess."

She looked around, noticing how very Reed-like it was. Star Wars posters hung from the walls and he had a quilt at the end of his bed, which made her grin.

She pointed to it. "Why do you need a king size bed for only one person?"

He raised his eyebrows mischievously. "In case I ever have someone to share it with, duh."

She shoved his shoulder and flopped down on the end of it, pulling the quilt around herself. "You're disgusting. Also, for my birthday, get me a quilt like this. I hate how cold Slayden gets."

"Will do," Reed said, sitting down beside her. "My mom got me that for my seventh birthday. At first I hated it because I wanted toys, but now I think it's my favorite thing I've ever gotten."

"You're favorite thing you've ever gotten for your birthday is a quilt?" Gen asked. "Shit, you're such a good boy."

He chuckled. "I guess you loved Monster High dolls or some shit, huh?"

"Shut up."

He laughed again, flicking his black hair out of his eyes. They lapsed into silence, the warmth of the room closing in around them. He swallowed, looking at her. "Hey, I'm sorry for getting so uptight about you drinking at the party."

Gen shrugged, scrunching her nose. "It's okay. I know my drinking gets out of control. I get all sloppy with my words and stuff. Sorry if that- you know, freaks you out or something."

He shook his head. "It doesn't freak me out. I like you, sloppy words and all."

She snorted. "Yeah, right. Everyone thinks I'm this bitch that sleeps around and doesn't give a shit. I don't know why I do. But I'm not gonna sit here and accept that I'm a whore or something. I always think it's the right thing, and then when it's over, it's not really meaningful. Which sucks."

She smiled at him, blowing out a breath. "I hate our school. And everyone in it."

Reed mocked fake shock. "Even me?"

Gen grinned, rolling her eyes. "No, not you. You're an acception. Well, besides the rest of our weird ass club."

"Tell me about it," Reed replied. He fell silent for a couple of seconds before he said quietly, "Hey, Genny?"

She looked over at him, her brown eyes soft. "Yeah, Bodner?"

He bit his lip. "Uh, you know how I said- how I said I liked you?"

She nodded slowly, and he rushed on, "Well, I do. Like you, I mean. I like you a lot. And sorry if this isn't the right time to say this, you know with the murders and stuff, but I just wanted you to know because- well, I don't know, exactly-"

"Hey, Bodner?" Gen cut across him, and Reed drew in a breath, his face going slightly pink. "Yeah?"

"Can you, um, be quiet?"

He stared at her. "What? Why?"

She smiled, her hand finding his own. "So I can kiss you, stupid."

And before he could answer her, she had leaned in and pressed her lips against his own. Reed closed his eyes and brought his hand to the back of her neck, pulling her towards him. He let the euphoria consume him- he was actually kissing Genevieve Oritz, right now, in his bedroom.

She slid her hands up his shirt, and he broke away, his eyes scanning her own. "Gen, hold on-"

She shook her head, her brown hair falling against her shoulder. "No. You mean something this time. I feel it."

He touched her cheek, his gaze softening. "Are you sure?"

Gen nodded, resting her forehead against his own. "I'm sure, Reed. I'm positive it's you."

He drew in a breath, and then he lifted up his shirt, slowly pushing her down until she was beneath him. She looked up at him, her eyes sparkling, and he said gently, "I want to know you, Gen."

Her mouth slid up into a smile. "So come find out."

hi hi hi, this was steamy and also, i love them. i've been at the library all day researching slasher films/novels and trying to get up to date on my knowledge. i love this book so much, and there will be a twist near the end. remember to vote and comment, thank u so much for reading!