Ayden tears his gaze off the fireplace and blinks up at him. “What’s up?”

Kale scratches his nose, appearing as uneasy as Ayden. “Can we talk about it upstairs in the guest room?” His gaze skims Fiona and me. “In private.”

“Sure.” Ayden flicks a glance in my direction before he rises to his feet, looking as squirrely as the first day we met. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

I frown after he hurries out of the room like it’s on fire. “I wonder what that’s about.”

“Kale has a crush on this girl at school,” Fiona explains, misinterpreting what I meant. “But, since he’s a weirdo, he needs Ayden’s help trying to get this girl’s attention. I don’t know why he asked Ayden, though. He’s just as much of a weirdo as Kale.” She gives an elongated pause. “We all kind of are.” Her eyes sparkle with mischief as they land on me. “That includes you, too, you know. You’re seriously as insane as the rest of us.”

“I never claimed to be sane.” I jab the spoon at the ice cream, still stuck on why Ayden seemed all squiggly. “Besides, normal is so overrated. Trust me. I have a few friends who are normal, and I’d rather poke my eye out than live their lives of going off to college as soon as I graduate, getting a normal job, and eventually starting a family.”

With senior year nearing the end, it’s all everyone talks about anymore. Going off to college to pursue a degree that will give them an average job with stable pay.

“You don’t plan on going to college?”

“No. At least, not until I see what I can do with my music career.”

“Isn’t that sort of risky?”

“Yeah.” I balance the bowl on the armrest. “But I’d risk my sanity if I didn’t at least try.”

“Do your mom and dad know about this?” She sets the cup of ice cream on her knee and starts side-braiding her long, brown hair.

“I’ve mentioned it a couple of times,” I tell her. “They’re a little bit more hesitant than I am that it’ll all work out.”

“Figures. Parents so don’t understand dreams.” She secures the braid with an elastic.

“What’s with the third degree, anyway? You’re thirteen. Aren’t you supposed to be worrying about crushes and makeup and stuff like that?”

“I do worry about that stuff, but as an aspiring artist, I also worry about my art and whether or not becoming an artist is in my future.”

“I’m sure it is.” I stand up with my sketchbook in my hand. “Your sketches are amazing.”

“So are yours and your mother’s.” She collects the cup off her lap and hops to her feet, tugging at the hem of her yellow dress. “Can I see what you’re drawing?”

I hesitate. The detailed drawing of Ayden feels very private and intimate, but then I realize it doesn’t really matter since she already knows about our relationship.

“What the hell.” I hold out my sketchpad for her to see.

She examines it closely, and a smile spans across her face. “It looks so much like him it’s crazy.”

I grin at her approval, tuck the sketchpad under my arm, and motion at her as I head for the stairs. “Come on. Let’s go get ready for bed, and then I’ll let you look at more of them.”

She skips after me. “Thanks, Lyric. You’re the best neighbor-who’s-like-a-sister ever.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I start up the stairway, “you say that now, but I’m sure you’ll change your mind like you do every other day.”

She giggles. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

After we’re in our pajamas, we get situated in my room. Since we only have one guestroom in my house, Ayden and Kale are staying in it, and Fiona is camping out on my floor in a sleeping bag. The lights are off, but she uses her phone as a flashlight while she flips through my sketchpad.

“There’s so many pictures of Ayden.” She turns another page. “Lyric?”

“Yeah?” I answer sleepily.

“Do you love him?”

“Love who?” I yawn, already half asleep.

“Ayden.”

I freeze mid-yawn and open my mouth to say no, but the lie won’t leave my lips.

“It’s okay,” she reassures me, “I won’t tell anyone.”

I smile to myself as I roll over and close my eyes. I fall asleep to the sound of turning pages and my mind filled with a thousand lyrics.

So soft are his lips,

Like rose petals and velvet.

The taste of him is indescribable.

The feel of his body almost unbearable.

When he kisses me, I swear I’m dying.

Out of air, body aching, knees shaking.

More, more, more,

Always craving more.

Love, it’s like an addiction,

Consuming the mind.

Love, love, love.

I’m so in love with him.

Chapter 4

Lyric

I’m woken up in the dead of sleep by violent shaking. Still half stuck in dreamland, at first I think it’s an earthquake, but as my eyes adjust to the night, I realize it’s Fiona.

“Lyric, wake up.” She gives my shoulder another shake.

“What’s wrong?” I sit up, rub my eyes, and then glance at the clock. “Dude, it’s only four o’clock in the morning. What the hell, Fiona?”

“It’s Ayden,” she says, her eyes wild with panic. “He’s in trouble.”