After Cinder’s talk with Declan, the three remaining Socialpunks moved to a juice bar to discuss and coordinate. And fuel up. Cinder devoured her first smoothie and ordered a second to appease her stomach. The smoothies didn’t taste half as bad as they had the first time she drank one. She imagined she’d get used to them with time, if she lived through the coming days.
Cinder had less than two days to get both Dash and Nahum back. Two rescues and only two people to help her, if she counted Ember. And really, she couldn’t.
Vaughn got up to use the restroom, leaving Cinder alone with Ember. The girl sat back in their booth, folding an arm across her chest to hold the smoothie she was sipping on up to her lips. “I know why he did it.”
From her tone, Cinder didn’t think she was still talking about Declan. “Why who did what?” She wasn’t in the mood for games; all she could think about was the juggling miracle she needed to get Nasser, Nahum, and Dash back before tomorrow night.
“Vaughn.” Ember flicked the tip of her bright pink nail and it turned to a hot sunflower yellow. She flicked each finger in turn and her nails changed colors, one by one. “I know why he saved you.”
Cinder set her smoothie down. “It was mostly an accident. I was in the right place at the right time, and he knew something was wrong.”
“No,” Ember said. “Vaughn has always been cold and distant, but he picked you. He cares about you.”
Cinder sensed a hint of jealousy in her tone. “I care about him too,” she said nonchalantly. She knew Vaughn was protective of her, but she couldn’t imagine him romantically—they just didn’t have that kind of chemistry. She trusted him, she appreciated him, but between Dash and Nahum, she had enough mixed feelings to sort through. She remembered an old saying, that a large part of loving someone was having history with them—that’s why love grew deeper the longer you were with someone. Cinder had history with Dash that Vaughn could never replicate, and she had a connection with Nahum that Vaughn could never hold a flame to.
“He’s different around you, though. You change him.”
“For the better?”
Ember shrugged, scoffing at the empty seat next to her. She met Cinder’s eyes. “Depends who you are.”
Cinder ran her fingers down her necklace, slipping them over the shoelaces Dash had given to her, and finally landing on the medallion Nahum had given her. “You have nothing to worry about from me.”
Ember eyed the necklace. “I don’t, do I?”
Cinder gave Ember a small smile and the girl returned it. She wondered if there wasn’t hope for them yet, if one day they might actually be friends. She tried to take advantage of Ember’s white flag to settle something that had been bothering her. “What happened to Smolder?”
Ember looked up. “Not now,” she whispered. Then louder, she said, “Want some of my smoothie? I can’t finish it.” She batted her eyes at Vaughn as he settled into their booth.
Cinder shook her head, annoyed. She knew their small truce couldn’t last; Ember was Ember. “It’s a big shake,” Cinder told Vaughn with a slight hint of sarcasm.
Ember pursed her lips together. “Yes, when you have a flat stomach.”
Vaughn’s face twisted, like he was trying not to smile. “So, what’s next?”
“We have to get Nasser,” she told Vaughn.
Ember looked up at her with surprise. “That’s what I’ve been saying all along.”
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Socialpunk (Socialpunk #1)
Tonårsromaner"This book would be good for those that enjoyed the Hunger Games!” ~ Cover 2 Cover Blog "When I read the first page, I did not anticipate that I would be finishing the book that night, but I did. I had to. I didn’t care that I was up until 3:00AM."...
