In a city of sheep ruled by wolves, she became the python that pulled them apart.
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Sage Black is a girl of little opportunities, forced to see the seamy side of life growing up in New York. Witnessing what lengths billionaires will go through t...
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Each person in the street moves as if unseeing hands drag them this way and that, pulling their eyes to one thing and then another. A dash of yellow crosses my vision as another taxi drives on the streets, followed by a large truck trickling the tip of my shoes with water, its tires rolling through a grey puddle. Sirens distantly wail in the distance, honks are heard every minute, but I can still make out the constant patter of Marli's anxious tapping foot.
We've been waiting for Theo's black car to roll around the U-Turn in front of Rin's café for fifteen minutes. For a second, I feel faint panic that it already crossed us without our noticing, and think of how many black cars drove by us. When we agreed on meeting up in his car and drive to the address, he didn't tell me any details about the car, only that 'I'll know it when I see it.' Now, I roll my eyes at his enigma, kicking the wet ground as the sixteenth minute ticks by.
But he was right. A shiny, black, Cullinan Rolls Royce is easy to spot from the end of the street, and I can't help but admire it as it slows down in front of us. The windows are tinted to the point where I question if it's legal.
The driver's window rolls down to reveal Theo's handsome face surrounded by garnet red, plush seats. He jerked his head to the inside of the car: get in.
Not thinking too much of it, I step into the passenger's seat while Marli sits in the back. Immediately, I feel a twinge of regret at leaving her sitting there alone, but I pushed it back. She won't care.
Sure enough, I look back to find her excited but nervous face. I offer her a reassuring smile before turning back to Theo, noting how much the car smells like his familiar cologne. He wears a black, long-sleeved sweater that fits his broad shoulders well.
"What took you so long? I was starting to think you wouldn't show," I say in annoyance, buckling my seatbelt.
"I had to get my stuff from school first, but I bumped into Atlas."
"And?" If Atlas has the slightest idea of what we're doing, we're done for before even starting. Atlas and Ezra only know that I won't make it to their ride today, but not why.
But Theo's expression isn't worried, it's uncomfortable. "I . . . uhm," he starts, and grimaces. "Atlas realized we were missing most of the time at his party and then today in school. He assumed we were . . . You know. So I let him."
Heat creeps up my face, and I turn to look through the window, suddenly feeling like it is too tight in the car. My eyes catch Marli's laughing gaze in the rearview mirror, her pale hand clamped over her mouth.
"I—" My voice cracks, and I clear it, "I don't really care what they think. As long as I get what I want in the end."
He nods and turns in his seat to face Marli, a crease forming between his brows. She looks momentarily struck by the full intensity of his gaze, no doubt feeling the flutter I often felt around him. "I'm so sorry for your loss, Marlowe."
