Pants,” said Patrick. “Schmoopity-Woopity. What’s-his-name.” His tone was mocking. Teasing. Annoying.
“Huh?” I said, making a face. “Who?”
“Wait a sec, I’ve got it,” he said. “Jason?”
What?
“Shoot, that’s not it,” he mumbled. “Was it Jonah?”
Wait.
“Jeremy?”
Ohmigod.
“Well shoot, this is going to drive me—”
“Jacob,” I whispered. My throat closed up and an old familiar ache—an ache I’d almost completely forgotten—slowly crept back into my chest.
“
That’s
it!” Patrick snapped his fingers and leaned back against the booth. “Thank heavens you remembered, Brie. That definitely would’ve kept me up all night.”
I was too stunned to notice his sarcasm.
Jacob
.
I hadn’t thought of him in what felt like forever. I put my hand over my heart. Perfectly still.
“He kinda deserves a little payback, don’t you think?” Patrick said.
Jacob’s face flashed through my mind. His eyes. His arms. His lips. His kisses. His words.
The last words I’d ever heard.
I.
DON’T.
LOVE.
YOU.
A chill shot up my spine.
“Hey.” Patrick leaned over and poked my arm. “You okay?”
“How long . . . ?” I stumbled over the words as reality sunk in. “How long have I been here?”
He held up his hands and counted silently on his fingers. “By my extremely scientific calculations . . . seventeen days.”
That’s ALL?
Patrick read the look on my face. “Feels longer, right?” He ran his hands through his dark hair. “That’s how I used to feel too. When I first got here.”
My stomach suddenly felt queasy.
Seventeen days.
“Which reminds me, since I did the math”—he grabbed an old cowboy hat from the shelf above us and threw it over his head—“Happy Halloween! Yee-haw!”
Halloween?
“But if that’s true,” I whispered, “then tomorrow’s my—”
“Birthday?” Patrick finished my sentence. “I know. Happy almost Sweet Sixteen.”
Unbelievable. Somehow, I’d completely lost track of time. I’d lost track of my family. My friends. My world.
How could I have forgotten my whole world?
A prickling sensation began to burn quietly at my fingertips. A weird buzzing; the slightest spark of electricity snapping at the back of my neck, just underneath my hair.
Jacob
.
He was the reason. HE had done this to me. It was his fault. All of it. Everything. More than everything.
An old forgotten feeling slowly crept in. Something I hadn’t felt in a while.
I wasn’t sad. I wasn’t lonely. I was
mad.
“Well?” Patrick said.
I locked eyes with the scruffy boy-angel sitting across from me, and for the first time, gave him a wicked little grin of my own.
“He’s going down.”
CHAPTER 10
yeah I’m free, free fallin’
“H ey, Chalupa, you can open your eyes now.”
“Yeah, you know what? I think I like them better closed.”
“Come on,” said Patrick. “The view’s insane. Look down.”
“I’m pretty sure the correct phrase is
don’t
look down.”
“Don’t worry.” He laughed. “I’m right here. I won’t let you go.”
Even with Patrick trying to comfort me, I couldn’t bring myself to look. Turns out, I was about to learn, the only way back to earth—as in the living, breathing world—is by
falling
back. From somewhere really,
really
high.
“Thanks,” I said. “That is so comforting. Um, or not.”
“Don’t you think you’re being a tiny bit dramatic?”
“Don’t you think that jacket is a little last season?”
“Come on, aren’t you some sort of Olympic athlete or something?” He chuckled. “Just think of this as a really big diving board.”
I let out a huge laugh. “Yeah right. This is
so
not the same thing.” But still, I couldn’t deny I was curious. I took a deep breath as the wind whipped my hair every which way. Finally, I dared to open my eyes. And when I did, I nearly fainted at the sight.
We were standing at the top of the world.
Somehow, in the space of a single
“Huh?” I said, making a face. “Who?”
“Wait a sec, I’ve got it,” he said. “Jason?”
What?
“Shoot, that’s not it,” he mumbled. “Was it Jonah?”
Wait.
“Jeremy?”
Ohmigod.
“Well shoot, this is going to drive me—”
“Jacob,” I whispered. My throat closed up and an old familiar ache—an ache I’d almost completely forgotten—slowly crept back into my chest.
“
That’s
it!” Patrick snapped his fingers and leaned back against the booth. “Thank heavens you remembered, Brie. That definitely would’ve kept me up all night.”
I was too stunned to notice his sarcasm.
Jacob
.
I hadn’t thought of him in what felt like forever. I put my hand over my heart. Perfectly still.
“He kinda deserves a little payback, don’t you think?” Patrick said.
Jacob’s face flashed through my mind. His eyes. His arms. His lips. His kisses. His words.
The last words I’d ever heard.
I.
DON’T.
LOVE.
YOU.
A chill shot up my spine.
“Hey.” Patrick leaned over and poked my arm. “You okay?”
“How long . . . ?” I stumbled over the words as reality sunk in. “How long have I been here?”
He held up his hands and counted silently on his fingers. “By my extremely scientific calculations . . . seventeen days.”
That’s ALL?
Patrick read the look on my face. “Feels longer, right?” He ran his hands through his dark hair. “That’s how I used to feel too. When I first got here.”
My stomach suddenly felt queasy.
Seventeen days.
“Which reminds me, since I did the math”—he grabbed an old cowboy hat from the shelf above us and threw it over his head—“Happy Halloween! Yee-haw!”
Halloween?
“But if that’s true,” I whispered, “then tomorrow’s my—”
“Birthday?” Patrick finished my sentence. “I know. Happy almost Sweet Sixteen.”
Unbelievable. Somehow, I’d completely lost track of time. I’d lost track of my family. My friends. My world.
How could I have forgotten my whole world?
A prickling sensation began to burn quietly at my fingertips. A weird buzzing; the slightest spark of electricity snapping at the back of my neck, just underneath my hair.
Jacob
.
He was the reason. HE had done this to me. It was his fault. All of it. Everything. More than everything.
An old forgotten feeling slowly crept in. Something I hadn’t felt in a while.
I wasn’t sad. I wasn’t lonely. I was
mad.
“Well?” Patrick said.
I locked eyes with the scruffy boy-angel sitting across from me, and for the first time, gave him a wicked little grin of my own.
“He’s going down.”
CHAPTER 10
yeah I’m free, free fallin’
“H ey, Chalupa, you can open your eyes now.”
“Yeah, you know what? I think I like them better closed.”
“Come on,” said Patrick. “The view’s insane. Look down.”
“I’m pretty sure the correct phrase is
don’t
look down.”
“Don’t worry.” He laughed. “I’m right here. I won’t let you go.”
Even with Patrick trying to comfort me, I couldn’t bring myself to look. Turns out, I was about to learn, the only way back to earth—as in the living, breathing world—is by
falling
back. From somewhere really,
really
high.
“Thanks,” I said. “That is so comforting. Um, or not.”
“Don’t you think you’re being a tiny bit dramatic?”
“Don’t you think that jacket is a little last season?”
“Come on, aren’t you some sort of Olympic athlete or something?” He chuckled. “Just think of this as a really big diving board.”
I let out a huge laugh. “Yeah right. This is
so
not the same thing.” But still, I couldn’t deny I was curious. I took a deep breath as the wind whipped my hair every which way. Finally, I dared to open my eyes. And when I did, I nearly fainted at the sight.
We were standing at the top of the world.
Somehow, in the space of a single
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