Misfits Like Us (Like Us #11)(79)

But he lets me share the story. “The theme lured me in. It was Under the Stars. I even went to the mall with my mom to pick out my dress. Shimmery floor-length fabric with jewels like stars. Midnight-blue. I felt like a sparkly Ravenclaw, even though I’m a Hufflepuff.” I smile sadly. “It was really pretty, and then during the dance, one of Jeffra’s friends stepped on the back of my dress. It ripped up to my belly button. I think most people saw my thong, but Tom was right there and tied his jacket around my waist. I left after that.”

His fingers softly graze my elbow, then along my lower back. Sparks tingle my body, and our gazes latch for a tender moment. “It’s not that we’re not Homecoming material,” Donnelly tells me. “It’s that Homecoming can’t contain us.”

“We’re just too shimmery.” I sway my lit-up dress.

“Too much light,” he nods. “Can’t stop us. Won’t stop us.”

Someone is stopping us. A strong force. My dad’s Force. The dark side of the Force—no, I still don’t want to believe he’s bad.

Donnelly trains his eyes on Xander while he speaks. “A lot of things tick me off. Wawa haters. Philly haters. More Wawa haters.”

I laugh.

“And bullies,” he concludes. “Hate ‘em. Can’t stand ‘em. Maybe that’s why I’m a bodyguard…I dunno.” He digs in his pocket but then stops short. I think he was reaching for cigarettes. He can’t smoke in the gym.

My gaze falls to his House Stark tee. “How come you’re wearing Xander’s shirt?”

“It’s a long story.” His chest tightens and then he drops his blue eyes onto mine. “You have time?”

“The aliens haven’t beamed me up yet. So until they’re ready for me, I have basically all night.”

“They better take me with you.”

It swells inside me.

I try to answer back with, I hope they do. But the words get lodged in my throat.

Donnelly blinks a few times, thinking about the thing he wants to share. “I, uh…” He swallows hard. “I went to somewhere earlier today.” He lowers his voice, talking more hushed, so he shifts closer to me under the umbrella. His waist melds into my hip, and the heat of his body feels soothing. Like a safe place meant to sink into.

I find myself resting my hand on his back and turning my ear towards him. To hear better as he continues, “My cousin’s house.”

I wonder why he was there. My interest is quiet.

And he just gives me answers like breath he’d been imprisoning. “It was really bad, Luna. Being there, I hated it…it reminded me so much of where I grew up. But he’s the one who stole Sulli’s Jeep, and I thought I’d go and threaten him.” He touches the House Stark shirt. “Had to change my clothes after they got wet.”

He explains all of that too. How his cousin was making sure he didn’t have a wire on him.

He’s explaining the whole afternoon, and I don’t even realize my arm is fully around Donnelly—and his arm is around me—until his fingers grip my dress a little tighter.

“And then I bitched slapped him.” He lets out a strained laugh.

My lips try to rise, but it hurts knowing Donnelly got hurt, too. “I hope it stung his face; I really do.” I also want to say that I wish I could’ve been there, but what if I am too soft? I wouldn’t have shown my fists.

I wouldn’t have scared anyone away.

“Looked like it hurt,” Donnelly whispers. “Been happy I just didn’t have to deal with my dad, too.”

“What about your mom?”

“She’s still in prison.”

Oh, I forgot about that. “Right, I knew that. Sorry.” My face heats. He never forgets much about me, and I should’ve remembered this.

“No, it’s alright. She’s been in and out a lot.”

I search his eyes. “Do you like her?”

He thinks about this for a long second. “Sometimes.” He nods. “Sometimes, I even love her. Even after what she did.”

I don’t ask him what it is. I’d rather him just tell me when he’s ready. Even if he never will be, it’s okay.

He stares back out at Xander. “I’m still hoping she leaves my dad. I’m hoping she gets clean again. I’m hoping she stays out of prison next time. But that’s the thing—there’s always a next time. It’s hard to keep hoping when they keep disappointing.”

“The next time might be decades, though,” I mention softly. “Sometimes they do conquer their vices for longer than you think.”

I’ve always known my parents could relapse again. My dad could drink one day. But they’ve fought off their addictions for my entire life, and that’s something to be proud of—even if they fall off the wagon tomorrow.

It doesn’t diminish all the days they battled and won.

“Lily and Lo are inspirations,” Donnelly says with the start of a smile. He knew I was referring to my parents. “Maybe one day, my mom will…” He stops short, cocks his head with a heavy sigh. “I dunno.” He thinks again. “It all ended at Colin’s house worse than when I got there.” He explains, “They want me to steal from Beckett. And I can’t do it. I can’t…” He shakes his head repeatedly and tells me how Colin thinks Beckett and Donnelly are a thing. Based off a rumor about SFO being fake bodyguards to hide their real relationships.