Saint Sloan (Saint Sloan #1)(16)

Darcy eyeballed her. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Perfect. Just I don’t think I need them. Took some regular pain pills this morning. Feel right as rain.”

Darcy raised a brow. “Do people still say weird things like that in this century?”

That was Darcy being Darcy. “Don’t know.” Don’t care.

“Hmm…” Darcy stepped back and eyed Sloan from the tip of her hair to the toes of her shoes. “You just look tired. Pale.”

Of course she’d notice. “Just sleepy. I’ll be happy when summer gets here.”

“Me too! I’m going to Panama City for vacation. You?”

Um… “No. No. I’ve got a job this summer. Got to get some extra money for college.”

“My daddy’s paying my way. He’s even throwing in an extra few grand because I’ve had such a rough year.”

Darcy. Had. Such. A. Rough. Year.

Sloan wanted to choke her.

And then she felt bad about it.

Darcy had had a rough patch. Boyd had beaten her up and threatened to kill her if she told anyone. So, yeah, she’d had it hard. But to get an extra few thousand dollars for college because of it just made Sloan more jealous of Darcy than she already had been. It would have been nice if someone would have paid for her college. Her father already said he wouldn’t. He paid for her car. Guess that meant his obligation to her was over. Besides, Tiffani was pregnant now. He had other priorities.

“Yeah. Rough patch. I get it.” When would Darcy go so she could get her books and go on her merry way?

“Sorry. I didn’t mean that you hadn’t…”

“I know what you meant. I’ll see you in Biology.” Hoping she’d get the hint.

“Why are you standing there with your hand on the locker but not opening it?” Darcy had gotten very perceptive. Oh good. Though, to be fair to her, Darcy had always been pretty smart.

“I’m… uh…” What was she doing? “I’m not wanting to be rude and throw a locker in your face.”

She laughed. “A few months ago you’d have loved to throw it in my face. Maybe even break my nose.”

“Well, you aren’t like you were then anymore. You are more, I don’t know, normal. Almost like the old you… the old you before you got so mean.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“As you should.” And you should go away.

“Seriously, though. Why aren’t you opening it?”

“I’m just not.”

“Do it,” Darcy demanded.

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because.”

“Sloan.”

“Darcy.”

“You’re being ridiculous.” Darcy threw her hand on her hip.

“You’re being bossy.” Sloan’s posture matched Darcy’s.

“Eleven — thirteen — forty-four. That’s your combination, in case you’ve forgotten. Open it.”

“No.” How did she….

“You’re being secretive.”

“You’re being paranoid.”

“Children.” Ray walked up between them and put his hand on each of their shoulders. “You’re making a scene. Why are you arguing?”

“Sloan’s hiding something in her locker,” Darcy said, swatting Ray’s hand away.

“And what’s it any business of yours?” Ray asked with a polite smile on his face.

Darcy huffed and crossed her arms. “None.”

“Exactly. See you in Biology.” Darcy blessedly took the hint and went on her way.

Sloan took the opportunity to let out a shaky breath. It had been one bad morning. “Thank you. I didn’t think she was ever going to leave.”

“No problem.” He hesitated a second. “Everything okay?”

Ugh. “I wish people would stop asking me that. I’m fine.”

Ray held his hands up defensively. “Okay. Fine. I believe you. Just… Darcy’s right. It’s odd you won’t open your locker. Hiding some deep, dark secret?”

Yes… yes, I am. “You wanna see what’s inside? Here ya go.” Angrily, she spun the combination and opened the locker. She pointed inside, waiting for Ray to get the hint.

“It’s terrifying. Hoarders needs to be called.”

“Huh?” She looked then and saw… nothing. Books, her normal books were laying in piles like… well… normal. No roses. No note. No nothing. “I don’t understand,” she whispered.

“That makes two of us,” Ray said. “I don’t think Darcy would have cared about your messy locker.”

“They’re gone.” That couldn’t be right.

“The roses?”

“They were here yesterday afternoon. They were here, and now they’re gone. I don’t get it.”

“Wait,” Ray opened her locker wider. On the door were pictures of her, Ray, and Aaron all having fun. Some were of her and Mackenzie. Another was from her days with Boyd, but he’d been cut out. She’d been really cute in it, though, so she’d kept her part of it. ““You left them in here?”