prepsters mil ing around. “Although don’t be surprised if she dumps you for one of the whi te-bread rich boys eventual y.” Yana turned around again and walked away-fast, so he couldn’t grab her again.
“You’re going after the agency?” Anthony cal ed after her.
Yana kept walking. She had to get away from here. Away from him. She couldn’t spend another second thinking about Anthony or Rae or anything else except finding a way to take the agency down.
“Yana, that’s suicide.” Yana heard Anthony hurry up behind her. He didn’t touch her this time, and she kept walking. “They just kil led Aiden Matthews. And they made it clear they’d kil Rae, too, if she didn’t keep her mouth shut about them.”
Yana took another step. Her foot slipped off her platform sandal, and she stumbled. Before she could catch her balance, she fel , skinning her knee on the asphalt of the parking lot. Tears stung her eyes. She blinked them away. But more kept coming, and a trail of snot started dripping out of her nose.
Stop it, Yana ordered herself. Now. She wiped her sleeve across her eyes and nose, hard, and shoved herself to her feet. Then she turned and faced Anthony. “Aiden’s dead?”
“Yeah. And Rae got a warning that if she even talks about the agency, she’l end up dead, too,” he answered. “They’d have no problem squashing you like a cockroach.”
“I can’t believe he’s dead. I was with him… He was…” Yana’s words trailed off. She couldn’t remember what she’d meant to say. Her brain was al fuzzy al of a sudden. She bit the inside of her cheek until the pain pul ed her out of her personal fog. “They kil ed him because they thought he helped me, right?”
Anthony shrugged, not looking at her. “I doubt they were happy that he quit. Or tried to. I don’t think it’s real y a place you can le ave.”
Blah, blah, blah. What he was real y saying was yes. The inside of her nostrils began to sting, and she knew in another second she’d be bawling again. “I gotta go,” she muttered. Her car was just a few feet away. Al she wanted to do was get in it and get out of the parking lot before she lost it.
Aiden helped with the experiments, she told herself. It’s not like he didn’t deserve it. A scalding tear splashed down onto her cheek. Yana reached her car and yanked open the door.
“Don’t be stupid, Savari,” Anthony cal ed as she slid into the driver’s seat.
“I don’t care what happens to me anymore,” Yana answered without turning her head. “As long as I can make those bastards pay.”
Rae was in the zone. She wasn’t thinking anymore, wasn’t using any “art math,” any the-space-between-Anthony’s-eyes-is-a-fraction-less-than-the-width-of-one-of-his-eyes kind of calculation. Nothing like that. Wel , probably deep in her brain she was stil plotting out the ratios, trying to get the proportions right. But it felt like her hand just knew what to do and al Rae had to do was let it go. And right now her hand was everywhere on the sketch pad, erasing little sections to show the highlights in Anthony’s dark hair, shading the curves of his ear, lightly erasing his irises so they were pale enough for the blue of his eyes.
Wait. Rae’s hand jerked, and the pencil flew out of her hand.
“I’m that ugly, huh?” Anthony teased, taking the opportunity to break out of his pose and stretch.
“No, of course not,” Rae muttered as she felt around her desk chair for the pencil. Anthony grabbed her hand. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Rae answered. She tried to pul her hand away so she could keep feeling around for the pencil, but Anthony wouldn’t let go.
“That’s bul . I can see your face. What’s wrong?” Anthony asked again.
Rae turned her sketch pad toward him. “Notice anything?”
“It’s good,” Anthony answered. “You’re real y good. Not that I know anything about it.”
“The eyes. Look at the eyes,” Rae urged. Couldn’t he see
“You’re going after the agency?” Anthony cal ed after her.
Yana kept walking. She had to get away from here. Away from him. She couldn’t spend another second thinking about Anthony or Rae or anything else except finding a way to take the agency down.
“Yana, that’s suicide.” Yana heard Anthony hurry up behind her. He didn’t touch her this time, and she kept walking. “They just kil led Aiden Matthews. And they made it clear they’d kil Rae, too, if she didn’t keep her mouth shut about them.”
Yana took another step. Her foot slipped off her platform sandal, and she stumbled. Before she could catch her balance, she fel , skinning her knee on the asphalt of the parking lot. Tears stung her eyes. She blinked them away. But more kept coming, and a trail of snot started dripping out of her nose.
Stop it, Yana ordered herself. Now. She wiped her sleeve across her eyes and nose, hard, and shoved herself to her feet. Then she turned and faced Anthony. “Aiden’s dead?”
“Yeah. And Rae got a warning that if she even talks about the agency, she’l end up dead, too,” he answered. “They’d have no problem squashing you like a cockroach.”
“I can’t believe he’s dead. I was with him… He was…” Yana’s words trailed off. She couldn’t remember what she’d meant to say. Her brain was al fuzzy al of a sudden. She bit the inside of her cheek until the pain pul ed her out of her personal fog. “They kil ed him because they thought he helped me, right?”
Anthony shrugged, not looking at her. “I doubt they were happy that he quit. Or tried to. I don’t think it’s real y a place you can le ave.”
Blah, blah, blah. What he was real y saying was yes. The inside of her nostrils began to sting, and she knew in another second she’d be bawling again. “I gotta go,” she muttered. Her car was just a few feet away. Al she wanted to do was get in it and get out of the parking lot before she lost it.
Aiden helped with the experiments, she told herself. It’s not like he didn’t deserve it. A scalding tear splashed down onto her cheek. Yana reached her car and yanked open the door.
“Don’t be stupid, Savari,” Anthony cal ed as she slid into the driver’s seat.
“I don’t care what happens to me anymore,” Yana answered without turning her head. “As long as I can make those bastards pay.”
Rae was in the zone. She wasn’t thinking anymore, wasn’t using any “art math,” any the-space-between-Anthony’s-eyes-is-a-fraction-less-than-the-width-of-one-of-his-eyes kind of calculation. Nothing like that. Wel , probably deep in her brain she was stil plotting out the ratios, trying to get the proportions right. But it felt like her hand just knew what to do and al Rae had to do was let it go. And right now her hand was everywhere on the sketch pad, erasing little sections to show the highlights in Anthony’s dark hair, shading the curves of his ear, lightly erasing his irises so they were pale enough for the blue of his eyes.
Wait. Rae’s hand jerked, and the pencil flew out of her hand.
“I’m that ugly, huh?” Anthony teased, taking the opportunity to break out of his pose and stretch.
“No, of course not,” Rae muttered as she felt around her desk chair for the pencil. Anthony grabbed her hand. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Rae answered. She tried to pul her hand away so she could keep feeling around for the pencil, but Anthony wouldn’t let go.
“That’s bul . I can see your face. What’s wrong?” Anthony asked again.
Rae turned her sketch pad toward him. “Notice anything?”
“It’s good,” Anthony answered. “You’re real y good. Not that I know anything about it.”
“The eyes. Look at the eyes,” Rae urged. Couldn’t he see
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