CHAPTER 59: RIGHT DAMN CHOICES

Chapter 59

JULIAN POLE

I don’t know why I thought sneaking out at almost six in the morning would feel cool or rebellious or dramatic.

Right now it feels stupid.

Mostly because I’m hanging halfway out the window while Luka keeps whisper-yelling behind me like I’m about to fall to my death.

"Julian, dude, hurry up. Your dad’s gonna hear us breathing. I swear he’s like a bat."

"I’m trying," I whisper back, gripping the cold ledge. "Stop talking about my dad like that, you’re making me more nervous."

Rico sticks his head out beside Luka. "Just drop. It’s not even that far."

"That’s easy for you to say," I tell him. "You’re not the one with a bag hitting your knee every two seconds."

The bag isn’t even big. It barely fits five days of clothes, and I’m planning on staying with Jace until freaking next semester. It’s dumb, but I didn’t have time to pack more, and also, I panicked. My father is literally right down the hall. I couldn’t risk going back for anything else.

Rico finally gets annoyed and grabs the strap so the bag doesn’t swing. "Okay, now go."

I slide down the drainpipe. It makes a loud scraping sound that feels like a gunshot in the quiet street. Luka freezes like we committed a crime. Rico mutters something like "Jesus Christ, man," but I don’t look up because I’m just trying not to die or break my ankle.

My shoes touch the ground.

I breathe out.

It’s cold as hell, the sky still dark, and my friends land beside me one by one, clumsy and way too loud.

Luka immediately grabs my shoulders. "Okay. Phones. Now. Off. Before someone’s parent calls 911."

We all pull out our phones.

I stare at my screen for one last second.

My dad is going to lose his mind.

I shut it off.

Rico groans as he pockets his. "I can’t believe we’re doing this. I can’t believe I’m running away with you degenerates."

"You didn’t have to come," I say.

"Yes, I did," he says. "My mom literally sat outside my room all night. Do you think I was gonna stay home and explain why you vanished? Hell no."

Luka crosses his arms. "Also, I wasn’t going to let you go live with the Marino brothers without supervision. I like my best friend alive."

"I’m literally the one going to Jace," I tell him. "I think I’ll be fine."

"Yeah," he says, "that’s exactly why I’m coming."

I roll my eyes, but truthfully, I’m relieved they’re here.

We start walking. The sky looks like a cold sheet of blue. My breath fogs the air.

We’re heading toward Liam’s house because plans changed and we need a place to hide until Marco picks us up. The problem is that Liam lives thirty minutes away.

Rico kicks a rock down the empty street. "There’s no way this is thirty minutes. I swear it feels like an hour."

"It’s been twelve," Luka says.

"Twelve minutes?" I ask.

"No," Luka says. "Twelve years."

I laugh quietly. For a bunch of runaways, we’re loud as hell.

We keep walking. We complain about the cold. Luka complains he’s hungry. Rico complains about his laces. I complain that they walk too fast.

When Liam’s house appears, the quiet neighborhood is starting to brighten.

Luka bends over with his hands on his knees. "We seriously need to hit the gym. I can’t even breathe."

Rico flicks his hair out of his face. "Never say that again."

We all walk up to the door, and Luka knocks once.

The door swings open immediately.

We all jump back.

There’s an older guy standing there. Maybe late thirties. He looks exactly like Liam but older, like someone copied and pasted him and then added facial hair.

"Uh," Rico says, "Hi. We’re looking for Liam."

The man nods like he expected that. "He’s coming. Give me a second."

He turns and yells up the stairs, "Liam! Your friends are here!"

Then he grabs his coat and steps past us. "I was just heading out."

He walks to his car. We stare after him.

Rico whispers, "Why does Liam have an older clone?"

"Brother," I say.

"Dad?" Luka suggests.

"No way," Rico says. "The guy looked thirty."

"I don’t know," I say. "Let’s just wait."

The door opens again and Liam finally appears. He stares at us like he’s processing the fact that we exist. Then he steps aside to let us in.

"The hell are you doing here at six AM?" he asks.

"We need a place to crash for a couple hours," Luka says.

"And food," Luka adds immediately.

Liam sighs. "Of course you do."

He disappears into the kitchen and comes back with a container of cookies. Luka takes two at once. Rico takes one and pretends he doesn’t like it but takes another anyway.

We sit in the living room and talk for a while.

Or mostly whisper-argue.

We tell Liam we’re waiting for someone to pick us up. We don’t tell him who.

He listens, arms crossed, expression flat.

Then he stands up.

"I’m coming with you."

All three of us respond at once.

"No."

"No, you’re not."

"Why?"

Liam ignores all of us. He goes upstairs, grabs a tiny bag, and comes back down like he’s joining a field trip.

"Liam," I say, rubbing my forehead. "We don’t even know where we’re going yet."

"I don’t care," he says. "I’m coming."

"No," Rico says. "Absolutely not."

"Yes," Liam says.

"We’re not telling you where we’re going," Luka says.

"Don’t care," Liam repeats.

We look at each other.

He won’t back down.

We’re too tired to fight.

Before we can come up with a plan on how to ditch him, the sound of a car engine rolls up outside.

Luka peeks through the blinds. "Marco’s here."

We all grab our stuff and step out. Marco gets out of the driver’s seat with the most confused face humanity has ever seen.

"I know you guys are three," Marco said. "Why are there four of you? Who the hell is that?

Liam waves.

"That’s Liam," I say quietly.

Marco looks at me like I personally offended him. "Why?"

"He wouldn’t stay," I say, defeated.

Marco sighs into his hand. "God. Okay. Whatever. Get in."

Liam sprints and calls shotgun before anyone else can move.

"That’s not fair," Luka says.

"I knocked," Liam answers.

We all get in the back.

Marco starts driving.

The car goes quiet for a while, the kind of quiet where everyone is thinking the same thing.

Our parents are going to freak out.

My stomach twists. I’m staring out the window, watching Brooklyn blur by. After maybe twenty minutes, Rico nudges me slightly.

"You good?" he asks.

"No," I whisper.

Luka leans forward between the seats. "Once we get there you’re gonna be fine. I’m picturing anything from a cabin to a crime mansion. Either way, safer than home.

"I know," I say softly. "I just... feel bad."

Marco glances at me in the rearview mirror. "Don’t. You’re safer with us."

I swallow.

I believe him.

The rest of the drive is quiet, except for Liam asking every five minutes if we’re close because he "hates long drives," which annoys Marco to the point where he starts muttering under his breath in Italian.

But when the lake house finally comes into view, everything changes.

It’s huge.

Not mansion huge, but peaceful huge. Trees all around. Water shining behind it. The air looks cleaner here.

Rico presses his face to the window. "Bro. This is insane."

Luka nods. "Yeah. Okay. Maybe I get why you want to stay here."

We pull into the driveway.

I get out and stare.

"Marco," I ask, "what happened to the other lake house?"

He shrugs. "My brother wanted more security. This one’s easier to guard."

Makes sense.

Everything in their world always comes down to security.

We walk up the porch steps together.

I’m reaching for the door when another car pulls up behind us.

I know the sound.

I know it before I even turn around.

Jace steps out.

He looks tired. He looks like he hasn’t slept. He looks like home.

I don’t even think.

I run.

His arms open before I reach him. I crash into him, wrapping my arms around his waist, feeling him breathe out like he was holding it all this time.

"Jace," I said quietly before I could even think.

He pulled me in so tight my breath caught. His arms wrapped around me like he’d been holding that hug in for days. I pressed my face into his neck and everything in me just... unlocked.

My shoulders dropped. My whole body finally stopped shaking from the stupid window escape and the long drive and the worry.

He felt real. Warm and solid.

Like every bad thing I’d been imagining all morning couldn’t touch me while I was here.

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

He laughed into his chest. "Surprising you."

"Well, it worked." He said.

Mateo walked past us like this was the most normal thing he’d ever seen.

"Welcome back, Julian."

"Hi, Mateo," I answered, still clinging to Jace because letting go didn’t feel like an option yet.

Jace shifted so he could see my face. His hands were warm on my arms, steadying me like he thought I might disappear.

"You good?" he asked.

I nodded. "Better now."

He leaned his forehead against mine. The world got really quiet for a second.

"You should’ve told me you were coming," he said softly.

I smiled a little. "I wanted to see your face."

He closed his eyes like that did something to him. Like he was annoyed but also not at all.

And then he pulled me into him again.

Longer and tighter.

Like he was afraid if he let go, I’d vanish back into the dark morning I came from.

I held onto him just as hard.

Because I needed him just as much.