Page 112 of Burning Embers
Is this the girl?
A strange pit forms in my chest, accompanied by an exotic emotion I can’t quite name. Every time I try to decipher what it is, it slips through my fingers like raindrops.
I inconspicuously glance at Reid out of the corner of my eye, wanting to gauge his reaction. Does he miss her? Is that why he’s so silent? Is that why he’s glaring so fiercely at her? I know from experience that it’s often the ones you love the most that can hurt you more than anyone else.
If he loved her and they broke up, I imagine it’ll be a shock to see her now.
“I miss you,” Michelle continues earnestly, seemingly content to ignore my existence. She doesn’t even glance in my direction. “I missus.”
Reid swallows, and this time when he stares at her, there’s an expression of intense yearning and pain on his face.
My heart batters against my breastbone with a frightening velocity as something strange and foreign unfurls in my chest.
Something akin to jealousy, as irrational as that emotion is.
Hedoesmiss her. There’s no other explanation for the pain distorting his features.
But still, he doesn’t speak. He doesn’t even seem to be breathing.
When she steps forward and places her hand on his bicep—causing him to flinch—I can’t hold my tongue a second longer.
“Reid, is everything okay?” I ask cautiously.
At the sound of my voice, Reid flinches again. Michelle slowly turns to stare at me, one of her perfectly plucked eyebrows arched. She gives me a tiny once-over, and her warm smile brightens, unveiling dimples on both of her cheeks. She truly is a beautiful girl, and a nonsensical part of me hates her for it.
“Hi! I’m Michelle. Reid’s girlfriend…” She blushes prettily and places her fingertips to her lips, smothering a giggle. “Well, it’s complicated.”
I slide my gaze towards Reid, but he doesn’t agree with or contradict her. He just continues to stare, his hands curling into fists and then uncurling by his sides. His face is abnormally pale, causing his acne to stand out starkly.
“Are you a new employee?” Michelle continues.
“Yeah. Today’s my first day.” I offer her a tentative smile, but I know it probably looks forced.
Something about this petite woman sets every alarm bell in my head off at once.
“And you know Reid?” Though she tries to sound casual and friendly, there’s a hint ofsomethingin her voice that raises my hackles.
The tiny hairs on the back of my neck stand at attention, and the alarm bells transition into blinking red lights and a mechanical voice that says, “Warning! Proceed with caution!”
“We have a class together at school,” I say briskly, wanting this conversation over with.
I don’t bother admitting that Reid only attended said class once.
“Oh.” Michelle’s lips part in a perfect O, and she bats her abnormally long lashes at me. “How nice.” She flashes me a sugary-sweet grin that threatens to give me a toothache. “It certainly was lovely to meet you, Izzy. I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other.”
“Leave.” Reid’s voice is almost a growl. The sound of it lifts the hairs on my arms. “You need to leave. Now.”
At first, I think he’s talking to me, but when Michelle rolls her eyes, I realize he’s addressing her.
“Reid…” She pouts.
“Leave!” he snarls, lowering his head so his shaggy red hair obscures his face from view. His entire body seems to tremble.
What the hell? Is he having a panic attack? Seizure?
Terror grips my throat in a chokehold and refuses to let go. One of my friends at my old school had seizures. Her parents told me what to do if she were to start seizing, but God forbid I remember anything I was taught now.
But what if this is a panic attack, not a seizure? What the fuck do I do then?