Free Expel by Addison Moore

of the room with all of West and East surrounding us and give him a big fat welcome home kiss. Well, technically I’m going to give him his welcome home kiss tonight. It’s the F off Chloe kiss I’ll be giving him tomorrow night and basically every other time I kiss him again in public. I still can’t believe we’re finally free from her evil clutches. The wicked witch of East may be back on campus from whence she came, but she’s forever barred from forcing Gage to spend time with her again.
    “I want one,” Michelle insists. She pinches at the black unholy rose of horrors Marshall gave her as a token of his strange affection.
    “Sure,” Emily plucks at her short dark curls. It slithers around her finger like a thin black snake. “I’ll do yours first, I really don’t care.”
    Emily has a warm way about her. She could easily be arranging our lineup for the firing squad.
    Lexy cuts her gaze across the field at Logan. “I want mine to be a little more exciting than the one you gave me last year. I’d like to see more Oliver this time, turn in my lonely-hearts club membership for a real relationship, or a one-night stand. I’d definitely settle for a one-night stand.”
    “Me, too,” Michelle chimes in. She cocks her head over at Logan, who motions for me to hurry. “I guess I wouldn’t mind more Oliver either.” She lets go of the rose and licks her lips like a promise.
    Looks like her infatuation with Marshall might be waning after all. I can’t wait to share the news with him, but something tells me I should stay away. Bruising Marshall’s ego is never a good idea. Neither is discharging bodily fluids into his ocular region, but I’ve already done that.                
      “See you in the morning,” I turn to walk off but Chloe catches me by the elbow.
    “Please tell Gage I’m glad he’s doing better.” There’s a hard glint in her eye, a shard of her broken heart catches the reserve light of day and signals me with her pain. And for the first time, my own heart breaks just a little for Chloe.
    “I will,” I say.
    “Oh, and, Skyla?” Her lips turn up at the edges. “I hope you enjoy your evening tomorrow night—as Logan and I have both learned the hard way, you never know when it will be your last.”  
 

Chapter 12
    Home Sweet Home
     
     
    Logan gives a NASCAR worthy performance all the way to the Oliver house, jackknifing into the driveway—laughing like fiend while doing so.
    “Holy crap,” I scream. “Are you serious?” I stare at his hauntingly beautiful face that has always been rivaled by his inner beauty—which by the way he’s managed to destroy faster than a brushfire with all this live for the now junk he’s fielding. “And what is up with you having a pow-wow with Chloe? She fed me all this bull about how the two of you really know how to appreciate life because it can end at any moment, crap.”
    “It’s not crap, Skyla,” he says it disgruntled while killing the ignition. “It’s true. And by the way,” he jostles his head side to side full with sarcasm, “you can’t pick my friends.” His gaze floats out the windshield just beyond the forest. “Is that what you’ve been doing? Bossing me the hell around?” He scoffs like it’s the last time that’ll ever happen.  
    “No, I never boss you around. You broke up with me remember? You were the one who suggested I date Gage to protect our relationship from the Counts. You were the one who consistently kept quiet about important things I should have known from the beginning like the fact you were a Count yourself. It could be further deduced, that you my friend, bossed me the hell around.”
    “Wow,” his chin pushes back a notch. “I, Logan Oliver, really am an ass.”
    I give a little laugh. I might actually grow to like this self-abasing version of him.
    “I agree,” I take up his hand. “I’ll help you figure out who you are and what’s going on. I’ll carve some time out just