In my head, the past had always been faded, the color leached away until it resembled a lifeless sepia print. But standing there in Comiskey Park, with people walking around me in the flesh, turned out to be a totally different story. Like in what I considered real life, the colors were rich and vibrant. Today was like Dorothy walking through the door into Munchkinland. It was the difference between black-and-white and Technicolor—the difference between Laith and Maddox.

  Night and Day.

  One thing I knew for sure: I couldn’t wait to jump through time again.

  Josh sat in his usual spot, shoveling brightly colored cereal into his mouth, when I wandered down to the kitchen the next morning, looking like a junkie jonesing for a fix.

  “You look like crap.” He enunciated each word around a mouthful of Trix.

  I grabbed a bowl and filled it up halfway with the cereal du jour before dumping in enough milk to make the colored balls float. “Yeah, well, today I feel like crap. How do you like that?”

  He swallowed his food then licked his lips. “Good. You deserve it.”

  I paused with the spoon inches from my mouth. “I know you think Laith is a good guy, but trust me, he’s not. You hung out with him for all of a few hours, but I’ve known him long enough to know better. And I’ve known Maddox even longer than that.” Speaking in a purely cosmic sense, I’d known them both for an eternity. And in the back of my mind, I knew Laith would do whatever it took to get Josh on his side, like in the movies, where the bad guy always found time to recruit minions. “Laith wanted you to like him, Josh. That’s all. He’s not your friend.”

  “Well, I do like him. And he is my friend. And for your information, I spent a whole lot more than a few hours with him. We watched the first two baseball games before you showed up and ruined everything. I liked Chicago. I wanted to stay longer. There were a bunch more games, you know. But you just had to leave with Maddox.” He stuffed another load of Trix in his mouth, and I had to look away while he chewed.

  But something he’d said nagged at me. “What do you mean you watched the first two games? They played three games that day?”

  “No, stupid.” Pink milk dribbled down his chin, and he wiped it away with the back of his hand. “The first two games were in Cincinnati.”

  My mouth fell open, and I quickly closed it. “You were in Cincinnati?”

  “Yeah.” He shrugged. “We were in some other city, too, but I don’t remember which one. Laith said he needed to do something, so I listened to the man playing piano while I waited.”

  “So… how long were you and Laith gone, exactly?”

  He shrugged again, chewing with his mouth open. “I dunno. A week or two, maybe longer. You’d have to ask him to be sure.”

  The spoon slipped from my fingers, hitting the side of my bowl with a loud clank. His words kept bouncing through my brain. Maybe longer. Laith had taken my brother and been gone for more than two weeks. “And he was nice to you the whole time?”

  “Yeah, sure. We talked. Played cards. He took me out for ice cream and pizza.” He giggled. “Dude’s got it really bad for you. And he does not like his brother very much. He said Maddox took you from him once, but that won’t happen again. When did you know them before?”

  I had no desire to get into a philosophical discussion with an eleven-year-old. “I didn’t.”

  “Oh. Laith said he’s known you forever.”

  Forever. I didn’t even know what that meant anymore.

  Chapter Twenty-two

  I spent the next two days waiting for the other shoe to drop. I’d basically floated through my classes in a daze, failing two quizzes and forgetting to hand in a homework assignment in history. I could actually feel my grades falling along with the barometric pressure. The way things were going, I’d be lucky to pass, come midterms.

  Instead of focusing on school like the straight-A student I was supposed to be, I divided my attention between Maddox and his unpredictable moods… and Laith—mostly, wondering where Laith had disappeared to. We hadn’t heard from him since Chicago. And I felt certain the not knowing was driving Maddox crazy, which in turn drove me crazy.

  “I’ll wait for you.” Maddox planted himself against the wall directly outside the ladies’ room.

  “You don’t have to. Just head to the cafeteria and get us a table. I’ll catch up in a minute.”

  He crossed his arms and stared over my head toward the exit.

  I exhaled. “Maddox, he’s not hiding in a stall waiting to grab me.”

  “He could be.”

  “But he’s not. You said yourself it’s not that easy to hit an X when you jump. What are the odds he’d randomly end up in a random restroom in the Commons?”

  He shrugged. “It’ll make me feel better to wait. Okay?”

  “No. It’s not okay.” I pulled myself up to my full height to stand toe to toe with him. He ran a hand through his disheveled hair. “Maddox, I can’t pee with you right outside the door.”

  “Geez, what are you two bickering about? And don’t even try to say you’re not. I’m pretty sure everyone in the Commons can read your body language.” Sam crossed her arms and ran through a veritable array of mock scowls as she approached.

  I couldn’t help laughing at her over-the-top expressions. “Maddox’s just being ridiculous.”

  He gave me a sweet smile but kept his thoughts to himself. He wouldn’t dare tell Sam why I thought he was being ridiculous. “Why don’t you girls do your thing in the restroom and meet me in the cafeteria when you’re done?” It seemed as though he was fine as long as I had someone watching over me.

  “Brilliant plan.” Or an acceptable compromise. I’d take what I could get. “We don’t need a guy hovering while we do our thing. Right, Sam?”

  Her eyes bounced between us as if she were watching a tennis match. “I have no idea what the hell either of you are talking about.”

  “That’s probably for the best,” Maddox muttered.

  I reached up on my toes to plant a kiss on his lips. “See you in a few minutes.”

  He gave me one of those looks, the ones where he was obviously trying to convey something wordlessly. So I scrunched up my face as I tried to decipher the hidden message, mouthing out guesses as if playing charades. But based on his reactions, I hadn’t figured out what he was trying to say.

  Finally, he gave up and rolled his eyes. “Don’t be too long, okay?”

  “Oh! Yeah, we’ll be right behind you.” I gave him a quick salute and watched him leave.

  Sam waited until Maddox was out of earshot before opening her mouth. “Okay, what the hell was that all about?”

  I laughed as we made our way into the restroom. It wasn’t as if I could tell her about Laith’s kidnapping attempt or Maddox’s concern for my safety. Not exactly, anyway. But I could definitely bend the truth a little. “Maddox caught some guy flirting with me, uh, outside of our Euro history class, and he’s convinced the guy is working up the nerve to try something.”

  Sam laughed. “Does he think your would-be stalker is going to kidnap you from the bathroom?”

  I shrugged. That was exactly what he thought.

  Sam pulled out a tube of bubblegum-pink lipstick and brought it to her lips while staring at her reflection. “Well, he’s clearly channeling every overprotective, controlling boyfriend character ever created. Next thing you know, he’ll be sparkling in the sun.” She lacquered her lips then proceeded to fluff her blond hair.

  “Shut up.” I hip-checked her and took her place in front of the mirror. “He’s a little protective; I’ll give you that. But he’s not deranged.”

  “Hey, I’m just saying, you need to remind him that you’re a modern woman, and you don’t need him to protect you from every guy on the planet. In fact, I’ve got just the thing to put him in his place.” Sam turned on her high heels and strode halfway down the hall before spinning back around. “Are you coming?”

  “Tomorrow night? A double date?” I could only imagine the look on my face as I gaped around the table. Shock? Disbelief? Horror? Probably all of the above.

  “A triple actually.” Sam flashed a closed-lip smile. “Me and Ryan, you and Maddox, and Hannah and Aaron. But who’s counting?”

  Who was counting? Not me. I’d run out of fingers to count on. There were infinite reasons why her idea was ridiculous. Not even my wild imagination could come up with a scenario where that would have been a good idea.

  “Oh, come on, Ava. It’ll be fun,” said the blue-haired girl with the hoodie-wearing boyfriend. The very same hoodie-wearing boyfriend who’d found himself sprawled out on the floor by my boyfriend for trying to kiss me, not so long ago.

  Yeah, brilliant idea. “Fun. Right.” I shoved a fry between my lips to keep my mouth busy. The less I said the better.

  “What’s fun?” Paige dropped into the open seat across from me.

  “We’re all going on a group date!” Hannah beamed. She was entirely too excited for my taste.

  “Oh, I wanna come!” Paige picked the vegetables out of her salad until she had nothing but plain lettuce in her bowl. “I met a new guy.” She glanced at Maddox as if they shared a dirty secret. Some deep dark side of me I never even knew existed ached to rip her throat out. Was she trying to make him jealous because he’d ignored her attention? Or did she still think she had a chance with my boyfriend?

  “Ohhh, a new guy? Why haven’t we seen him around?” Sam leaned in on her elbows, eager for all the juicy details.

  “He keeps a low profile.” Paige glanced my way again. “I’m surprised you’d agree to go on another outing with this crowd, Ava.” I couldn’t tell if she was keeping up the facade or if we’d gone back to being adversaries.

  I forced a smile. “Sam doesn’t take no for an answer.”

  “Don’t I know it!” Paige laughed, and I decided our tenuous friendship was still intact. “So where are we going?”

  Sam practically bounced in her seat. “There’s a new club in Portland—Kryptonite. I heard it’s all high-tech futuristic. We should go there.”

  “All the way in Portland? That’s like… an hour away.”

  The sound of Abercrombie’s voice made the hair on the back of my neck stand up, and Maddox reached for my hand under the table as if he’d felt a disturbance in the Force. He’d stayed quiet through the entire exchange, and I couldn’t tell if he was for or against the group-date idea.

  “It is not.” Sam scoffed. “It’s like thirty-five minutes, tops.”

  “It’ll be fun, Aaron. Can we go? Please?” Hannah batted her eyelashes at him, and the guy melted like a puddle of goo. It was disgusting.

  “It’s settled.” Sam clapped her hands together. “Now we need to figure out who’s driving.”

  “You’re sure you don’t mind?” I bit my lip as I looked up at Maddox’s stiff expression. He might have said otherwise, but I had a feeling he wasn’t thrilled with the travel arrangements.

  The threat of rain had derailed our plan to take Maddox’s motorcycle to Portland, so instead, we waited on my front porch for Sam to pick us up in her bright-yellow Mini Cooper.

  “I’m positive.” He gave my hand a squeeze. “You look gorgeous, by the way.”

  “Thanks.” I fidgeted under his scrutiny, feeling naked in the leather miniskirt and red sparkly crop top Sam insisted I wear. You can’t wear denim to a nightclub, she’d said. And apparently, the sky-high stilettos were a must with the outfit. “I feel a little under-dressed.” As in undressed.

  He brought his mouth down to my ear. “I like it.”

  “I’m sure you do.” I trembled as he caught my earlobe in his teeth then worked his way down my neck. I melted into him as the ever-present prickling flared and spread through my entire body. It didn’t hurt that Maddox looked positively edible in his dark jeans and black button-down.

  A loud honk interrupted what might have been an embarrassing make-out session, and Maddox pulled his lips away from my throat. “She has shitty timing.”

  I jumped out of his arms, cooling my flaming cheeks with my palms. “At least she’s consistent.”

  “Enough with the PDA!” Sam snapped her fingers as she shouted out her window. “Let’s go. Portland awaits.”

  The ride to Portland took exactly thirty-seven minutes. Thirty-seven minutes of Maddox’s hot palm pressed against the inside of my knee to keep me from strangling Sam while she went on and on about Kryptonite. For someone who’d never been there, she seemed to know a whole lot about the place—from the alien-planet décor right down to the techno song list we should expect to hear. By the time we arrived, I felt as if there couldn’t possibly be any surprises in store for me.

  “Oh my God, Ava. You look amazing!” Hannah dragged me into a bone-crushing hug. “I’m so effing excited. My brother’s girlfriend’s cousin said this place is sick.”

  “Sounds like a glowing endorsement to me.” Maddox winked at me then turned to glower at Abercrombie. “Aaron.”

  “Hey, Maddox.” Abercrombie gave him the guy nod then grabbed Hannah’s hand and pulled her to the door. “See you guys inside.”

  “Where’s Paige?” I asked Sam as I scanned the faces in the crowd out front.

  “She said she’d be a little late, something about making an entrance. You know how she is.”

  Unfortunately, I did.

  “Why don’t we just go in and wait for her inside?” Thank God, Ryan had the good sense to bring it up before I did. Sam seemed to be putty in his hands.

  “Brilliant plan.” Maddox wove his fingers between mine and led me to the entrance, where most of us were denied the red paper bracelets reserved for the over-twenty-one crowd.

  Sam’s secondhand description didn’t quite do the place justice. Rather than the stark alien landscape I’d expected, Kryptonite looked like something out of a sci-fi vampire movie—like Star Trek meets The Lost Boys. Long strips of strobing white and purple lights lined the ceiling, casting an otherworldly glow over the stainless steel and red leather covering every surface. Electronic dance music thumped through the speakers, changing the pattern of my heartbeat. The volume was so high I could practically taste the sound on the tip of my tongue.

  I followed Maddox to a crescent-moon mirrored table in the back of the room, and he motioned for me to slide into the bench seat along the concave side. “What do you want to drink?”

  I shrugged. “Something fruity?”

  “Really?” He looked shocked but pressed a quick kiss to my lips. “Fruity it is.”

  “Wait for me.” Not to be outdone, Ryan kissed Sam then ran to catch up to Maddox as he headed for the bar.

  “Hey, babe,” Sam called after him. “Find Hannah while you’re over there.”

  “I’m glad you talked me into coming,” I said. “I’ve been a bad friend lately. I’m sorry.”

  “Hey, don’t worry about it. Boyfriends take up a lot of time.” She winked. “In fact, I’m hoping Ryan takes up the rest of my weekend.”

  “Hey… it’s you. The girl who passed out in the quad.”

  I turned at the sound of his voice—the blond guy who’d helped me after Maddox’s jump ripple zapped me. He looked different in a pair of black jeans and a white T-shirt, less studious or something. “Ava. Hi. I’m sorry. I don’t know your name.”

  “Ethan.” He held out his hand, and I awkwardly shook it.

  “It’s nice to finally meet you, Ethan.”

  “It’s nice to meet you too, Ava.” He grinned, creating a dimple in his left cheek.

  “I’m Sam.” Sam flashed him a wide smile then turned to me and mouthed, “He’s hot!”

  And I had to admit, he looked sexy without the blue windbreaker and the L.L. Bean backpack. But when he didn’t leave after a long minute of awkward silence, I didn’t know what to do. “Are you here with friends?”

  “Who, me?” He looked around as if he didn’t realize I was talking to him. “Yeah. I’m here with a couple of friends. They’re talking to a few girls over there.” He nodded toward the bar, where Maddox and Ryan still hadn’t gotten our drinks.

  “Oh.”

  “So yeah…” He rested his palms on the reflective surface of the table, invading my personal space as he leaned in until I could smell his rosemary and sweet mint cologne. “I was wondering if maybe you’d like to dance.”

  I swallowed hard and sat back until I hit the cold leather of the bench seat. “I’m sorry. I can’t. I’m here with—”

  “She’s here with her boyfriend.” Pure, unmistakable hate dripped from Maddox’s voice.

  My eyes flickered up to his face, and I actually flinched from the palpable rage pouring off him. I’d only seen him that angry once before, and that was only a dream.

  Ethan stood back from the table and held up his hands. “Oh, hey, no problem, man. I didn’t know. I’ll see you around campus, Ava. Have fun.” He turned to leave, but Maddox grabbed his arm.

  Maddox maintained an icy calm demeanor that had me riveted in place. “Stay. Away. From. Ava.”

  “Jesus, chill out.” Ethan pulled his arm out of Maddox’s grip and backed away slowly. “All I did was ask her to dance.”

  “And I said to stay away from her.”

  Ethan looked shaken, but he played it off the way guys do. “Yeah, whatever.”

  Once Ethan disappeared into the crowd, Maddox turned to me. “May I have a word with you?” He hadn’t lost a drop of the venom in his tone.