Sign in with Facebook
“The silence brought back everything around her.”
― The Assassin's Blade
― The Assassin's Blade
“Is something wrong?” he asked.
“You seem to have forgotten that someone cut my bike in half.”
“And you seem to have forgotten that I have a truck,” said Miles. “I can give you a ride. To school, at least.”
“No thanks,” I said.
“Really. I’m not joking. Unless you’re that against having anything to do with me. I don’t care. You can get in line.”
He turned onto the main road. The line from the notebook felt like a dead weight in my stomach.
“No, not against it.” I realized with a strange sort of happy dread that we were falling back into the easy conversation we’d had at the bonfire. “But I’d like to know why you’re offering.”
“What do you mean?” Honest confusion crossed his face. “Isn’t that the good thing to do?”
I burst out laughing. “Since when have you been good? Are you feeling guilty or something?”
“A little sentimental, maybe. My first idea was to drive up and down in front of you a few times to prove I had a car and you didn’t.” His tone was light and he was smiling.
Holy crap, he was smiling. A real, teeth-showing, nose-scrunching, eyes-crinkling smile.
The smile slipped off his face. “What? What’s wrong?”
“You were smiling,” I said. “It was kind of weird.”
“Oh,” he said, frowning. “Thanks.”
“No, no, don’t do that! The smile was better.” The words felt wrong coming out of my mouth. I shouldn’t say things like that to him, but they hung neatly in the air and cleared out the tension. Miles didn’t smile again.”
― Made You Up
“You seem to have forgotten that someone cut my bike in half.”
“And you seem to have forgotten that I have a truck,” said Miles. “I can give you a ride. To school, at least.”
“No thanks,” I said.
“Really. I’m not joking. Unless you’re that against having anything to do with me. I don’t care. You can get in line.”
He turned onto the main road. The line from the notebook felt like a dead weight in my stomach.
“No, not against it.” I realized with a strange sort of happy dread that we were falling back into the easy conversation we’d had at the bonfire. “But I’d like to know why you’re offering.”
“What do you mean?” Honest confusion crossed his face. “Isn’t that the good thing to do?”
I burst out laughing. “Since when have you been good? Are you feeling guilty or something?”
“A little sentimental, maybe. My first idea was to drive up and down in front of you a few times to prove I had a car and you didn’t.” His tone was light and he was smiling.
Holy crap, he was smiling. A real, teeth-showing, nose-scrunching, eyes-crinkling smile.
The smile slipped off his face. “What? What’s wrong?”
“You were smiling,” I said. “It was kind of weird.”
“Oh,” he said, frowning. “Thanks.”
“No, no, don’t do that! The smile was better.” The words felt wrong coming out of my mouth. I shouldn’t say things like that to him, but they hung neatly in the air and cleared out the tension. Miles didn’t smile again.”
― Made You Up
“I looked over at him, felt the snake constrict again, and could only say, “Shut up.”
“God, Alex, I am so sorry,” Tucker breathed. “I never thought this would happen—I thought it would die soon. . . .”
“Do you even have a club in that closet, Beaumont?” Miles growled.
“No! Of course not! You seriously think I have friends?” Tucker shot him a glare over my head. “You have a club. I have a python. You can stop rubbing it in my face now, all right?”
“Both of you! Shut. Up.”
― Made You Up
“God, Alex, I am so sorry,” Tucker breathed. “I never thought this would happen—I thought it would die soon. . . .”
“Do you even have a club in that closet, Beaumont?” Miles growled.
“No! Of course not! You seriously think I have friends?” Tucker shot him a glare over my head. “You have a club. I have a python. You can stop rubbing it in my face now, all right?”
“Both of you! Shut. Up.”
― Made You Up
“She wouldn't leave him like this, in this cold, dark room.
She yanked out of Arobynn's grasp. Wordlessly, she unfastened her cloak and spread it over Sam, covering the damage that had been so carefully inflicted. She climbed onto the wooden table and lay beside him, stretching an arm across his middle, holding him close.”
― The Assassin's Blade
She yanked out of Arobynn's grasp. Wordlessly, she unfastened her cloak and spread it over Sam, covering the damage that had been so carefully inflicted. She climbed onto the wooden table and lay beside him, stretching an arm across his middle, holding him close.”
― The Assassin's Blade
“FUCK IT, I’M BORED.”
“Here he comes.” Theo didn’t even look up when Miles rounded the corner and tossed his notebook onto the counter. “I don’t think cursing is going to help,” she told him.
“Maybe it fucking will.” Miles seethed. “I hate everyone in that gym. Pick someone.”
“No, I don’t want to play.”
“It won’t take that long.”
“That’s why I don’t want to play.”
“Can I do one?” I raised my hand. “It might actually take you more than five questions, too.”
Miles quirked his eyebrow. “Oh, you think so?”
“If you get this in five, I’ll be thoroughly impressed.”
He leaned over the counter, looking eager. Weirdly, weirdly eager. Not like he wanted to rub my face into the floor. Not like he knew he was going to beat me. Just . . . excited. “Okay,” he said. “Are you fictional?”
Broad question. He didn’t know me as well as he knew Theo, so it was to be expected.
“No,” I said.
“Are you still alive?”
“No.”
“Are you a leader?”
“Yes.”
“Was your civilization conquered by a European nation?”
“Yes.”
“Are you . . . a leader of the Olmec?”
“How’d you get there?” Theo blurted out, but Miles ignored her.
“No,” I said, trying not to let him see how close he’d come. “And the Olmec weren’t conquered by the Europeans. They died out.”
Miles frowned. “Mayan?”
“No.”
“Incan.”
“No.”
“Aztec.”
“Yes.”
The corners of his lips twisted up, but he said, “Shouldn’t have taken so many guesses for that one.” Then he said, “Did you found the Tlatocan?”
“No.”
“Did you reign after 1500?”
“No.”
Theo watched the conversation like a tennis match.
“Are you Ahuitzotl?”
“No.” I smiled. This kid knew his history.
“Tizoc?”
“No.”
“Axayacatl?”
“No.”
“Moctezuma I?”
“Nope.”
“Itzcoatl?”
“No.”
“Chimalpopoca?”
“No.”
“Huitzilihuitl?”
“What the hell are you saying?” Theo cried.
He’d cut off a chunk of the Aztec emperors and whittled them down until there was only one remaining. But now he had three questions left—two he didn’t need.
Why hadn’t he cut it down again? Surely he could have shortened his options and not guessed his way through all the emperors. Was this some kind of test? Or was . . . was he showing off?
“You’re Acamapichtli.”
There was a fanatical gleam in his eye, another smile playing on his lips. Both were gone as soon as I said, “Almost twenty. Not quite, but I almost had you.”
“I’m never playing this game again,” said Theo, sighing and returning to her homework.”
― Made You Up
“Here he comes.” Theo didn’t even look up when Miles rounded the corner and tossed his notebook onto the counter. “I don’t think cursing is going to help,” she told him.
“Maybe it fucking will.” Miles seethed. “I hate everyone in that gym. Pick someone.”
“No, I don’t want to play.”
“It won’t take that long.”
“That’s why I don’t want to play.”
“Can I do one?” I raised my hand. “It might actually take you more than five questions, too.”
Miles quirked his eyebrow. “Oh, you think so?”
“If you get this in five, I’ll be thoroughly impressed.”
He leaned over the counter, looking eager. Weirdly, weirdly eager. Not like he wanted to rub my face into the floor. Not like he knew he was going to beat me. Just . . . excited. “Okay,” he said. “Are you fictional?”
Broad question. He didn’t know me as well as he knew Theo, so it was to be expected.
“No,” I said.
“Are you still alive?”
“No.”
“Are you a leader?”
“Yes.”
“Was your civilization conquered by a European nation?”
“Yes.”
“Are you . . . a leader of the Olmec?”
“How’d you get there?” Theo blurted out, but Miles ignored her.
“No,” I said, trying not to let him see how close he’d come. “And the Olmec weren’t conquered by the Europeans. They died out.”
Miles frowned. “Mayan?”
“No.”
“Incan.”
“No.”
“Aztec.”
“Yes.”
The corners of his lips twisted up, but he said, “Shouldn’t have taken so many guesses for that one.” Then he said, “Did you found the Tlatocan?”
“No.”
“Did you reign after 1500?”
“No.”
Theo watched the conversation like a tennis match.
“Are you Ahuitzotl?”
“No.” I smiled. This kid knew his history.
“Tizoc?”
“No.”
“Axayacatl?”
“No.”
“Moctezuma I?”
“Nope.”
“Itzcoatl?”
“No.”
“Chimalpopoca?”
“No.”
“Huitzilihuitl?”
“What the hell are you saying?” Theo cried.
He’d cut off a chunk of the Aztec emperors and whittled them down until there was only one remaining. But now he had three questions left—two he didn’t need.
Why hadn’t he cut it down again? Surely he could have shortened his options and not guessed his way through all the emperors. Was this some kind of test? Or was . . . was he showing off?
“You’re Acamapichtli.”
There was a fanatical gleam in his eye, another smile playing on his lips. Both were gone as soon as I said, “Almost twenty. Not quite, but I almost had you.”
“I’m never playing this game again,” said Theo, sighing and returning to her homework.”
― Made You Up
Laura’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Laura’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
Favorite Genres
Polls voted on by Laura
Lists liked by Laura
