Bloodshed (Order of the Unseen, #1)(6)

I asked for some.

Turns out, they weren’t willing to share.

By the time we made it into Boston, somehow still alive, I had become bored of them. I resented them for not sharing the drugs. I needed a new adventure. New people.

Even though it was almost two in the morning at that point.

I eagerly jumped out of the moving car and disregarded Jensen’s shouting from behind me. About a minute later, he finally caught up to me on the sidewalk.

And he wasn’t too happy.

“Micah,” he snapped, pulling me to a halt.

“Jensen,” I jokingly replied.

“What are we doing here?”

“Sightseeing.”

He sharply exhaled, eyes wide. “I mean it,” he firmly said. “This is crazy.”

“Look!” I exclaimed, smiling up at the buildings, which were still flickering with lights. They were so big. So impressively tall. “Look around! Boston is so beautiful at night. Isn’t it?”

“Micah—”

“Isn’t it?” I urged, taking his hand.

Our eyes locked as I linked my fingers through his. It was the most intense stare I’d ever shared with someone. Even after only knowing him for two weeks, I felt like it’d been years.

We were destined to be friends.

To find each other.

His lips parted, yet he said nothing.

He was speechless.

“Yeah,” he cautiously said, before pulling away. “It’s beautiful. I’ve never been here before.”

“Boston?”

“No—”

“Get out of here. Are you serious?”

He nodded, keeping up with me as I strode down the sidewalk. “Yup. Never been.”

“Until now,” I corrected him with a laugh. “See? And you didn’t even want to come here tonight. You really need to start living your life.”

“It’s late,” he countered. “Really late. And—”

“This is the best time to come into the city,” I told him. “There’s not many people around, and the ones who are around, are really cool.”

“How often do you come here?” he asked me.

“Whenever I want.”

“You never get caught?”

I snorted under my breath. “I always get caught. Who cares? I sure don’t.”

“Great,” he sighed. “I need a smoke.” He pulled out his cigarette pack and offered me one.

I happily accepted. “I’ve never met anyone like you, Jensen.”

He sparked up the end before tossing me the lighter. “No?”

“You’re different. You actually care.”

I watched him press the filter to his lips as he took a small drag. My pulse accelerated the second he set his eyes on mine.

“I wasn’t going to let you get into a random car alone. You’re my friend, and those guys were sketchy as hell—”

“Your friend,” I cut him off mid-sentence.

“Well, yeah.” He hesitated. “We are friends, aren’t we?”

“I’ve never had a real friend.”

“Okay there, pal. I think you’re getting a little emotional.” Jensen crookedly grinned, exhaling a large cloud of smoke. “But…me, neither.”

If only we had caught a ride back to our program from there. Right after that moment. Except, I chose to be reckless instead.

Impulsive.

Thankfully there were no security cameras when I decided it was a fun idea to throw a brick through the glass window of a random store.

Glass shattered everywhere, and the alarm went off. Jensen and I took off running down the street, and we didn’t stop until our deprived lungs were begging for oxygen.

He leaned his back against the side of the brick building and gasped for air. “What the fuck, Micah!” he shouted angrily. “Why did you do that?”

I burst into laughter. “He thought I was shoplifting, but I wasn’t.”

“Who?” he gasped.

“I told him to fuck off, and he called me a punk. Serves him right.”

“Who, Micah?” he asked, firmly grasping my shoulders and shaking me. “Who? Because nobody was there!”

I casually shrugged him off. “The owner.”

“When?”

Pacing the dark, narrow alleyway, I covered my face with my hands. “A few months ago? A year or something? I don’t fucking know! Why does it matter?”

“We could get arrested—”

“We won’t.”

“How do you know that?” he growled in frustration.

“I just do!”

“You’re not thinking straight. It’s time to go home—”

“We don’t have a fucking home!” I shouted, bursting into uncontrollable laughter. Bending over, with my hands planted on my knees, I tried to catch my breath. “You’re funny, man. You’re real funny! You know that?”

“You know what I meant, Micah!” he argued, getting more upset the more I laughed. “Fuck! Do you think this is a joke?”

“Why are you so mad?” I asked, shoving my hand into his pants pockets in search of his cigarettes. He swatted me away immediately. “Dude, relax! Live a little!”