I start to go, not bothering to give an excuse. The only thing I manage to say before I dash out of there is that I’ll see them both later at the ball.

All I can think as I race out the door of Cypress into the crisp Darkwood night is that Ollie’s in love with me. And he plans to tell me, tonight.

The Originals

I tear out of there so fast, I don’t even hear what Ollie and Pru yell back to me.

I think I’m going to be sick.

I run down a well-lit path, past kids fully embracing the cosplay spirit of the evening. Some are dressed in superhero costumes, some like their favorite book and TV characters. Every single person has a mask. When I hurry past the Similars, I give them a half-hearted wave, promising to see them tonight. I only vaguely register that they’re all dressed in some kind of thematic costume, but I don’t get the reference.

I’m gunning it out of there, feeling an adrenaline rush—or is it fear overtaking me? The simple act of hearing Ollie’s thoughts like that made me feel like I was on a high. Like the world was crisp and clearer than it ever had been before. And yet…it was terrifying.

What the hell was that? Gravelle playing a game with me? But how? Harlowe’s words were spot-on. My friends were at the pump house, like she said. And Ollie’s voice sounded so authentic, like it was really him talking… But what he said, about being in love with me, about telling me, tonight…

It’s not the first time I’ve heard this from him. It’s why we stopped talking in our second year, why he never confided in me about wanting to visit Seymour and find out about his father. Because he’d told me how he felt about me. And I’d shut him down. And for a couple of weeks before he traveled to Boston to see his uncle, we were barely speaking to each other.

I haven’t thought about that in ages. Haven’t let myself. Because I feel the same way now as I did then. Ollie can’t be in love with me, because it would ruin everything. Even if he thinks he is… We’re “us.” Emma and Oliver. Best friends, not more. And now, with Levi in the picture… It was probably seeing that photo that got Ollie thinking that way again. After all, he never said anything all summer, never acted like anything but a friend. I guess a part of me hoped he’d realized we would never be like that. That he’d come to his senses. He can’t love me love me. That would never work. And I don’t feel that way about him. How could I possibly, after what Levi and I shared last year?