“That’s great, Liv,” I say.
“Aaaand we’re going on a date this weekend. I can’t wait for you to meet him!”
“Don’t you think it’s a bit early for that? You just met last night.”
“Pshh.” She wraps her black hair into a knot across her shoulder. “You know I have to get my best friend’s approval ASAP. You’re my second brain, remember?”
“Of course,” I say, though there isn’t much effort behind my words.
Olivia frowns. “Hey, um, is something wrong?”
I shake my head. “I’m just tired. Stressed out. That’s all.” So much for being distracted. But who was I kidding? I’m treating my vision like it was some terrible nightmare I’m about to wake up from. It will come true.
“What’re you stressed about? It’s the middle of June. The weather is gorgeous, the sun is out.” Olivia flings a hand toward my bedroom window that’s covered by curtains, as if to prove her point. “So, what’s up?”
I swallow, quickly thinking up a lie. “I haven’t been sleeping well, and I’m still worried about these photographs.” At least that last part is true.
“You? Come on, you take amazing photos. You’re gonna be famous one day, I know it. You’ll nail your portfolio and get that scholarship. It’s all you ever talk about. It’s all you’re ever doing when you’re not hanging out with me. Someone who wants something as badly as you want this is bound to get it. You can stop worrying, okay?”
“You know that’s not true. Wanting something so much is nothing more than wishful thinking.”
“But you’re doing something. You’re not just sitting around, wishing and hoping. I might not be able to see the future, but my inner senses tell me it’ll come true. I know it. I believe in you. Your grandma believes in you, too. But you’ve got to believe in yourself.”
“What are you today, a fortune cookie?” Her words only remind me of Griffin and how I need to do something. This vision is different than any other—he’s going to be murdered. And I can’t just let that happen to someone just because I don’t know them.
Yet. I don’t know him yet…
That’s it. I need to find him. Then, if I can avoid scaring him off with my rusty flirting techniques, I can learn more about him. I’ll never be able to find out who his would-be murderer might be if I know nothing about Griffin.
“Fortune cookies never come true. They’re hardly even fortunes. I’m way better than one of those. I tell only the truth.”
My gaze drifts to the ceiling. Wishing does no good, though I can’t help but wish I could have visions for other people—like seeing whether or not this new guy in Olivia’s life will last. I’d be an outstanding fortune-teller. Some kind of futuristic love guru. I might become rich, a millionaire who lives in a huge house, buys my grandma a perfect home, and then finds a way to coexist with my curse.
Yeah, right.
There would be no possibility of coexisting. Because if I could see Olivia’s future love life, and it was something terrible, how would I be able to tell her?
Olivia’s phone rings. “Speaking of tall, dark, and handsome.” She wiggles it in the air. “I’ll put him on speaker. Just for a minute. I haven’t told you about his amazing voice. So deep. So sexy.” She winks before answering. “Hey, Jack! I’m here with Quinn, so don’t say anything you wouldn’t want my best friend to hear.”
Jack chuckles. “Noted. Thanks for the warning. Hey Quinn.”
I clear my throat and say, “Hey. I’ve been hearing lots about you.”
Olivia makes a face, unapproving of what I just said. She turns off the speaker phone and says to Jack, “I’ll call you back later, okay? My best friend needs a little TLC, and I can’t deny her that.”
“Come on.” She hangs up the phone, hopping off my bed. “I don’t like seeing your pretty face so sad.”
“I told you, I’m fine. Just stressed out and—”
“Either way”—Olivia holds out her hand toward me—“you look like you could use some coffee.”
Her comment makes me smile. “But it’s not Sunday.”
“Our coffee ritual doesn’t have to be contained to Sunday. Coffee happens when coffee needs to happen.”
I nod. It’s that kind of philosophy that keeps her on a first-name basis with every barista within thirty miles.
“Awesome! We can go find a park or something and pet puppies and wander around until you stop with that frowning business.” She waves her hand in a circular motion by my face. “What do you say?”
“Sure. Let’s go.” The ounce of normalcy might put me in the right state of mind to figure out how to stop Griffin’s death.
Chapter Three
The next day, I decide I need Grandma Ruth’s advice, no matter how hard this is to talk about. Someone’s life is in danger; this is too big to handle on my own. She’s the only person who might understand, the only person who can help me deal with what happened—with what’s going to happen.
My anxiety reaches its peak when I find her downstairs on the couch, book in hand. She looks up, waiting for me to say something. When I fidget, saying nothing, her brows pinch together. “Is something wrong?”
“I… I need to tell you something.”
“All right, dear. Why don’t you sit down?” She pats the seat next to her.
I don’t feel like sitting, I feel like pacing. But I sit anyway.
“Sweetheart, you’re so pale,” she says, leaning in for a closer look. “Tell me what’s wrong.” When I don’t respond, her face morphs into something like concern. “This is about a vision, isn’t it?”
Right. Grandma Ruth has always been the see-too-much type. Nothing gets past her.
Twisting my fingers in my lap, I stare at the floor. Finally, I say in a voice entirely too low, “This wasn’t like the other ones. It— They’re always bad, but this was…horrible.”
“I know it’s hard to see things that don’t always make sense. Being young, being a teenager, trying to work your way around this curse.”
“Grandma, no, it’s—” I run a hand through my hair and release a breath meant to calm me. “It’s not like the other visions. It wasn’t someone lying to me, cheating on me, or spreading rumors.”
She nods slowly, placing one hand on my arm. “So it wasn’t a romantic encounter?”