Alive If

Chapter 9

"No worries," the stranger says, pulling off his mask.

It's him. Shirtless field guy. Mr. Pec-Pecs and No Boundaries. Man titty dude?! Hickey von Tramp?! I scream internally.

Of course fate sent him again. And now he's... wearing a shirt? Shocking.

"Thank you, sir," Santhy says softly.

He gives her a warm smile. The kind that could melt butter. Or manipulate a jury. I resist the urge to gag. That face doesn't match the ego.

If I ever had to pick someone I'd resent forever—maybe even kill—it might be him.

My stomach dips. Santhy's warning echoes again in the back of my mind.

One of them will kill you.

And right now, every instinct I have is telling me it's him.

"Wait, you're the girl who—"

My bag of stationery hits him square in the face before he can finish.

"Oops," I say sweetly. "There was a spider."

He blinks. "A spider?"

"Huge. Venomous. You're welcome."

He looks like he's still buffering. Good. That's two wins for me.

"Thanks for saving her, Hickey von Tramp," I mutter like a curse.

It stings that I can't fully blow up at him for what happened on the field. He did save her. Technically. I hate technically.

But I'm still mentally throwing rocks. I shiver, traumatized, knowing his chest sweat was once on my lips.

"I'm no hero. Just an expert. Right place, right time." He winks. Ugh.

"I'm tired, Fie. Can we go home?" Santhy murmurs. She looks wiped out. Honestly, I'm not doing great either.

"We're not strangers anymore," Hickey says, oddly sincere. "There's a kid involved. I could help... if that's okay?"

I want to refuse. I should refuse. But Santhy tugs at me with those wide, exhausted eyes.

For a second, her hand is ice-cold. Too cold. Red like frostbite.

I blink—and it's gone. Just soft, sleepy fingers.

She's just tired... right? Time travel can't do that to a kid. Can it?

"Please? He smells like gym socks and drama, but he did save me..." she whispers.

I shoot her a look. She shoots me one right back, all big eyes and guilt-trip level 9000.

I sigh. "Fine."

He kneels down like it's the most normal thing to offer piggyback rides to strange kids in the dark.

"You okay?" he asks.

Santhy nods and clings to him like a sleepy koala.

Meanwhile, I'm standing there like, uh, hello? Stranger danger?

But nope. Apparently she trusts him now. Great. Weird.

Santhy never trusts people this fast. She barely trusted me the first time we met—and I'm her mom.

What changed?

"It's about a twenty-minute walk. Are we keeping you?" I ask, side-eyeing the post-workout exhaustion he's trying to hide.

"Nah. I was heading home anyway."

Five minutes pass in silence.

"You okay up there, kid?" he calls.