Lost Stars (The Jewel Project #3)

01.2|| End of the Game

Sam was thinking about it a lot. It haunted his conscience and jumped at him when he least expected it. Especially when he was hung over and gathering stray bottles into a plastic bag. Kyle's birthday party hadn't been huge, but wild enough to get Sam to forget he shouldn't drink until he turned twenty one himself. Or maybe he should drink more often and get some practice so he wouldn't get floored so easily. Adulthood was confusing.

But after a fun evening, a lovely day, getting back with Christine and the news of Kay's return, guilt crashed into him like a tidal wave. Because he suddenly felt like he'd slacked off. From what, he wasn't sure and the headache wasn't helping.

Neither was the sun. The moment he stepped outside to take the bottles to the trashcans, the light almost blinded him. He hissed like an angry vampire as he made his way towards the curb, dragging the bag behind him. The bottles clattered merrily as if not responsible for his misery. He finally reached the trashcans and stuffed the bag inside. After he put the lid back on, Sam leaned his elbows on top of it and looked at his house.

Something felt off. As much as he thought about it, he couldn't figure out what was wrong, what worried him. Sure, there were the obvious things like the agency and JT and Steve coming back and the appearance of Eddie, but he wasn't sure it was about the Agency. Though, if completely honest, Sam wanted to grab Herrison by the collar and shake some information out of him. What was going on?

He'd known that JT was the leader of the backup team, but who the heck was on the backup team? Were there other recruits Sam didn't know? Should he know them? And were they ever going to find out what the deal with those damn jewels was? So far, no luck. Herrison had basically repeated what he'd said to them in Magnet Town and only shrugged when they asked for more. Herrison shrugged way too much for Sam's liking.

But despite all that, this time, Sam's unease came from inside his own house. There was something wrong with... something. Or someone. Or maybe it was just his headache. Right on cue, powerful light hit him in the eyes. He sucked air through his teeth and stumbled back, white sparks erupting everywhere. He hit the trashcan and almost went tumbling down with it.

"God, Sam, you really need to work on your balance."

Sam rubbed his eyes and his vision gradually returned. Tom stood in front of him, another plastic bag in his hand, grinning from ear to ear. Sam's unease dimmed at the sight of his twin. Frowning, he looked around for the source of the blinding light. Huh, just the sun reflecting off of next door's window. Hangovers sucked!

"This headache is killing me."

"Then maybe you should learn how to drink," Tom pointed out, stuffing his bag in another trashcan.

"You're not hung over," Sam noticed.

Tom's grin only widened. "That's because I know how to drink. It's a delicate balance of food, exercise and booze. You just went with booze. Of course your head hurts."

Sam took in a deep breath, committing the advice to memory. They were starting school in two days and he hoped he'd be functioning properly by then.

Tom looked back at the house thoughtfully, drumming his fingers against the lid of the trashcan. "Do you think Jessie will come back, too?"

"You asking for a friend?" Sam asked with a smirk.

"Not really. Asking for myself, too. I actually miss her. Her and Kay."

And Angie. The words floated between them even if unspoken. Sam swallowed heavily. He missed Jessie and Kay too, but if he were completely honest, he missed Angie a bit more. Maybe it was because they'd spent more time together or because they were both assholes towards Tom, but Sam felt he had a bond with his twin's girlfriend. One he didn't share with any of the other girls.