MARRY YOUR KILLER
Chapter Twelve: The Boys' Chaos
---
The morning started quietly.
Too quietly.
Jay woke on the sofa, wrapped in Keifer's blanket, her head on a pillow that hadn't been there when she fell asleep. The house was still. The sun was low. Most of the chaos from the night before was still sleeping.
She sat up slowly. Her ribs ached. Her jaw throbbed. But she was alive. She was safe.
She looked around. Care was on the other sofa, her hand hanging off the edge. Cole was on the floor beside her, his head near her knee. Alex was in his corner chair, slumped sideways, his mouth open. Lyra was still by the window, standing, watching. She didn't sleep. She never slept.
But Keifer was gone.
Jay stood up. Her legs held. She walked to the kitchen. Empty. She walked to the dining room. Empty. She walked to the door.
The front door was open.
She stepped outside. The garden was quiet. The street was quiet. The gate was closed.
And then she heard it.
Laughter. Loud laughter. The kind of laughter that came from somewhere deep, somewhere that had forgotten how to laugh until now.
She followed the sound.
They were in the back garden. All of them. Keifer. Percy. Aries. Yuri.
They were standing in a circle, shirtless, covered in mud. The garden hose was on the ground, still running, spraying water across the grass. There was mud on the fence. Mud on the trees. Mud on Yuri's face, which was the most surprising thing Jay had ever seen.
Percy was laughing so hard he could barely stand. His hands were on his knees. His shoulders were shaking. His face was red.
"You should have seen your face," Percy gasped. "Your face, Yuri. I've never—I've never seen you look like that—"
Yuri wiped mud from his eyes. His face was cold. His voice was colder.
"You threw mud at me."
"I threw mud at everyone."
"You threw mud at my face."
"It was an accident."
"It wasn't an accident. You looked at me. You aimed. You threw."
Percy's laughter died. He looked at Yuri. His face was suddenly serious.
"It was an accident," he said.
Yuri stared at him. Then he bent down. He scooped up a handful of mud. He threw it at Percy's face.
Percy didn't move. The mud hit him square in the mouth.
"Now it's even," Yuri said.
Percy stood there for a moment. Mud dripped down his chin. His face was unreadable.
Then he smiled.
"You're going to regret that," he said.
He lunged.
Yuri was faster. He dodged left, scooped more mud, threw it at Percy's chest. Percy stumbled. He grabbed Aries for balance. Aries went down. Aries grabbed Keifer. Keifer went down. The hose sprayed water everywhere.
Jay watched from the doorway. She couldn't move. She couldn't speak.
Aries was laughing. Aries never laughed. Aries was the quiet one, the serious one, the one who held everything together when she couldn't. But Aries was on the ground now, covered in mud, laughing like a child.
Keifer was laughing too. His face was open. His eyes were bright. He looked younger than she had ever seen him. He looked like someone who had forgotten, just for a moment, that the world was trying to kill him.
Yuri was standing in the middle of it all, covered in mud, his red hair dripping, his face still cold. But his eyes—his eyes were different. Softer. Almost warm.
Percy was on his back, mud everywhere, laughing so hard he couldn't breathe.
"I love you guys," Percy said. "I love you so much. You're my brothers. You're my idiots. I love you."
Keifer looked at him. "You threw mud at Yuri's face."
"It was an accident."
"It wasn't an accident."
"It was a love accident. I threw mud because I love him."
Yuri looked at Percy. His face was blank.
"If you throw mud at me again," Yuri said, "I will bury you in this garden."
Percy grinned. "Worth it."
---
Jay stepped out of the doorway.
The four of them turned. Percy's grin widened. Aries sat up. Keifer's face changed—something soft, something private, something just for her.
Yuri looked at her. Then he looked at the mud on his hands. Then he looked at Percy.
"This is your fault," Yuri said.
"Everything is my fault," Percy said happily. "That's my brand."
Jay walked toward them. Her ribs ached. Her legs were shaky. But she kept walking.
She stopped in front of Keifer. He was covered in mud. His hair was wet. His chest was bare. There was mud on his neck, his shoulders, his arms.
He smiled at her. "Good morning."
"Good morning," she said. "What happened to your garden?"
"Percy happened."
"Percy happened to all of us," Aries said. They were sitting in the mud now, not moving, like they had decided this was their home.
Jay looked at her twin. Aries's face was muddy. Their hair was muddy. They were smiling. Aries never smiled like that. Aries was the serious one. The careful one. The one who held everything together.
"Aries," Jay said. "You're in the mud."
"I know."
"You hate mud."
"I know." Aries looked at Percy. Percy was still on his back, still laughing, still covered in mud. "He threw me."
"You grabbed me," Percy said.
"You were falling."
"I was falling on purpose. I wanted to see if you would catch me."
"You fell on me."
"I fell with you. There's a difference."
Aries stared at Percy. Then they picked up a handful of mud and threw it at his face.
Percy sat up. Mud dripped down his nose. His smile was huge.
"You're learning," he said.
---
Jay stood beside Keifer. Her shoulder against his. Her hand at her side.
"You're all idiots," she said.
"I know," Keifer said.
"Your garden is destroyed."
"I know."
"Your neighbors are watching."
Keifer looked at the fence. There were faces. Three of them. Old women in house robes, holding coffee cups, watching the chaos with expressions of deep disapproval.
"Ignore them," Keifer said.
"They're judging you."
"They've been judging me since I moved in. This is nothing new."
Jay looked at him. His face was muddy. His hair was wet. He looked ridiculous. He looked happy.
"You're covered in mud," she said.
"You're not."
She looked down at herself. Her dress was clean. Her hair was dry. She was standing in the middle of a mud fight, and she was clean.
"That's going to change," Keifer said.
She looked at him. His hand was behind his back.
"Keifer," she said.
"Yes?"
"Don't."
He smiled. "I have to."
"You don't have to."
"It's tradition."
"What tradition?"
He pulled his hand forward. There was mud in it. A lot of mud.
"New tradition," he said.
He threw it.
It hit her shoulder. Cold. Wet. Mud splattered across her dress, her neck, her jaw. She stood there for a moment, frozen.
The garden went quiet.
Percy stopped laughing. Aries stopped smiling. Yuri's eyes went wide.
Keifer looked at her. His face was cautious now. Almost nervous.
"Jay," he said.
She bent down. She scooped up a handful of mud. She stood up. She looked at him.
"Run," she said.
He ran.
She chased him across the garden, mud in her hand, her ribs screaming, her legs shaking, laughing so hard she could barely see. Percy was shouting. Aries was cheering. Yuri was standing in the middle of it all, watching, not moving, but his face—his face was almost smiling.
She caught Keifer by the fence. He turned. She threw the mud at his chest. He grabbed her wrists. She stumbled. He caught her.
They stood there, chest to chest, covered in mud, breathing hard.
"You chased me," he said.
"You threw mud at me."
"You threw mud back."
"You deserved it."
He smiled. His face was close. Too close. His hands were still on her wrists. His chest was against hers.
"I deserved it," he said.
She didn't move away. Neither did he.
---
Percy's voice broke the silence.
"FINALLY."
Jay turned. Percy was on his feet now, mud everywhere, his arms raised like he had just won something.
"Finally," he said again. "Finally. Do you know how long I've been waiting for this? How long? Years. Years of watching you two dance around each other. Years of pretending you don't care. Years of—"
"Percy," Keifer said.
"Look at them. Look. They're covered in mud. They're standing in the garden. They're—"
"Percy."
"They're in love. They're in love and they're covered in mud and this is the best day of my life."
Aries was laughing again. Yuri was shaking his head. But he was almost smiling.
Keifer looked at Jay. His hands were still on her wrists. His face was close.
"Ignore him," Keifer said.
"I always ignore him."
"Good."
They stood there for a moment longer. Then Jay pulled away. She bent down. She scooped up more mud.
She threw it at Percy's face.
Percy stood there, mud dripping down his nose, his mouth open.
"I love you too," he said.
---
The garden was destroyed.
The grass was torn up. The flowers were flattened. The fence was covered in mud. The old women had given up watching and gone back inside.
They sat on the back steps, the five of them, covered in mud, drinking coffee that Care had brought out without a word. She had looked at them, shaken her head, and walked back inside. But she was smiling.
Percy was still talking. He never stopped talking. He was telling a story about college, about Keifer, about something that involved a fire alarm and a goat. No one was sure if it was true. No one cared.
Aries was beside Jay. Their shoulder against hers. Their hand in her hand.
"You're happy," Aries said. Quiet. Just for her.
Jay looked at Keifer. He was listening to Percy, laughing at something, his face open, his eyes bright.
"Yes," she said.
Aries squeezed her hand. "Good."
---
Yuri was sitting apart from the others. His face was still cold. His eyes were still sharp. But he was there. He was staying.
Percy moved to sit beside him. He didn't say anything. He just sat there, close enough to be there.
"You threw mud at me," Yuri said.
"I threw mud at everyone."
"You threw mud at my face."
"Your face is very throwable."
Yuri looked at him. His face was blank. But his eyes—his eyes were something else.
"If you throw mud at me again," Yuri said, "I will throw you in the pool."
"We don't have a pool."
"I will build a pool. Then I will throw you in it."
Percy grinned. "That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me."
Yuri looked away. But he didn't move. And Percy stayed beside him.
---
Jay leaned against Keifer. Her head on his shoulder. Her eyes closed.
"We have to go back today," she said. "To my mother's house. To my uncle."
"I know."
"He's going to know something has changed."
"I know."
"He's going to know we're not enemies anymore."
Keifer's arm went around her. His hand on her shoulder. His warmth against her side.
"Let him know," Keifer said.
She opened her eyes. She looked at him.
"Together," she said.
"Together," he said.
---
Percy stood up. He stretched. He looked at the destroyed garden, the muddy clothes, the five of them sitting on the steps like children who had been caught.
"This was a good morning," he said.
Aries looked at him. "You destroyed Keifer's garden."
"It was worth it."
"You threw mud at Yuri's face."
"It was worth it."
"You got mud in my hair."
Percy looked at Aries's hair. Mud was everywhere.
"It was worth it," he said.
Aries stood up. They picked up the hose. They turned it on. They sprayed Percy in the face.
Percy stood there, water running down his face, his mouth open, his eyes wide.
"Worth it," he said.
And they were all laughing again.
---
END OF CHAPTER TWELVE