Kill Switch by Penelope Douglas

Banks’ head fell back as she and Kai laughed, and Michael
couldn’t help grinning as he dipped down, helping Alex up.
“I don’t think he’ll be at school on Monday,” he remarked.
“Yeah, he should be three states over by then,” Kai added.
“Or confessing to the police,” Will snickered.
No one could stop laughing, all of us shaking with the
amusement at the painful ride home he was going to have
tonight and the sleep he wasn’t gonna get for a few days until
he realized it was a prank.
“And if he does it again,” Alex snapped, aggravated with
the mess all over her as she shot a look to Will, “we’ll put him
in a bed between your legs, surrounded by dildos and lube
next time.”
“Now that was an idea,” Will chimed in, pointing to me
with an excited look.
We all broke into laughter again, picturing the sight, and
my head was light and my stomach unknotted for the first time
in a long time. I hadn’t laughed like this in a while.
My head fell back, exhausted from the day and night, but
kind of happy.
Really happy, actually.
But then the chuckles died down.
They faded to smiles, which faded to nothing, and we all
grew quiet, discomfort and awkwardness chilling the air as we
remembered we hated each other.
Years ago, this was what it was like with us. Before we
realized fun had a price, and anger clouded everything as we
latched on to anyone to blame.
Especially me.
Tonight was a bittersweet reminder of everything I’d
ruined, and they hadn’t forgotten that it was mostly my fault.
We’d happily fallen back into the things that helped us find
each other for a few minutes. The same needs, the same