Unlucky Like Us (Like Us, #12)

by Krista Ritchie

We share a lethal attraction, and I’ve never fully understood Romeo and Juliet till I found a love I’d rather die inside than live without.

“I’ve been the son of addicts, a high school dropout, a slut, a tattooist, and a bodyguard, and I love everything about myself, despite so many people telling me I should hate who I am. That I’m shit. That I’m nothing. Not worth air. Not worth this life. I know I’m worth everything. And the girl I’ve fallen for—she’s loved herself tenderly. Wholeheartedly.”

“You don’t embarrass me, Luna Hale. You never have, and you never will. It’s something you already knew, but I’ll tell you a million times if I need to: I’m the guy who’s never gonna be ashamed of anything you ever do. I’ll likely do all those things with you too.”

I hold her, and as I begin to drift, I hear her murmur one last thing to me. “I wanna do all the amazing things in this world.” The tail-end is too quiet to catch, but I’m hoping she said, with you. Please let it be with me.

“Look at me,” Farrow urges, his clutch strong on my skull. I let my hand fall off my hot face. And with everything inside him, he tells me, “You are my family.” Tears gather in both our eyes, tears I don’t think we’ve ever shared like this. “That’s never changing.”

I look up at my best friend. The closest thing I’ll ever have to a brother. And I know I’m gonna be okay, even if it takes some time. Bagel. Friends. Easier nights. Better tomorrows. He clasps my hand, and I rise.

She nods repeatedly, and we break away to grab our sandwiches—but pieces of me always feel entwined and bound to Luna, no matter how far apart we truly are.

“What’s the point of this?” “What’s the point of living?” Eliot refutes. “To be entertained,

Moffy says, “I love you both more than Dad loves Hellion, Cyclops, and Quicksilver all rolled in one.” “Bullshit,” Xander nearly smiles. “My love is that big, Summers. Better believe it.” I begin to smile now. “I believe,” I whisper. The love of my family is the easiest thing to have belief in.

@StaleBread89: Never heard of a LunaQuinn. Luna and Donnelly are the better match. No contest. #Lunnelly

“Don’t leave me hanging,” Oscar says. “What’s the prognosis? They make you Epsilon’s errand boy for a month?” I can’t speak, thoughts evacuate, and I’m burning up. I grip the plain black tee I’m wearing, but I don’t take it off. “Donnelly?” “I am Epsilon,” I say.

NO WAY WHAT

“My heart is a chasm of everything I know and love, and it will always be filled with you.” I can’t look away from her. “I love you, Luna. I love you so bad, not having you just hurts.”

Memories are threads sewn into a magnificent tapestry of life, and following this one teeny string led me back to him.

I flip the cover and see the title page, more like a preface. “Dear Unearthly Reader…” I begin to read the typed font. “One day, possibly millenniums from now when you discover this planet, I imagine you’ll find this story entombed beneath centuries of rubble and heartache.”

no wayyyy

I want to always believe in myself. Because writing this and finding this feels so, so unbelievable, and no sentient creature descended from an unknown galaxy to gift me the knowledge I craved. This, all along, was just me.

I’ll find him. It’s a desire, a need, an obsession, possibly, but mostly, it’s a yearning to simply exist with him. And I really want to exist with Paul Donnelly.

“I like the cold,” I say. “Makes my nipples hard.” He glares, then touches his chest. “Luna’s dad.”

Maximoff joins us, pocketing his phone. And he looks at his sister as he says, “There’s been a death in the family.”

better be that old crow