#Chapter 296: I’ll Be Leaving Soon Anyway

I followed Julian back up the beach, but when he returned to the mansion, I veered back to the bonfire. By now, the fire was dying down. Veronica and Jessica were sitting with their backs to it, facing the ocean. They each had a glass of wine and a marshmallow in hand. The opened bag sat between them. I walked over to them. “Where’s Nicholas?” “He went inside soon after you left,” Veronica said. “He didn’t even say goodnight,” Jessica added. “It’s been a long day today,” Veronica told her. Jessica shrugged. “True.” “Why don’t you join us for a while, Piper?” Veronica added. I looked back at the mansion, where Julian and just disappeared inside. I tried to imagine myself going to my room and trying to sleep. With the thought of that kiss in the front of my mind, sleep didn’t seem likely. “Okay,” I said, and plopped myself down onto the soft sand on the other side of Veronica. She grabbed the bag of marshmallows and held it out for me. I accepted one and plopped it in my mouth. A