And I think I will start by seeing just how much damage I can do with a black card. Mom always says looking good is the best revenge. Maybe it’s time I prove her right.
I look at my clock, see it's already almost eight, grab my luggage, and head out of my dorm. I walk down the big hill to the security building, where I have to sign out and wait for my cab.
I turn my phone back on, in case the cab company needs to get a hold of me, and throw it back in my purse.
I hear my phone power up then hear numerous dings and beeps as emails, texts, and notifications start coming in.
I'll look at them in the cab. Or just delete them.
I walk into the security building, say good morning to one of the guards, and size him up. Wonder if he'd ever let Vincent in.
“Morning, Miss Monroe. Your cab is waiting outside the gate.”
“Thank you,” I say as I sign the form he puts in front of me.
“I tried to call you a few minutes ago to verify you had called for one.”
“Sorry, I didn't have my phone on. Is that the procedure for visitors? You call before you let them in?”
“We have very strict procedures about who gets on campus. We have lots of important kids here and kidnapping is always something we worry about and guard against. We've never let anyone in that didn't belong. Never had an incident in my twenty-two years here.”
I pray silently that I won’t be the first.
“There was a girl at my old school that had a stalker. He was really tricky and got through campus security by lying about who he was and why he was there.”
“Well, you can be certain that won't happen here, Miss. We check and double check before we let anyone on campus.”
He waves at a delivery truck that has just come through the gate. I notice that the guard down at the booth just waved him though. The truck never even stopped.
“What about that guy?”
“Oh, that's Gary. He's been delivering to the café for a couple years. He'll stop and have a cup of coffee on his way out.”
“What do you do if Gary is sick?”
“What do you mean?”
“What if someone pretended Gary was sick and drove his truck in?”
“Well, we’d call and verify that he was sick, but if he's in Gary’s truck, he's probably okay.”
I give him a worried look. “Yeah, maybe.”
He looks at me shrewdly. “But you’re right. That might be a weakness to consider. Oh, there's your cab. Have a nice weekend.”
My cab pulls up as I walk out of the building.
We’re loading my bag into the trunk, when a car comes flying toward us. I recognize Dawson’s BMW.
It screeches to a halt behind the cab. All four doors open as Dawson and Jake jump out of the back seat. Dallas gets out of the front passenger side, and Riley slowly stretches his long body out of the driver’s side.
I'm trying to process how Jake and Dawson are with Riley and Dallas when they are on the amazing weekend trip with Whitney and crew.
My heart is in my stomach again.
Dawson marches up to me, grabs my waist, and says, “Keatie, what the hell?”
“What the hell?” I say back. I have no idea what the hell he means. I also pull myself out of his grip. I don’t want him to touch me.
“Why didn’t you tell me Whitney told you not to come? I only went because I thought it would be fun for us to spend the weekend together with our friends.”
“They’re your friends, Dawson. They aren’t really mine.”
“Bullshit. Jake loves you. He told Whitney off and came back with me. Bryce thinks you’re cool—”
I interrupt him. “It doesn’t matter. Whitney hates me. And I don’t want any part of a group that she’s in. She’s not a nice person, Dawson. She’s really not.”
“We all know she can be a bitch, Keatie. We just never expected her to do something like this.”
“I saw the photos of you and Rachel. Whitney told me you have been texting her all week long and that you were going to hook up with her this weekend. Obviously, she was right.”
Dawson shakes his head at me. “Whitney said put your heads together and smile. I’ve known Rachel since middle school. I probably have a million pictures of us doing stuff together. We’re just friends and the only thing I have been texting her about is this weekend. I don’t like her. And Whitney led me to believe that you were in the other limo. That it would be good for you to get to know everyone. When we got to the resort, I couldn’t find you.”
I speak to Jake. “You really told Whitney off? And left her?”
“I did. I told her that royalty has to treat everyone with respect and since she did that to you, I was leaving.”
“OMG! Jake. That’s awesome. But you know it’s just going to make her hate me more.”
“I don’t care,” he says and gives me a hug.