Ava is the only one who chuckles. “Damn girl, now that’s what I call go big or go home.”
“It’s not in the sense you think. I don’t want to be taken from my life and family for good, I just…want to be kidnapped on the day of my wedding. You know, like in those movies? Yeah, I know it’s fucked up, but uh, I guess in my mind, that’s better than an arranged marriage.”
“I’m sorry,” I whisper.
“It’s okay. It’s my destiny.” She throws up a dismissive hand. “On a more happy note, who wants to party?”
“Do you even have to ask?” Ava jumps up and they both disappear into her room.
Cecily’s still shaking.
“Ces?” I smile at her. “Are you okay?”
“What? Yeah. I’m cool. Totally cool.”
“You said cool twice. Are you sure everything’s all right?”
She nods.
“You know you can talk to me, right?”
Her light eyes glitter as she stares at me for a beat too long. I think she’ll say something, but then she shakes her head. “You’re a doll, did you know that?”
“And you’re hiding something.”
“We all do, Glyn,” she says with a hint of sadness.
“I don’t hide things from you guys.”
“Yeah, right. I guess I missed the convo where a certain Killian has become the center of your attention.”
“That…is not true.”
“Then Anni must’ve been dreaming about the whole flirting session that happened at lunch yesterday.”
“Oh, Anni.”
“Right. Anni. She wouldn’t shut up about it.”
“It means nothing, Ces.”
“It’s okay if it does.” Her expression softens. “I’m happy to see you more balanced these days, even if it’s caused by a bastard from The King’s U.”
“Why do you hate them so much?”
“Have you missed the bastard part?”
I pull away from her, thinking about the nightmare from two days ago. I’ve been meaning to talk to her and Ava about this since I realized it might not have been a nightmare, after all.
“Hey, Ces.”
“Hmm?” she says over the rim of her cup.
“You think I sleep better these days?”
“Totally.”
“I heard you say that to Bran and Ava the night Remi brought fish and chips.”
Her cup freezes halfway to her mouth, but then she takes a sip. “Oh? I must’ve forgotten.”
“Cecily.”
“What?”
“Look at me.”
She casts me a fleeting glance, then focuses back on her cup. “I know your face and love it, Glyn. No need to look at it.”
“You’re hiding something from me.”
An awkward chuckle spills from her. “You probably got things mixed up.”
“I heard you. There’s some filth you, Ava, and Bran are keeping from me. What is it?”
She remains silent.
“Ces, please. I’m not a little girl.”
My friend releases a sigh, puts the cup on the table, and takes my hands in hers. “You’re right. We shouldn’t have hidden it, but we all thought you were in a fragile mental state after…Devlin.”
“What is it?”
“We threw it away because that shit is disgusting, but I took a picture.” She retrieves her phone and scrolls to a photo taken a few weeks ago.
My heart thunders when I see a blank canvas chaotically smeared with red paint. The words are barely legible, but I can see them loud and clear.
Why are you still breathing, Glyndon?
My mouth falls open in a wordless gasp and I stare between it and Cecily. “Where…did you find this?”
“In front of our flat. We called Bran and he said to get rid of it because, well, it would’ve broken you.”
It would’ve.
“Why would anyone do this?” Cecily breathes harshly. “You’re the least antagonistic person on earth. It doesn’t make sense for someone to target you.”
It doesn’t.
Unless I got myself in bigger trouble than I thought.
I’m at a party.
And not just any party.
It’s the party.
As in the one Killian told me to come to and I vehemently refused.
Now, I have a good excuse for the change in my decision. I wasn’t thinking straight when he was around—he just rattles me too much.
But once he left, or more like, once I went to class and was separated from him, I gave it some serious thought. While half focusing on what the professor was saying.
I’m still not over the bitterness of being eliminated from the initiation at the last second for the simple reason of catching the psycho’s attention. But that doesn’t mean I can’t get close to the inner circle and investigate Devlin’s involvement in the club.
My chances of getting rid of Killian are starting to seem impossible, so I might as well use him. If it were anyone else, my upbringing would’ve interfered and I would have felt bad for using them, but this isn’t a normal person.
Killian is a raging monster with no restraints. He targeted me first, so it’s only fair that he gets a taste of his own medicine.
“I can’t believe we got the chance to be here! This is like the shit!” Ava’s awed shout barely reaches me over the loud music and the endless chatter.
Countless students surround the massive pool and some are soaking in the Jacuzzi while singing and shouting and producing all sorts of noise.
To say I’m reaching sensory overload in a matter of ten minutes would be an understatement.
As a weapon, I came with my partners in crime—Ava, Cecily, and Annika.
In fact, this isn’t the party Annika and Ava had planned to go to earlier, considering Anni’s reservations about defying her brother. It was Ava who begged and implored and bribed her with some special edition lipstick so she takes us here. Since REU students aren’t allowed on The King’s U campus or in the Heathens’ compound, we had to use Annika as our ticket here.
If I’d told Killian I was coming, he would’ve given me access, but I won’t be asking anything of that twat.
The only unwilling person here is Cecily, whom we had to drag along. Not only does she hate The King’s U students with a passion, but she’s also a lover of quiet nights like me.
We all wore dresses except for her—or actually, Ava forced me to choose one of hers. I settled on a dark red one that molds against my body and stops right above my knees. Then Anni did my makeup, gave me smoky eyes and lipstick that matches the dress, then styled my hair to fall straight to the middle of my half-bare back.
Those two definitely looked proud of their creation while I was half-horrified, half-doubtful that the one in the mirror was me.
Cecily, however, couldn’t be forced to wear a dress. She’s in jeans and a shirt that says Sorry for the bitch face. Didn’t want to be here.
Her hair is pulled into a ponytail and her lips are pursed tight.
She’s really been moody today, and I have a feeling it’s not due to exams as she claimed.
“Who’s going to be the responsible adults when these two social butterflies get drunk and we have to get them back home?” is what I told Cecily so she’d agree to come along.