But I guess I'm not the girl he fought for.
Not anymore.
Chapter 27
TANK
She'sthe most perfect thing I've ever seen.
Ellie walks across the quad like she owns it, pink streaks catching the afternoon sun, and my chest does that stupid clenching thing it's been doing since she held my hand for the first time, smiling at me like I wasn't a monster.
I'm trying to blend in. Failing spectacularly.
The weekend is over, which means she's back to her normal routine and I'm back to mine.
Stalking.
If you want to be generous, guarding.
The college kids give me a wide berth, their eyes skating over my frame before darting away like they've seen something they shouldn't. I'm used to it. Can't blame them. I obviously don't fucking belong here.
Not under normal circumstances.
I shift my weight, adjusting the bandana that's starting to make my face sweat. The gas mask would be worse, but at least people would assume I'm making some kind of statement instead of just... existing.
Kade volunteered me for first shift watching her. Said it was because I needed to "get my head out of my ass" about the Ellie situation. More likely, he's punishing me for daring to suggest his methods might be too harsh.
Or maybe he knows I've been doing this anyway. Following her between classes, keeping to the shadows, making sure she's safe even when she doesn't know I'm there.
She stops to sit on a bench near the library, pulling out her phone. I'm too far away to see what she's looking at, but I know her patterns. She'll check it exactly five times before putting it away. Count to five between each check. Everything in fives because that's her safe number.
I taught her to sign numbers when we were kids, and she latched onto five like it was a lifeline.
One, two, three, four, five.
Five ofus.
My own fingers tap against my thigh, hidden in the pocket of my jeans. Mimicking her rhythm like it's contagious. Religious. Like if I count the same numbers, we're still connected somehow.
A group of frat boys passes, their laughter too loud, and one of them calls out to her. "Hey, Ellie! You coming to the party tonight?"
She looks up, and even from here I can see her smile. The fake one. "Can't. Family stuff."
"Your loss. Josh was asking about you."
Josh Henderson. The trust fund asshole who's weaseled his way into her friend group. The one whose name is written on a list in my head of people who need to disappear.
But Kade made me promise to wait. Said we can't leave a trail of dead frat boys leading back to us until after the senator's dealt with.
Practical.
Still doesn't stop me from wanting to snap Josh's neck every time I hear his name. I might not deserve to exist in the same world as her, but neither does he.
Eleanor waves them off and goes back to her phone. I should move. Find a different vantage point before she notices me lurking like some kind of?—
Her head snaps up.
Fuck.
