“Yes, really.” I playfully bump my shoulder into his. “That leather jacket and fancy watch outed you.”
He stuffs his hands into his pockets. “I guess I didn’t really think about that.”
“I’m surprised you weren’t robbed.” I swing around a bush in the path we’re heading down.
With the branches canopying above us, the moonlight has slipped away, giving the surroundings an ominous sort of vibe. I become highly aware of how dumb of an idea it was to consider walking back by myself. Crossing my fingers, too, that River is a trustworthy person.
He frowns as if this just occurred to him.
I cover my mouth to hide my impending laugh. He totally notices, though, and narrows his eyes at me.
“Are you laughing at me?” he questions. He’s not angry, though. Honestly, he appears slightly amused.
“Sort of.” I lower my hand as my smile breaks through. We’ve reached the end of the path, and I’m grateful as the dorm building comes into view, because I’m feeling a bit dizzy from the alcohol. “I’m sorry. It’s just that it’s cute how naïve you are about certain things.”
“I’m not naïve,” he argues. When I raise my brows, he sighs. “Okay, maybe I am about northside, but here, I’m not.”
“Fair enough.”
“And maybe you’re naïve in this world.”
“Maybe.” I probably am, honestly. But I’m not about to give him that.
We fall into silence as we make our way down the sidewalk and toward the entrance of the building. The sprinklers are on, and the light spritz is the only sound that can be heard, except for crickets. The sidewalks that cross the academy yard are a series of crisscrosses and mazes, yet he appears to know exactly where to go, veering left then right.
“Maybe we could trade secrets,” he suggests as we reach the door to the main building. He digs his phone out to scan the code to get inside. Once it buzzes open, he holds the door open for me, and we walk in. “You know, like you teach me about northside, and I’ll teach you about the ins and outs of the academy.”
My shoes squeak against the floor as we start down the hallway lit up with faint lighting from a few chandeliers that have been left on.
“You really want to help me with something else?” My stomach is starting to twist with the burn of lingering whiskery that I drank earlier. “On top of helping me with my running?”
He lifts his shoulders then stuffs his hands into his pockets. “I don’t mind.”
I question why. Why is he being so nice to me?
I’m about to ask him when we arrive at the door to my dorm room. Suddenly, he slams to a halt with his eyes locked on the door.
“What the hell?” In the low lighting of the empty hallway, he looks pale.
I track his gaze, and my stomach churns.
“You shouldn’t have come here,” is written across my door in paint that bleeds down the surface ever so slightly.
“What the hell?” I murmur, and then it hits, vomit burning in my throat. “Shit, I think I’m going to throw up.”
CHAPTER 16
MADDISON
My eyelids flutter open,and the first thing I notice is that my head is pounding. The next thing is that my mouth tastes like ass.
“What the hell?” I groan as I move to sit up. The movement makes my stomach muscles throb. That’s when the memories start trickling back to me.
The party.
Whiskey pong.
Getting grabbed.
