With or without my partner.
Callie and Gavino ran away with quick waves, murmuring about their dare, while Shaun’s eyes drilled into mine. “You got this, Ella.”
Sighing, I headed down the hallway and shone my flashlight over my first dare again.
The key resides in the land of fiction.
I only had to ponder for a few more seconds before it clicked in my mind.
Then I ran headlong for the library on the second floor.
C H A P T E R5
Just You And I In This Hellhole
Cade
The Present
12:02 a.m.
Igot paired with my ex-girlfriend for Initiation Night.
As it so happened, the universe was finally working in my favour.
Or, at the very least, Shaun was. When the first round of dares was being distributed, he peeked at mine, ripped it from my hands, and swapped it with Jamie Callahan, a junior on the hockey team, who was team number six.
“Thank me later,” Shaun had said.
This was thefavourhe was talking about.
And I was not complaining one bit.
When I snuck into St. Victoria with all the boys from the hockey team, I made sure to stay in the shadows. I was afraid if Ella spotted me, she’d get out of dodge before I had the chance to be near her, speak with her, fucking breathe the same air as her.
My chest tightened with a twinge when I traced her silhouette by the row of lockers. Excitement slowly veined over her visage as she perused the crowd with the confidence of a girl who’d only ever stood on a pedestal.
God, she was beautiful as ever.
My memories didn’t do her justice.
That modelesque body was poured in tight, high-waisted, black jeans that looked painted on her skin, a cropped black leather jacket that emphasized her badass allure, and her palm-sized tits were covered in a triangular-shaped orange bralette that was sexy and indecent. Even standing from afar, she got me so fucking hot. Not to mention, Ella’s black mane was now chopped into a straight line just above her shoulders, showcasing that slender neck that used to be layered with my love bites and teeth marks.
During our three-year relationship, Ella usually wore her luscious waves down to her waist. I’d been obsessed with her hair. Running my fingers through it when she lay her head on my stomach. Washing it thoroughly when we showered together. Fisting it as I fucked her from behind like a dirty little princess.
But I didn’t mourn the length of it. Not when she lookedthatgood with her new cut. I was already fantasizing running my fingers over her nape and testing the short strands against my strength.
When everyone broke off to find their partners and Ella said she was looking for number six, I bowed out before she could find me. It might seem like a cowardly move, but I needed to buy some time to mentally prepare myself for the storm that was my ex-girlfriend.
She wouldn’t be happy with our pairing. I was banking on her throwing a fit. Anger meant emotions and anything was better than the indifferent front she’d assumed whenever we ran into each other. Montardor was a big city, but the elite society ran in the same circles, including our families. I saw Ella a handful of times throughout the summer because of galas, family dinners, Olivia and Emilio’s playdates, and so on.
Glimpsing her usually came with a mixture of joy and hurt.
But I didn’t care as long as I sawher.
Now I waited for the little heartbreaker inside the library, leaning against the wall beside the ancient double doors, my arms folded across my chest.
On cue, I heard the familiar click-clack of her high-heeled boots entering the hallway of the north wing. The sound caused my blood to pump faster.
