“Yeah … this … it’s the one,” I panted with my hands over my knees.
Jake looked me over with wide eyes. “Damn, girl. You seriously need to exercise more. You were in great shape when Ollie was here.”
Bria laughed.
I didn’t.
Jake swung an arm over my shoulder. “Come on, lighten up a little bit.”
The door before us swung open, and the three of us immediately straightened our posture. A man over six-feet-tall stood over us, long dark hair just above the shoulders, and drooped earlobes from those big hole earrings, I’d assumed. The guy’s pale skin glowed against his black clothing, and his lips were perfection. Frosty blue eyes sliced through the three of us between his long black lashes. “Can I help you?”
“I … um … ye…” Jake shoved my shoulder for assistance as he fell into a hypnotized state.
“I’m Mia. This is Jake and Bria. We just wanted to welcome you to Dolor.” Being new at this whole introducing thing, I tried to remember how Jake and Alicia did this when they appeared at my door on the first day. “Want to be a part of our pity-party?”
The dark-haired guy raised his brow. “Pity party?”
“Well, no. That was a joke. You see, when I first arriv—
Bria dug her heel into my foot to silence me. “What she means to say is, if you’re ever looking for a good time, let us know.”
“Ah, a good time? What makes you think I’m down?”
Bria rocked on her heels and ran her finger across her lip. She had this in the bag. “I guess there’s only way to find out. Friday. Meet us after breakfast.”
He leaned over and planted his palm over the dorm frame. “In the morning?”
“I-it-it’s kind of an all-day event,” Bria stammered.
Great, she was buckling. I had Jake to my right who was still in shock and drooling, and Bria who forgot how to use her voice box.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
The dark-haired guy’s pale blue eyes slid to me in the middle. “Jude.”
“See you on Friday, Jude,” I grabbed both helpless humans from beside me and dragged them away from his door. “You two need to get a grip,” I whispered when we got at least ten feet away. I turned back around to find Jude’s head hanging out of the door frame, and his lip turned up in the corner.
“Easy for you to say, you only have eyes for the one bloke who isn’t here,” Bria finally spoke after coming back from her Jude-induced coma. “Ollie’s not coming back, Mia. It’s been seven months. Time to have some fun.”
“You mean to tell me Mia hasn’t … in seven months?” Jake’s expression utterly shocked.
“Bria either,” I countered with my eyes shooting daggers at her.
“I have a good reason. I’m still adjusting,” Bria said defensively. Instantly, guilt washed over me for mentioning it. Bria was still recovering from what happened New Years, but I became proud of all she had accomplished since then. “Although, Jude is just what I needed to push me into full recovery.”
Turning the corner, I’m face to face with another wall of books rising to the ceiling. Colors of their bindings blur together along with my vision as I spin in circles, looking for a way out. There is no way out. Running through the maze, my heart pounds inside my ears and it hurts to breathe. The moment I stop running is the moment I give up. I know this, and I keeprunning.
“Ollie, I can’t find you!” I cry out, my head turning in all directions. All I see are books, dozens of them closing in on me. “Call out to me!”
The books laugh back at me, taunting whispers flow through their pages. Their words wrap around my windpipe. Each aisle I run through inch smaller and smaller, shelves cave in, and before I know it, I have to squeeze through the aisles.
My legs give out and my body collapses to the ground. I drop my head into my hands as my senses overpower with defeat.
“Wake up!”
My eyes flew open to see someone leaning over my bed with a hand over my shoulder. “Ollie?”
His jaw clenched. “Ethan.”
