Serena’s quiet for a moment. “Nick mentioned that Harper used to have a best friend. That was you?”
I expel a heavy breath. “Yes.”
Her eyes narrow on my face. “And this is connected to Tristan humiliating you publicly?”
I nod. “They both did, but I think Tristan instigated it. I write a fanfic. It’s more than a hobby. It’s basically the only thing I do for fun. It’s my passion.”
She smiles, and I see in her eyes that she wants to ask me about it, but she stays silent. Serena is so good at this. She’s a quiet, nonjudgmental presence. It makes me trust her, even when I’m terrified of trusting people after everything that went down with Tristan and Harper.
“I barely talked to Tristan. Only a bit back when he first started dating Harper years ago. After Harper cut me out of her life, I avoided him like the plague. Then, one day I was hanging out in the library, and Tristan started up a conversation with me. It was really…intense. Like he’d been wanting to talk to me for a while. As delusional as it sounds, I thought maybe he was trying to reach out to me on Harper’s behalf. Like maybe she wanted to reconcile.”
“That’s not delusional at all. What else were you supposed to think?”
I roll my eyes. “I think I got a little cocky, because I ended up telling him all about my fanfic. I even told him my pseudonym. It was almost like I was hoping he would tell Harper about it. She would have loved it when we were younger. It was stupid of me because…” I shut my eyes, fighting the panic rising through my veins. Every time I think about that day in the quad, my pulse starts to pound.
“The next day,” I continue, “I was sitting in the quad eating lunch with my friend Cody. I saw Tristan and Harper and a bunch of their asshole friends and?—”
I take a deep breath, and understanding dawns in Serena’s eyes.
“He read it, didn’t he?” Serena asks.
I shake my head. “Harper did. But he was smiling and…Serena, this look he gave me… I can’t explain it, but it was like… It was like he was enjoying my suffering. I really think he might be a sadist.”
Her expression grows somber. “I’ve seen that side of him too.”
I nod. “Anyway, I’m telling you, it might seem paranoid that I think he’s out to get me, but the thing is, I have proof. He’s done it before. I honestly think he set out to get me that day in the library. To get information from me so that he could embarrass me.”
“But Harper did it too. It wasn’t just Tristan.”
“Yeah, but it’s complicated between me and her. She’s… I know she’s bitchy, but it always comes from a place of hurt. She resents me. I never liked her dad. I always told her I thought he neglected her and her whole family. I didn’t know he was an addict, or I would have never said anything so insensitive. Anyway, she didn’t like the things I said when he was alive, and after…”
She nods slowly. “She resented you after he passed away.”
I expel a breath through tight lips. “Yes.”
“But what does Tristan have against you? What did you do to make him want to hurt you?”
“It’s so weird, because I have no idea.”
She narrows her eyes, looking lost in thought. “Something’s not adding up. Tristan is selfish. I’ve never known him to do something for no reason. What could he have to gain?”
“Like I said, I think he’s a sadist.”
Serena smiles faintly as she starts tidying up the makeup products spread out all over my desk. “I’m not so sure about that. I’m going to watch him today for clues.”
I frown. “Clues about what?”
“About what he’s up to.” She zips up her makeup bag, meeting my eyes. “You can work on solving the escape room with the others. I’ll be trying to solve Tristan.”
I snort. “Good luck with that.”
“Ready for this?”
Tristan’s voice comes from behind me, making me jump. I turn to face him, and the visceral memory of our kiss flashes in my mind.
His warm lips against my skin. His deep, husky voice.
“I’ve wanted this for so long.”
