KIRA What about tomorrow?
I set the phone down before I say something else I regret and try to come up with some kind of excuse.
Maybe I could just tell her I have a stalker. I could say he's an ex, that I think he got into my room and don't feel super safe going out right now.
I'll have to ask Dax.
I'm mad at myself as soon as I think it.
Sighing, I decide to go back to my homework, but before I do, the windows along the back wall catch my eye.
The sun has set. And Elias said if I wasn't back before dark, he would come find me and drag me back.
I don't believe him—I don't know how he'd find me in the first place, but I don't really want to walk back in the dark, either.
I scramble to put my things back into my bag, rushing toward the staircase and then out the door and into the dark quad. It's not like it's empty; there are still people leaving later classes or heading out with their friends.
But it's eerie. I get that feeling again, and the hair on the back of my neck stands up. I resist the urge to look behind me for as long as I can before risking a quick glance.
A man follows not too far behind with a hoodie covering his head and his hands in his front pockets. He doesn't have a bag or anything, but it's not like that's super unusual.
It is a little warm to be bundled up like that, though. Unless you're Nolan.
I walk a little faster, opting to cut through the buildings instead of staying on the path, hoping he won't follow, but he does. His footsteps get louder, closer. I try to stay calm, but then I can practicallyfeelhim right behind me.
Fuck this.
I break out into a run, darting through the alley toward the front of the buildings, to the perceived safety of streetlights and foot traffic on the other side.
I look over my shoulder as I round the corner but slam into another body and then fall off the curb, landing face down in the street.
"What the fuck, bitch!?" the guy I ran into says. "Watch where the fuck you're going!"
"Hey, fuck you, asshole!" a girl shouts after him. "Are you okay? Let me help you."
My cheek burns. I press my hand to it and wince before pushing myself up to my knees and letting the girl pull me to my feet. I think my elbow is bleeding, too. I scan the area for the man in the hoodie, but I don't see anyone.
He probably wasn't even following me. It was all in my head.
"You're Elias's sister, right?"
I finally look at the girl who helped me up and realize she's the one I made breakfast for the other day.
"Um…yeah."
"Are you okay? Do you need me to call someone for you? You fell really hard."
"No, that's okay," I tell her. "I'm fine."
"Are you sure?" she asks. "You hit your head—your face is bleeding."
"Yeah, I'm sure. I'm fine. It happens all the time."
"It does?"
"Um, no. Sorry. I don't know why I said that. I have to go. But…thanks."
I think she calls after me, but I certainly don't want to explain myself. I'm just a couple of blocks away now, and I just want to get back.
