I’ve never cowered from any of them, but something about this particular situation feels more disconcerting than when their pranks are more obvious. They’ve never pretended they’renotfucking with me, so sitting at a table with them, acting like civilized humans? This is uncharted territory, and I don’t fucking like it.
However, I decide not to accuse them of fucking with me yet, just in case that girl really did go missing. But I refuse to let my guard down, either. It feels like they’re trying to lull me into a sense of safety, only to pull out the rug from beneath me when I least expect it.
I don’t trust any of them, and if they think I’m going to sit beside them andnotbe on high alert, then they’re fucking oblivious to how well they’ve trained me.
“Should we leave?” Severen asks slowly, hesitantly glancing between Dread and me.
“No.”
“Yes.”
Mine and Dread’s answers come at once, but there’s no question who Severen is going to listen to.
Dread cracks open a Gatorade, his movements still casual and unconcerned. “No, you shouldn’t. My girlfriend will have to get used to you guys, eventually. Right, babe?”
My face twists in disgust.Babe?
Absolutely the fuck not.
“First off, disgusting,” I say. “Second, I’mnotyour girlfriend. And finally, I don’t have to get used to anyone, including your asshole friends.”
Severen whistles, his amusement returning tenfold. He directs his glimmering stare toward Dread, a delighted grin curling his lips.
“Girlfriend? The fuck did I miss?”
“Nothing different from his usual bullshit,” I interject, drawing Severen’s focus. “Another day, another cruel game.”
“Tell him who’s out of prison, babe,” he quips, now scrolling on his phone, still completely nonchalant.
I glower at him while he dutifully ignores me, taking another sip of Gatorade while he scrolls.
Severen’s stare burns into my face, and with an annoyed sigh, I turn to him.
“Lionel is out of prison and wants to see me. We're not on good terms, and I don't want him anywhere near me, and the why for that is none of your fucking business. Regardless, Dread is now using me to get to Lionel, probably so he can murder him.” I don’t bother keeping my voice down. If Dread succeeds and goes to prison for it, then they’re both out of my life, and I can live freely.
“Interesting,” Severen murmurs, turning his attention back to his friend. He’s less amused and more intrigued now.
Finally, Dread sets his phone down and slides it toward Severen, a news article on the screen for him to read. From my angle, I can only make out a few bold words in the headline:Lionel D’Amour,wrongfully convicted,released, and that’s all I need to see.
Over twelve years have passed, but not a damn thing has changed.
Severen ducks his head closer and reads through the article while Dread picks up his fifth slice of pizza. I stew, glaring at my half-eaten baked ziti. The last twenty-four hours have completely decimated my appetite.
“I’m Octavia, by the way,” a feminine voice whispers from beside me, drawing my attention to the redhead.
She has pretty, cobalt blue eyes framed by thick auburn lashes, pale skin, and, naturally, a killer body. Most notable, though, is her fiery auburn hair that coils around her face and down her chest. It’s a beautiful color that resembles a perfectly ripe red apple, and I’d bet money it’s natural, too. I’m fairly certain she’s the captain of the soccer team. Or maybe it was lacrosse.
At this point, I honestly couldn’t care less.
She’s willingly dating the enemy, so by default, that makes her mine as well.
“Reverie,” I offer with a tight smile, though I’m sure she’s figured out my name by now. Still, it’s not in my DNA to be a complete bitch to someone I’ve never met before, even if I don’t trust them as far as I could trip them.
Her boyfriend, however, has earned every bit of my ire.
“Yeah, so, I don’t really subscribe to the whole women being pitted against one another thing. And you’re really on edge and looking at Severen like he’s the Joker, so I’m going to assume he was a dick to you?He failed to tell me that information, if that’s the case, so I’m not here to, like, hurt you.”
I eye her closely, not detecting any dishonesty in her expression, but a little wary of her ignorance on the matter. Granted, HCU is a fucking massive university with over fifty thousand students on campus, so it’s impossible for everyone to know everyone.
