‘Ellie—’
‘Kat. Come here.’
I give in and crawl into bed beside her, letting her sling an arm over my waist. The warmth of her soon lulls me to calm. As we lay there, I go over and over everything. Surely, I’d have woken up if someone were here? And if it was the boy, why wouldn’t he talk to me?
But what if it’s not him? What if it’s the note leaver,trying to scare me? I shiver against Ellie, worry clawing at my stomach.
‘Don’t worry, babe, I locked the door when I came in, and no one was here.’ She pulls the duvet over us both.
Since when has anyone telling you not to worry made you worry any less?
‘Thanks for letting me borrow your car,’ Ellie says as we take the third set of stairs up toward the fourth level of the multi-storey car park.
‘It’s not like I use it,’ I say. ‘Probably needs a good run anyway.’
I so rarely leave the campus that if my parents didn’t fund the car and parking space, I’d have ditched it long ago. But it does come in handy for Costco runs and the occasional trip home.
It loiters in the cavernous multi-storey most of the time. Gathering bird poop and dust.
The wind is biting, and I tuck my fingers up into the sleeves of my jumper, the metal keys biting into my palm. Ellie has a seminar out in some backwoods country manor, so it’s the best way to get there.
Ellie shrieks as we head for the back wall.
‘Your car!’ she squeaks.
Then I see it.
The car lurches to one side, the driver’s side tyres completely flat. No, not just flat, torn open. Unease grips me tight as I look up to the side of the driver’s door. Scratched deep into the white paint as a series of ragged lines.
YOU’RE NEXT.
Each letter is dragged the full length of the door. They don’t look harried. Like someone took their time to score them with maximum impact.
Ellie makes a horrified sound beside me.
‘What the hell?’
Across the way, a group of students are recording the car, and turns the camera on us. Rage meets fear as I take in the scene. If someone who could do that to my car was in my home, I’m in trouble. The students laugh and whoop as I step closer to the car, reaching out to touch one of the scrapes. With the heat radiating from my face, I can only assume my cheeks are red as can be.
The paint curls up at the edges of each groove. It’s too deep to be from a key. It had to be something sharper, more deadly. I shudder and snatch my fingers back.
First, the note sayingyou’ll pay, and now this.You’re next.
Ellie pulls out her phone.
‘We should call someone?’ she says. ‘Campus security, or the police.’
‘No, it’s fine.’ I turn around and give her a shaky smile. ‘I’ll ring the insurance. It’s just some stupid kid playing a prank, I’m sure.’
‘Kat, that’s not just some?—’
‘You’ll be late.’ I squeeze her arm and give her a little nudge. ‘Seriously. Go. I’ll sort it out here. You’ll need to be quick if you’re going to catch the train.’
And two buses.
She goes after a little more insistent urging. She looks back twice before she gets to the stairwell, and I hold the smile until she’s gone.
The minute she’s gone, I let it drop and glare at the group of students, still filming. It’s enough to abash them into lowering their phones and getting into their car.
