“Got it!”
The moment Cordelia was out of earshot, I took a fistful of Micah’s preppy button-down and dragged him beneath the shade of a willow tree. His glasses slipped all the way to the tip of his nose. “What did you do?”
“I’m officially pledging the Sigma Delts. I had my dad pull some strings, and he got me in. I was lucky because some guy dropped out, otherwise I never would’ve been considered for this semester. Even with my dad’s hefty donation.”
Must be nice to be rich.
I kept that little thought to myself though because Micah had been nothing but nice since my arrival. Unlike all the otherstudents I’d brushed shoulders with. As of now, he and Cordelia were my only friends at this school.
Which was fine. I’d never been one of those girls who needed a big group of friends. I’d had Killian, and that had been enough. Until everything went to shit. Then I’d sworn off everyone else because it wasn’t worth the hurt when it all fell apart.
“Did you hear me, Lexi?”
“Yeah, sorry.” I shook my head out, loosening the dark thoughts of the past that always found a way in when I least wanted them to. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
Ever since that night, I’d grilled Cordelia on everything she knew about the Sigma Delts, and none of it was good. Apparently, a ton of weird shit had gone down at the fraternity over the past few years, but just like whatever happened to that girl last week, it had been swept under the rug. The guilt for not speaking up still haunted me. I spent most nights tossing and turning, replaying those moments in the hallway.
Why did I freeze up? I should’ve just gone in there and donesomething.
“Don’t worry, I got this, pre-med.” He gave me a reassuring smile, and the knot of dread loosened a smidge. “I’m finally putting my investigative skills to good use. What good reporter wouldn’t go undercover to snag the story?”
“I just don’t want you to get hurt. That house seems more like a cult than a fraternity.”
“Aw, I’m honored you care so much.” Micah leaned in and cupped my cheek, his thumb softly brushing my skin. “If you want, we can go make out now.” A cheeky grin split his lips, and I jabbed my elbow into his gut.
“I have to get to class, Micah. Dinner tonight?”
“Wish I could, but I’ve got pledge stuff.” He dropped his voice to a sinister whisper. “Maybe they’ll make me dig up my own grave or something.”
“Don’t even kid about that,” I hissed. Not when some girl had just mysteriously disappeared.
“Relax, I’ll be fine.” He inched closer and brushed a quick kiss to my cheek. Before I had a chance to react, he spun on his heel and jogged toward the walkway. “See you later, Lexi.”
My hand lifted to my cheek and swept over the spot his lips had been. The kiss was sweet, barely a peck. I liked Micah. He was great. He was good looking, smart, caring and funny, and exactly the type of guy I should want to be with.
Then why hadn’t I even felt a spark?
Ugh.Because you’re fucked in the head. Obviously.
I trudged up the pathway to Davenport Auditorium, my eyes fixed on that name. If Killian attended this school, that meant this room and all the others across campus were named after his twisted stepfather. Why the hell did I come here again?
A shudder crawled up my spine as I barreled through the front doors. It didn’t matter. He couldn’t hurt me; no one could anymore. I’d made sure of that when I’d built those sky-high, impenetrable walls around my heart and filled the vacant hole with meaningless, questionable sex in the year that followed. That man had stolen everything away from me that morning, but I’d been in control from that day forward.
As I crossed the threshold, the cold air of the massive auditorium lifted the hair on my arms. Goosebumps raced across my skin, but that carnal reaction had nothing to do with the temperature. I could feel that scorching gaze licking up the side of my face.Don’t look. Don’t you dare fucking look at him.
I looked. Because I was a total masochist.
Killian’s glare razed over me like a heat-seeking missile. Even from all the way across the room, I could feel it. Like tiny daggers stabbing at my wounded heart and soul.
He’d been my everything.
I curled my fingers into tight fists and ripped my gaze away from his. Scanning the left side of the auditorium, I searched for Cordi. She shot up from her seat and waved me down, her short black bob swinging across her face.
“Don’t get too comfortable, students. Today, I’ll be pairing you off for your semester-long project. Your assignment will be to study one of the world’s seven major tectonic plates, visit a location along the Faultline and present a report to the class.”
A wave of groans reverberated across the space. Visit? Was he serious? The closest one to the university was clear across the country off the coast of California—or maybe the one in the Caribbean would be slightly closer... I pondered the distances as I shuffled over to sit beside Cordelia.
“Can he really make us go to one of these sites?” The plane ticket alone would be astronomical.
