“It has to be a scam,” I respond glibly. “Why would the dean want to see me? There’s no reason I’d be on his radar. I bet if I call, I’ll be told I need to transfer another two hundred thousand in tuition, but only payable via prepaid cards, and I have to do it immediately so the people in India or Nigeria can get their ill-gotten gains faster.”
River doesn’t smile. “There’s a meeting request in two days at eleven a.m.,” he says, not handing the letter back to me. “I’ll go with you.”
“No!” I snap. “Leave it alone, River. This isn’t important.” I rip the letter up, each strip of paper slicing into the palms of my hands and leaving long, red lines behind.
It’s going to be a pain driving with my hands all bloody like this.
“Actually, y’know what, I’m going to stay here after all,” I say. “Samantha needs my company more than you or Asch or Blaze.”
“But you need our company more than hers,” he retorts. He doesn’t seem concerned about my hands. Or maybe he doesn’t notice them. How unobservant of him. “Come back to the house with me, Pandora. We’ll distract you.”
“Distract me from what?” I shake my head. “Echo will want to be fed, anyway. It’s been two whole weeks! She’ll be skin and bones, if a blood python can even get skinny.”
I drag my bloody palm along the steering wheel, and yeah, that’sa lot of blood. I wonder if I’d be able to taste it, if I licked the steering wheel.
“Pandora,” River says, his voice softening into something pleading. “What if I saidIneed you? Because I do.”
That’s cute and manipulative, but my chest tightens anyway. I stare at River’s handsome face. I remind myself that he can’t fix any of this, that he might be perfect but he isn’tperfect, and what good would it do to rely on somebody who tricked me and led to all this in the first place?
Wow, I never thought I’d be the kind to have trust issues.
I tighten my hands on the steering wheel, wanting the pain, only it doesn’t hurt at all. Papercuts aren’t exactly deadly.
“I’ll help you carry your shit into the house,” I say. “But that’s it. I’m not some kind of slut, River. You can’t hypnotize me with sex.” Hopefully that sounds like a joke, and not like my voice is on the verge of breaking.
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he says, but his voice still has that soft quality to it.
“Okay.” We stare at each other, and after a few seconds, I add, “You have to actually drive your car to your house, River.”
He straightens. “Right. Okay. I’ll see you there in a few.” He seems like he’s about to say something, but then he shakes his head. “See you soon, Pandora,” he repeats.
He jogs over to his car and gets inside.
I don’t wait for him to get going, putting my own car into gear.
I’m sure Asch and Blaze will be happy to see me. They’d gotten home last night and had texted how they missed me, like good boyfriends did.
My car takes a wrong turn though, and another, until I’m halfway to downtown Harmony.
As if Harmony even has a downtown.
Shit.
I find a parking spot on the side of thestreet and stop there.
…evidence of a break-in at the science labs…
…serious consequences…
…potential expulsion…
Nope, there was nothing in the letter. It was all a scam. It’s somebody trying to rattle me. Don’t they know who I am, who my family is? Dyschord wouldn’t risk pissing off my family. We have ties to all the right people and could make their lives a living hell.
I turn my head, my gaze landing on Papa’s present.
Well, now would be a very surprising moment to open it.
I grab it and tear the paper off without any thought to keeping it pristine.
