Page 55 of Revenant

“My driver?” Her words come slowly, brows pinching together, as if she’s testing whether she heard me right.

Right. Because every other answer would just be absolutely insane. However many drinks she had last night, she shows no sign of it. Her tolerance never ceases to amaze me.

I sit up, ignoring the protests from my screaming joints. “I think I’m going to grab a shower and veg out for the rest of the day,” I tell her, searching around me for my phone.

“Great, I’ll grab coffee and sustenance and meet you back here,” she offers. And that’s when it really hits me. The fact that in the midst of all this chaos, I have a friend who will undoubtedly stand by my side. Yesterday, she made sure I didn’t wallow and didn’t sink further into a crippling cycle of depression and sweatpants. Moriah is hyperaware of my well-being—and that’s something I haven’t been offered since my parents passed. Now, she’s basically telling me that she’s not going to allow me to sulk about, that whatever is going on in my life, she offers her presence.

Unwilling tears sting the back of my eyes. “You know you’re kind of like my best friend.” A tear breaks free and I do my best to laugh it off, swiping it away but she notices.

“Don’t get all sappy on me now, Calder.” But her words are lighthearted, and even from here I can tell her eyes are also misty. I finally find my phone tangled in the blankets, but I’m shocked to see the notifications on my screen light up like a Christmas tree.

36 messages

22 missed calls

What the fuck?

All of the missed calls are from ones I don’t recognize—most matching the string of unknown threads in my messages.

Unknown: Any patience I had is long gone. Get back here.

Unknown: Answer your fucking phone.

Unknown: This isn’t cute.

Unknown: I’m not sure which club you ran off to with Moriah, but it would be in your best interest to get back on school grounds.

Unknown: Are u thinking of me?

Unknown: Who am I kidding, of course u r. ;)

Unknown: U should probably head back.

Unknown: The disappearing act is usually more my thing.

Unknown: But if you tell me where you are, I can send someone to retrieve you.

Unknown: This is getting old, love.

Unknown: I know you’re mad at me. But please come back.

Unknown: Don’t do this because of me.

Unknown: Tesoro, just let me explain. It’s not safe.

I exit the thread faster than the rest. He’s more full of himself than I thought if he believes my little outing had anything to do with him.

“Everything okay?” Moriah asks, pulling my attention back to her. I must’ve not been doing as good of a job as I thought hiding my facial expressions.

“They—” Someone pounds on the door. Not once, but three times like a fucking lunatic. Moriah and I both stare at each other, thinking if we stay quiet and ignore it, whoever it is will go away.

Unfortunately, that only makes it worse.

“Alicent, open the fucking door!” They pound again. I stand up, rolling my eyes at the “macho man” act. “I will break this door down in three seconds. One.” I hesitate, my hand on the handle looking over my shoulder at Moriah. She rolls her eyes, lying back down on her bed.

“Two.”

“Didn’t know your keepers had you on such a tight leash,” she murmurs.