I frowned, figuring there was no chance one of them would have got me flowers. Then again, who the hell else would know I liked these except Kyan? Would he..?
I supposed it could be a peace offering and the thought of that made my heart skip a little. Is this his way of saying sorry for being a prime douchenozzle?
I grabbed my phone from my blazer pocket, tapping out a message to him with a photo of the flowers.
Tatum:
I got your gift.
His reply came in almost instantly.
Kyan:
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHA!
I don’t buy flowers or pick flowers or look at flowers.
Flowers & Me = NEVER
I gawped at the rude-ass message, my cheeks warming, but my embarrassment fast gave way to fury as I shot him back a reply.
Tatum:
Me & My hate for you and your snark = FOREVER
“Well?” Mila asked.
“He didn’t send them. How can someone get in my locker anyway?” I tossed the flowers down on the bench and pulled my sports bag out, placing it down beside them. Idiot, of course Kyan didn’t get them.
I was pretty mortified for even assuming he would have been responsible for them. And okay, maybe I was one percent disappointed too.
“Umm, janitor’s key? I guess Coach Monroe would have one too…” Mila said thoughtfully and my ears pricked up. Were they from him? Surely not. How could he know they were my favourite? And he was still acting like a moody bitch since we’d kissed anyway. Couldn’t be him…could it?
I unzipped my bag and my heart leapt as I found a folded piece of paper sitting on top of my clothes. I grabbed it out, unfolding it, hoping this would give me my answer to the mystery flower giver.
As blue as your eyes,
As bright as the sea.
I watch you always,
Do you watch me?
A tremor ran through me as I read those words and I instinctively looked over my shoulder. My gaze fell on Pearl as she dressed, seemingly oblivious to my gifts. Maybe I’d been wrong to suspect her. But this shit was getting creepy now and I was starting to think I had a real problem. Perhaps it was a guy who had a crush on me. But then what about the time in the restroom? That hadn’t been an attempt at being sweet. It was creepy as fuck.
Mila took the note, reading it as I rooted through my bag for my underwear. “What the fuck? Who did this?”
“I dunno, but I don’t think it’s who we thought.”
“Shit, girl, tell Monroe.”
“Yeah…maybe,” I murmured. “Goddammit, where is my underwear?” I turned the whole bag out but it wasn’t there. My lacy bra and panties…gone. I rounded on the room, my veins burning with anger. “Who the fuck messed with my stuff?”
Silence fell as everyone looked my way. I grabbed the flowers and the note, waving them. “Who put this shit in my locker?” I surveyed Pearl closely, but she just wrinkled her nose like the idea was abhorrent to her.
“Who would bother giving you flowers, Plague? Did you put them there yourself to try and convince everyone that boys actually like you?” Pearl laughed, turning away and heading out of the locker room with Georgie. I ground my teeth, turning back to my bag and huffing as I had to put my uniform back on without underwear. It made me feel exposed and I quickly buttoned up my blazer to cover my breasts even though I looked like a complete jackass.
When I was done, I headed out of the locker room with my bag over my shoulder and Mila beside me. No way did Monroe leave those. And I had the feeling the Night Keepers weren’t fucking with me either. Someone else was targeting me. But why?
Toby strode out of the boys’ locker room across the hall, jogging to catch up with a few of the football crew who’d left him behind.
“Hey!” he called, but they didn’t look back. He slowed his pursuit, his lips pressing into a tight line. He looked our way and his eyes brightened as he hurried over. “Hey guys, how you doing? Great running out there today, Tatum. Looked like you were good for another few laps.”
I shrugged. “I guess I went full Roadrunner today.”
He laughed enthusiastically. “Are you going to hang out in the courtyard tonight, Mila?” he asked her, smiling so hard it was obvious he was desperate for friends. I guessed fitting back into society since exiting the Unspeakables was a bitch. I thought he’d been blending in better lately, but apparently not. And I kinda pitied him for it.
“Sure thing,” she said, offering him a kind smile.
“And you Tatum?” Toby asked hopefully. “Maybe you and the Night Keepers?”
“Um…” I bit my lip, hating that I didn’t have a choice about that. “Maybe. Depends what they wanna do,” I said with an eyeroll.
“Oh yeah, I totally get that,” he laughed a little nervously, opening the doors for us as we headed outside.
Bait was sitting on the wall, trying to undo a knot someone had tied between his two sets of shoelaces, his shiny shoes resting on his lap as he struggled with it. His mask was sitting beside him on the wall and as we stepped outside he scrambled to pick it up and put it on, accidently sending it skittering across the ground and bouncing off Toby’s feet.
“Oh, sorry man, do you mind?” Bait asked and Toby ran a hand down the back of his neck, looking from the mask, to us, then back to Bait.
He cleared his throat, turning to us again and waving goodbye. “Catch you later guys.” He side stepped the mask then practically ran away down the path, not sparing another look at Bait.
