As I turned the corner and the gorgeous, golden stone buildings of Alstone High came into view, my gaze was immediately drawn to a familiar figure, slouched against the wall with his arms crossed over his impressive chest. I noticed the moment he saw me because he straightened up, the distant expression on his face replaced by a hard, dark look.
My stomach flipped, and my steps slowed.
“Everything okay?” Lena eyed me with concern. She’d been picking me up on the way to school every day since we’d been paired on our project, and I’d started to look forward to our random morning conversations. She’d asked me how Fright Night had gone, both via text and again this morning, but all I’d told her was that I’d left early. I owed her the truth, but I was working up the courage to tell her.
“Yeah, fine.” I gathered myself, and as we ascended the steps, I did my best to ignore Carter, despite his dark gaze boring into me. We drew level with him, and I held my breath. One more step, and I’d be inside the doors, free.
Then I felt the hand on my elbow, and I was dragged against his torso. I gave a squeak of fright, losing my balance and accidentally elbowing him in the ribs. He made a low, angry noise in his throat.
“Raine?” Lena had suddenly noticed I wasn’t next to her anymore. I did my best to school my expression into one of unconcern, although from the look in her eyes, I didn’t think I succeeded.
“I’m fine. I’ll catch up with you later, okay?”
She frowned, but at my pleading look, headed inside with a sigh, only after she’d shot a pointed look at Carter and drawn a finger across her throat. Her theatrics made me smile, despite everything, although the same couldn’t be said for Carter.
“I’ve been waiting for you.” Five innocuous words, but spoken in the low, sinister tone Carter used, sent icy shivers down my spine. He held me in an iron grip, my back against his torso. People were throwing us strange looks as they passed, no doubt wondering why Carter, king of the school had me, a nobody, pressed up against him.
“Little trickster.”
His lips were tickling my ear, and I had a sudden, inexplicable urge to laugh. A smile tugged at the corners of my lips before I could stifle it.
“Something funny?” The grip on my torso tightened. He pulled me behind the columns at the top of the steps, into the shadows away from prying eyes.
“N-no,” I stammered. My brain was going haywire. I took a deep, cleansing breath, and then my nose was suddenly full of cedar and spice. Why did he have to smell so good?
“Remember how I told you to watch your back?” His low, threatening tone sent prickles of fear through me.
“I said I was sorry.” Gathering my courage, I met his eyes. The gold flecks blazed like fire as he stared down at me. Yeah, he wasn’t going to be forgetting what I’d done anytime soon.
“Too little, too late.”
“Yeah? You hated me already, what difference would it have made?”
“I already told you that to hate you would mean I actually cared enough to form an opinion,” he said in a bored voice.
“It sounds like you care now.” What was I saying? Goading him was the worst idea. Yet, somehow, the words kept spilling from my mouth. “If anything, I should be the angry one. You threatened me, intimidated me, and made me scared to say anything. I don’t like you, Carter.”
I was breathing heavily by the end of my rant. This boy. I hated speaking up, didn’t answer back, but there was something about Carter Blackthorne that riled me up.
His eyes sparked, and he leaned down, his breath hot on my ear. “You don’t like me? What about when you kissed me? Let me touch you?” Lowering his voice even further, he moved so his lips were touching my ear, every single part of me tingling with awareness. “What about when you came all over my hand?”
I had nothing to say to that. My fists stayed clenched tightly at my sides, and I turned my head away from him.
“You can keep lying to yourself, but I can see straight through you. Watch out, Laurent. You like to hide in the shadows, but soon, everyone will know your name.”
He tore himself away from me, leaving me slumped against the wall, my heart pounding. What had I done?
The whispers started during my Economics class. People threw curious glances my way, smirks and low taunts heading in my direction. Lena slid into her seat next to me, brow furrowed. “What the fuck is going on with everyone today? Why are they all looking at you?”
I shrugged, staring down at my desk. “No idea.”
“If anyone’s said anything about you, I’ll fuck them up,” she said fiercely, which got a smile out of me. I had no doubt she’d actually do it, either.
“Hey, Imogen! What’s going on?” Lena stared over at Imogen Lang, a challenging brow raised. If anyone knew what was happening, it was her. Beautiful and popular, she was part of Carter’s group, but unlike the other girls, she was actually nice to everyone. I’d never even heard her say anything bitchy about anyone.
She glanced at me, then back at Lena, biting her lip. “Maybe you should check your phone.”
“You do it, I can’t look,” I muttered.
Lena blew out a breath and pushed her blonde hair behind her ears, before picking up her phone.
She was silent for a while, and then she spoke, the words spat from her lips like bullets. “I’m. Going. To. Kill. Him.”
Oh no. No. “Tell me,” I whispered.
“Quieten down, everyone! Today we’ll be studying the economic repercussions
