Carter: Enjoyed your time in the spotlight, Raine? Your moment of notoriety?
As much as I hated his harsh words, my heart skipped a beat at the sight of his name on my screen. My fingers hovered over the keypad as I debated how best to reply—I didn’t want to antagonise him, not when the gossip had finally died down.
Me: Please leave me alone. I’ve stayed out of your way
Carter: Out of sight but not out of mind
What was that supposed to mean? Eventually, I sent a simple response to see if he’d elaborate on his words.
Me: ???
After waiting for over fifteen minutes with no reply, I rolled onto my stomach and pulled up the conversation thread again, staring at his last message to me, before I closed it with a sigh. My eyes strayed to the Fright Night mask, taunting me from the corner of the room where I’d thrown it.
Before I knew it, I found myself reopening the conversation thread and texting Carter again.
Me: Did you leave that mask in my bedroom?
This time, he responded instantly and my stomach flipped as I read his response.
Carter: Yes. A reminder of what you did and how I won’t forget it. You can’t escape me, little trickster
Me: Breaking into my bedroom is a criminal offence
Carter: You sure about that? Who are you going to tell?
There was nothing I could reply to that. Whatever I said, I knew the outcome wouldn’t be good. Instead, I turned off my phone and attempted to lose myself in my drawings.
On Monday, walking into school with Lena, no one looked twice at me. In fact, it was back to normal. I was my usual, invisible self. Could I dare to hope that Carter had given up? Even lunchtime, which was the one time of the day I was dreading, was fine. It was an unseasonably warm day, and I sat outside in the courtyard with Lena and her friends, aware of Carter’s presence but successfully ignoring him for the most part.
I actually attempted to join the conversation instead of letting the conversation flow around me, like I normally did, and managed to hold up a conversation with Sammy, a girl in my textiles class, for almost twenty minutes, discussing the costumes I’d been making for the school production. Who knew, after the initial five minutes of awkwardness, I was surprised to realise I was actually having a good time.
“That wasn’t so hard, was it?” Lena whispered, nudging me as we headed back into the school building after lunch.
“No. No, it wasn’t.” A smile spread across my face.
“Ready for later?” We stopped by our lockers, exchanging the books we needed.
I closed my locker with a bang. “As ready as I’ll ever be. Are you sure your brother doesn’t mind? I’m sure he’s got loads more important things to be doing.”
Lena smirked. “My brother lives to interfere with people’s lives. Trust me. He wants to fuck with Carter just as much as you do.”
“If you’re sure. I’m not convinced that any of this is a good idea, but I guess it’s too late to change the plan now.”
All the air left the hallway as cedar and spice hit me, and my world shrank as my eyes met a pair of brown and gold ones. A dark look appeared on his face as he held my gaze silently, and then he stalked in my direction. I held my breath as he brushed past me, and that small movement, combined with the look he’d given me, sent a chill down my spine.
“Do you think he’s given up?” I whispered to Lena, once he was gone, already knowing the answer.
“People like Carter don’t give up that easily.”
At the end of the day, I found out exactly why he’d been so quiet.
13
“Raine? A word?” I glanced up from my sewing machine with a start to see Mrs. Whittall, head of the drama department, standing over me with pursed lips.
“S-sure,” I stammered, taken aback by the severe look on her face. After gathering up my things, I followed her out of the backstage area and into her small office next to the auditorium. She indicated the seat across from her desk, and I collapsed into it breathlessly.
Taking a seat opposite me, she opened the drawer and pulled out a familiar red metal box with a number 5 stamped on the lid. The cash inside was used to purchase materials for the costumes needed by the drama department.
“I was counting up the receipts earlier, when I noticed that they didn’t tally with the amounts in the cash box.” One long fingernail tapped on the lid. “Not just by a small amount, either. Over four hundred pounds is missing.”
I gaped at her in horror. “Wh-what?”
She sighed heavily, placing the box back in the drawer before returning her attention to me. “Only a small number of trusted students have a key to this room. You are the only student who is aware of the combination that unlocks this particular cash box. The only person, in fact, other than me.”
Was she implying—surely not!
“You don’t think it was me, do you?” My voice was shaky.
“Is there something you want to tell me, Miss Laurent?”
“No. It wasn’t me, I swear! I would never.” Nausea rose up in my stomach.
Her voice softened. “Raine. I’m aware of your…change in circumstances. If you’re in financial trouble, there’s help available. You don’t have to resort to theft.”
“I didn’t take the money, though!”
She shook her head sadly. “I’m afraid that I don’t believe you. You’re a talented costume designer, with no prior instances of bad behaviour, and for that reason I’m giving you a chance. Hand over your key and return the missing money to my office, and we’ll say no more about it. You’ll no longer be trusted with a key, but you can continue with the drama club.”
“B-but this isn’t fair! I don’t have it!” Frustrated tears filled
