My phone buzzed, and I checked the notifications that had popped up. I had a few new followers, and the username of one was @kingblackthorne. Tiny butterflies fluttered to life inside my belly, and I clicked on his profile.
On the outside, looking in, his life looked amazing. Photos of him holding up football trophies, posing with Kian and Xavier, posing with girls (I scrolled past those as quickly as possible), on the beach, even a photo of him from Fright Night with a group of masked guys. I tapped the image, then realised I’d added a heart reaction. Oops. I quickly removed it, hoping he hadn’t noticed.
He had.
The next minute, a message alert popped up, and I steeled myself as I hit the button to view it.
Carter: I saw that heart
I groaned.
Me: My finger slipped
Carter: Sure it did
Me: Scout’s honour
Carter: You weren’t a scout
Me: How do you know?
He didn’t answer me, instead changing the subject.
Carter: Whose car were you getting out of earlier?
Me: Were you spying on me?
Carter: Answer the question, Raine
Me: Dylan Rossiter’s
Carter: Who TF is that?
Me: He’s in drama club with me. He works on set design. I think he’s in your business studies class???
Carter: No idea who he is
The next moment, my phone lit up with an incoming video call. Shit. He was calling me on the app? I shrieked in fright and threw my phone. It hit the floor with a thud.
“Raine?”
I stared at the phone, lying face down on the floor. How had I managed to answer it when I was throwing it?
“Raine? Let me see your face.”
His voice was slightly muffled. I groaned, prodding my phone with my toe. Maybe I could pretend I wasn’t there.
Lena’s voice appeared in my mind, shouting “comfort zone!” So annoying. I swiped my phone from the floor and glanced at the screen, my stomach giving an involuntary flip at the sight of Carter’s face. From what I could see, he was lying on his bed, the navy fabric of his pillow behind his head. His hair was tousled, and his brows were pulled together in a frown.
“Tell me why you were in his car,” he commanded in a low tone.
“Not that it’s any of your business,” I began in a haughty tone, and his frown deepened. “My friend Dylan got me reinstated in the drama club, and he gave me a lift home afterwards. Because he’s nice, and that’s what friends do.”
His eyes darkened. “You don’t want nice.”
“We’re just friends, Carter.” I huffed in exasperation. Why was I even bothering to explain myself?
He ignored my comment. “You should’ve waited for me. I would have taken you home.”
I gaped at him. “Would you, though?”
“Raine.” His voice softened. “I thought we were—hold up. How exactly did he get you reinstated in the drama club?”
Those were details that Carter didn’t need to know. “You’re not the only one with influence at Alstone High,” I said instead.
I could’ve sworn he growled as he stared menacingly at me through the screen. “You’d better be telling the truth about just being friends with him. He wants you, Raine.”
Argh! He was so frustrating. “We are just friends. He doesn’t want me. Some people are capable of being friends without wanting more, you know. And how do you know that he wants me, which he doesn’t, by the way! You don’t even know who he is!” My voice grew louder and higher in pitch, and I winced at the sound, but I made sure I glared at him through the screen. “And also, why do you even care?” I added in a quieter tone.
“I wish I fucking knew,” he muttered, before the screen went blank, and he was gone.
21
The sound of laughter and talking filtered through my open bathroom window as I stood at the sink washing my hands, not loud enough to be an issue, but the sound carried through the still night air. Although I couldn’t see his house from the window, I knew the sound was coming from Carter’s. My aunt was working, and Carter’s parents were probably out, given the noise. While Carter had been adamant about not being behind the money theft, there were still doubts in my mind—after all, who else would have a reason to do that to me, or even have the means to? I stood at the window, hesitating for a long moment, before I made my mind up. I had to know.
Slipping out of the back of the house, I made my way down to the bottom of the garden, to the corner where it joined to Carter’s. Unfortunately, there was no convenient broken fence panel or gap to slip through to get into his garden. Instead, I dragged the recycling bin from its position by the back gate that led out into an alleyway and placed it against Carter’s fence. Then, I climbed up onto it, feeling it wobble beneath me, and gripped the edges of the fence and peered over.
It looked like I was in luck. The large panel of doors was wide open. Before I could think through what I was doing, or even how I was going to get back into my own garden, I was swinging my legs over the fence and dropping to the ground. I made my way up the garden as quickly as I could, thankful that the outside lights were on, meaning the security lights wouldn’t be activated. As long as I kept to the side of the garden, no one should see me.
When I reached the house, I peered in through the open lounge windows, seeing several of Carter’s friends sprawled out
