I could feel his eyes following me as I walked to the dorm entrance. Angry as I’d been, that was a small example of the rages that could overtake me. My stepmom had compared them to severe summer storms that came out of nowhere – one minute the sky was clear, and the next it was lightning and thunder and roads washing out. I’d learned to control them as I’d grown older, but they were always with me, lingering in the background, waiting to force their way to the forefront when something triggered them.
Poor Alex had no idea the bullet he’d dodged when I left him sitting in the parking lot with the engine running, probably wishing he’d never gotten out of bed that morning.
The bullet we both dodged.
Chapter 13
The mystery of who sent the roses dominated my thoughts, and I found it hard to concentrate on class as I ran scenarios.
I spent lunch with Kate and Sarah in the cafeteria debating the possibilities, in spite of my instinct to avoid their flights of fancy. We chose a table in a quiet corner and ate enchiladas that tasted like cardboard tubes slathered with tomato paste and plastic cheese.
“I hope it’s that Robert, from your psych class,” Sarah declared. “He’s rich and eligible, but would want to keep any moves on an academy girl on the down low.”
“Except he’s not my admirer, secret or not,” I fired back. “You got the wrong roommate. He’s interested in Kate, from what I can see.”
Kate blushed. “He has been really friendly lately.”
Although he’s had plenty of encouragement, too.
“So who do you think it is?” Sarah asked.
“I don’t know.” A thought hit me with blinding clarity. “You know, we’re assuming this is about romance. But what if it’s more of an ‘I’m sorry’ thing? Or a ‘get well’ gesture?”
“Are you dying or something we don’t know about?”
I sighed. “Remember Luke? What if he felt bad about what he did?” If the roses are from him, I’m throwing them out.
“Pigs like that never feel anything,” Sarah snapped.
“So do you have a secret illness?” Kate giggled.
I took a drink of my diet cola and eyed them both. “You have to swear you won’t breathe a word of this to anyone.”
“Oh, my God! You’re actually sick?” Sarah exclaimed.
“No. But swear,” I insisted.
“Fine,” Kate said. “Now spill.”
Sarah nodded.
I shook my head at her. “Say it.”
She rolled her eyes. “I swear.”
I looked out over the cafeteria. “OK, well, the night before last, I had an accident at the set. Long story short, I managed to fall into the river and nearly kill myself while I was running an errand. They had the doctor look me over after and gave me the week off work. But I’m thinking that the company sent the flowers as kind of an apology or something. Like for someone who got hurt at your store or restaurant, even if it wasn’t your fault.”
The light went out of Sarah’s eyes, and Kate nodded. “That’s probably it, then, isn’t it?”
“Not nearly as romantic, though,” Sarah agreed.
“I don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner,” I said. “Straightest line between two points. I klutz out; they send flowers so I don’t sue.”
“Total buzzkill though.” Sarah sighed. “I like the mystery-man theory better.”
“Only there’s nobody who fits the bill,” Kate said.
“Let’s talk Alex, then,” Sarah said. “You weren’t very forthcoming after your date. What happened?”
“I tore him a new one for pretending to have sent the flowers,” I admitted. “It wasn’t pretty.”
Sarah pouted. “Poor Alex. Here he was thinking he was gonna get lucky, and you just shut him down.” She forked more enchilada into her mouth. “But he’s still in the game, right?”
I pushed my plate away. “There’s no game. None. I’m not looking to find a boyfriend. I’m absolutely fine being single. I’ve got my whole life ahead of me. What’s the rush?”
Sarah smirked. “Still got the hots for Jared, huh? It’s that stupid poster. And you should throw that jacket away. Or better yet, give it to someone else.” She waved her hand over her head. “Oh, I know! I’ll take it!”
I laughed and carried my tray to one of the racks, feeling relief at having solved the puzzle of the flowers. The girls lived in a world where dark strangers pursued them at every turn, but not me. I preferred facts and logic every time. If only life were as simple as coding. If A, then B. With no wrong turns.
I was still congratulating myself on having figured out the flowers when I finished my last class of the day and climbed the stairs to the dorm room. Serena was sitting at her table with a white package in front of her. She gazed up at me with a mystified expression when I entered.
“This is for you,” she said. “It was outside the door. Just like the flowers.”
“What is it?”
“I don’t know. I just got here two minutes ago.” She paused. “Open it.”
My hands were trembling as I set down my backpack and sat across from Serena. The box was a foot long by maybe eight inches wide. It was wrapped in some sort of shimmering white paper held together by a series of silver foil stickers along the seam on the bottom.
I was tearing at the outer layer when Sarah and Kate burst through the door, laughing. They quieted when they saw the expression on Serena’s face.
“What’s that?” Kate asked.
“Another present,” Serena said.
“Really?” Sarah gushed. “Score!”
“We don’t know that,” I countered, continuing to unwrap the box.
“How freaky would that be if it was somebody’s head?” Kate asked, earning a dirty look from all of us. She held up her hands. “Sorry. I mean, it’s too small, but wouldn’t that be weird?”
I got the paper off and set it to the side. The box was made of metallic silver foil with a silver bow embossed in the top.
“Well, open it,” Serena
