“You guys take this shit too seriously,” TJ says as he pulls the sweatshirt on.
Completely ignoring him, I fill them in on the plan this weekend. “She agreed to go to the party. She’s already making it easy for us.”
“Damn,” Lacey scoffs, “Was kind of hoping I could play friendly and bring her myself.”
My eyes roll. “Lacey, she wouldn’t go with you if you baited her with a bag of gold. You already screwed up your chance of getting on her good side.”
Lacey was originally supposed to befriend Nadia and gain her trust. Only took her a couple hours to screw that one up. So, instead, I had to play nice guy. Now that I am, I’m sort of liking the reaction I get from her.
“Couldn’t help it. I’m not fond of entitled little bitches.”
Biting my tongue, I refrain from lashing out. I don’t know why it boils my blood whenever someone else speaks ill of Nadia. Maybe it’s because they are just judging her based on her appearance and social status. They don’t know what she did to me. In Lacey’s situation, it’s sheer jealousy. Nadia is the full package and guys pine for her. Lacey is used to being the guys’ eye candy at CHH, so it’s not settling well with her that someone else has taken that role.
Brock pulls over on the side of the road in front of the Rivers’ property. Once the engine is killed, TJ hops out and Brock pops the trunk. Lacey and Brock follow suit and climb out, and I catch myself just sitting there, staring up the long-paved driveway to her house. Is this really the answer?
We could just skip all this shit and interrogate her at the party—get her to crack. In the beginning, it was exciting. Didn’t know the girl, didn’t care how we made her feel. Now, I’m starting to care and I fucking hate myself for it.
Regardless, I get out of the car, because this was all my plan and I have to see it through.
TJ dishes out the masks. I slide mine on my face and suddenly, I feel invincible. It’s crazy how a mask that hides your identity can make you feel like you can do just about anything. Reaching into the car, I grab the jar I brought along.
Lacey bends down and looks at the jar with the slingshot in her hand. “So disgusting. If I were this girl, I’d murder you in your sleep.”
“Let it be a lesson not to piss me off.” I smirk at her.
Once we’re all masked up, we head through the trees of her property, making sure we’re not out in the open. I’m not sure where all the cameras are, but I know there’s quite a few of them. Probably even more after the firecracker incident.
I look over my shoulder when I hear the crumpling of a wrapper. “Seriously, TJ!” I grumble in a low tone. “A fucking candy bar? You couldn’t wait until we leave?”
He stuffs half the thing in his mouth. “I was hungry.”
Shaking my head in annoyance, I grab a stick in my path and hold it out to let the others pass. I should bop TJ right in the head for being so careless all the time. Then again, this is careless fun to everyone but me.
Once we reach the end of the line of trees, I hold up my hand, halting everyone. Her bedroom light is on, and I can see straight into her bedroom on the second floor, but I hear movement coming from the other side of the house. “Stay here,” I tell them.
Creeping on my tiptoes, I take care not to crunch the leaves beneath my feet. As I make my way around the side of the house in the direction of the sounds I heard, her voice rings closer. She’s talking to someone. But it’s a one-sided conversation. I can’t make out what she’s saying, so I try to get closer. Looking up and down the house, I search for a camera, but it’s too dark to see anything.
I crouch down and then haul ass to the house, pressing my back against the siding beside a big ass picture window. Standing tall and still, I listen.
“I know you do,” I hear Nadia say in a soft and soothing tone. “But, it doesn’t change anything. It has to be this way.”
Who the hell is she talking to?
Stretching my neck out around the house, I steal a glance. Her right side faces me as her forearms press against the railing of the deck. My breath hitches when I catch sight of her clothes, or lack thereof. She’s standing there in a baby pink silk nighty that barely covers her ass. Her milky skin draws me in, making me forget for a moment why I’m here. God, why does she have to be so fucking sexy?
“I’m sorry, but I can’t. Goodbye Jordan.”
My eyes pop wide open.
She’s still fucking talking to him?
Rage consumes me. An indescribable, undeniable all-out hatred. Who I saw only moments ago as a beautiful girl with sadness in her voice, I now see as a snake. A lying fucking snake. Self-control escapes me as I take a few steps back, paying no attention to the camera. I extend my arm back, bringing it forward quickly, and release, watching in slow motion as the jar crashes through the glass window and lands on her living room floor. Tiny black spiders scatter around the white area rug and I run like hell back to the guys, almost tripping over my own feet.
“We gotta go,” I whisper-shout, my feet not slowing down as I push through the sticks and branches, trying not to poke my eye out while I get out of here as fast I can.
I can hear everyone behind me. The leaves rustling, their voices chattering as they try to figure out what’s going on. But I ignore it all.
Two minutes later, I’m at the car tapping on the tin roof. “Hurry up. Unlock it.” I gasp as I catch my breath.
Brock hits the unlock button, the lights flicker and we all pile in as quick as we got out. “What the fuck did you do?” Brock snaps as he slams the car into drive and tears outta here.
Running my fingers through my hair, I recollect what just happened. Not the jar or the broken window—the conversation I heard.
I showed her mercy. I fought an internal battle with myself because I seriously felt like I was falling for this girl. I almost called this shit off. I was right about her all along. She deserves everything that’s coming to her.
12
Nadia
I’m unsure what to even do at this point. Mom and Dad are home, but I’ve come to the realization that I’ll never be safe, even in my own home. It’s been two days since someone threw a jar of spiders through my living room window, and I still feel like they are crawling everywhere.
I went and stayed with Bree that night. She assured me that this would all end soon, but will it? I still have six months left before I graduate. I’ve contemplated leaving Cutler Creek and just moving away now, but I wasn’t raised a quitter. I’ve always been taught to stand my ground and fight back. But I honestly don’t know if I have any fight left in me. I sweep everything under the rug and try to pretend that it never happened—hoping it won’t happen again—then it does, and it’s usually worse than the last time.
I’ve been assaulted in my bedroom and groped by a stranger. I’ve had firecrackers thrown at my window. My house has been toilet papered more times than I can count, I’ve been left derogatory notes, and now a broken window and spiders.
Choking down the lump in my throat, I walk with my head hung low to my locker. The only good thing is that no one here has mentioned my past at the Academy. Everyone just sort of ignores me.