I stand at the edge of her mattress, gazing at her, surprised by my own thoughts. “Why?”
“Why, what?” She fidgets under my scrutiny.
“Why are you so willing to jump into bed with me? Every time you have a chance to put your guard up, you let me push down another brick you’ve built around yourself.”
“Honestly?” Her eyebrow raises. “I’m not sure. There’s something about you, even with how cruel you’ve been towards me.”
“I haven’t been any way towards you.”
“Avoidance, pure disdain, it’s the same thing, Marek. You four made me feel invisible. Sometimes that can be worse than blatant hatred.”
“Seeing you around campus, after Reed went missing, it was hard. It’s that simple.”
“Right, because you all had a relationship with her I’d never begin to understand.”
“We weren’t meant to be understood, Palmer. We were what we were.” I slip in beside her.
She reluctantly folds herself into my side. Silence takes over, neither of us sure what to say.
While running light lines on her back, she squirms. “Tonight, Marek, seeing Georgina’s body was hard. I don’t think I’ll ever get that girl’s face out of my mind.”
“They’ll figure out who did it, Palmer.”
“After my sister, I was afraid to walk through campus. Every day it got easier, but now, it feels like a threat lies within these walls.” She lifts her head to look at me.
You have no idea, sweetheart.
I brush my fingers through the front of her hair. “Everything is going to be okay.”
“You can’t promise that.”
“Guys like me can’t make promises. You’re right about that.” I kiss the crown of her head, knowing damn well, at some point, Palmer’s fear will catch up to her.
“What can you do, then?” She breathes out the words.
The hidden message sends a wave of desire through my body. I twist, rolling her onto her back, me tucked perfectly between her legs.
We spend the night doing what we do best together. Forgetting. She knows what I want and isn’t afraid to allow me to push the boundaries, maybe a little too far, too soon. There’s some sick thrill that rushes through me when I see her eyes widen from what my hands are doing to her. She’s afraid she’ll like it. When the fear turns to excitement, her lips turn up with approval.
Palmer falls asleep in my arms, and I spend an hour touching every piece of exposed skin. She’s a fucking saint, and here I am, wrecking her body and mind without a second thought.
My phone vibrates, and I blindly search for it. I slip out of Palmer’s bed and reach into my pocket.
Two words on the screen from Byron disrupt everything in my life.
One week.
Chapter Nine
Palmer
News of Georgina Matthews traveled fast. I had no doubt it would once the family was alerted. Her father is a senator and her mother a contributor to important organizations throughout our state. Many may consider her a socialite from the outside, but those who know the changes she’s made for high profile social issues know different.
She’s a childless saint now.
This week, they buried their daughter with no answers. Our families are connected in that right. It’s unjust and cruel, but I couldn’t stop the pity party in my mind during the funeral.
At least this family has a body to bury.
As if Marek knew I was upset, he stood beside me and held my hand.
Since that day, things have been off between us. I’m not naïve enough to think what we have is going past anything physical. I’m also not willing to lie to myself and pretend like him pulling back enough to make me notice doesn’t sting.
“You ready to go?” Delaney pops her head into my open dorm room.
I finish smearing lipstick on and grab my purse. “Yeah, I’m all set.”
Delaney and I walk arm-in-arm to the auditorium. There’s a bite in the air, and I hold my uniform jacket tighter in the front to block the wind.
“I still think it’s weird they’re giving us an award for finding Georgina’s body. It’s not like we were looking for her. We were drinking in the woods, and they want to give us some sort of accolade for it.”
I barely hear anything she says. My eyes are too focused on Marek. He stands outside of the auditorium with Dixon, Byron, and Breaker. They’re wearing black slacks and black dress shirts, looking more like a unit than ever before. Four boys capable of ungodly things stand between me and a room full of alumni, teachers, board members, and family.
“Looking good, Palmer.” Breaker wraps one arm around Delaney, tugging her close to his side. They’ve grown closer as Marek and I have drifted apart. She seems to like him, and I’m happy for her. Breaker is a lot of things, but when he decides to thaw out for someone, there’s no turning back.
“Thanks.” I nod my head to the side. Marek follows me. “What’s going on with you?”
“With me?” He tucks his hands in his pockets, not able to make eye contact with me. Over his shoulder, the three boys have their stone-cold stares locked on us. “Nothing is going on with me. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Okay, you know what, I don’t have time for this. We did what we did. It was fun, but don’t feel like you owe me anything.” I quicken my steps.
“I don’t feel like I owe you anything.” He turns around and returns to the boys.
There’s a feeling in the air that could be cut with a knife. As I pass by them near the auditorium doors, all eyes are on me. Delaney releases her hold on Breaker and follows behind me. We sit in the front row where our name plates are. Delaney. Me. Byron. Marek. Dixon. Breaker.
Delaney sits while I pause in front of my seat. Marek pushes through the crowd, switches the gold name plates, and claims the seat next to mine. I stand over him, staring at his odd behavior.
“Don’t overthink this shit, Palmer,” he rasps. “Sit down.”
“Why are you so angry?” I accuse. “I can feel the hatred radiating off you. It’s practically lethal.”
“I’ve got some shit going on that’s truly none of your damn business.” He glares at me out of the corner of his eye, never turning his head to actually speak to me. “I want to get through this ceremony and spend my weekend blackout drunk. Is that what you want to hear?”
“Not really,” I whisper.
The lights dim. This is the annual alumni ceremony Glass Heart Academy holds after the year begins. It’s a way for the privileged and elite to toot their own horns, a way to stretch their reach a little further to prove how powerful they are because of this place.
The row of chairs on the stage is for the alumni being recognized. In the middle of the bunch sits Declan Dumas. As soon as Delaney spots him, she hisses a breath in. From his position above her, hunger and hatred mixes in the pools of his eyes. Dixon appears in front of Delaney and grabs her arm, leading her to the seat beside Breaker that he’d abandoned. I lean forward to see Breaker’s arm draped in front of her, protecting her from the predator on the stage.
“Heroes hide in unexpected places, Palmer,” Dixon whispers in my ear.