Maybe if I just keep to the boundary stuff. “Just… maybe not when I’m here?” I try to compromise. “If you give me some notice, I’ll find somewhere to hole up, so no wires get crossed.”
Georgia looks pleasantly surprised at this, so maybe I hadn’t hidden my distaste so well. “Really? That’d be awesome! And hey, I’ll do the same in return. If you ever want the room to—”
“Yeah, no,” I scoff, head shaking. “I’m good. Dating is not in the cards for me this year.”
Caroline snorts. “I’m not sure what Georgia is talking about counts as dating—”
“Hey!” Georgia shouts, but then just rolls her eyes. “Fine, you have a point. But there’s nothing wrong with playing the field until you find that perfect guy to settle on.”
The girls catch up and eventually begin talking about people I don’t know. Some girl named Vandy just finished some kind of program. Her boyfriend, Reyn, gave her a personalized portrait of her cat for Christmas. Some couple named Emory and Aubrey are still a thing, and rumor has it he’s giving her his Devil ring for Valentine’s Day. I finish organizing my desk and glance back when things go abruptly quiet. They’re talking in lower voices now, leaned in close, expressions serious. Whatever it’s about, it’s not for me to hear.
I feel weirdly relieved to see it. All of the openness and expression was starting to freak me out. Secrets, privacy, boundaries… those are comfortingly familiar.
“I think I’m going to go walk around campus before it gets dark,” I say, wanting to give them some space. Honestly, I could use some myself. It’s been a long twenty-four hours. I grab my coat and camera, and wave when Caroline offers that it was nice to meet me.
It’s late afternoon, but being the dead of winter, it feels later. The leafless trees stand guard over the old buildings and I snap a couple photos here and there, trying to capture the odd sense of Preston’s somberness.
In an effort to avoid other people on campus, I step off the main sidewalk onto a well-worn path. I know there’s a lake on the back of the property, I’m just not sure how to get there. The trail cuts behind the buildings, one I recognize as the dining hall. Along with the whir of ventilation, it has that smell—heavy, stale grease—the dumpster pushed up against the brisk wall. A thick grove of trees runs behind the building and I eye it, wondering if I have enough time to explore before it gets dark. I’m about to march on into the grove when I see movement across the grass. The shape is dark and small, a creature hiding in the thick stalks. I tip toe over and duck down to see a black cat, paws out, ready to pounce. Before I can react, another cat slinks forward, a few feet away, deftly climbing up an old tree trunk. This one is white with orange patches.
“Hey guys, what’s happening?” I say to them both. My voice disturbs the hunter, and he jumps away, closer to the trunk, eyeing me distrustfully. They’re skinny—not exactly scrawny, though. They remind me of the cats that hang out on the dock back home. Not quite feral, because they rely on the people nearby to feed them, but also not completely tame. The orange and white one watches me carefully and I’m not sure, but her belly looks swollen—probably pregnant. I drop down to a less threatening level, bringing the camera up to snap a few shots. “You guys like it back here away from everyone, too, huh?”
They hug the trunk and just stare back at me, a perfect exercise in contrasts. They’re good subjects, nice and still, and I don’t regret spending a whole roll of film on them. The black one has big yellow eyes, but the white and orange cat’s eyes are a gorgeous emerald green. I sit with them for a while, but neither will come very close.
Well I can’t say anything about that. I don’t want anyone touching me either. Sure, I have to rely on other people, family and some friends, but I know better than most that any of those people can turn at any moment.
The dark one is more interested in hunting and it’s getting dark. I can tell I’m keeping it from a potentially fulfilling meal. I stand and spot a third cat, this one an ashen gray, sitting at the edge of the tree line. “I should probably go, but maybe I can bring you guys some treats. How about that?”
They stare at me like I’ve lost my mind. I probably have. Coming to this school was a crazy, desperate decision, one that has already had consequences. Here I am, stuck without a car, and the very source of the thing I’d been so determined to run from is right here, in the very town I ran to.
But school starts tomorrow, and so what? Maybe I hadn’t run from something so much as ran toward something else. That’s what I’m really here for; a good education.
I head back down the path and glance back, feeling the eyes of the cats watching me. It’s strange, but for the first time since arriving at Preston Prep, I don’t feel so alone.
5
Sebastian
I wait until the main hall is thick with students before cutting through the crowd toward the science wing where the juniors have their lockers.
The first person I see is Sydney, hair in a side ponytail, lips bright red, skirt barely covering her ass despite the cold. It was never talked about or agreed upon, it was just one of those automatic things. The Devils have decided to stick together. As a result, we’ve all avoided Sydney like the plague after she fucked with Reyn and Vandy last fall at homecoming. Trying to sink her talons into him and almost destroying what he had going on with his girl? Uncool.
I zig zag around her, hoping that maybe she won’t see me.
“Hey Basssssss.”
“Fucking hell,” I mutter, looking back and giving her a scowl. The girl couldn’t take a hint if it were anvil-shaped and dropped from the heavens above. She doesn’t even look put out about my glare, just smiles back at me, wiggling her fingers in a wave.
Worst hookup decision ever.
Suddenly, a hand clenches around my wrist, yanking me into the lockers. I dramatically rub my shoulder, swinging my scowl around. “Ow.”
“Whatever,” Vandy scoffs. “You and I both know that didn’t hurt.”
All the twisted-up stress and anxiety instantly melts away. “V! You’re back!” I sling an arm around her shoulder. “How was it? Was Dr. Drew there?”
She frowns and holds her finger to her lips. “Keep it down, asshole!”
“Oh, right.” No one is supposed to know Vandy spent Christmas break in rehab. “How was your, uh, holiday?”
“Good.” And even if her pretty blue eyes go a little tight at the mention, her tone sounds like maybe she means it. “Honestly, not as bad as I was expecting. No kumbaya, minimal number of share circles, really good food, and…”
I quirk an eyebrow down at her. “And?”
Her cheeks flush in that way Vandy has. Even though she’s a Devil now, and one of the most popular Juniors in school, a part of her will probably always be Emory’s bashful little sister. “I don’t know. I just feel better. Good, you know? Like I can handle it now.”
“You couldn’t before?” I frown, even though I know addiction can be a beast. Vandy’s just always kept things so close to the vest. You’d never know she was struggling with a nasty painkiller addiction.