Page 30 of Vicious Games

He salutes me lazily, still basking in his buzz while I head for the library.

Except when I get there, she’s nowhere to be found.

“The fuck?”

I glance at my watch and realize it’s already three thirty—half an hour past the scheduled time.

Okay, so maybe I’m alittlelate, but did she seriously bail on our tutoring session?

Bail on me?

No way. No fucking way.

She ditchedme?

The fuck is she playing at?

Not wanting to jump to conclusions, I scan the library, searching every corner before scowling when I confirm she’s not there.

Maybe she got sick. Maybe she went to the nurse’s office.

That theory dies a quick death when the nurse informs me Frankie’s last visit was a few days ago when she sucker punched me.

My mood nosedives from mellow to downright pissed.

Where the hell is she?

I search the entire school, top to bottom, going as far as checking the girls’ bathroom and locker room.

Still nothing.

She really fucked off without so much as a‘Hey, asshole, I’m ditching today.’

The nerve of this girl.

Well, if she isn’t here, there’s only one place she can be.

I leave my car in the parking lot, choosing to walk to the orphanage instead since it’s only a ten-minute walk from Sacred Heart anyway.

If I thought the walk would calm my temper, though, I was dead wrong. Midway to the orphanage, the sky decides to crack open, the pouring rain drenching me in seconds. My uniform clings to me like a second skin by the time I reach the orphanage doors and ring the bell.

When they swing open, I’m met with a nun I’ve never seen before.

“Yes?” she asks, not even pretending to be hospitable despite the fact that I’m soaked to the bone.

“Is Frances O’Malley here?”

“I’m not sure. I’d have to check.”

But instead of doing just that, the nun just stands there, frowning at me, making zero effort to find the pain in my ass.

“Well?”

“Well, what?” she has the audacity to ask.

“Are you going to check or not?”

“That depends.”

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