Page 28 of The Psychopaths

Emery:That wasn’t me. That was Patricia.

This time I laugh out loud. Which is weird when you’re in a room all by yourself. Emery sends another message before I can respond to her previous one.

Emery:Give me the tea on the brooding stepbrother. Any updates?

Emery lives vicariously through me when it comes to dating. Her own brother is past the point of overprotective. The guy should see a shrink honestly.

Me:Yes, and no. He finally showed up after ghosting everyone for months.

Emery:*clapping GIF* Tell me more.

Me:Nothing is different, but he did apologize.

Emery:Of course he did. Please tell me that you told him to fly a kite.

Me:No. But I was going to ask your opinion on something…

I’ve been thinking about the idea since it popped into my head on Sunday night, when I watched Aries pull into that warehouse parking lot. Half of me felt like it was wrong to follow him after dinner, to question what he was doing at a seedy warehouse in the middle of nowhere, especially when I had nothing to go on but a stupid gut feeling. Maybe his dad has him doing work there for some reason.Or it could be something else…and my gut plus the way he’s been behaving means I have to figure it out. Not like he’s going to tell me.

Aries wasn’t acting like himself—not at the charity event and not at our family dinner. He said hechanged. What I felt wasn’tchange. It was something else, something I can’t put into words. More of a feeling than anything else.

The only thing to do now is just ensure he’s okay. Prove to myself he’s my stepbrother, even if it means I’ll lose this new...connection…I feel.

Emery:Earth to Lilian. Are you there?

I consider asking Emery for advice, or spilling my plan to her, but I chicken out before I can finish typing out the response. I don’t want her opinion to sway me. I have to do this.

Me:Still here, contemplating life choices.

Emery:What’s the damn question? If I had balls, they would be blue by now.

Me:See, that’s just it. I forgot it.

Emery:*insert angry emoji* Even in text messages, I know you’re lying.

Me:Am not.

Emery:You’re a liar. We both know it. But when you’re ready to talk about it, let me know. I’m always here.

Me:Love you, Em. Psst…if you don’t hear from me in a couple of days, call the cops.

Emery:What the hell, Lil?

With a grin, I switch my phone to vibrate only. Then I snap the textbook closed and turn to the window, ignoring the sudden spike in my heart rate.

Am I really going to do this? Rebel against the norm? Live dangerously?

My dorm room at Oakmount offers a perfect view of the quad where students cross between classes. Not only is it beautiful and scenic but it gives me a vantage point no one else has. This week alone, I’ve caught sight of Aries three times. The last time was today, about thirty minutes ago. If I move quickly, I can trail him to the warehouse again.

No...he’ll be there. I shouldn’t go to the warehouse. I should check his room at The Mill, where he’s still been staying.

Maybe there are answers there? It’s a risky plan, and if I get caught, there won’t be a believable lie to save me, but if I don’t do something, I’m going to go crazy.

My heart thumps a little faster, and I force myself to act without overthinking it further. I grab my jacket, messenger bag with emergency medication, and the pepper spray I ordered online. Mother would faint if she knew what her fragile daughter was about to do.

Okay, it’s really not so dangerous when all I have to do is bat my lashes at Lee and he’ll escort me to Aries’s door.

I smile to myself. For once, my supposed weakness works in my favor. No one suspects the girl with the heart condition of anything but fragility, which makes me the most unsuspecting villain. It’s been thirty minutes since I saw him. If his car is at The Mill, I’ll just turn around, but if not...well...it doesn’t hurt to do a little digging.

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