Page 41 of Atone

I didn’t come to Bristal to fall for a guy who comes from the same fraternity as the man who killed Remi. Especially one who only treated me like I mattered when he was locked in a psychiatric ward.

Alex doesn’t get to pick and choose when he gets me. I’m done with him.

“Fuck him.” I throw off my comforter to the side and try to block out the smell of citrus in the air—a smell that’s all in my head.

Alex isn’t worth a second thought when he’s probably still in bed with the girl who dragged him away last night. She was snide to me, but I bet she was sweet with him. Maybe even comforting.

While I’m sharp like the daggers I throw at things.

Climbing out of bed, I walk over to the mirror and pull my hair into a ponytail. A permanent groove digs into my bare thigh from where I keep a knife holstered every waking minute. It’s no wonder Alex doesn’t want anything to do with me anymore. There’s something seriously wrong with a girl who doesn’t trust leaving her bedroom without a weapon.

I secure the holster on my leg and slip my knife in its place before sliding on a pair of shorts.

When I’m finally dressed, I decide there’s no more avoiding my roommates leaving today, even if I do have a massive hangover.

Violet and Patience rush back and forth, gathering purses and suitcases as I leave my bedroom. Teal’s flight to Paris was first thing this morning, and I barely remember her hugging me goodbye last night when she dropped me off and headed back to Sigma House.

My temples throb as I walk to the makeshift kitchen on the other side of the living space. The dorm room is set up in quadrants, with a large shared space in the center and a set of adjoining rooms on either side. Violet’s and Patience’s bedrooms are opposite mine and Teal’s, with Jack-and-Jill bathrooms that connect them.

“Boarding passes?” Patience calls out to Violet.

“On my phone.” Violet waves it in her hand.

Patience nods, turning back to her bag. “I need another phone charger in case I accidentally leave one on campus.”

“Kole’s bringing his computer and always has a hundred cords in that bag, I’m sure he’ll have an extra one you can borrow.”

Patience pauses, her back stiffening at the reminder of Kole going with them.

“I thought he was taking a later flight and meeting us there.” Patience looks up at Violet, who is frowning at the comment.

“No. And even if he was, it doesn’t change that we’re sharing an apartment with him for the summer, so there’s no avoiding him. I thought you were okay with this. We talked about it.”

“Right,” Patience mumbles, shifting her gaze.

“Patience.” Violet’s shoulders deflate. “Promise me everything will be fine.”

“Sure.” Patience’s smile is forced as she turns back to packing. “It will be fine.”

Violet meets my gaze across the room, but I just shake my head. There’s no softening Patience’s feelings toward Kole. Violet is just lucky she’s with him and not Declan, who Patience seems to despise even more.

Violet’s phone starts to ring, and she smiles when she glances at the screen, telling me who it is before she answers.

I walk over to Patience to give Violet her privacy.

“You know you could have just gotten your own apartment if you didn’t want to share with Violet and Kole.”

“And accept the strings my parents waved in front of me if I accepted their money? No thanks.”

My eyebrows pinch. “I didn’t realize your parents weren’t paying for you to go to LA for the summer.”

Patience zips her bag and looks up at me. “They offered. But they said they would only do it if I met their long list of demands. I decided not going at all would be better than that. I was about to bail on the trip altogether until Kole decided to be a hero.”

“Kole, a hero?” If anyone is a hero, it’s definitely not Kole Christiansen.

He’s cut straight from the fabric of hell as far as Sigma Sin members are concerned. Like Alex, he’s also spent time in a psychiatric ward, but his time there didn’t do him any good. He’s a clinical psychopath, and the only person he shows the slightest bit of affection to is Violet.

“He offered to let me use the second bedroom of the apartment he rented for him and Violet this summer. That way, all I have to cover is food and general expenses while I’m in LA. I’ve got enough stashed away from birthdays and high school graduation presents to cover that part.”

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