Page 147 of Tag

The evening chill was sinking through my uniform now that I wasn’t moving. I wrapped my arms tighter around my middle, but it didn’t help much. There was still no sign of the others, and Brooke was damn near in tears about it. I leaned against Ryder’s truck, Cloe beside me, Roxxi on my other side, with Ari tucked close to my left. Layla and Sydney stood a few feet off, huddled together for warmth. Most of the other cheerleaders had taken off once the locker room was cleared.

Brooke’s voice broke the silence. “I hope Ryder’s okay.”

Cloe shifted, voice low, meant only for me. “He’s not the one I’m worried about.”

Brooke started pacing. “They’ve been in there for a long time.”

“They’re fine,” Roxxi said flatly, resting her head on my shoulder.

“I just hate not knowing what’s happening,” Brooke worried.

So did I.

The locker room was roped off after the squad had been allowed to grab their things. More faculty had shown up since, already arguing over how to handle this. For all the higher-ups' obsession with The Hunt, the people who helped enforce it clung just as tightly to their rules and red tape. In two days, this kind of assault would’ve been sanctioned. Well, not Brittany getting backhanded and dragged by the hair. The Hunt wasn’t supposed to draw blood.Now that it had, who was to say it wouldn’t happen again when things really kicked off?

Layla caught my eye and smiled.

I couldn’t bring myself to smile back.

I didn’t even know how to face her yet. Losing that friendship would hurt, not in the way losing Roxxi or Cloe or Ari would. They were family. But Layla still meant something to me. She’d seen sides of me that not everyone had, and I’d made space for her in ways I rarely did for others outside my friend group. I couldn’t unknow what I knew, though. She’d gone behind my back at least twice, and with everything happening, trust wasn’t just fragile, it was sacred. She’d fractured mine.

“Oh, shit,” Ari mumbled.

I followed her gaze instinctively.

A cluster of guys was crossing the parking lot. Hockey players, football guys, and a few others were trailing behind like they were watching a parade. The real show was dead center. Ryder and Cade, flanking Dennis, who walked stiffly, his mascot suit ruffled and half-stripped, the crow head gone. Nick had joined them at some point and was at their backs with Xander. Coaches followed, too, but they stopped and hovered nearby, watching on like this was all perfectly routine.

Cade shoved Dennis forward the second they reached us.

“Apologize,” he ordered, voice flat.

“I’m sorry,” he croaked, hollow and pitiful.

Nick scoffed. “That was the weakest apology I’ve ever heard.”

Ryder grabbed a fistful of Dennis’s sweat-matted hair and pushed him down to his hands and knees. “Start over, and sound like you fucking mean it.”

Dennis hissed through his teeth, face twisting in pain. Everyone went silent. Glances were exchanged, but no one stepped in. I took a step forward, instinct more than intention. I didn’t want him to go too far—not in front of an audience. Brooke beat me there, sliding right into the space she belonged.

I stepped back, and Cloe was there silently offering comfort without making it obvious. Ryder’s eyes found mine and held. I knew he wanted me to remember all that was said between us, but that didn’t make this any easier or sting any less.

“I don’t hear anything,” Roxxi prompted.

Pulling my gaze from Ryder, I looked down at our mascot. Dennis was a wreck. He was red-faced, lip split, his cheek swelling like a rotted peach.

The padded suit sagged around him, feathers bent at broken angles like even the costume didn’t want to be associated with him anymore. I didn’t know what I was feeling anymore. I was just over it. Over the week I’d been having. Over the whiplash of the Hunt ramping up and the whiplash of Ryder Voss. I didn’t want to be standing under cold campus lights with a crumpled coward and a crowd that felt more like a jury than a student body.

I wanted to go home.

I needed some normal before Monday hit and dragged us all further into this twisted game. My last few hours of semi-sanity were being wasted on this asshole who meant nothing to me. I stepped forward, focusing on Dennis. My girls shifted behind me, ready to move without hesitation if he so much as flinched my way. I didn’t think he’d be that stupid when there was a group of guys right behind him looking for another excuse to start swinging.

“I don’t think I need to accept your apology, but I’m not going to lose any more sleep over you either.”

He blinked, and his jaw clenched. For a second, I thought he’d stay silent.

“I’m sorry,” he said again, hoarse and weaker than before. “I really… I am.”

It was more pitiful the second time around. Xander stepped forward, turning slightly.

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