Page 201 of Tag

“Good. Just text me later if anything happens, and let me know when you’ve made it back.

“You too, and I will. Bye.”

There was a small moment of silence, long enough to feel intentional.

“Bye, beautiful. Love you.”

My mouth parted like maybe something would come out, but all I could hear was the echo of his voice and the roaringstatic that filled the spaces between the syllables. We’d never said that to one another. Not even by accident. Maybe if I’d heard it sooner, it would’ve meant something different.

Now it made my chest ache with guilt. I hit end on the call and sat there for a moment, pretending I hadn’t heard him.

I flopped back onto the bed, eyes on the ceiling. Only twenty minutes had passed since I’d checked the time.

Twenty minutes since that call forced me out of the safest place I’d been in days and shoved me right back into the cycle of drama that was Crowsfell. My fingers moved on autopilot. I dropped texts in both group chats, asking if anyone was up. No clue if they were sleeping through the storm or just avoiding it altogether.

Then I tapped into my thread with Brittany--still nothing.

My message sat there, unread, or maybe read, but with her receipts off, which wasn’t like her. I sighed and went back into the Marked chat. The video was still pinned and steadily climbing in views. The reactions were starting to trickle in now. Most thought, like me, that it was fake. A few argued it couldn’t be. No one mentioned who the girl was by name. Someone posted a blurred screenshot of her bound wrists. Someone else made a joke aboutHellraisercosplay gone wrong. Beneath it all, the original caption held steady like a curse.

??TEO??????

Happy Hunting.

What did TEO even mean? I flopped back down and started counting the hours until brunch with the Vosses. Was that what Ryder meant when he said he’d see me soon? We only had a few hours of freedom left. Monday meant going back to business as usual, only nothing was remotely the same, and The Hunt would be in full swing. I had plenty to focus on outside of that. I wasn’t sure how I was going to handle things with Ryder, though.

It should be easy.

I had been pretending for years.

But that was before he had his mouth and fingers on me, in me, before I begged him not to stop. Before we said things that couldn’t be unsaid. He wouldn’t struggle like I would. He’d gone to a party his ex-hosted, and I was positive his current girlfriend had been there too. The same girlfriend I saw wrapped around him like a second skin before we came back home. I’d bet anything he didn’t avoid her, and he hadn’t broken up with her. That would've made the rounds already. Ashton would have said something. He knew all the gossip. He was like a sponge for tea.

I wondered why no one had invited me. Not that I would’ve gone. The inclusion would still have been nice. There was no point sulking. That wouldn’t change anything.

I forced myself into action.

First, I clipped my hair up, tight and high, just to keep it out of my face. Then came my usual routine for that last bit of normalcy. I used the bathroom, brushed my teeth, washed my face, and then showered. In that exact order. I dressed in one of my old Crowsfell long-sleeved shirts, black leggings, and warm socks. I pulled the clip from my hair and ran a brush through the ends, tugging gently where it snagged. Then I twisted half of it back and clipped it again, looser this time. A quick layer of moisturizer with SPF went on before I moved back into my room, scooping up Ryder’s shirt.

I debated keeping it, maybe even hiding it in the back of my closet, just to have. It still smelled like him. I changed my mind after thinking about it. That felt a little too on the nose ofHelga’s shrine for Arnold, and I wasn’t ready to become that girl.

First, it would be this shirt, then it’d be his signed football, a sock, maybe even a used water bottle.

Yeah, I wasn’t going that far. Mom would find it and sage the house. I tossed the shirt in the hamper with the rest of my clothes and turned to make the bed. The comforter hadslipped halfway off during the night. I tugged it back into place, smoothed the sheets, and fluffed the pillows. I was tucking the throw at the end when my phone went off. I snatched it, hoping it would be one of my friends, but the only text waiting was from 1031. They had been blissfully silent for the most part. I opened it without hesitating for once.

1031

Trust is a fragile thing, isn't it?

One whisper, one lie, and everything falls apart.

Who do you think’s lying to you, Sanjana?

I sat down on the edge of the bed and texted back.

Why don’t you leave me the fuck alone?

1031

Because you’re my favorite star.

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