Page 50 of Tag

No one had an answer to that.

A cold ripple slid down my spine. Roxxi turned toward me, her expression shifting, the anger dimming enough to let concern peek through. She reached out. “Come on, Sanj. Let’s get you out of here.”

I took her hand, letting her guide me away from the broken glass, her arm winding protectively around my shoulders like a shield. My heart still thundered, my legs barely steady as I stepped back into my bedroom.

“Why do they want to mess with us now?”

“To be honest, this could have happened last year as well. Being a freshman gave us immunity.”

I hadn’t considered that. I sat down on the ottoman at the foot of my bed, crossing my arms tightly over my chest.

“Isn’t it kind of ironic?” Layla pondered, her tone half-curious, half-teasing. “Everyone sees you as untouchable or something. Now the it girls have been Marked.”

Roxxi stopped where she’d taken up pacing, turning on her heel like a switch had been flipped. “Itgirls? Who the fuck still talks like that?”

Layla raised her hands slightly. “Hey, it was just a joke. You guys are kinda rich and popular, you know?”

“Right. So, what’s the joke? Us having money or us being more well-liked than you?”

“Rox,” I tried.

“Don’t Rox me. You guys know she’s always making slick ass comments, and I always let it go, but can she not read a room?”

Layla’s brow furrowed. “Why are you getting so mad?”

“Why are you playing dumb?” Roxxi took a step forward, and Layla shifted back. “We come from money. Our parents have money. Some of our grandparents have money. They all busted their asses for it, just like we’ll have to. We aren’t in college for the fucking life experience, and if we’re ‘popular’ it’s only because we put ourselves out there.”

“See how nice she broke things down for you?” Cloe asked rhetorically, her tone calm and polite.

Layla stared at Roxxi so long, I started to worry we’d be breaking up an actual fight in a minute, the last thing we needed.

Arianna shifted, sensing the blatant tension. “We shouldn’t be at each other’s throats like this. That note wasn’t just for Sanj. It included all of us, maybe even you, Layla. You’re here all the time.”

Layla hugged her middle, and I realized she was scared.

“Why don’t we all take a breath?” I suggested. “Ari’s right, this is not the time for us to be arguing.”

“I agree, especially if we’re all about to be pulled into this madness together,” Cloe seconded.

Layla nodded, eyes dropping. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I wasn’t trying to offend you guys.”

Roxxi gave me a look, and I knew right then she was not buying that apology, but for the sake of peace, she chose to let it go, for now. I decided it was best to focus on the most important things first. “Any guesses on how many Huntsmen we’ll have?”

“There were rumors about things being done differently this year,” Ari answered.

“We already know about the one who filmed us in the quad, then the person under the tree in the courtyard. That’s two… but there were more,” I divulged.

Cloe straightened, but she was already somewhat aware of this part. Roxxi started pacing again. Ari watched me closely.I took a breath and began to explain. “There was one at the edge of The Pit the day before the quad incident. Right after cheer practice. Another, or maybe that same person, was outside Ashton’s later that same night. I planned to tell you all this when we talked later.”

Arianna looked rattled. Roxxi muttered a curse under her breath.

“And then there was the car,” I continued, glancing toward Layla. “The black sedan that tailed me and Layla on our way here. Ryder showed up, and they drove off.”

Cloe looked at her. “You didn’t tell us about any car.”

“I was going to do it with Sanj.”

“Right,” Roxxi deadpanned. “So, we know of two for sure. All of this could be because of them.”

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