Page 95 of Tag

Roxxi caught my eye from further down. Her usual resting bitch face had shifted, brow furrowed. She’d seen the same thingI just did. We finished stretching in silence, then gathered our things and started across the turf. The sky was darker now, the breeze sharp against our skin. A few conversations resumed around us, casual and easy, while tension clung to me like a second skin.

Sydney reached the locker room first. She pulled the door open and froze. “Uh, why are the lights off?”

That was weird.

They were always motion-triggered. I squeezed past her and reached for the switch that manually controlled them. The fluorescents buzzed awake overhead. Everything seemed to stop for a full minute after that.

Polaroids.

Dozens, if not more.

Taped to our lockers. Strewn across benches. Lined up like sick little trophies all over the walls.

I moved toward my locker, knowing I hadn’t been an exception in whatever this was. Dead center was a picture of me and Ryder, taken the other night, when he hugged me in the driveway. Thick black ink smeared across both our faces, erasing them completely. I peeled it away, fingers trembling slightly. The angle... something about it felt wrong. Too close. Too high. It didn’t look like it was taken from the street or sidewalk.

It looked like it had been taken from inside my house.

“This is one way to have a photo op,” Roxxi quipped dryly beside me.

She stood in front of her own locker, holding up a similar photo. Hers was with Cade, and they looked like they were caught mid-conversation. The same thick black ink slashed across both their faces. All around us, more girls began reacting. Some gasped quietly, others whispered curses under their breath as they pulled their own snapshots. The unease spreadquickly, murmurs bouncing off the walls, the weight of it settling in the air like a storm cloud.

“If we got one of these, does that mean we’ve been Marked?” Victoria, a smaller cheerleader with vibrant, colorful hair, asked.

“Hey, even if it does, this is only The Hunt, girls,” Brooke’s voice cut through the rising tension, airy and dismissive. “They’re just trying to mess with us. It’s kind of the whole point.”

Nearly the entire squad turned toward her.

Brittany blinked, clearly thrown. “Just?” she repeated, voice sharper now. “My cousin Amber got targeted last year and ended up transferring out. You think that wasjustfrom fun?”

“If you let it get to you, that’s when they win. Fear is what they feed off of. You can’t be weak-minded.”

I’m sure she meant that as a reassuring, motivational comment, but with the way people were feeling at the moment, it didn’t land well.

“Wow, Brooke, and everyone thinks you’re this sweet angel,” Zara snapped.

The room went quiet.

Brooke’s lashes fluttered, her lips parting like she was about to defend herself, but in the end, she didn’t say a word. Meanwhile, my mind had locked onto what Zara had just called her. With her honey-blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and a glowing, pageant-perfect smile, she practically embodied the term. I wasn’t sure why my brain decidedrightthen to serve up the memory of Ashton using that same endearment recently.Angel.

I shut down the thought immediately.

Brooke was too sweet, and seriously, who in their right mind would give up Ryder for a man who couldn’t find my clit if I put a neon sign above it and played theIndiana Jonestheme song? At least Ryder knew what he was doing. I’d never gone out of myway to hear the stories, but the few girls he messed with made sure I did.

Not once had Roxxi, Ari, or Cloe been dragged into that fire. Though plenty of girls didn’t like how close we all were with the guys,Iwas always the problem when it came to Ryder Voss, no matter what I did. It wasn’t until now that I was an actual one.

“I’m not worried,” Brooke said after a minute, smile still perfectly in place. “I’ve got a boyfriend who can handle anyone trying to Hunt me.”

Her eyes went to the photo in my hand. Was that proclamation meant for me? I couldn’t even be mad. Good for her, honestly. I’d use him as a shield too, if he were mine.

“It could be more than one person,” I reminded her. “They changed the rules.”

Brooke looked right into my eyes. “Same difference, Sanjana.”

“Alrighty then,” I replied flippantly. I could feel the edges of my irritation starting to fray. I forced a tight smile, trying to shake off the sudden, oddly satisfying image of slamming her head into the nearest locker.

“Listen,” Brittany interjected. “In this town, fear is like an inheritance passed down and tucked away like family secrets.”

Sydney turned toward her, not quite tracking. “What does that have to do with The Hunt?”

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