Page 2 of Marked By my Stalker
I press the phone tighter to my ear. “Mom, I gotta go.”
“Okay, honey. Check in with me when you get back from that party tonight.”
“Isn’t that why you hired the big, giant, monster man?”
“Honey, do you want your mother up all night long sick with worry?”
I huff out a sigh. “Okay, Mom. Love you.”
I disconnect the line before she tells me to FaceTime her with today’s newspaper in hand.It’s happened before.
Penny rolls toward me and lifts one eyelid, just slightly. “Monster man?”
“Don’t,” I whisper, not even bothering to cover the phone.
“I mean, he’s got the jawline of a Marvel villain,” she says, still muffled by fabric. “Kind of hot, but terrifying.”
I sigh and shift toward the window, watching students pass below while my personal sentinel waits like a statue by the courtyard steps. I’m not sure whether I should feel protected or violated.
“What’s up, Pen? You okay?”
She groans. “Yeah, just exhausted. Two jobs and classes all day are killing me. That virgin auction I found online is looking better and better every day.”
“My mother is insane. I’m one hundred percent sure now.”
Penny turns her head toward me, one eye squinting open. “Okay… I think you’re looking at this all wrong.” She rolls onto her back, arms behind her head like she’s on a beach instead of buried under life’s avalanche. “You’ve got a big, hot dude posted outside, staring at you all the time. Make the most of it.”
“Make the most of it? He’s like a hundred years old.”
“No. He’s like what… late forties? That’s like prime mysterious stranger category. You could have some fun with that.”
“Fun for who? Not me.”
She smirks. “Look, I’m just saying… if he’s going to trail you like a shadow, you may as well enjoy the aesthetic.”
“That sexy little kitten thing you do isn’t transferable. I’m not as… I’m a dork.”
“Then don’t think of him as a giant, stranger, stalker guy. Think of him like a big, mysterious weirdo.” She grins and rollsonto her side, laughing. “I’m talking out of my ass. Did I tell you I’m tired?”
“You did,” I laugh, grabbing us both an energy drink from the fridge, “but I need you to wake up. We’ve got that party to get ready for, remember? The one you promised you’d go to with me.”
“Yeah,” her voice creaks, and I already know what’s coming next, “I think I’m gonna bail on that. I’m sorry. I really wanna go, but I could use the extra sleep. My eyes are fuzzy I’m so tired.”
I sit on the bed next to her, land my hand on the small of her back, and try to be soothing though I’m insanely disappointed. I hate going to these things without her. “It’s okay. I should stay with you.”
“No way,” she sighs. “You’ve gotta go represent for the C-wing girls. Plus, you and Brick will have fun.”
“Ugh… will we, though?”
“What? Trouble in paradise?”
I arch a brow. “Paradise?Were we ever in paradise?”
“What’s goin’ on? I thought you guys were happy.”
“We are.” I tilt my head to the side and stand. “He’s just… there’s something off about him. I mean, he says the right things, but I sort of catch him in all these little lies all the time. Nothing major, just… I don’t know. It’s weird.”
“Dump him.” She yawns. “You’re a hot ticket. Don’t sell it cheap.”
