Page 18 of Web of Lies
You know it. Have a good day, babe. New schools are tough, but you’re tougher. And if they give you shit… give me their fucking names. I have brass knuckles with their names on it.
Me:
*Kissy face.*
I smile down at my phone as I make my way across the courtyard. Tristan always boosts my spirits whenever I need it. And he absolutely knows we are equals.
Sleep—well—sleep was nonexistent last night. My mind had way too many scenarios going through it to shut off and shut up. So, at the butt crack of dawn, I got ready for the day. School uniform and all, which seems ridiculous in such a place, but it’ll do. Knee-length skirt, knee-high socks, a white button-down, a tie—seriously, a tie—and a matching red-velvet overcoat to go with it.
I walk through the dining hall doors and make a beeline to the coffee table. I’ll need all the caffeine I can get my hands on to make it through this day. Taking a small look around at the nearly empty room, I make my coffee. My father would say you want a little coffee with that sugar. Who needs such a bitter-tasting beverage this early in the morning when you can spice it up with three teaspoons of sugar and milk.
After my adventure through the buffet line—and I say adventure, because holy shit. French toast, pancakes, eggs, bacon, southern biscuits and gravy, sausage links, and patties; they have everything you can imagine. I don’t know how I will contain myself with all this delicious food in the mornings. Typically, at home, I grabbed an apple and ran to my car. But here? Here I can waltz into the on-campus dining hall and stuff my face all day and all night long at their twenty-four-hour cafeteria. Maybe this place won’t be too bad, after all.
“Holy pigs in a blanket, Kaycee! I’m so super-duper sorry I missed our time together yesterday!” I shove a piece of biscuit into my mouth to stop the groan from escaping my throat. Another fucking odd food reference. What is this girl’s deal? I need to investigate her again
“It’s okay,” I mumble through the flaky biscuit, because holy fuck balls, I don’t think I can endure another hour with her and her ridiculous speech patterns. More biscuits and gravy enter my mouth as she sits beside me, staring intently at me eating. “Did you need anything else?” I gargle out with a mouth full of food. Her hands go below her chin like she’s posing for a picture, giving me the sweetest smile she can muster.
“I can better acquaint you with our beautiful campus after class! We’ll have heaps of fun frolicking through the meadows! OH! I can show you the fountains and gardens and there’s much to show you!” She squeals every word again. Fuck. Me. Time to let this looney toon down easy. There is no way in hell I’m frolicking in a meadow, I mean, who does that? What does frolicking entail?
“That’s very, very kind of you, Piper, but Chase gave me a tour yesterday and it was very thorough,” I say, shoving food into my mouth again. Piper’s face drops and her eyes narrow, much like a viper getting ready to strike its next meal.
“Oh, that snake in the grass gave you a tour. That bloated bag of beans wouldn’t know one end of this place to the other! Let me guess, that slippery toad took you to that repulsive maze first? Then his precious little football field!?” Every word she says gets progressively louder, eventually turning into full-blown shrieks of rage.
She stands up, roughly pushing the chair behind her, and pounds a fist into the table—repeatedly. She huffs, stomping her foot, and looks me dead in the eyes. For the first time since meeting the cheerleading captain, I see the evil lurking like a shadow below the surface. Yeah, time to check her out online again. She’s definitely cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs.
“Mark my words—” she growls, inching her face closer to mine. I swear if she gets any angrier the bulging vein on her forehead will pop like a pimple. Pop! Blood everywhere—maybe her head will go with it too.
“Harassing the new girl, Psycho?”
I shove more food in my mouth to avoid any altercation with Piper. I really don’t want to piss her off more than I already have. I’m trying to stay neutral with everyone in this place, so my spying goes well. Pissing off this obviously unhinged, peppy cheerleader, is a big mistake. A mistake I will never make again. Note to self: meet Piper after school for a tour so she doesn’t stab me in the gut.
Seger steps up to Piper, white knuckling his breakfast plate. Piper bares her teeth like a dog and nearly barks at him before stepping back.
“The offer still stands, Kaycee, unless you want to associate with filthy, mud bathing snakes instead.” Like the queen she thinks she is, she flips her long blonde ponytail in Seger’s face and stomps off and out the door.
I swallow my bite and look back to see the twins standing together. Their faces are identical in rage, watching Piper storm out of the room. As soon as she’s outside, her Snow-White mask comes back on and it’s like nothing happened. She chats with students as they walk by and hugs them.
“Trouble seems to find you,” Zepp says in an even tone, not bothering to look at me.
“Just call me a magnet,” I quip, shoving more food into my mouth.
Trouble always seems to find me no matter where I go, hence why the wonder twins are now sitting beside me. Stoic like statues and almost impossible to tell apart in their school uniforms.
The boy’s eyes continue to stare out the window, watching Piper sashay across the courtyard towards Cruel Carter. He lounges against one building like he has no other place to be. With a cigarette pressed between his lips and a cruel smirk working behind it. His eyes are invisible from here. Such a shame too, I’d love to get a read on him. Especially after last night. As soon as Piper is no longer visible, Seger shovels food like he’s starving. Zepp slowly piles it into his mouth, seeming to have all the time in the world.
“Why is she a psycho?” I ask, staring out the window.
Two sets of green eyes sear into me like fire blazing under my skin, drawing my attention back to the statue twins. “Stupid question,” Zepp huffs, taking another careful bite.
“How so?” I ask, tilting my head to the side. I want specifics, damn it. I need to know why she’s so— her. But I can’t publicly pry.
“You fucking saw her, didn’t you?” Seger asks through a mouthful of food and a shrug.
I nod, because who didn’t see her act like that. “Yes,” I say, the clouds catching my attention. “A normal person doesn’t fly off the handle like that. Besides, her speech pattern is on par with a psycho trying to manipulate you into believing they’re just like everyone else. Which she’s clearly not normal.” A white cloud floats in front of the blazing sun, sprouting a trunk and four legs. I smile as the elephant dances in the wind. Its trunk extends further, and it dissipates completely, as the sun takes back the reins.
“Wow, New girl,” Chase says through surprise.
Where’d he come from?
