Page 36 of Web of Lies
“It means they have marked you, you boyfriend stealing bitch.” Hadley seethes with a triumphant smile beaming across her lips. She shoves her way through the crowd of gawking girls, coming front and center. She stares at me with pure hatred in her eyes.
“Marked?” I try to keep my voice as steady as I can, but it might have come out as a yelp instead.
Crap. Crap.The same words Magnolia spewed in an email. Marked—but she didn’t sound scared. Not at all. In fact, it was like any other day to her. Maybe she should have been scared because look where it got her. Dead and gone. And now me?
“Do you know what happened to the last girl they marked?” Hadley asks through a grin, staring at her nails like this was nothing but child’s play to her.
I lick my lips, because yeah, I know. “No,” I say, through a firm voice, lifting my chin higher.
“Good,” she says, patting me on the head. She moves in, getting in my face. “Really good. My advice? Run. Run as far and as fast as you can, because this? This is only the beginning.”
“Never touch me again!” I snarl, getting into her face as much as she got in mine. My fists ball at my sides and I’m two seconds away from clocking her in her smug little face. Ok—no, I’d break a finger or something, but it’s nice in theory to think I could harm her.
“Or what?” she asks, lifting her brows. “What are you going to do about it?” She snarks like I won’t do anything.
But what she expects is exactly what I won’t do. If she wants a fist in her face, I’d love to do it. But my fist won’t dole out the vengeance I want. I tilt my head to the side and softly hit her shoulder. I lean in, just for her to hear in the room full of bloodthirsty witnesses.
“I have my ways. You touch me again, you’ll regret ever putting a finger on me, Hadley Lacey.” I try to sound as menacing as my small voice will let me. But by the smug smile on her face, I did nothing to incite fear. Her mistake, not mine.
She simply snorts, shoves me in the shoulder, and saunters off. The rest of the pale-faced girls in the hallway follow suit, trailing after their apparent leader. My eyes follow their movements, invisible ants mounting my skin, preparing their ascent up my legs and spreading out on the tingling flesh of my arms. My fingernails dig in, breaking through the layers of skin, frantically scratching.
“Oh and, New girl? Enjoy breakfast!” Hadley shouts with glee from the elevators, the doors closing around her voice. My throat constricts at her warning words. Something. Something has changed. Something has happened. But what?
My eyes linger on the damage to my door. I make a call to the maintenance crew, letting them know someone has damaged it, and head to breakfast. I make my way across the courtyard, toward the dining hall, as eyes burn deep into my soul, weakening my knees. I stumble a little at the eyes on me. Whatever happened to my door has made its way to every curious ear on campus. Everyone who sees me, watches me with sharp eyes, evaluating me. And then? Then they avoid me like I carry the plague in my purse.
What. The. Fuck.
I take a deep breath before walking up to the dining hall. Seger and Zepp stand shoulder to shoulder with scowls etched onto their perfect faces. The last time I saw the two of them, we had fun together in the maze. Laughing and joking like we were old friends, but today? Oh, today, I am the scum on their shoes—the inconvenience standing right before them.
“Go away,” Seger grunts, folding his arms across his chest. I tilt my head, my eyes sliding towards Zepp. Their faces give off nothing but anger.
“But I’m hungry,” I state, trying to push past them, but they move the way I do, blocking my path again.
“Then starve,” Zepp says, looking away from me towards Hadley and her gaggle of followers walking down the pathway.
“That’s it? Starve?” I ask again, trying to push past whatever this is.
My eyes float to Chase sitting at our normal table. His gray eyes give nothing away, but the sadness storming across his face says plenty. He looks away as quickly as he can, avoiding me too. Well great, there goes my sanity in this place.
“Fucking starve, New Girl. You can’t come in here anymore. So fucking starve. Choke on a dick or whatever it is you do.” Seger’s face turns bright red, nostrils flaring wildly.
As he stares me down with narrowed slits, hate and anger spark in his eyes at the sight of me. I’m perplexed. Where on earth did all this hate come from? What changed over the course of the weekend?
I purse my lips. “I’d rather not choke on it, but maybe I’ll bite it off, make a meal of it.” Seger swallows hard and shakes his head.
“No one around here wants your STD-infested lips anywhere around them.” He raises his brows, eyes conveying his message loud and clear. Sorry. So sorry. Worry. Hate. Lust. Mixed emotions swirl like an open book over his scowling face.
“Dancing donuts, what’s going on here?” I close my eyes, biting my lip until it probably bleeds.
“For the sake of barbequed chicken wings, what on earth are you boys doing?” Piper chastises, standing close to me, but not too close.
“Our duty,” Zepp says through clenched teeth.
“Well, your duty is right poo-poo!” Piper says, waving a finger in front of their faces. “Come on, Kaycee, let’s get you some food.” She grabs my arm, but I pull back, staring at the boys who I thought were my friends. I thought I was finally getting somewhere with them, gaining their trust. And now this?
“She can’t come in,” Zepp grits out, pointing back towards the dining hall.
By now every student in the vicinity is staring at our showdown, waiting to see what will happen. My guess is some want to see me cry or react unfavorably. But I won’t. Does it hurt my heart that they can go from friends to this? Yes. It does. I can’t deny that. But will I let them make me cry right now? No. I am a queen. A fucking queen, damn it. I came to this school with fire in my belly and a bomb in my hand ready to come out swinging. So that’s what I’ll do. Pick my battles and fire when necessary.
