Page 79 of Web of Lies
“But now?” Seger asks.
“It feels like nothing,” I say through a breath, looking between the guys. “I feel it’s not there. It’s always there,” I whisper, a smile growing on my face. A bell rings overhead, warning us it’s almost time for class.
“You want me to cover for you again?” Zepp asks, but I shake my head. I can do this. Fuck them for trying to get to me. I won’t let these jerks tear me down ever again. I had my day of sulking, but today, I’m strong.
“No, no, I’ll make it.” I give him a reassuring head shake, taking a step forward. “But—but what about you guys?” I ask, looking between the three of them again. “Won’t they?” Chase’s eyebrows shoot into his hairline at my words, but the twins look at each other.
“Like I told you in the library, fuck their games. Fuck their rules. And fuck that. If they want to release it, then let them fucking release it.” Seger shrugs like it’s no big deal, but I know it is.
“You don’t have to do that for me—”
“The fuck I don’t!” Seger bursts again, reaching down to grab his book bag. “The fuck I won’t. I’ll see you at lunch,” he says, jumbling his words. He takes off out the empty classroom door, letting it slam behind him, shaking the surrounding walls.
“Zepp?” I ask, putting a hand in his. “Are you sure?” I whisper, “Because I get it…”
“Just like Seger said, fuck their games and fuck them. Seriously, Kaycee, they’re gunning for you, for what?” He shrugs, squeezing my hand, too. “We were too scared to do anything before, but now? Screw it. We’re in this together. I won’t let anything else happen. You have my word.” Zepp’s teeth grit together as he speaks with such conviction, it leaves no room for doubt. The twins are on my side, no matter what.
“What…. how……?” Chase stammers over his words, eyes wide, staring down at me, going back and forth between Zepp and me, almost to the point of hysterical.
“It’s a lot to explain,” Zepp says before I can talk, “But we’ll tell you all about it. But not right now. We should get to class.” Waving a hand toward the door, we all respond, walking towards it.
“I’ll walk her to her locker,” Chase says, still holding tight to my hand and not letting me go alone.
“You sure?” Zepp asks, keeping our pinkies together before letting go. He eyes Chase with a critical eye because once Chase does this, he’ll be a pariah, just like me—like Zepp and Seger. They fought for me on more than one occasion.
“Yes,” Chase says, pulling me out the door as his definitive answer. He keeps his large body in front of mine, pulling me down the hallway. He breaks through the crowd who by now have no interest in spewing terrible names in my direction.
“You don’t have to do this for me, either, you know?” I whisper from beside him, guilt seeping into my bones. If I’m getting treated like the enemy, how would they treat him? And the twins? I undo my lock from my locker, looking over at him. His gray eyes collide with mine like an ocean meeting the rocks. Heavy emotions pour from his stare, conveying everything I need to know right now. He’s not leaving. He is concerned for me and wants to help.
“Yeah… yeah, I do,” he responds right away, digging his hands into his pockets, “like they said, I’m tired of it.” He keeps his head hanging low. Guilt tackles me with force, nearly knocking my breath from my lungs. They’re my knights in shining armor, taking a stand against an invisible force, and together we will defeat them. No matter how hard it gets. We will weave and shred with our swords and take them out once and for all.
United allies.
I dig through my locker, thankful there’s nothing stinky in there. If I ever find shit in my locker again, I might start throwing it around. I’ll fling it in their faces and make them pay for what they’ve done. Today, though, no shit exists, thankfully, since I started using my locker again. Only a single white envelope addressed to me sits in there. With shaking hands, I pick the envelope up and tear it open.
Meet me in the closet again. Today, lunchtime. C. B.
I swallow a lump in my throat and look up at Chase. He eyes the letter in my hand and then takes it back, shoving it into his back pocket.
“You’ll be there?” he whispers, hope brimming in his eyes. I nod without hesitation.
“Yeah, I’ll be there. You aren’t going to murder me, are you?” I ask through a joke, well, maybe a joke.
Chase wouldn’t harm me, would he? I know for a fact the twins are on my side, but Chase? He’s a good guy deep down, and I know the stakes at play for most everyone at this school. A ghost of a smile touches his lips, shaking his head back and forth. A laugh even escapes him, something foreign to him these past few weeks. It’s nice to see something familiar. His laugh. His smile. I missed those since that first week of school when he and I got to know one another. I’ve missed him. More than I ever thought I would.
“Not a chance in hell, New Girl. Now, let’s go to Calc?” I get my book, and we take off down the almost empty hall together. He stays by my side until we reach the classroom. Where I park my butt on my perch, and he sits in his seat.
The rest of the day stays the same. Chase keeps his distance from me. But his stare is everywhere. His eyes burn holes into the side of my head every time I turn. He’s there. He’s watching. But something is holding him back. Zepp and Seger have publicly outed themselves as my ally. Chase sits on the fence, a leg on each side, debating whether he’d jump down to save me. I can only pray to the Lord above, that Chase will make the right choice when the time comes. A sharp pain penetrates my heart at the thought. Would Chase swoop in without Zepp and Seger by his side? Or would he let me drown at the hands of my enemies?
I make my way down the hall towards the tiny janitor’s closet in no-man’s-land. Thankfully, after double-checking, it’s still a dead zone in this area of the school. Which means the cameras won’t capture our comings and goings so that the Apocalypse fucker won’t come after Chase, too. Surprisingly, more doesn’t happen on this end of the school, only in the maze. Thank God. I’d hate to walk in on someone doing the nasty in this little slice of privacy.
When I reach the closet, I can’t help but look around. No one is in sight to see me step into the small, confined closet, which is fine by me. The last thing Chase needs is for someone to see him come in here with me. Whatever they’re holding over his head must be big for him to keep his distance despite his words still.
As I lean against the cool, bare concrete wall, my mind wanders. I can’t help to question why he’d want me back in here. Maybe this is a place he feels most secure talking to me, which I get. Who wants to be seen with the school pariah an invisible cult is after? I wouldn’t, I’d be scared shitless. I can’t blame him for his actions, especially after learning what they had on the twins.
The door opens, letting sunlight from the hall pour into the small closet, illuminating Chase’s broad-shouldered body in the door frame. Today Chase seems more—Chase like. Bringing back the easy-going, lop-sided grin guy I met a few weeks back.
“Why the closet?” I ask, raising a brow. Chase secures the door, popping the lock. He advances on me in slow motion, walking with his hands tucked into his pockets.
