Page 33 of Born into Madness
“Well, I noticed you had a little bit of trouble on the last exam.”
I bottle down the annoyance I start to feel. I’d hardly call conjugating two verbs wrong astrouble, but I’m not about to sit here and argue with the man who’s in charge of my grades. Instead, I plaster on a fake smile and say, “I got a little confused, but I’ve been studying, and I’m pretty sure I’ve got those two irregular verbs down now.”
“I do offer tutoring sessions,” he says. “I’d be more than happy to schedule you in.” He grabs a leather planner and flips it open. “In fact, I have an opening tonight if you’re interested.”
I can’t think of anything I’d like less than spending an hour alone at night with this guy while we go over Russian grammar tables. My brain freezes, trying like hell to come up with an excuse. I’m not a good on-the-spot liar, but I finally manage to say, “I’m not sure I have time in my schedule for a tutor, but if I ever feel like I’m falling behind, I’ll definitely let you know.” Before he can try to change my mind, I take a step back and add, “Thanks so much for the offer, Professor.”
Giving him one last smile, I turn and get out like my ass is on fire, not stopping until I’m free of the building and can feel the sun hitting my face. I tend to burn easily, but for now it feels too good to shy away from it, so I lift my chin to the sky and savor the warmth.
“Don’t give me any more freckles.” The plea is whispered, but the sentiment is strong. Sunscreen has been a staple in my life since I was a kid. I’m not covered in freckles like a lot of redheads, just a light dusting of them along my cheeks, but I would be if I didn’t slather myself in serious SPF every day.
Despite the heat, goosebumps prickle my skin, and I know I’m being watched. The sensation is so strong it has me dartingmy eyes open and looking around, but instead of a creepy skull mask eyeing me from the bushes, it’s just a ton of students rushing to and from class, none of them paying any attention to me.
I tell myself the heavy feeling in the pit of my stomach is not disappointment. It’s relief, goddammit, relief that I’m not being stalked by a madman. Even as the words run through my mind, my eyes keep scanning the crowd, desperate to see the tall, fierce man I can’t get out of my head.
When I realize he’s not going to miraculously appear in front of me, I force my feet to start moving. The next few days go by painfully slow. I’ve been ignoring my mom’s texts, knowing I’ll have to eventually go back there but determined to push it off for at least another week. Not wanting to think about it, I focus on the plans Sav and I have for tonight. We’ve both been dying to see the new romantic comedy that’s playing, and after we watch it and stuff ourselves on popcorn and M&Ms, I’m going to stay over at the Kappa house. We’ve both been busy with schoolwork, and it’s been too long since we’ve had a fun night together.
By the time I’m showered and ready, she’s texting to let me know she’s outside. The theater is only a block away, so I wrap my arm through hers as we make the short walk. The sun is setting, and it’ll be full dark by the time the movie’s over, but I have my pepper spray, and I won’t be walking alone.
“Did you hear that there’s a girl missing from campus?”
Sav’s words catch me off guard, and when I turn my head towards her, she says, “I heard she went missing a few days ago. She just vanished.”
“Seriously? Who is it?” I ask the questions while an uneasiness slithers down my spine.
“I’m not sure. Her name’s Jamie. She’s a freshman, but a lot of people think she just ran off with a guy. I don’t know. It’sreally weird. I feel so sorry for her. I really hope they find her and it’s nothing serious.”
“Me, too,” I say and reach my hand into my pocket so I can wrap my fingers around the pepper spray.
This wouldn’t be the first time a girl’s gone missing from a university, but this suddenly feels a little too close to home. I’ve been keeping an ear out for anything to do with the three guys who cornered me on the footpath, but apparently they emptied their dorms and left a note that basically said,fuck it, we’re out of here.
Whoever that masked guy called when I’d been huddled up next to Chort must’ve done a damn good job of covering their tracks because I didn’t see a single missing person poster or anything. I’m confident those bodies will never be found, but Jamie feels different, and I don’t like it. I briefly wonder if my masked guy is involved in this as well, but as soon as the thought hits my head, every part of me rejects it. It’s absurd to assume he has nothing to do with this, and yet, something in my gut tells me he’s not the one responsible.
“I’m sure they’ll find her,” Sav says, giving me a smile and trying to cheer me up. “From what I heard, there’s no evidence of foul play or anything like that.”
“That’s good. Maybe she just needed a break from all this,” I say, knowing firsthand how overwhelming all the stress can be.
“Yeah, that’s probably it,” Sav agrees. “Okay, no more depressing talk. I’ve been looking forward to this all week, and I haven’t eaten since lunch so I have plenty of room in my stomach for a giant tub of popcorn, Twizzlers, and M&Ms.” She looks over and gives me a wink. “I also read that the sex scene in the movie is hot as hell and you get to see his ass.”
“And we’ll get to see it on a big screen,” I say with a grin.
“Too bad it’s not in 3-D.”
I laugh as we turn the corner and then get in line to buy tickets. As much fun as I’m having, I can’t resist scanning the crowd out front, and when I don’t see anyone who resembles the tall, muscular build of my masked man, I know I need to get my shit together because it’s truly becoming pathetic. Determined to forget about him, at least for the night, I grab the large tub of popcorn and bags of candy while Sav gets our drinks.
The movie is the exact distraction I’ve been needing, and when I hear a deep, masculine laugh during one of the funnier scenes, I refuse to look over my shoulder in the hopes that it might be him. I need to break this ridiculous hold he has on me and step back fully into reality.
“That was hilarious,” Sav says when the credits start rolling. “And that man has a phenomenal ass. I might come back again tomorrow just so I can see it again.”
I laugh and toss back the last of the M&Ms before starting to gather up all our trash. She’s not wrong about the ass. It was pretty nice, and I wouldn’t complain if I had to see it again.
We wait a few minutes for the crowd to get thinner before we get up and join them. Right as we step out, we’re met with a large group coming out of the theater across the hall. It’s a tight fit with all the bodies, but I stick by Sav’s side, determined to not lose her.
We’re almost to the front when I feel a finger drag along the back of my neck. I’d put my hair in a messy bun before we left, not wanting to deal with it, so my neck is completely bare, and the feel of that finger running slowly along my skin is enough to have me freezing in place, or trying to anyway. The crowd pushes me along before I can turn to see who it is, but something tells me I already know who’s touching me. The soft caress ends as quickly as it began, and when I’m able to turn around, there’s no one there, just a family of four who’s looking irritated that I’m blocking their path forward.
“Cindy, come on,” Sav says, grabbing my arm and pulling me forward. “I want to stop and grab a pizza on the way back.”
My eyes dart around the hall for a few more seconds before finally giving up. I start to doubt what I felt the second we get outside. I swear I’m having some sort of funky PTSD. Instead of horrific nightmares, I’m plagued with panty-melting memories and an ache between my legs that’s growing worse with each passing day. I’m fucked in the head is what I am.
