Page 37 of Raise Hell

“Very true. Just don’t hold that against me.”

Felicia shakes her head as we settle in to actually doing our work, but a smile teases at the corner of her lips.

It isn’t exactly a compliment to me that it was so easy to convince her we should be friends. Anyone would be preferable to spending all your time alone.

But I can be what Felicia needs.

As long as she gives me what I want.

“At least tell me that Drake lets you ride that gorgeous Ducati,” I comment after a few minutes of companionable silence.

“Yeah, no. He doesn’t let anybody on that thing, not even the girls he bangs. The first girl who ends up on that bike will probably be the one he marries.”

“Anytime you want to steal his keys, I’m up for a joyride.”

“Drake would literally kill me. Okay, maybe not literally, but it would be a close thing. He carries his keys on him at all times, even when he’s sleeping. Not even his closest friends are allowed anywhere near that bike.”

“I bet he has a misogynistic name for the thing, too.”

She only hesitates for a second. “He calls it Red Betty.”

Of course he does. “Guys always name their vehicles after women. Makes you wonder how often they think about screwing inanimate objects.”

“Yeah, probably.”

Getting my hands on that bike might be fun.

Of course, Drake isn’t likely to let me close enough to pick his pockets.

I wonder what he would do if I pushed his bike into a lake.

With him still on it.

* * *

I’m feeling prettygood about myself on the walk back to my dorm room.

Felicia and I studied together until the librarian kicked us out. At least, she studied while I tried to grill her for more information about her brother.

Turns out Drake’s favorite food is curry chicken and he can’t wear socks to bed.

No idea how that information is going to help me, but it’s only been one night. We’ll have to get to the good stuff, eventually.

The fact that it’ll make him livid that I’m hanging out with his sister warms my little black heart. You think he’d realize that the more you try to keep a person from doing something, the more determined they’re going to be to do it.

Clearly, he’s never heard of the concept of reverse psychology. If Drake were smart, he’d encourage us to have a sleepover and braid each other’s hair.

The tree-lined walkways I so admired during the day feel different at night. Overhanging lamps light the cobblestones, but it’s impossible to see anything in the shadowy trees on either side of the path. They were probably going for a historic, pre-Colonial vibe with the low golden light, but the lamps are spaced so far apart that I can’t see more than a few feet ahead of me.

If I was from a different sort of family, the Pratts might have sued the school after what happened to Olivia. It’s obvious the administration didn’t do enough to protect her.

I haven’t seen a single emergency call box since I got to this campus.

A girl could be dragged away into the woods, and nobody would even know it happened. Between the poor lighting, lack of cameras, and minimal security, this place is a liability suit waiting to happen.

Too bad my father cares more about our family’s reputation than he does about protecting any other potential victims. The last thing he would be willing to do is let any testimony about my sister’s assault become part of the public record.

He would rather she die than become a headline.

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