Page 12 of Heartless Prince

3

Tatum

Early morning lightfiltered in through my bedroom window. I yawned and snuggled into my pillows, trying to get some rest, but sleep never came.

With a sigh, I checked the clock to see that it was half past seven. Despite my efforts, I hadn’t slept a wink since I returned home just before midnight.

I kept thinking about that text I got, kept freaking out over it. At the same time, the idea of replying to it freaked me out even more. I knew it was probably just Greer or Willa playing a prank and texting me from someone else’s phone, seeing as they knew exactly what I’d been up to last night, but a tiny part of me wondered if it was actually a guy from the party.

What if someone had actually seen me? Was I in trouble? Or did one of the Crown and Dagger guys simply have a weird sense of humor and think it would be funny to text me? That raised even more questions: who was it, and how did he know me and my phone number?

My eyes drifted over to my cell. It sat on my bedside table, seemingly staring at me accusingly. I picked it up.

Trying to put the weird text out of my mind, I dialed my mother’s number, hoping for a chat. She always got up early on Saturdays, so I knew she’d be around. The phone rang endlessly, though, and after a few minutes I gave up, dejected.

My parents had barely spoken to me since I arrived at Roden a few months back. It was so strange. I knew they were busy with work (seeing as Dad’s formerly-struggling surveying business had started to pick up several months ago) but surely they still had time to return my phone calls. They hardly ever did, though. They hadn’t been to visit me on campus either, even though it was only a half-hour drive from their house.

Their newhouse.

Ever since the business started taking off, they’d been splashing out and buying themselves all the things they’d never been able to afford before now. Their decrepit rental bungalow had been replaced by a bigger house in a nicer neighborhood, and they’d treated themselves to a new car as well. On top of the thriving business, they also had more disposable income purely because they no longer had to care for me anymore. I was happy for them, but still, it would be nice to hear from them more than once a month.

I thought about calling one of my friends as a distraction, but I decided against it. Everyone liked to sleep in a little later on weekends, so expecting a conversation at half past seven was pushing it a bit.

Oh, screw it.I finally swallowed my fears and tackled the elephant in the room.

Who is this?I sent to the unknown number from last night.

My phone pinged with a reply almost right away. I could be your worst nightmare or your most pleasurable dream. I’ll let you decide.

My shoulders slumped with relief. Considering the totally over-the-top reply, it was obviously just a stupid prank. All this time, I’d been freaking myself out over nothing.

I tapped out a sarcastic response. Very funny. Is that supposed to scare me?

Another reply came through immediately. You’d like it if it did, wouldn’t you? You like being scared. Turns you on, doesn’t it?

I stiffened. Perhaps this wasn’t a prank after all. Or if it was, the person had quite a sick sense of humor. Hands shaking slightly, I sent another text. I don’t know what you’re talking about.

Him: Yes you do. I know you, Tatum Marris. I know everything about you.

Me: So you’re a stalker. Should I call the police?

Him: Not a stalker. Just an interested party.

Me:Interested?I leaned back on my bed, curling up against the thick, ruffled pillows. Suddenly, I wasn’t so worried. More curious than anything else. Who was this guy, and what exactly did he want?

Him: Yes. You’re interested in me, too.

Me:I don’t even know who you are….

His reply took a little longer this time. But you were there last night. You watched us. You loved us. Admit it.

I swallowed hard. So he had seen me at the party after all.

Me: It made me curious. That’s all I’ll admit.

Him: Well, in the words of Bachman, you ain’t seen nothing yet. But you’ll find out.

My curiosity was fully piqued now. I kept the exchange going, even though I was quite certain that the person at the other end was just a bored guy looking to assert his dominance by trying to creep me out.

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