Page 61 of Soul of a Psycho

I shiver, not quite understanding how this is all passing by the faculty, quiet or not. The whole senior class seems to be out here, and it’s nearing eleven p.m..

Ruby grabs my arm and tugs me down the steps, pulling me out of my stupor.

Waiting at the tree in front of Lamb Hall is our group, and any worry I had melts into a soft snort. Cade is standing in the center of our little pack, jaw clenched as he eyes the other three, no doubt uncomfortable with the way they’ve flocked to him at his post.

I bite my lip to hide my amusement as we join them, and I slip in between to shield him. His eyes roam me up and down as he snakes a protective arm around my waist.

“An angel?” He raises a brow.

“It was this or—” I shoot Ruby a look. “Barbie.”

“Would have been classic,” she says and turns. “Let’s get going.”

Ten minutes later, we are still trekking through the woods. My teeth chatter as the wind gusts, and I huddle into Cade, trying to suck the warmth out from under his cloak. Callie is on my left, with Bobbie just a step ahead, and leading our group is Ruby, flanked by Lana.

“You’re lost,” Cade hollers ahead for the third time.

“Shut up,” Ruby snaps and stomps through a bush.

Apparently, there’s supposed to be a clearing, but we’ve lost sight of others in the last five minutes.

“We need to head north.” Cade ignores her attitude.

With a screech, she whirls around. “And which way is north exactly, smart ass?”

“That way.” He motions to the right.

“Certain of that, are we? Do you have a compass?”

“No. But Polaris is right there.” He points at the sky.

Ruby looks up, as we all do, at the stars. I don’t know what I’m looking at, just twinkles and night, and I’m sure Ruby doesn’t have a clue which one is Polaris either.

“Or… How about the smoke, which again, isthat way,” Cade says.

My gaze travels to the right, and sure enough, there’s smoke. I sigh in relief. A fire, a nice warm fire. Ruby levels a stare at Cade and then stomps off to the right.

Within ten minutes, music starts to thump the ground under us, and squeals of laughter echo through the trees. As if on cue, Cade goes tense the rest of the way. When we reach the clearing, there’s a roaring bonfire that can’t be safe, and orange and black streamers recklessly draped on branches.

“Thank fuck,” Lana sighs, and heads towards a folding table with red cups and an obscene amount of glass bottles.

Ruby follows her but then turns back to make a motion at me. She pinches her fingers to her lips and gives me a thumbs up.

I nod as she skips away, and I start scanning the party for anyone who looks to be smoking weed.

Unfortunately, the night I was chased, I must have dropped Ruby’s vape pen, because I can’t find it anywhere. I have the whole eighty dollars I’ve managed to scrounge up for Japan tucked into my bra, and while it pains me to use it, it’s not like eighty was going to get me very far, anyway. I wish I could skim more out of the debit card my father gave me, but any obscene amounts would tip him off.

“What was that about?” Cade asks.

“I have to buy weed off someone,” I sigh, still scanning. “Do you happen to know anyone?” I ask hopefully.

“You aren’t—” Cade starts.

“If that fire catches,” Callie says, cutting him off. “The whole forest could go up, and we could get trapped out here…”

I blink, not sure how to refute that, because she’s right. But that’s just her anxiety getting the better of her.

“Bobby.” I snag the sleeve of his bumble bee costume. He’s just been standing, lightly bobbing his head to the music. “Why don’t you take Callie to get a drink to calm her nerves?”

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