Page 21 of Scorching Lies

“I wonder what that was about.” Ally says.

Shrugging, I take in the large field covered in players from each team. Propping my feet up on the empty space below us, my legs stretch out. Ally does the same, crossing her leg over the other. Gold and red cover the field. Two teams. Two rivals. And a stadium filled to the brim with wild drinking college students. We sit there in the cold crisp air, watching the teams battle it out on the field for the first two quarters, before Ryker’s eyes meet mine again. This time I was waiting for it. Searching him out in the crowd and his dark smile lets me know he is well aware.

“Kenna?” A low voice says to my right.

Ally and I turn to see a tall dark-haired man that looks a little too old for a college football game.

“Yeah?” I question, curious who this stranger is.

Looking both ways he hands me a small package before walking back down the stairs without so much as another word.

“What is this?” I shout over the noise of the game, but it’s too late.

He’s gone and now I have a small brown box sitting in my lap with a big red satin bow holding it together.

Leaning in closer Ally eyes it, “Who was that?”

“Mmhm.” Is all I can manage.

My throat feels dry, my tongue heavy in my mouth. The name scribbled in sloppy writing on the top has my heart pounding in my chest.Princessa.

It’s from him. The Shadow. Unbridled fear grips me like a vise. Picking the box up as I stand, my feet move on their own accord. . Rushing down the bleachers, I almost stumble making my way to the bottom row. Once my feet hit concrete, I’m sprinting. Running to my car to get the hell away from whoever he is. But that’s what he wants right? Why else would a Shadowed figure be standing next to my car in the middle of the dark parking lot while everyone is in the stadium.

“Fuck.” I breathe.

My chest rises and falls faster after running here. I slow when I spot him standing closer. Stopping in the middle of the parking lot, I beg my eyes to adjust to the darkness so I can see him. Something. Anything that will tell me who he is, but all I see is a silhouette. The box in my hand starts to slip from my fingers, so I grab it with my other hand when I hear my name being yelled behind me. Not taking my eyes off him, I step backwards towards the voice.

“Kenna!” Ally shouts.

The dark figure matches me step for step, my blood turns to ice. He’ll reach me before she does and what if she gets in the way? I can’t risk Ally.

“What do you want?” I whisper, afraid of what he might say.

Tilting his head to the side as if I’m a frightened animal, fuck I might be, he steps forward again. Stumbling over my next step, he pauses watching and waiting.

“Kenna! What the fuck?” Ally yells, closer this time.

Shadow man steps forward, closer to the light, my palms sweating the closer he gets to showing his face.

“Princess.” West calls out.

That stops him. Wests’ voice has him pausing to look over my shoulder. Moving back a step while he’s distracted, I can hear them getting closer, so I chance a glance behind me, but when I look back to the Shadowed figure he’s gone. Hidden in the darkness.

“Kenna what the hell?” Ally says, grabbing my arm and spinning me to face her.

Shaking my head I laugh, “I thought I saw someone I knew. I guess I was just seeing shit.”

Pulling my arm free from hers, I take the small brown box and slip it into my back pocket on our way back to the bleachers. For the rest of the night my heart skips a beat every time a dark figure flashes behind my eyelids. Looking down towards the field, Ryker looks up at me with a questioning stare as if he isn’t the devil in my story. I may have a Shadowed stalker, but the real monster I fear is the one I can see.

After our team secures the win, everyone files out of the stadium, heading to Seaside Bar. It's tradition to go to the offshore club after games. At least that’s where the football team goes. They worry more about partying than anything else, while the baseball team has bigger concerns. Being the top earning team at our school has its perks, but the Hawthorne foundation has their claws sunk deep into the wires of their program. Something I learned after taking over for my father two years ago.

There’s a lot that happens at this school that they try to hide behind fancy new programs, buildings, dorms, and even cafes on campus. Even the replacement of the Dean was planned and pushed by the foundation. Dean Addington was hand picked from their circle a year ago after the last one signed his resignation. I’ve been looking into everything Hawthorne has done since the fire that night. With our money being the founding factor of the Elite College I want to make sure I look into everything.

Pulling the car into the small parking space off the main road, I shut the headlights off and close my eyes for a second. Ally rode up front this time since West decided to hop inside the SUV, complaining about backseat space in my tiny car.

Fucking prick.

“You need a drink.”

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