Page 466 of Tis the Season to be Bullied

I grab the front of her sweater and propel her into the bathroom, shoving her the last yard. Then I grab one of her suitcases and pop it open, grabbing the first thing I find to wipe down my hand.

The door opens. Sunlight cuts through the gloomy interior. “What are you doing in here?” I don’t have to turn to know it’s Angela, Harper’s new den mother. I keep my back turned, slipping what turns out to be one of Harper’s panties into my pocket.

“Helping my sister unpack.” I wave a hand at the suitcases next to the bed. “Even with my help, I think it’s going to take all day.” Then I turn and give Angela my best smile.

The woman blinks, scans me, scans the suitcases. “Oh,” she says, absently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Who’s there, Jude?” Harper calls out.

“Uh, I think it’s your den mother.” I give Angela a wink. “She probably wants to say hi.”

Harper slips out of the bathroom, wiping her hands on the seat of her jeans. She’s beaming, and Angela can’t help but smile back. “Angela?” Harper asks, tilting her head to the side.

“Oh, you can call me Angie.” She comes closer and holds out her hand. Harper shakes it enthusiastically. “Angie. This place is so beautiful.”

“Glad you like it.” Angela nods, her eyes coming back to me. “But I’m sorry, Jude, you’ll have to leave. No boys allowed in the girls’ dorms.”

“Oh, yeah, of course.” I clap my hands together and give them another smile. “Have my own unpacking to do anyway. Nice to meet you.”

I get out of there as fast as I can, one hand shoved in my pocket so I can keep my hard-on pressed flat. As soon as I find my room, I go into the bathroom. There’s no lock on the door, but since it’s the guys’ dorms, I sincerely doubt anyone in their right mind wouldn’t knock first.

Smiling, I pull Harper’s underwear out of my pocket. It’s a pretty pink, lacy around the edges, and now it even smells like her. I wrap the filmy fabric around my fist, pressing it to my nose as I jerk off, using it to catch up the mess I make when I come seconds later.

Groaning, I lean my forehead against the wall and tuck her underwear back in my pocket.

This is fuckingkillingme.

Chapter 64

Harper

It’s been two months since we arrived at Camp Joy. Apparently, when you’ve been here long enough, when you’ve beengood,then you get to go into Cinderhart town for a few hours every second Saturday. If you don’t qualify for an outing, then you get to spend the day riding horses or swimming in the lake.

If your homework’s done.

If you’re not in solo.

If you’ve beengood.

I’ve made a point of being good because the moment Kierra told me about our free days, I knew I had to save up my brownie points. They’d never let me go into town since I haven’t been here long enough, but I wouldn’t go even if they let me. I want to stay right here.

With Jude.

He’s been good too. I know, because he leaves me little notes under a rock behind the Sparrow Lodge. I have his last one in my pocket, and I keep shoving my hand in there to touch it.

SATURDAY

That’s all it says. Not that I need more. He could have written an essay and it wouldn’t have meant as much as this one word.

The guys heading into town leave just after breakfast. I’m too nervous to eat, but I force down a bowl of oatmeal and a cup of coffee anyway. I have the day to myself—after I muck out the stables.

It takes me and another girl from the Sparrow Lodge two hours to finish our chores. I’m sweaty and gross by the time I’m done, but unlike school days, I don’t have to ask permission to go back to my room to shower or change into fresh clothes.

I stare into the tiny closet I crammed my clothes into, my mind spinning as I figure out what to wear. I choose soft, dark leggings, a long-sleeved tee, and a puffy sleeveless jacket. It’s starting to get colder out, but in the middle of the day in the full sun, this place is hot.

“Where you headed?”

I pause with my foot in the stirrup. “Uh, just...out.”

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