Page 11 of Wicked Games

“When will that be?” Carey asked, tilting her head.

Saunders rubbed his chin. “In seven weeks.”

I stared at him, aghast. “What do we do until then?”

“We’ve come up with a temporary solution. We’ll have the maintenance staff install a divider curtain in your dorm. That should be easy, seeing as your beds and desks are on opposite sides. The room is also big enough to ensure that you both have plenty of space despite the curtain. You’ll have to share the bathroom, but I’m sure you can come up with a schedule between the two of you.”

My jaw dropped. “You can’t be fucking serious.”

“We have to keep sharing?” Carey squawked at the exact same time. “For nearly two months?”

“My deepest apologies, sincerely,” Saunders replied, lifting his palms. “Something like this has never happened at Babylon before. Rest assured, the person responsible will be terminated from their employment immedi—”

Carey interrupted him. “No, don’t fire her,” she said hurriedly. “It was an easy mistake to make, and uhh… it’s fine. I don’t mind sharing. It’s only seven weeks.”

I stared at her, surprised at her sudden change of heart. “Are you fucking serious?” I muttered.

“I don’t want to be responsible for someone losing their income,” she whispered to me.

I was about to snap back at her and insist that the receptionist deserved to lose her job for causing so much havoc when something suddenly occurred to me.

I could drive Carey out of Babylon a hell of a lot faster if we were sharing a dorm, because I’d always be right there in her space, messing with her head until she was ready to have a full-on nervous breakdown.

“Carey’s right.” I smiled pleasantly at Saunders. “It was an easy mistake to make, given the unisex name situation. We can share for a few weeks, and there’s really no need for me to call my parents and tell them about the screw-up.”

Saunders’ shoulders sagged with relief. “Thank you. That’s a very level-headed response, Maverick,” he said. Translation:I’m so glad the school won’t be losing the massive donation we get from the Reinhart family every year.“And thank you to you too, Carey. I’m sure you were expecting better when you arrived at Babylon.”

“It’s fine,” she murmured.

We turned and headed back to Dressler, footsteps echoing loudly through the halls. Carey didn’t say a word, and neither did I. Not until we stepped back inside the dorm.

“Have you ever seen the movie Watchmen?” I asked, casually lounging on my bed.

Carey shrugged. “I think so. Ages ago.”

“Remember the part where that guy’s in prison and he says something like, ‘I’m not stuck in here with you. You’re stuck in here with me.’?”

“Uh-huh.” She stared at me, lips pursing, and cocked her head. “Let me guess. You’re saying that to me now? As some sort of threat?”

“Pretty much.”

“If you actually expect that to scare me, you’re completely delusional,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Pathetic, too. Truly.”

I smiled thinly and stood. “You might not be scared now, Saracen,” I said, rising to my full height. “But you will be.”

Carey

“Hey, Crim! Hungry?”

I automatically looked up at the sound of my nickname just in time to see an entire poached egg sliding off the end of a fork from the overpass above me. I dodged it, but not quickly enough to avoid part of the egg white splattering on my hair.

Jasmine Briarwood smiled sweetly down at me from the overpass. “Oops!”

Over the past two weeks, I’d learned through multiple encounters that she was the reigning Queen Bee at Babylon Prep. In fact, I knew it the first time I ever saw her, with her impossibly pretty face, perfectly styled blonde hair cascading over her shoulders, piercing blue eyes that surveyed every space like a royal perusing their kingdom, and long manicured nails that looked like they could slit someone’s throat. On top of all that, she simply radiated an aura of entitlement and superiority.

“Seriously?” I glared up at her, nostrils flaring. “You’re throwing food now? Are you in fucking kindergarten?”

I was pretty sure this was exactly why she’d decided to hate me so much since my arrival on campus. Even though she was supposedly the ruling girl at this school, sending other girlsskittering away from her in the halls like terrified deer, I was completely unafraid of her. If she made a nasty comment to me, I talked shit right back to her. If I saw her acting like a bitch to some poor innocent freshman, I called her out on it.

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