Page 18 of Wicked Games

The look on her face when she saw him wasn’t sadness caused by a shitty breakup. It was fear. Either Hudson had done something to her, or he had something on her. Something really fucked up.

An idea popped into my head as I pondered the possibilities. Revenge porn could fit the profile in this scenario. The two of them could’ve dated for a while, and now Hudson was threatening to leak explicit pics and videos of Carey. That would explain why she said she thought he was planning something.

A knot formed in my stomach as I thought about the two of them dating and fucking. At the same time, a wave of confusion hit me. Usually, all I felt toward Carey was anger, but now… now there was something else in my head. A new emotion; one I’d never really felt until this moment.

Jealousy.

Carey

Panic and fear gripped my churning stomach like frozen hands as I raced down the hall. I didn’t even know where I was going. Didn’t care. I just needed to breathe air that was anywhere else, anywhere away from Hudson.

I’d tried my best to avoid him over the last couple of weeks, ever since I discovered his presence on campus, but I knew we were bound to run into each other eventually. Even though we didn’t share any classes, we were in the same grade and walked the same halls every day, so an encounter like today was only a matter of time. I’d been dreading it for days, planning what to say and mentally psyching myself up for it.

And yet, nothing could’ve prepared me for it. No amount of planning could’ve compared to the real-life thing, where I instantly froze with no idea what to say or do.

Stupid, stupid, stupid,my inner voice chided me as I hurried down the hall. Why did I let him affect me like this? I did nothing to him.Hewas the problem. He was the bad guy. I should just suck it up, ignore him, and walk away. So why didn’t I do it? Why did I just stand there motionless with my jaw hanging open and my eyes bulging like a stupid Halloween mask?

Stupid question, really. I already knew the answer. Hudson Calloway had scared the shit out of me ever since I met him, and he had so much power over me that I’d almost ended up in prison because of him. In fact, if it weren’t for the benevolence of the group who started the Babylon Foundation, I’d probably be getting sentenced in court right now.

His words flashed back into my mind.Hey, Carey. I’ve been meaning to talk to you. I thought you might be planning on spreading more of your bullshit around this place, so I wanted to tell you that it would really be in your best interest to keep that pretty mouth shut as long as you’re here. Or… I guess you can open it for me if you want. But no talking allowed. You know what I mean, babe. Finish what we started, huh?

That was when Maverick showed up to rescue me. God, what the hell wasthatabout? He hated me. But I guess he hated Hudson more.

“Carey!”

I stopped and turned at the sound of my name. It wasn’t Hudson or Maverick this time. It was a friendly voice and a friendly face.Thank God.

April caught up with me a second later, followed by Brooke and Zach. “Hey!” she said. “We’ve been looking for you everywhere! We tried your dorm, and then the library. Where have you been?”

I choked back my tears as I replied. “Left… earlier than usual.”

God, I could barely speak.

“I’m so sorry,” Brooke said, squeezing my arm. “We saw what Kiara posted, and… ugh...”

She trailed off, head shaking with disgust. Zach jumped in. “I can’t believe she posted that shit. It’s so obviously fake.”

A tear slipped out, and April wrapped her arms around me. “It’ll be okay,” she murmured, stroking my back. “It’ll blow over.”

“It’s not that,” I choked out over the flood of emotion clogging my throat. “I don’t even care about that stupid tape right now.”

April pulled back, confusion knitting her delicate features. “What?”

“I just… I…”

That was all I could get out before the tears flooded my face.

April tugged on my hand. “Come on,” she said softly. “Let’s go to our spot. We still have twenty minutes before the bell.”

I let her lead me down the hall toward the closest exit, tears still streaming down my face. Zach and Brooke trailed behind us, throwing dirty looks at anyone who sneered or laughed at me as I passed.

We arrived at our spot under the overpass a moment later. I sat in the center of the stone bench, and the others huddled around me. “What’s going on with you?” Zach asked in a low voice. “Did someone do something to you? Something else, I mean.”

I wiped my face and took a deep breath. “I need to tell you something.”

“You can tell us anything.” April patted my arm. “No judgment.”

“Promise,” Zach added. Brooke nodded alongside him.

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