Page 27 of That's Too Pucking Bad

I head to the library. Focus on studying. Forget everything. Colin. The red masked guy. All of it.

I throw myself into my homework, scribbling notes, reading pages of textbooks that blur together. I’m not going tothink about Colin or the guy from last night. This is what I need to do. Focus. No distractions.

And then, out of nowhere, there’s a thud on the table. A box. I blink, looking down at it. It’s the latest iPhone. My head snaps up, and there he is. Red Mask guy. Except his face is exposed, and he’s not in his leather jacket. This time, he’s in a hockey jersey. Number 27.

“What the hell?” I mutter under my breath, staring at him. “Are you stalking me?” I ask, pushing the iPhone box back toward him.

He shrugs, looking completely unfazed. “Nope. Just came to study.”

He sits down across from me like this is the most normal thing in the world, like he didn’t practically ruin my life last night. “Here. This is for you,” he says, nudging the iPhone box back toward me.

I scowl, pushing it back. “I don’t need an iPhone from some random guy who—”

“Remy,” he interrupts, eyes steady on mine. “It’s for you.”

“Why?” I ask, narrowing my eyes.

Another shrug. What the hell is his deal?

He doesn’t answer, just pulls out some books and starts reading like this is totally normal. AirPods in, completely ignoring me. I stare at him, my pulse quickening. Is he insane? The fact that he’s so calm about everything is throwing me off. It’s making me feel something I don’t want to admit.

I sneak a glance at his jawline—sharp, tense, like he’s biting back something. His pen taps rhythmically against his temple. He’s handsome in a way that makes my stomach twist, but he also might be a fucking psycho.

Twenty-five minutes pass, maybe more, before he stands up suddenly. “You’re the best study partner I’ve ever had.”

I scoff, rolling my eyes. “I wasn’t even studying with you.”

He just smirks, slinging his bag over his shoulder. “See you around, Remy.”

I watch him walk away, my eyes drifting to the name on the back of his jersey— Coburn. It’s only after he’s gone that I notice the iPhone still sitting on the table. Asshole.

I shove it into my bag before anyone else can see it and leave the library. I don’t even know why I took it, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to leave it there. It feels like a ticking time bomb.

When I get back to my dorm, Caleb’s gone, but Maya’s sitting on her bed, looking like hell. She’s sipping coffee and barely opens her eyes when I walk in.

“Where were you?” she asks, voice rough from sleep.

I hesitate, dropping my bag by the door. “Uh, Colin’s last night. And then the library this morning.”

Maya raises an eyebrow, her face pale. “You missed the rager. It was wild. Caleb’s going to be paying for it all week.”

I fake a smile, sitting on the edge of my bed. “Yeah, well, you guys looked cozy this morning.”

She groans, covering her face with her hand. “Oh God. Don’t remind me. We just fell asleep. Nothing’s going on.”

“Right.” I nod.

I lay back on my bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to clear my head. I can’t deal with this. Not right now.

Instead, I pull out the iPhone from my bag, staring at it. Brand new. The thought of keeping it feels wrong. But at the same time, he left it. Maybe this is some kind of weird game for him, but it’s not like I asked for it.

Maya looks over at me, frowning when she sees the box. “What’s that?”

“Um,” I say quickly, shoving it under my pillow. It’s definitely something. And I have no idea what the hell I’m supposed to do about it.

Coburn.

There’s no way I’m keeping this thing without figuring out what the hell is going on. I sit up, looking over at Maya who’s still nursing her coffee, looking half-dead. If anyone knows who this guy is, it’s going to be her. Caleb’s on the team, so she’s bound to know something.

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