Page 21 of That's Too Pucking Bad

“You alright, man?” Caleb asks, eyeing me. “You’ve been off tonight.”

“Yeah, I’m good,” I mutter, shoving my hands in my pockets. But I’m not good. Not even close. My mind’s still on Remy.

Caleb claps me on the shoulder. “You should be proud. We’ve got the best recruits this year. And hey, once they’re in, the Reaper’s only getting stronger. More power, more connections.”

I nod, but I’m barely listening.

“I’ll catch up later,” I say, turning to leave.

“Zane—”

“I’ll be back. I just need a minute.”

Caleb watches me for a second, but eventually, he shrugs and heads back inside. I take the opportunity and slip out the back, heading straight for my car.

Remy.

She’s all I can think about. Her taste, her scent, the way her body shook when she came for me. I shouldn’t care this much. I shouldn’t care at all. She’s just some girl. A means to an end. But it’s not that simple anymore.

I start driving, heading toward her dorm without even thinking about it. The streets are empty, the party noise fading into the background as I make my way across campus. By the time I pull up to the building she shares with Maya, I’m already regretting it.

I sit there for a minute, staring up at the dark windows. I could go in. I could knock on her door, make her talk to me, make her explain what the hell happened back there. Why she bolted like that.

But I don’t.

Because I know better. Members of the Reapers don’t get attached. They don’t get personal. And the only reason Maya even knows Caleb’s identity is because she was the virgin he picked when he joined the Reapers. It’s all a game. It’s always been a game.

I curse under my breath, gripping the steering wheel. This is fucked.

I turn the car around, driving back to my place, and the whole time I’m thinking about her. How she looked at me with those big eyes, how she tasted so sweet, so fucking perfect. And now I can’t get her out of my head.

When I finally get back to my room, I head straight for my bed, reaching underneath the mattress. The crumpled piece of paper I’ve hidden there feels rough under my fingers. I pull it out, smoothing it out on my desk.

It’s the student form. Her picture is right at the top—Remy’s smiling face staring back at me. Innocent. Sweet. Perfect.

My sweet, innocent slut.

I sit down on the bed, staring at her picture for a long minute. What the hell am I going to do with her?

I grab my AirPods from the desk, jamming them into my ears. I scroll through my playlist until I find the new Taylor Swift album.

I press play, and the pop beats fill my head.

She was right. The songs are catchy as hell. Annoyingly so. I lie back on the bed, the music pounding in my ears, and all I can think about is her. Remy, my sweet little virgin. I want to keep her, make her mine in every way. The Reaper Brotherhood might have rules, but I’ve never been one to follow them anyway.

I smirk, closing my eyes, letting the music drown out everything else.

Remy’s mine. She just doesn’t know it yet.

Caleb’s talking, but I’m not hearing a word he says. My attention is laser-focused on Remy, sitting at the far end of the cafeteria, laughing with Maya. Her hand moves to push her glasses up her nose in that absent-minded way she does. There’s a wired headphone dangling from one ear—wired.Who the hell even uses those anymore?

I shift in my seat, watching her talk animatedly, her lips moving fast as she waves her hands around. She’s all energy, and I’m just sitting here, pretending to give a shit about Caleb’sendless rambling. I wish I could walk over there, close the gap, say something. But I’m rooted here, like an idiot, staring.

“Dude, are you even listening to me?” Caleb’s elbow nudges me, pulling me out of my daze.

“What?”

Caleb chuckles. “I asked if you’re ready for the game in three days. You seem like you’re somewhere else, man.”

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