Page 218 of A University of Betrayal

“God, Bay, you really motivate people,” Julian sighed, grinning at me again like he’d never had a bad dream.

I couldn’t stop laughing. “You’re lucky Larissa isn’t here. She would have given you a lecture right now.”

“No, thanks!”

The slipping blanket revealed his well-trained upper body.

I couldn’t help but stare at him. I would have done that with any man.

“What?” he finally asked, stretching both his arms back, which put his upper body even more in the spotlight.

“I’ve been wondering the whole time if that’s a Senseque thing or if you just train obsessively,” I said quickly, managing not to blush for once.

“A Senseque thing,” he laughed softly and straightened up.

I, too, braced myself on the floorboards and was about to rise when there was a short crack and I slipped to the side... or rather the floorboard gave way under my hand and broke in half.

“Ouch,” I hissed, inwardly cursing this old house.

“Are you all right? Did you hurt yourself?”

I looked at my hand, which had a few bloody scratches on it, but quickly hid it behind my back.

“It’s all right,” I said hastily.

Julian definitely shouldn’t be worried aboutme.

“You sure?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah.” I looked down at the damage I’d done.“Fuck.Mum’s going to kill me.”

Julian bent down, and I quickly looked at my hand. I held my breath in amazement. The scratches had disappeared...

Crack.

Startled, I looked at Julian, who had completely torn out the white wooden plank and was now holding it in his hand.

“What are you doing?”

I looked at him dumbfounded.

“Planks like this are unstable for a reason,” Julian said, reaching for the spot where the plank had just been and pulled out a handful of paper.

My jaw dropped when I recognized Alice’s handwriting.

Chapter 40

Larissa

I pressed the doorbell for the fourth time. And I wouldn’t leave until she opened thefuckingdoor.

She hadn’t come to campus today, and I knew from a conversation between Vivienna and Kelly, which I had overheard, that she had been absent from the last four cheerleading practices.

Bayla had told me what had happened. And I hadn’t felt as guilty as that for a long time.

But after the twenty unanswered phone calls, it had been enough for me and I had left campus and made my way here, doing my best to get away from Miles.

“Come on, Mady! I know you’re there!”

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