Page 68 of Unspoken Truths

“That would be really nice, thank you,” I rasp, standing. I need to get out of here…

“Rachelle,” a voice says, grabbing my elbow as I walk and pulling me hard out of the middle of the hallway.

Glancing up in surprise, I see it’s Ignacio, and a few of the football players are moving through quickly. They expect people to pay attention, even those who live inside of their heads. I almost got trampled. Ugh.

“What’s going on with you?” Ignacio asks.

“Spacey today, I guess,” I sigh.

One of the football players walks over to us, looking me over.

“You looked like you were in your own little world there,” he says. “You’re the girl who was almost killed over the weekend, right?”

“A little dramatic, Colby,” Ignacio murmurs. “Yes, that’s Rachelle. She was doing stuff for the newspaper.”

“That’s another reason why I came over,” he says, ignoring my stepbrother. “Someone should walk you out during the night and weekend events. I don’t like that this shit is happening on our campus.”

“I don’t either,” Ignacio says. “I’m working with my dad on making sure it doesn't happen again.”

“So Rachelle is being targeted because she’s your stepsister,” Colby says, pursing his lips. “It makes sense. Even if it’s an isolated event, can you get me a list of any other games you’re covering, please? I’ll get someone to walk you out. We can’t protect you against being shot, but they may be less likely to pull in other students.”

“That’s smart,” Ignacio says with a nod. “I’m the only one allowed to fuck with you, Rachelle. A bullet isn’t a good excuse to get out of the bet the Kings have going.”

“I’m not getting in the middle of that,” Colby says, hands raised. “This is my school too, and this is outside of whatever bullshit the Kings have with Rachelle.”

“Agreed,” Ignacio grunts, watching as Colby glances at me.

“Thank you,” I tell him. “It would be nice to not have to be worried about being kidnapped or something while leaving a school event.”

“I’ll swing by at lunch to get that list from you or the editor. I know you’re having a meeting at the newspaper room,” he says with a tight nod, moving away to catch up with his friends.

It’s only eleven-thirty in the morning, and it’s already been a day. Blowing out a breath, I shake my head, trying to move around Ignacio to go to class.

“Wait,” he says. “Who is this Barrett guy who came to the house? I saw him another time too. He’s a little old for you, don’t you think?”

Dr. Barrett Carson is in his late thirties, and I’m very much not interested in him outside of his ability to help me feel less insane.

“Either way, I don’t think it’s any of your business,” I tell him.

“Why is that?” he asks.

“No one trusts you in the house to know,” I huff. “Every single thing you do is meant to hurt me. Why would I give you more access to do that? It would be really nice if you’d just leave me alone.”

Pushing him away, I roll my eyes as he barely moves. The guy is all muscles and made of stone. In fact, being hot seems to be an earmarker to becoming a King. Moving around him, I begin walking to class.

“It’s my house, I should know what’s happening inside of it,” he insists, following me.

“If you showed that you cared about what happened inside of it, then you’d be clued in,” I say. “There’s no paper trail of why he’s there either, so Theo can also go to hell.”

“Dad told you about how systems whisper to Theo so he can get in and out of them without a trace, huh?” he asks, smirking. “I guess I’ll just have to find some other way to find out.”

“Good luck,” I mutter, turning to walk down another hallway.

Is this the way to my class? Nope.I just need space from my stepbrother, and to quiet my thundering heartbeat. I really don’t want him to find out who Barrett is. I’ve told my therapist things that I don’t ever want anyone else to know.

I deserve a chance to be the person I should be, without all of the curveballs life insists on throwing me. Barrett was right. Happiness is fleeting, finding a way to cope when the bubble bursts is important. I hope the hours pass swiftly, because I have a feeling the dark room is going to become my new favorite way to get lost.

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