Page 14 of Wicked Games

“Fuck,” I groan into the pitch-black darkness surrounding me.

There isn’t a single source of light anywhere in the room, and the blackness wraps around me, heavy and oppressive, as an insidious voice in my mind whispers about how much easiereverything would be if I just gave into it and let the nothingness finally take me away.

In another world, at another time, I’d probably agree with the voice. I’d let the darkness take over and wait for the pain and misery that’s hell bent on following everywhere I go to finally stop.

A flash of something I can’t quite place fills my chest. It’s not hope or even determination. It’s darker than that, primal, almost feral. It’s the thrill of competition mixed with the anticipation of finally being able to let go and give into all the things I’ve spent years repressing.

It’s the most alive I’ve ever felt.

Groaning, I get my arms under my body and push myself up. It takes way more time and energy than it should to crawl in what I hope is the general direction of the main doors as I use the edge of the pool as my guide so I don’t fall back in.

Eventually I reach the wall and get up on shaky legs to feel around for a door or light switch or something that will help me get the fuck out of here. I run my hands over the smooth walls in a grid-like pattern before taking a small step to the side and starting the process over again.

I’m so turned around I’m not even sure which wall I’m at, but I keep looking, not letting myself stop because I know I won’t have the energy to start again if I do.

I need to get the fuck out of here before whoever tried to kill me comes back to finish the job.

5

KILLIAN

I’m pissedoff and more than a little drunk as I unlock the door to my room.

The party at King House was exactly what I expected it to be—stuffy, boring, and a complete waste of my time.

I’ll never understand the appeal of themed events unless it’s a masquerade or costume party. Having all your guests show up wearing the same colors and coordinating their outfits like an old couple on vacation is boring as fuck, and just a lame excuse for people to show off their latest fashion hauls.

The only saving grace of the night is that the Kings know how to put out a spread. The food is always top-notch, and the drinks are the best money can buy. So is the selection of recreational drugs they always have available. I might have been able to enjoy myself and get lost in the familiar haze of getting high and shutting out the world, but fucking Felix’s words from earlier kept ringing in my ears every time I found myself relaxing.

Then maybe you should ask your girlfriend why she goes to the lower library stacks every Wednesday at four o’clock.

What did he mean by that? Is it really something I need to be thinking about, or was he talking out of his ass to fuck with me?

The thought of Natalie cheating on me fills me with an acute feeling of rage and makes me want to put my fist through a wall—or someone’s face—but not because of Natalie. Not really.

It’s what she represents that makes my blood boil. She’smygirlfriend, and anyone who touches her ischoosingto disrespect me.

Natalie used to understand why I agreed to date her. I give her the lifestyle and prestige she craves, and she gives me a shield from every other girl like her. It also keeps both of our dads off our backs, and in exchange, I pay for her expensive habits and she provides me with a body to lose myself in when the desire strikes.

That hasn’t happened much recently. In fact, it hasn’t happened at all in the last few weeks. Normally my sex drive is something I have to actively repress, but I haven’t felt even an inkling of desire for Natalie, or any girl at the school, in over three weeks now. I don’t want more of the same song and dance where I play the seducer and they play the unwilling debutant I have to coax into giving it up. We both know it’s just a facade and they want my dick as much as I want to give it to them, but like everything else in my life, it’s all about appearances and playing parts.

I thought I could get over my slump tonight with the familiar mix of weed and booze that usually acts like an aphrodisiac and gets me raring to go before I’ve even finished the blunt. I figured I’d be able to get my dick interested enough to fuck her, or at least get blown, with the drugs, but that didn’t happen either.

Instead I left a pissed-off Natalie in her bed after some halfhearted making out and using my hand to get her off as quickly as possible while my dick stayed down for the count.

God damn Felix isn’t just invading my room; he’s taking over my thoughts and messing with my life. And he’s doing it all with a fucking smile.

It’s almost three in the morning, and the room is dark when I finally get the door open. I don’t bother being quiet as I close the door behind me and stomp into the room. I hope I wake Felix up. He’s the reason I’m in this mood in the first place; he should be uncomfortable and inconvenienced because that’s exactly what he’s been doing to me since we were introduced by our mothers almost a decade ago.

Making as much noise as possible, I snap on my bedside light and glance over at his side of the room.

I’m not sure what to do with the surge of anger that tightens my chest at the sight of his empty bed, and I roughly strip off my suit and toss it on my desk chair.

Is he at Eden’s? She lives in Belmont, and they have strict rules about overnight guests in the rooms. They’re one of the few houses that enforce a curfew for visitors, and every guy on campus knows that fucking a Belmont girl means putting in the extra effort to get around their obsession with keeping their residents pure, or at least maintaining the illusion that they are. The Belmont girls might live in a house that was founded by people who take purity culture to the next level, but that only makes them even more eager to spread their legs and explore the things they’re told they shouldn’t want.

I can’t see Felix somehow getting permission to sleep in her room, and there’s no way in hell he’d risk breaking their rules. Not only would he get in trouble, but his bestie would be forced to find another place to live when they kick her out.

And on a closed campus in the middle of fucking nowhere and surrounded by the best security that money can buy, there are zero options for living arrangements outside of the dorms.

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