Page 91 of The Invite
Every time a kid gives me hell, I cannot run to the dean with my tail tucked between my legs and demand their expulsion.
I have to choose and pick my battles.
And I have no plans on including these essays as part of the curriculum. What Scarlett doesn’t realize is that she’s shown me her cards. Next time, I’ll see her coming and it won’t be her who comes out on top.
***
You know how one gets a feeling that something is too good to be true.
Well, I am getting it very strongly right now.
Augustus Grayson has miraculously left me alone.
Because it’s been five straight days of nothing but pin-drop silence.
Whether it’s the calm before the storm or the light at the end of the dark tunnel that I’ve managed to pass through with minor scars, I don’t know.
On Wednesday, I had stayed up all night again wondering when he’d show up before passing out on the couch in the living room. I didn’t sleep a wink the next night either, and the next while still believing he was playing a mind game with me. Before I knew it, four whole nights had gone by.
Now, I’m absolutely certain he isn’t returning. I thought I’d be jumping up and down in victory at making it out unscathed, but I don’t feel an iota of it. Yes, there is relief like adark cloud has passed. However, bright sunlight is nowhere in sight.
Without him, life has become stress-free.
And dull… Boring… Predictable.
He’s cut himself out of my life so ruthlessly that it’s like he was never even here. Just a ghost of him.
Does it mean I’m missing the psycho?
Perhaps it’s because there are reminders of him. The beautiful and erotic sketches he drew of me. I haven’t found the courage to destroy them.
His SUV, which I’m taking to school every day despite the fact mine has finally arrived. It’s still sitting in my driveway. They both make a before and after picture. His looks classic and shiny, whereas mine isold and worn-down.
It’s one of the reasons I’m using Augustus’s for traveling, especially for work. If I use mine, it’ll raise questions. For example, what kind of person downgrades to a cheap model?
It was enough when I had to explain to Ace that the SUV was the last gift from my parents which they got from their savings. Just one of the many lies I’m telling my only genuine friend.
Speaking of which, I no longer need to maintain distance from him. The threat over him no longer applies, which means I can invite him whenever.
Or maybe you want to poke the beast.
No! Of course not.
You miss Augustus.
Hell no! This is me living my life without being scared. Besides, who wants to spend Saturday night alone watching boring TV? Picking up my phone, I decide to text Ace and invite him for dinner.
However, once I unlock it, my mind has a different idea and makes my finger click on the Trilltok app. I scroll overmindlessly, watching familiar masked men fill my page. Some of the locals show up too.
Everyone ispreparing for the upcoming Massacre Ball, which is still a few weeks away. But it’s spooky season, so excitement is at its peak.
As if my subconscious conjured Augustus, a new reel of him pops up and I bolt upright against the arm of the couch. He’s on his black sports bike speeding inside the same underground tunnel with yellow and orange streetlights glinting above.
His face is hidden behind his matching helmet while wearing a half-sleeved tee that shows off his dark tattoos against sun-kissed skin and blue cargo pants. My heart hitches every time he throttles the engine before lifting the front tire in the air.
A pulse thrums to life in my pussy as I imagine the purr between my thighs while sitting behind him on his bike.
The muscles in his biceps and forceps bunch and flex so provocatively that it’s a miracle they don’t bust out of his tee.
