Page 34 of Fractured Loyalties
My eyes dart down the corridor, up the stairs, and across the math wing, but all I see are navy blazers and tartan skirts, moving in groups.
No Kade.
I pull out my phone and thumb through our last text thread. There’s been nothing from him since Saturday, the night of the party. The previous message is his, a string of fire emojis and a selfie that made me snort-laugh when I got it before the party, before everything turned to…this.
I type out a“Where are you?”and then delete it. I don’t want to seem desperate. Besides, I havenoidea whatIdid at the party.
It all feels like such a blur. I’m altogether questioning my sanity right now.
I walk to his locker, the one with the fadedSwim Fast, Eat Asssticker under the lock. The door is closed, obviously. I stand there, hugging my books, and wait.
I feel exposed, and I can’t help but check over my shoulder for the shadow of Roman, even though I know he’s not here. He wouldn’t follow me into the school. From everything I’ve learned about him, I think he’s allergic to this building.
And I can’t blame him for that.
Finally, I see a couple of other guys from the swim team. I’ve seen Kade talking to them before. I can’t remember their names, but I swallow my fear and approach them, blocking their path.
“Hey,” I say, my voice so tight I almost choke on it.
The tallest one, a guy with dark eyes and equally dark hair, stares at me as if I’m the most significant inconvenience he’s ever seen. “Sup?”
I clear my throat, trying not to sound as if I’m inwardly panicking. “Have you guys seen Kade today?”
He glances at his friend, who’s a pale dude with razor-burn on his jawline and a Woods swim tee under his blazer. He shrugs, then looks back at me. “Nope,” he says. “Not since the party. He got drunk as fuck, though. He’s probably skipping today or something. I swear it takes him days to recover from that type of drinking. He’s such a pansy.”
“Yeah,” the other nods. “He could definitely be in like parental-forced detox or something. His parents are fucking nuts, holding him rigid since he’s working for Robert Woods.”
Wait, he works for Robert Woods?
The dark-eyed friend laughs, distracting me from that thought. “Or maybe his dad just found his vape again.”
They don’t seem worried at all. I hate them for it. So, I try again, even though my cheeks are burning. “It’s just… I haven’t heard from him since Saturday. I’m kind of… worried.”
“Maybe he’s grounded,” the other says. “You should probably check the pool.”
I nod, thank them, and then turn on my heel as I am leaving. I hear the guy I spoke to say, “Hey, you’re that new girl, right? The one who lives with Roman Woods?”
I freeze, the name hitting me like a bucket of cold water.
The other snorts. “That explains so much. There’s a reason he had to hire Kade.”
I walk away, pretending I didn’t hear, but my breath is stuttering in my chest. I don’t want to think about Roman. I don’t want to remember the party or the way he saidLittle Lambin my ear as I came apart for him, or the way his hands dug bruises into my hips. Or the way he looked at Kade with murder in his eyes when he saw us together.
Oh my God… what if…
I stop in the middle of the hallway, my heart pounding louder than the bell ringing out through the hallway.
What if Roman did something to Kade?Roman is violent and possessive, and he’s made it pretty fucking clear that he’s not afraid to fight—or to cross lines he shouldn’t.
What if he beat Kade to a bloody pulp or something? What if Kade is in the hospital and it’s all my fault?
I pull out my phone again—still nothing from him.Panic simmers, and I click Kade’s name and try calling him this time, my thumb shaking on the screen. It rings four times, then dumps me to voicemail.
Do I leave a message?
“Uh, hey,” I say before I can think twice, my own voice echoing in my ear. “It’s Ivy. Can you, like… just text me you’re alive? Please? I can’t… I don’t… I’m worried about you.” I hang up, then stare at the black screen until I realize I’m holding up the line of people trying to get to Biology.
A flush creeps up my neck. I scurry into the nearest girls’ bathroom, lock myself in a stall, and sit on the closed lid. My hands are trembling so badly I almost drop the phone.
