Page 28 of Terror Tuesday
Sometimes I wonder if I hadn’t won, would I have changed my course? Never gone to that internship with Representative Blackwell?
Who would I be without what was done to me?
Naomi finds me hiding in the kitchen thirty minutes later, barefoot and beautiful in a silk wrap dress, a cup of coffee balanced on her palm.
“You’re avoiding me,” I say, voice soft but firm.
She sips and tosses her long, black locks over her shoulder. “I’m avoiding this conversation.”
“You saw the butterfly.”
Her lashes lower.
“And you ran out of my room like the devil had whispered something to you.”
“I—” Her voice breaks, just barely. Then she composes herself. “I’m working on a private story. One that I’m not sure I’m ready to tell everyone. I still have too many notes to go through before it’s finished, but I’ll tell you more tomorrow. I promise.”
She presses her lips into a thin line, and I swear I see a flicker of fear. Or maybe guilt. Nerves trickle into my veins at the sight.
“Why not now?”
“Because tonight is Terror Tuesday, and if I tell you now, you won’t be able to focus. And I need you, O.Theyneed you. We have to get to the party at the end. I’m not spending a night inTheta’sdungeon. Are you?”
One side of my mouth curls up into a grimace. “No.”
She glances toward the hallway, where two sisters are arguing about body glitter and false lashes. Naomi steps closer and takes my hand, squeezing it just once.
“You’re not alone, Olivia. But sometimes we have to act like we are.”
Before I can ask what the hell that’s supposed to mean, she’s gone. I think about that butterfly. The one that’s kept me grounded while the absoluteworstthings were happening to my body. Moments Reggie Blackwell stole from me.
It became the thing I could concentrate on, to remember that I was still real, and then come back into myself once he was done. When his urges became too frequent, I simply left it in his office like a totem. I’d visit my Monarch and remind myself that I, too, could someday fly away…
My phone buzzes, and I hurriedly swipe some fallen tears, heading up the curved marble staircase.
The group chat “Cardells Control All” pings notifications rapidly. (Because, of course, my brothers would name it that.)
Henry
Did Bryce flake on his Econ midterm?
Aiden
He’s a walking liability. Maybe he should.
Ryan
I’ve seen Jell-O shots with more self-control.
Henry
Pretty sure he once threw up in a Dyson and blamed it on a freshman.
Ryan
Speaking of upgrades…
Nick was looking cozy next to our beloved sister after stats yesterday
