Page 7 of Beautiful Nightmare
Kellan groans from behind us as I wander into the main room of the suite. “Do what you need to do, and let’s get the fuck out of here.”
But I’ve already seen what I came for. Plain as day in glittery purple over the A designating which room is which is her name—LUX—in big, bold, brash letters. It’s like they’re taunting me. I can’t tear my eyes away. A shudder rolls down my spine and my head drops back onto my shoulders. I blink several times, staring at the ceiling as I try to regain control of myself.
Maddox whispers to Kellan. “That’s her, right?”
Kellan must nod, there’s no further discussion behind me. “So… what now? You said you wanted to check something in here. I assume you were making sure it was really her. And we’ve done that.”
I clear my throat, then gruffly say, “Yeah, it’s definitely her. I can’t fucking believe it.” Only I can because that’s just my fucking luck. My jaw locks in place as I turn, taking in the cautious gazes of my friends. I jab my finger at the door. “Get me in there, Mad.”
Kellan’s brows raise, and his expression saying,You sure, man?
Briskly, I nod, then focus on Maddox. “Yes. Get it the fuck open for me.Please.Then you guys can go.” I’m struggling. Seeing her from across the hall had been like a punch to my solar plexus. But standing in front of the room where she’ll be sleeping? I almost can’t fucking take it. I’m gonna lose it.
The locks to the private rooms must be less complex to pick because Maddox has it open in under thirty seconds. “There you go. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Then he snorts. “No, wait. Totally do it. Can’t wait to find out what ‘it’ is.” He shakes his head and strolls out without a backward glance.
Kellan doesn’t leave as quickly, instead crossing his arms over his bare chest. “What are you gonna do?”
My teeth positively gnash as I push the door open, having my first glance inside. She’s clearly still in the process of unpacking, but she’s already put her stamp on the room, from the purple comforter on her bed to the clothes hung in her closet to the framed photos on her bookshelves. “Not sure yet. But for all the shit I’ve been through these last two years, she deserves to feel some remorse.”
“Are you sure you want to do this? You don’t think she’s been through it, too?”
“She’s to blame. She’s going to pay for it.” I glance at him, meeting his green eyes. “You can either get on board with that or not. But I’d appreciate it if you were on my side.” I squeeze my eyes shut, feeling my entire body tense, filled with memories of everything she’s taken from me. I hadn’t expected to have to deal with Lux. Not ever. I thought I’d put the fury I feel for her behind me. Obviously not. I exhale sharply before my eyes open, returning to my friend. Planting my hands on my hips, I growl roughly, “What’s it gonna be?” As I wait for his decision, my jaw grinds back and forth.
He sucks in a breath and claps a big hand on my shoulder. “I’m on your side. Always. Just let me know what you need.” He grips me hard, then lets go, shaking his head as he walks out of the suite, leaving me to stare around Lux’s room.
My mind shifts and swirls as I consider how to handle her. It’ll be subtle at first. I’m going to bring her teetering to the brink of what she can take. And then I’ll light her world on fire.
FIVE
LUX
Strangely enough, when Raven and I climb the stairs after the freshmen dorm meeting has concluded, we still have no idea if Star was present or not. This has to be one of the weirder things I’ve ever experienced. To know I’m living in close quarters with someone I’ve never actually met. Honestly, it wigs me out a bit. But it can’t last much longer. We register for classes tomorrow, then our orientation advisor is supposed to take us on a tour through campus to make sure we know where everything is. They have one person assigned to every three suites of freshmen, so nine of us total. I can’t imagine not wanting to map out how to get to classes or get my bearings on campus. We don’t know Star at all, though, so maybe it’s not a big deal to her.
At our door, we find it unlocked.Damn.That means our secret suitemate has probably hidden herself away again already. Raven lets us in, and I scurry after her, wanting to be out of the hallway, or more specifically away from whoever might be inside our neighboring suite.
After shooting a glance at the door across the hall, I carefully close ours behind me and lock us in. I shoot Raven a nervous grin. “Sorry. I’m not used to dorm living yet.”
“I know. It’s a lot of people all in one place.” She bites her lip, watching me as I make every attempt to breathe normally. Act… human, instead of like a scared wild animal.
I rub my hands over my face. “Yeah, what did that one resident advisor say? There are like a hundred people in this building?”
“Something like that. I’m just glad we aren’t sharing toilets or showers with that many people.” She gives a yuck face, which makes me laugh.
“No joke. I bet there are some entitled people around here who would flip if they were forced into a hall bathroom situation.”
“That’s the truth. This is definitely a long way from the college experience most people have. That’s what some of my friends are telling me. They’re all sharing three toilets and four shower stalls with like fifteen to twenty other people.”
I wrinkle my nose. “Oh, man”—I flick my finger back and forth between us—“I guess it’s good we understand we’re a little pampered here, huh?”
Before Raven can answer, Star’s door flies open, startling me into letting out an embarrassing shriek. My heart thumps erratically in my chest as I finally get a chance to lay eyes on the girl sharing space with us.
Her mid-length chocolate-brown hair has several streaks of pale pink running through it, and she’s got a pair of glasses perched on her nose that I’d normally deem nerdy, but the look somehow suits her. Behind them, a pair of striking green eyes peers at me.
My brows shoot up in surprise as I recall her hanging out in a corner downstairs during the meeting, doing whatever she could to make herself disappear. She hadn’t said a word to anyone the entire time. “Hey, I, uh, I saw you downstairs.”
“Yeah, it’s me. Star.” She crosses her arms over her chest, looking to all the world like she’s put out to have to speak to us. Clearly ready to turn in for the night, she’s dressed in pajama shorts and one of those tank tops with the built-in bra. Maybe she’s tired and grouchy. With a little huff, she asks, “Did you see anyone come into the suite after I left? Or—” She jerks to a stop, shaking her head.
“Um.” My glance slides to Raven whose expression is just as perplexed as mine. “No. We went to grab food and then went straight to the meeting. We never came back up in between. I’m Lux. And this is Raven.”
