Page 38 of Sweet Punk
Lux:We’re behind the building.
Lux:Maddox didn’t even let Raven grab her phone.
Lux:(she’s a tiny bit pissy)
Me:We’ll come to you. Don’t move.
I let out a strangled breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. “They’re around back—Raven, Maddox, and Lux.”
“Right.” Kellan nods, stroking his hand over his chin. “Hawk would still be at practice for a while yet. Let’s go.” He puts his hand on my lower back and ushers me forward, giving all the craziness a wide berth.
Rounding the building, I spot Raven’s white-blonde hair almost immediately and pull free from Kellan to run toward her with my arms outstretched and a stupid-relieved grin on my face.
“Oh my God, this is insane,” Raven shakes her head, squeezing me tight.
Lux’s eyes are wide and nervous as she comes in to make it a group hug. “Does this have anything to do with our suite being wide o—”
I clench my teeth together as they release me, my gaze pinging between them, and then up to Maddox’s dubious stare. “Maybe. Yes. I don’t know.Yes.”I huff out a breath before rubbing my hands over my cheeks. I can feel them reddening and think it may take a giant block of ice to stop the burning embarrassment at this point. “I’m going to explain. All of it. I can’t keep it in anymore. Not when this shit keeps happening.”
Stunned silence meets my declaration.
Maddox’s face is a grim storm of emotion. “Yeah. You’re going to need to expand on all that. I want to know what we’re dealing with. I’m done being unprepared. I found another one of those I-fucked-your-girl notes—and it was in my goddamn room this time, on my fuckin’ pillow, signed by that motherfucker, Spencer.” He stops to rub his hand over his brow. “Except we know it’s not him. Someone seems to think it’s fuckin’ funny to bring up past hurts and use them to jab at us.” His gaze flicks to Lux’s, but she squeezes her eyes shut.
“Don’t.” Lux’s face has turned ashen.
Maddox lets out an exasperated groan, and tugs Raven under his arm. “I’m sorry, Lux, but if this has to do with Star, then she needs to know everything.”
I swear, I’m going to keel over on the spot, this is all making me so ill. Kellan has stepped close, though, placing an encouraging, supportive hand on my back. “Tell me,” I murmur.
“When Raven and I told Lux what we found, she checked Hawk’s room, and his note was even worse than mine—it was signed by Landon. Whoever is doing this knows enough about our lives to stick it to us when he wants to.”
To my mortification, my body begins to shake uncontrollably. I bring both hands to my face, staring in horror at the best friends I’ve made here, and try to form words that will make this okay, but there simply aren’t any. I don’t know what to say or how to act. And I hate that this is all crashing down on my friends’ heads. Milo obviously thinks messing with them will make me sit up and pay attention to him. And he’s right. I’m watching every sick, twisted move he makes. I bite down hard on my lip, so hard I wince, but I don’t stop.
In my peripheral vision, Kellan directs a swift jerk of his head toward Maddox. The low rumble of his voice leaves no room for argument. “It’s not her fuckin’ fault.” Kellan turns me to face him, holding me by my shoulders. “Hey. Look at me.” When I don’t immediately meet his eyes, he shifts, moving his head, until I do. “Star,” he rasps,“notyour fault.”
My lip wants to wobble, but I hold it firm and slowly nod my understanding before meeting everyone’s gazes again.
Lux looks a little numb, and I’m sure the sheer insanity of supposedly receiving a note from her deceased ex-boyfriend—the guy who tried to rape her—hadn’t gone over well. I can’t say I’m super excited about what Hawk will have to say about the turn of events either. And I absolutely feel for Maddox and Raven, who’ve just been through hell and back with Spencer. They’re still waiting to hear whether Spencer takes a plea deal or whether the case will go to trial. Raven had kept some of the scarier details of what Spencer had done to her to herself, and now that we know everything, I get why Maddox is so growly. He’s protective of her, and I appreciate that more than he knows.
I’m a little afraid that’s what’s happening with me—that I’m keeping too much shit to myself—and I’m too damn terrified to open my mouth and bring down Milo’s wrath on myself and these people I’ve come to care about. What’s happened to date is only the beginning, unfortunately. I know Milo too well to believe he’d stop at petty notes or a trash can fire.
“I’m sorry. I’ll get you up to speed.” I glance around for what feels like the thousandth time in the five minutes we’ve been standing here.
Kellan’s arms loop around my middle from behind, lending me his strength. He rests his chin on my shoulder. “What do you guys think about getting pizza at that place off campus? We can talk there. And Hawk can meet us as soon as he gets done with practice.”
My stomach churns. It’s time to finally tell them about the guy who’s been fixated on me for four and half years.
TWENTY
KELLAN
A half hour later, eight of us are squeezed into a large rectangular booth at Pizza Pie. At first when Lux asked if it would be okay to have Matty and Ryleigh join us, I thought it’d be a bad idea to involve more people. But after thinking it over, Ryleigh is the one person outside of my immediate friend circle who I trust. I can’t think of how it could harm anything. And frankly, maybe more eyes are better with this sort of thing. Because I don’t want a repeat performance of today’s events.
“So, we’re truly talking about a real-life psychopath, then?” Raven looks astonished, lips wrapping around the straw to take a sip of her Coke.
Slowly, Star nods as she meets Raven’s eyes across the table. “Yes. He fits almost all the characteristics of one. He manipulates and does what he wants without a drop of regret or any remorse at all. And he’s so slick, he has people fooled. Everyone’s been under the impression he’s practically perfect. He dresses well. He gets good grades. He excels at sports.”
Lux’s eyes are wide. “But he’s kinda crazy from everything you’ve said. Your poor cat.” Some of the shit Star has told us this guy has done is just pure insanity. How many kinds of demented do you have to be to set fire to an animal?
