Page 15 of Always Red (Chasing Red 2)

I had to check. Taking a deep, calming breath, I headed to the gym. The exam had been three hours, and it was dark outside now. The hallways were silent as a tomb, cold even, and it must have been colder outside. My steps echoed in the long, deserted hallway.

I was so lost in thought that I didn’t notice the two guys walking close behind me. I inhaled sharply, feeling scared and angry. I stopped, looked behind me, and glared at them.

“What do you want?” I demanded.

They stopped, looking surprised—at my acknowledgment or hostility, I wasn’t sure. One of them was tall, with a medium build, while the other was short but wide and heavily muscled. If I tried to run, they would just catch me. I reached for the knife in my pocket, gripping it just in case. The short guy smiled at me, handing me a piece of paper.

“How much? Call me tonight, babe.”

And then they left.

What the hell?

I narrowed my eyes as I watched them suspiciously. When they disappeared, I opened the note and found a name and phone number scrawled on it. I crumpled it and threw it in the trash.

I felt discouraged when I saw the dark and empty gym. Maybe Caleb was back at the apartment now. It was past seven o’clock, but I knew he would still be up. He usually went to sleep late.

The wind picked up as I trudged to the bus stop. Three guys stood inside the bus shelter smoking, so I didn’t go in. They should know better than to smoke inside it, let alone on school premises.

“Hey, babe. Heard you like it rough,” I heard one say.

I frowned. Surely he wasn’t talking to me.

“How much for a night? I love that picture of you, although it would have been better with you naked, wouldn’t it?”

What?

Before I had a chance to turn around and make sure he wasn’t talking to me, the bus arrived. I dismissed them and boarded the bus. It would take me an hour to get to Caleb’s.

It doesn’t matter. I can’t stand Caleb feeling hurt anymore.

Any fear that he had no feelings for me had been erased when I saw the look of hurt in his eyes as he stood in the hallway. When I got to Caleb’s building, Paul shook his head at me.

“He’s not back yet, miss.”

I swallowed my disappointment. “Thanks, Paul.”

He nodded at me, looking at me with sympathy. Feeling dejected, I wondered if I should go up and wait for Caleb in his apartment. Or would he be angry that I had invaded his space after what I’d done?

When I reached his apartment door, I debated whether I should enter his access code or wait outside. It was probably better to wait outside. I slid against the wall and sat on the carpet.

Then the elevator doors opened. I froze. Just like my dream, I thought, my heart pounding. But this time, it wasn’t a dream.

I turned my head, feeling disappointed as I watched a beautiful woman walk out of the elevator. She wore a peach-colored dress and an expensive coat. Her high heels didn’t make a sound as she walked like a queen through the carpeted hallway. Her hair, bronze and shiny, was tucked in a chignon.

Could she be the tenant who lived across the hall from Caleb? But when she walked closer, I realized she looked familiar. Caleb had shown me a photo of her on his phone once.

Caleb’s mom.

Oh my God.

I remembered Caleb mentioning he would take me out to dinner to meet his mom. But that wasn’t happening anymore, and I doubted his mom would appreciate knowing that I was waiting outside his apartment like a stalker.

Swallowing my nerves, I pushed myself up off the floor, praying silently that she wouldn’t stop and ask what I was doing in the hallway. I lowered my head and proceeded to the elevator.

Please ignore me.

She did. When the elevator doors closed, my shoulders sagged in relief. When my phone alerted me to a text message, I almost jumped.

---