Page 19 of All My Firsts

And Logan and Xander both were under the impression I wasn’t interested in a relationship.

But I wasn’t, right?

Chapter 6

I felt the buzz in my back pocket as I was leaving class. I didn’t want to look because chances were high it was him. My decent day would be ruined if I read his messages. But the buzzing against my backside was incessant, forcing me to reluctantly reach for my phone.

Max:

Lanie, answer your fucking phone

Last chance before I make your life a living hell

Keep your eyes out today

Me:

Max, I just got out of class, you sent those all in the span of twenty minutes you have to give me more time to answer can I call you in 5

This was getting harder and harder to handle. Obviously, the talk I had with him before coming to school did no good. He was still acting as if nothing had changed, like we were still together. And what the hell? The last message scared the shit out of me. I’d avoided talking to him on the phone up to this point, only texted. I’d told him I’d call but never did, avoiding the confrontation as much as possible. Maybe one call would end this for good.

Smoothie in hand, I decided I would head to the pond to make the call, since it would likely be the most private spot. However, as soon as I walked out of the cafe, I immediately had a pit in my stomach. It was the exact feeling I got whenever Max was anywhere near me.

I felt him.

Near.

I stopped walking and slowly made my way to the closest bench. Putting on my sunglasses, I hoped they blocked my eyes as they ping-ponged from person to person, trying to catch anything thatseemed off.

I thought I had prepared for this, but my shaking hands told a different story.

I was starting to hyperventilate.

“You don’t need to say anything. Just sit there and listen, Lanie.” Karl had sat down and started talking before I could even react. “Max wants a full report from me every day I’m here, and I’ll have to give it to him.” I heard something in his voice I wasn’t expecting, so I chanced looking at him. The sympathy was evident in his eyes as he kept talking. “You won’t see me again, but I’ll be here. So as long as you behave and I don’tseeanything I shouldn’t, everything’ll be fine.”

Why the hell would Max send Karlto watch me?

“Idon’t ...”

“Listen, it’s better if you don’t ask questions. The less you know, the better. Trust me. He’s expecting to hear from you. Give him a call. Maybe it’ll make things better; maybe he’ll call me home.” He leaned forward on his knees and blew out a breath as if frustrated with our conversation. With his head hanging low, he turned his eyes toward me before speaking again. “Don’t get me wrong, I’ll have to do whatever he tells me to do, but I won’t like it one bit. So please, Lanie, please just listen to him.”

My eyes went wide in horror at his words.

“But Karl, I ended things with him before I left. We aren’t together anymore.” My voice cracked, the tears barely held back.

“You have no idea who he or his family is, do you?” Karl asked me, his head tiltedtoward mine.

All I could do was shake my head. My words weren’tcoming out.

“Well, that’s not for me to say. Just know you’re taking a risk any time you don’t do what he asks of you. I shouldn’t even be telling you that, but I like you, Lanie, always have. Be careful, OK?”

At that, he got up andwalked away.

I knew my life with that monster was fucked up, but this took it to a whole new level. I was frozen in place, afraid to move, afraid of being followed. My body was shaking from the cryptic words Karl offered about Max and his family. I had known from the beginning that our “relationship” was a farce, our parents integral players. But this had my head spinning with more questions than answers. Knowing I couldn’t just sit here, I forced myself to get up.

My walk to the pond was spent building up the nerve to actually make the call. Karl’s visit had shaken me to my core, and every step I took I felt as if he was going to appear.

Plus, Max wasn’t the easiest person to talk to. And considering the last time we spoke was my apparent failed attempt to end our relationship, I had no idea what to expect. Now I had Karl telling me I should listen to everything Max told me to do.

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