Page 148 of Someday Away

I notice that the lobby is emptying quickly.

“Should we go in?” Link asks. “Serenity and Brantley are already inside, and I saw Dr. Jackson sitting up front with a bunch of other faculty.”

I nod, swallowing my nerves, and we all walk through the doors just as the lights are starting to dim.

Each film is onlyabout twenty minutes, but they’re all so well done. Whitmore U may be a lawless school for rich kids, but damn if they aren’t talented.

I clutch Link’s hand when our film flickers onto the screen, the title,Hand Me Down,fading in. He interlaces our fingers, giving me a cocksure smile, and Trey’s arm wraps around the back of my seat, his fingers grazing my shoulder. My anxiety settles, and we watch the movie unfold.

The story I wrote isn’t autobiographical by any means, but it certainly reflects my loss, my abandonment, and my drive to escape a bad situation, and Liv plays the part beautifully—a girl who’s treated as everyone’s hand-me-down, including the mysterious boy who took her virginity.

And Gavin exudes Lincoln’s arrogance and swagger to the point where Trey and I start giggling at the similarities in their mannerisms. Link tries to act annoyed, but I can see the smile tugging at the corner of his lip.

The piece is just a snippet of a larger story that I plan to publish someday, so it ends following an emotional scene between Liv and Gavin as she realizes that the boy who broke her heart all those years ago is the same person putting it back together.

I blow out a breath as the credits roll, feeling infinitely lighter now that the screening is finished. The room ripples with applause.

I lean over, my lips going to Link’s ear. “We made a movie, baby,” I whisper, and he smiles at my words, turning to kiss my mouth softly.

“Damn straight,” he murmurs.

The lights come on, and Dr. Jackson steps up front. “We’re just going to have a five-minute intermission. The next and final film is a bit longer than the others, so use the bathroom and grab your snacks while you can.”

“I’m going to go swap out the reels,” Link says, going to stand, but I put my hand on his wrist.

“I’ll do it; I need a breath of air anyway.”

He nods and scoots into my seat after I edge down the aisle so he can chat with our friends.

In the lobby and turn the corner quickly, not wanting anyone to stop me. I feel gross and sweaty from sitting in the stuffy theater, and I suspect I may need to dig the deodorant from my purse before I go back in.

I walk up to the projection area and pull out the reel of short films from the projector, replacing it with the longer piece, and queue it up, scheduling it to start in five minutes.

A rattling noise echoes behind me, and I turn to peer into the darkness. Nothing moves in the shadows, and all I can make out are the tall silhouettes of the other film towers.

I shrug and then turn around.

Something heavy crashes into the back of my skull. The pain is sharp and sudden and then everything goes black.

When I come to,the first thing I register is the rough carpet against my cheek and hands. I blink open my eyes, squinting in the dim light. My head throbs with every beat of my heart, and there’s something wet and sticky on my hair, and when I touch it, blood coats my shaky fingers, the tangy metallic scent hitting my nostrils and making me gag.

Someone hit me, I realize.

I look around in panic. I’m still upstairs in the theater, but I’m on the ground between two film towers. I brush dirt and bits of film mylar from my clothing and skin as I try to stand. But my vision blackens at the edges as I get to my feet, and everything tilts. I collapse onto my knees, gasping for air.

“Feeling a bit woozy, are you?” says a cold, detached voice.

I turn, staring wide-eyed at Matt, who’s sitting on the building table with his legs swinging casually back and forth.

“How…how did you get in here?” I try to keep my voice steady as I stare at him in disbelief.Am I having a nightmare?

“I knew tonight would be chaotic—so in classic movie villain form, I snuck in while everyone was distracted with this garbage. I’ve been watching you when I can—though eluding the PI has been a pain in my ass—and you went to the fucking chancellor. Really, Charlie? That was a stupid move.”

He jumps down from the table, his eyes flashing with anger, and panic seizes my chest when I notice the dull glint off the gun held loosely in his right hand. He comes to stand before me, grabbing my shirt sleeve and pulling me roughly to my feet. I try to focus on him as the room twists and turns around me, and I swallow a wave of nausea.

He smiles emotionlessly. “You got me kicked off the hockey team and put on probation from university…” He sneers as he says the words. “It’s not like I could stalk you there, so I hang out here a lot and wait. I watch lots of movies, you know? But you haven’t been working much either, which has been frustrating for me.”

He gestures to the window behind me overlooking Auditorium 2. “I watchedThe Breakfast Cluba few days ago.”

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