Page 7 of The Wallflower

“Shut up. I was interested before. Tell me more. Not that I’m agreeing to go or anything.”

“Of course not. You’d rather sit in your bedroom all night and read.”

“Hey, leave my book boyfriends out of it!” I tease and give her a fake scowl.

“You could have a real boyfriend if you would go out and be social.”

I stick my tongue out, but she continues like I haven’t interrupted.

“Anyway, I got us an invite to the biggest event that Oakmount holds. It’s an exclusive invite-only thing that takes place tomorrow night!"

Fear creeps up my spine. "Tom-tomorrow night?" Could she be talking about the same thing those girls discussed in the library earlier? The Chase...or something like that? I was trying my best not to eavesdrop on their conversation, but that’s pretty difficult when they’re talking loud enough for everyone to hear.

Most of the things she invites me to are planned out beforehand, so I can move things around to have a legit reason not to go if I need to.Is it mean?Sure. Have I been spending less and less time with her and more time with Mom? Sure. But truthfully, I’d rather hang out with my books than be hit on by another psycho guy.

She bobs her head and purses her pink lips, the gloss sparkling bright in the overhead lights. “Yes!! Go ahead and provide your words of gratitude. I can’t wait to hear how I’m the best and coolest best friend since you know I got us an official invite to The Hunt” She waves her hands like she performed a magic trick.

“I don’t know, Jack. It doesn’t really sound like my type of event, and if you got an invite, how did I get invited? Do you have a plus-one?”

Jackie rolls her eyes. “The guy who invited me asked me to bring a friend, and since you’re the only person I really like…”

“Don’t even guilt trip me,” I warn.

She gives me her best puppy dog eyes. “Come on, Bel. We hardly do anything together. Please come with me?” I’m tempted to say no and leave it at that, but a nagging voice in the back of my mind reminds me of something I heard the two girls talking about. Prize money. Twenty-five thousand dollars.

“If you aren’t tempted to at least go because of me, there is a prize for twenty-five grand. The first person to the cabin gets it.”

“So it’s a game of glorified hide-and-seek?”

Jackie smiles. “Something like that. Do you want to go? Please say yes. We could both try to win the money, ya know, for your mom?”

I should say no. That’s the smart thing, the Maybel thing to do, but when your needs for something outweigh your fears, there’s no saying what you won’t do.

“Fine, I'll go,” I begrudgingly agree, hoping I didn’t make the worst mistake of the year. Then again, with that kind of prize money hanging over my head, the only mistake might be not trying at all.

CHAPTER 3

DREW

There’snothing more thrilling than the chase. Actually,no. The chase is exhilarating, but capturing your prey between your bare teeth while they beg for you to release them?That’sthe part that gets me every time. When I was a kid, my dad would take me hunting. He wanted to teach me the fundamentals of life and death and how sacred taking a life was… He had no idea he was setting me up for failure. Maybe he knew how fucked up I was from the start and was trying to curb the problem before it arrived. Either way, it didn’t work. It only made me hunger for something real.

Nothing turns me on like the thought of hunting her, of watching the fear fill her pretty blue eyes and her lips part to release a scream of terror. That desire and burning need is only intensified with the knowledge that she’s not faking it. She really is scared of me, which makes it all the more exciting. I can see it in my mind, chasing her, pinning her to the wall, and taking what I want. It would be so easy. Would she beg me to stop? Would she fight back? I’d love to feel her nails digging into my skin. Instead of doing what every cell in my body begged of me to do, I let her slip away into the evening.

It's adorable that she thinks she's won just because she escaped. When she realizes Iallowedher to leave, she’ll be pissed, and I can’t wait to see that fire crackle in her eyes. She’s different, small but fierce, submissive but determined, and now that she’s caught my attention, I won’t let her go.

I wander through the library’s main room, avoiding the gazes of others. This isn’t a place I frequent regularly, so I can feel eyes on me. It pisses me off but also pushes me to hurry the fuck up. If I wasn’t so preoccupied, I might tell them to fuck off, but I’m interested in something else. As I pass by the study nooks and head for the entrance, I’m struck with an idea. Just on the other side of the circular library desk stands Professor Stone. His gaze is centered on the piece of paper in his hand. He seemed to know who sweet Maybel was. Perhaps he can share some information with me.

"Excuse me, Professor Stone,” I greet and tug my phone from my pocket to flash it at him. "Maybel dropped her phone, and I just found it. You wouldn’t happen to know which dorm she’s in so I can take it over to her?”

Briefly glancing up from the paper, he mutters, "Uh, yeah. I believe she's over in the C building on the third floor. Ask one of the RAs if you can’t find her.”

Wow. I didn’t expect it to be that easy. Just like that, he returns to what he was doing, and I give him a golden-boy smile. Luckily, I exit the main door just in time to see her on the sidewalk talking with the blonde I'd invited to The Hunt earlier.Interesting. Maybe itismy lucky day?

I duck to the edge of the building, watching as she scans the library entrance, undoubtedly looking for me. Even from a distance, I can tell she’s affected by me. The way she keeps peeking over her shoulder and the fearful glimpse I catch in her eyes. I bet she can feel me watching her. The adrenaline pulsesin my veins.Fuck.The things I want to do to her. It’s wrong and fucked up, but I don’t care. I never claimed to be a good guy.

From my hiding spot, I watch her toss her ripped bag into her car and head toward the dining hall. Once they’re a good distance ahead, I pop around the corner and start to follow them. I tuck my hands into my pockets and plaster on the usual smile. It’s nothing more than a heavily placed veil. God only knows what people would think if they knew the real me.

The blood pumps louder in my ears with every step I take. I’m tempted to kidnap the girl and take her back to the estate, tie her to the bed, and lock her in my bedroom, but she’s not ready to see that side of me yet. I also need to do all I can to keep my dad off my ass at the moment. It doesn’t mean I’ll let her slip through my fingers.

---