Page 36 of Atone

It’s better this way. She knows what I’ve done, even if she is lying to herself for now. At some point, she’ll let that be the reason to fear me.

Walking to my nightstand, I dig out the phone hidden in the back of my drawer.

These walls served their purpose, but the barrier is slipping.

I’m slipping.

There’s only one way to regain control.

I flip through my phone until I pull up the name I’m looking for. It won’t make what Mila wanted tonight any more possible, but it’s time.

Shooting off a text, I barely have to wait a heartbeat before I get a response.

Alex

I’m in.

Declan

Good. See you tomorrow.

12

HE LIGHTS THE MATCH

MILA

Patience stops in my doorway,carrying a freshly packed bag of clothes. Her white-blonde braid is fuzzy from redoing it so many times. She’s spent the entire day packing for her summer internship with Violet, and they leave tomorrow, officially marking the end of our sophomore year.

This is a moment I thought I would be excited for. I’ve never had an entire summer all to myself. But as the days have ticked by these past few weeks, I’ve dreaded the thought of my roommates leaving. Especially with everything that’s happened recently.

Oxy is finally out of the hospital, but he still hasn’t revealed who attacked him. I’ve heard whispers that it was an altercation with Sigma Sin. If that’s the case, no one will ever learn the truth.

Marco has been as insistent as ever that he’ll win me back, getting more aggressive by the day about it. Sweet talk has turned into emotional warfare as he considers new ways to convince me that dating him is worth it.

Then there are the mysterious, threatening texts that started a couple of weeks ago. The first one came through right after I was poking around Sigma House looking for answers.

Unknown

Keep looking, and you’ll end up like her.

When I tried calling the number, they didn’t answer. But the message was clear. The man who killed Remi has finally caught on to me. He knows I’m looking, and he’s going to try and stop me from uncovering who he is.

As if all of that isn’t bad enough, Alex is still on my mind.

It’s been three weeks since he shut the door in my face at Montgomery, and I’ve felt every second of it. I tried going back to see him, but his door has been closed each time. On one visit, I dared to try the handle, but it was locked.

He’s shutting me out,specifically, since I know Patience has visited her brother since then.

Something I said or did that night offended him.

Maybe I showed up one too many times unannounced.

Maybe he didn’t appreciate me throwing my relationship problems with Marco at him.

Or maybe he didn’t like how I insinuated he was involved in whatever happened to Oxy.

I guess I shouldn’t blame him, but it still hurts. I didn’t realize how much I appreciated the friendship we were building until I lost it. Now everything is emptier.