Page 2 of Die for You

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You need to talk to me.

He won’t leave me the fuck alone. I’ve already blocked his number—the second I packed my suitcase and got the hell out of his house. But he got a new one as soon as he realized he couldn’t contact me. He’ll always find a new way to get to me.

I swipe the notification away, his string of increasingly demanding texts unanswered.

He’ll cuss me out soon, call me the worst names he can come up with, then apologize and guilt-trip me an hour later. Blame me for what he says, how he acts. Somehow make me the villain in all of this.

For a long time, I believed the way he twisted our story. Not anymore.

“That guy’s staring at you like he wants to kill you.” A husky feminine voice draws my attention away from my phone.

A girl with black hair streaked with flares of crimson watches me. Her face is dotted with piercings, legs covered in fishnets, short skirt stopping high on her thigh. Her blue-eyed stare isn’t exactly warm or inviting, but it’s not unkind either. More like bored.

Beside her, a girl in a tight red dress with soft brown hair chews her lip, brows furrowed in concern for...me?

“What guy?” Who the hell could they possibly be talking about? I’m an antisocial music major. I’ve barely spoken to anyone at this university long enough for them to hate me.

Goth Girl points at a tall figure on the opposite end of the room. He towers over the other heads around him, the tallest, bulkiest person in the crowd. Eyes narrowed on us. His beady gaze is sharp enough to draw blood.

My heart drops to the floor. He’s found me.

“Shit.” I stuff my phone into my pocket. I need to get the fuck out of here.

“Who is he?” The brunette senses my urgency, and her voice comes out in a hushed, high-pitched whisper.

“My fucking ex.”

How the hell did he find me? How did he know I’d be at this party tonight? He’s not a student. I haven’t responded to any of his texts. I haven’t given him any clues about where I’d be.

Hot tears sting my eyes. I should’ve known it wouldn’t be this easy to escape him.

“We’ll distract him,” the raven-haired girl offers.

I manage a smile, even as my heart is pounding so hard it hurts. “Thanks...”

“Juliet,” she supplies.

Juliet’s friend hugs me so fast, I don’t even have time to react before she drops her arms. Her jasmine scent is almost soothing. “I’m Sienna.”

“Aurora.”

I’m barely able to get my name out before Juliet shoos me toward the door. Her flat, blue eyes rimmed with coal-dark liner don’t betray an ounce of worry. She’s a girl who handles shit. I’m lucky as hell that she got to me tonight before he did. “Go. We’ll make sure he doesn’t follow you.”

I nod and spin as soon as he starts parting the crowd to get to me. My heart thuds in my throat, threatening to suffocate me. I won’t let him get his hands on me again.

“Wait!” Sienna calls to my back. “We should get your number to make sure?—”

But I’m already flinging the door open and bracing against the frigid night air. I half-jog down the steps and hurry along the sidewalk, clutching my coat to me as frosty raindrops begin to fall.

I don’t need them to check up on me. Distracting Jeremiah to let me escape him is enough. As long as he can’t follow me, as long as he can’t hunt down my new address, I’m safe.

At least, that’s what I’ll tell myself.

Chapter 2

Finn