Page 47 of Die for You

“No need to call anybody.” Jeremiah holds his palms up in surrender and backs away. “I’m leaving.”

“Don’t come back.” Even though my knees wobble, my voice doesn’t.

Despite the restraining order, he doesn’t vow to stay away from me. And I know better than to hope he will. It’s only a matter of time before he’ll be back.

Monica waits until Jeremiah gets into his car and takes off before she fixes her attention back on me. “Who was that charmer?”

Once Jeremiah is finally out of sight, every muscle in my body grows weak with relief. I take a few deep breaths to calm my racing heart. “My ex.”

“Has he always treated you like that?” She actually has the audacity to furrow her brows like he’s somehow any worse than she is.

“It’s none of your business.”

Monica reaches for the tiny purse slung over her shoulder. “You sure you don’t want me to call anyone for you? Campus security?”

“What are you even doing here?” It’s nearly eleven and she doesn’t go to school here. Who the hell mysteriously lurks around a campus at night by themselves?

She brightens, not even the slightest smear of bright red lipstick staining her perfect teeth. “I’m visiting this new guy I’m dating. We met at the Sigma Chi party.” Her gaze roams over me, uncomfortably pitying. “Come on, let me buy you a tea. You need something to calm your nerves. You’re like a chihuahua.”

“I’m good.” I’m not even shivering. That badly.

Monica rolls her eyes good-naturedly and nudges my arm toward the Night Owl, the single dining hall open until two in the morning. “Don’t be a hero. It’s just one drink.”

Reluctantly, I follow as she marches to the dining hall and let her buy me tea. A warm beverage does sound soothing, and I’m too shaken to resist. She watches me with a smile as I sip the drink.

There’s no way she’s being this nice to me without an ulterior motive. I just have no clue what it is.

Maybe she thinks I’ll report back to Knox, tell him how nice she is and how much she’s changed. Fuck that. Even if her personality miraculously did a one-eighty since they dated, she doesn’t deserve his forgiveness or a second chance.

I take another sip of the tea, and it warms all the way down my esophagus. Idofeel better, but I won’t admit that to her. “This doesn’t make you a good person, you know.”

Shockingly, she smiles sweetly at me. “We’re all a little bit good and a little bit bad, aren’t we?”

Convenient for her to say as someone who is a lot more bad than good. Maybe I don’t know much about her from my own experience, but Knox has told me enough that I don’t want to get to know her any better. I already know exactly what kind of person she is. She and Jeremiah would be a perfect match.

“How is Knox doing?” she asks carefully.

I knew it. I’ve been waiting with bated breath for her to bring him up. If she was at the Sigma Chi party, she went there for Knox. She’s still hung up on him.

“He’s why you’re really here, isn’t he?” I set my tea down on the table between us with a clatter, liquid sloshing dangerously close to the rim. “He doesn’t want anything to do with you anymore. Not after everything you put him through.”

Monica crows a short laugh, shaking her head like what she did to him was nothing more than crazy teenage antics. “I don’t blame him. I wassucha bitch in high school. Thank god those days are over.”

“That doesn’t change what happened.” Those days may be over, but she still left her mark on Knox. And she’s still inserting herself into his life now.

“You don’t have to be his guard dog, you know. We’ve both moved on, clearly.” She grins. “And my man is smoking hot.”

Before I can object, she pulls out her phone and swipes through photos of her wrapped up in the arms of a short guy in a soccer jersey with an admittedly incredible ass. On a couch with their arms wrapped around each other, kissing in a booth while she sits in his lap, selfies grinning at the camera. Initially, I assumed she was full of shit about moving on, but maybe she actually has. Knox will be relieved to hear the news.

“Besides, I knew Knox and I would never last.” She waves her hand dismissively. “He gets bored too quickly. He likes to hop from girl to girl, but I’m sure you already know all about that.”

My spine stiffens. I wish I could deny it, jump to his defense...but that was my exact fear that kept me from giving myself over to the Devils for so long. That still keeps my heart guarded.

I’m no better than any of the girls they’ve been with in the past. What’s to stop the Devils from getting bored with me and moving on to someone else?

“But I’m sure he’s different with you.” The words leave Monica’s mouth in a rush when she spots the look on my face.

In my pocket, my phone buzzes. Two percent battery. Knox’s name flashes on my screen. I flash Monica a sickly sweet smile. “Yeah, he is.”