Page 132 of Love Me in the Dark

“If she knows what’s good for her.” We all burst out laughing as we make our way to Carlson Hall.

8

Unknown

They think they’re so fucking clever.

That no one knows who and what they are.

Expendable; that's how they feel everyone is—well, excluding them, of course. If I were a betting person, I’d wager they’d even kill their own fathers, feeding their bloody corpses to rabid dogs, taking delight in how the vicious animals rip the flesh from their bones.

If they think they can just toss me to the side like that, they can think again.

It’s me who should be sitting on the throne of this school, while everyone else bows down, cowering at my feet, begging for my approval.

Approval they won’t get. Not from me.

I’m done being nothing more than a trophy.

It’s time to reintroduce myself to the world and come this Friday, the three of them will be groveling at my feet like they should have been long ago.

Everything is ready. Down to the final minute. When I give them the big surprise at the end, it’ll be my crowning moment.

The three of them walk away, laughing and joking.

But wait until they see who's laughing last.

9

Jonas

Ikeep checking my watch, waiting. The closer it gets to four, the more I question if Hilary’s going to actually show. She had a little fire under her breath this morning.

“She coming man? It’s almost four.” Hals walks into the living room, plopping down on the couch with a half-eaten sandwich, taking a huge bite.

“She’ll be here.” At least she better be.

A knock at the door has me beaming. Hilary James isn’t disappointing us after all. Now it’s time to send her over the edge and have her fawning at our feet. I’d filled them in on the plan before she got here. Everyone has their part in the corruption of our nerdy little virgin.

“Game on guys.” I look at my watch, it’s three fifty-nine, and I’d bet anything that’s her. Picking up my phone, I check the door camera app. “Told you,” I tell him, turning the phone and showing him. And just to be a dick, I stick my tongue out,causing him to fall onto the floor, laughing, barely saving his sandwich.

I make my way to the door, opening it to see her standing there, gripping those books to her chest like it’ll be a good enough barrier to keep me from doing what I plan. She has no clue what is coming, or who.

“You made it.” I plaster on my million-dollar smile as I step aside so she can enter.

“I didn’t feel like I had a choice in the matter,” she mutters as she passes by. I’ll let her slide with that comment this time.

She heads right for the living room. I stop, eagerly waiting to see where she sits. She stops at the coffee table, her gaze going between where Hals is now sitting on the end of the couch and the spot she sat on the floor last night. I can only imagine the thoughts running through her mind as she debates what to do.

I’m about to open my mouth, correcting her before she sits on the floor, but she shocks me, moving to sit on the same cushion as she did yesterday.

Good girl.

“What did you want to work on today?” She opens her notebook, and as I cut the distance between us, stepping closer to the couch, I see she’s been busy working on the project. A small piece of me hopes she gets it done before Friday.

“Same as before; we dive into the project, eat, then get to know each other better.” I wink, my tongue snaking across my lip in anticipation of what I have planned.

“Okay, I made an outline…”