Page 50 of Massacre Monday

“I need to remainpure. It’s best if you’re not in here. Don’t think I can resist you.” Not even bothering to make it sound true, I cross my arms anddarehim to try anything with me.

His eyes narrow. “Did you give it up tothatguy? You lose your virginity to him? You let himfuckyou like a slut?”

I place my hands on my hips and tilt my chin up. “You can either walk through the door, or hobble. Which one will you pick?”

“Youdisgustme,” he seethes, hurrying from the room, and my frustration hits the ceiling.

“Fucking pig!” I scream after him down the hall. Once he’s gone, I lock the door behind him.

If he’s my appointed, I’m running away from NorthviewandGnarled Pine Hollow.

sixteen

I understandthe life of a corpse better now. And how they rot. Because that’s all I do on Sunday, ignoring everyone who comes by. Curled up under my purple velvet comforter, on my bed, with my headphones on. Only really moved once to eat leftover Thai food from my mini fridge while watching horror movies, picturing Elina as every victim.

On Monday morning, the last of September, I wake up with dread sticking to my shoulders like a wet blanket. It’s the day I have Professor Hall’s class. Seeing herandMitch on a day like today should be illegal. Especially when my flat iron doesn’t work and my hair ends up in a frizzy bun on top of my head. Oh, and I didn’t realize I have a giant mustard stain on my NU sweatshirt I threw on before leaving my room.

But I go. Step after step toward Page Hall, my pulse pounds, having wishful dreams that the lecture will be canceled due to a freak accident. After seeing Elina and Ryan so happy, my chest still aches. My fake boyfriend turned into a complete asshole. Who knows what will happen if he shows at the studio?

Oddly, Mitch doesn’t attend class for the first time ever, but I can’t relax about it. Instead, all throughout the lesson, I constantly check behind me to see if he’ll arrive late. Professor Hall calls on me once when I’m distracted. I stutter a random wrong answer, my cheeks flaming with embarrassment, especially when she tells me I need to study more. As soon as it’s finally over, I scan my texts, but Mitch hasn’t messaged me.

I grab a lonely lunch from one of the food trucks near the sorority houses, parking myself on a bench but barely eating. The squirrels get all my leftovers. In the afternoon, I snag my gym bag and head to the studio. But my feet don’t want to samba. It doesn’t matter because Mitch doesn’t show up there, either.

It’s beyond time for me to get a new dance partner.

“You just need to get over him, honestly. The only reason you’re so glum is because he’s the only one to show you attention.” Valencia sips her tea like she didn’t just shoot a dagger of insults my way.

Quad cafe isn’t as busy, given it’s almost closing time. Despite Valencia saying all the wrong things at the wrong time, I called her and Amelia over because I can’t sit in my room any longer without losing it.

“I’m sorry?Whoare you talking about?” I ask.

“Ryan Cardell? The playboy hockey player. Theguyfrom the restaurant, Penelope,” she scolds me like a stern schoolteacher.

“I don’t think he’s aplayboy,” I muse, but now that she said it, I feel like I was a fool. Is this what he does to girls?

Amelia quietly chimes in. “I’ve never seen him with anyone.” She catches my eye from across the table. “Other than Elina, but even then, they were always on again and off again. But even when they wereon, it didn’t seem like he was into it.” She clears her throat and glances around the cafe while stirring her iced coffee. “They fought a lot.”

The way she talks about him has me asking, “Do youknowhim? Like, from before?”

“Yeah. Our parents are best friends. His mom and my mom. His dad and my dad. So, I grew up around Ryan, but Aiden and Henry are closer to our age. Spent more time with Olivia until… Well, she and I enjoy different things now. She’s, um, she can get intense about politics. But Ryan was a one-gal kind of guy.”

“Huh.”Thatis more fitting for the man I thought I was getting to know.

Valencia shrugs and gets up from the table, walking toward the restroom.

Peeking out the window, Amelia says, “Pippi, you probably don’t want to hear this, but I’ve never seen him look at Elina the way he looks at you.”

“Doesn’t fucking matter now, does it?”

“You could be his mistress!” she says, like this is just a normal thing. The pit of my stomach churns with acid at the words.

I take a deep breath. “I just need to get over him.”

And avoid Mitch.

Wednesday is a repeat of Monday.Mitch doesn’t show up to class or to the studio. There aren’t any texts, either. Now, I’m beginning to freak out. Not because I want to see him. I definitely don’t.

But I’m worried something may have happened to him. Did he receive the same fate as Gwen?