Page 15

SANJANA

I slumped in my chair, battling the drowsiness that threatened to overtake me.

The professor's voice was a monotonous drone in the background, discussing something I couldn't even begin to concentrate on.

I'd finished my drink, and even after the espresso, all I could think about was the lure of my bed.

Cloe glanced over and gave me a knowing smile. “Late night?”

"Don't even," I murmured, barely forming the words.

Across the row, Olivia and Meghan sat diligently taking notes, epitomes of model students.

Meghan, a perfect brunette I barely knew, didn't bother to look up as I adjusted my position for the hundredth time.

My attention drifted to the large windows beside us, framing the serene courtyard below, a tranquil spot on campus at this time of day.

Resting my head on my hand, I sank into the comfort of the seat while watching people go by.

A couple shared a quick kiss before parting ways, and another girl was speed-walking to her destination.

Three students halted abruptly, and my focus went to them.

One gestured, prompting me to look in the same direction as they were.

I immediately straightened.

Leaning against the base of a tree, stood someone else in a mask. Unlike the plain one I had seen earlier, this mask was theatrical, with exaggerated features and squinted eye sockets.

They were larger and more robust than whoever had been following us outside, wearing a long coat with the hood pulled up, simply staring. I was two stories above, and it felt like they could see straight into the classroom.

I gently nudged Cloe.

“What is it?” she whispered.

“There’s a masked person in the courtyard,” I mumbled, nodding toward the window.

She leaned forward, peeking past me. “Where?”

I shifted to give her a clear view—the person had vanished.

The students who had been pointing at them were now walking away, glancing back as if trying to figure out the same thing I was. Where the hell did they go?

“Please say this is your sleep-deprived mind seeing things.”

“I wish that were the case.”

Her brow furrowed. “What is going on?”

“That's the million-dollar question.”

"If it's not related to the party, then it has to be because of The Hunt," she whispered.

I wasn’t sure if her words were meant to reassure me, but they didn't. I sat back a bit, my arms folded. “If it's the latter, am I Marked?”

“No, I don't think so. If you were Marked, you'd definitely know. I haven’t heard of anyone being notified their playing yet.”

I wanted to trust the process, but earlier, she mentioned that our tradition had an honor code, which had obviously been breached.

She leaned closer, speaking quietly. “Don’t overthink.

We can't be sure they're targeting you specifically. Those people down there nearly ran away in fear. It could be a collective thing.”

That made sense, but it didn't clarify last night's encounter, which brought us back to the main problem.

Like she said, this was either happening due to The Hunt or because people were getting caught up in the excitement of the fall celebrations.

Either way it went, Crowsfell had its share of assholes who would revel in this kind of thing.

Cloe gave me a gentle squeeze. “We'll figure it out, Sanj.”

I nodded, acknowledging her good intentions as I reached into my bag. I pulled out my phone and ensured it was set to silent before placing it on my lap. I opened the conversation with Ryder and sent him a text first.

Seen anything else weird?

Ry e ????

Other than you?

What a dick. I suppressed a smile.

Ha. Asshole.

Rye ????

I’m kidding.

You know you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen, right?

I doubted that was true.

I thought back to my moment in the locker room the night before, when I looked at myself in the mirror under those harsh fluorescent lights and felt a familiar wave of self-doubt creeping in, whispering comparisons between me and Brooke.

But I still smiled at my phone like a fool, ignoring the knowing sound Cloe made beside me.

Aw, stop. You’ll make me blush.

His reply came so quickly, I was starting to wonder if he’d gone to class.

Rye ????

I can make you do a lot more than that.

What the hell?

Stop it.

Rye ????

Stop what, Sass?

You have no idea what you do to me, do you?

My breath hitched, fingers hovering above the keyboard.

It wasn't typical of Ryder to say things like this outright.

He occasionally teased, flirted, and subtly pushed boundaries, but this felt different, the truth starting to seep through the line we both pretended still existed.

I stared at the message for a moment longer than necessary before typing the only response that came to mind.

Annoy you?

His reply came just as fast, as if he'd been anticipating my message.

Rye ????

You do drive me insane.

In ways you never want me to say out loud.

Your pretty boyfriend wouldn’t like that.

My heart raced, every part of me knowing I shouldn't engage in this. Yet, embracing my inner masochist, I replied anyway.

Neither would Brooke.

The three little dots appeared, and for a moment, I wished they wouldn’t.

Rye ????

That’s why I haven’t said everything you need to hear. I told you to be ready, remember?

I read his last message at least four times before shoving my phone back into my bag and making myself look as if I were focusing.

I already knew I wouldn’t retain a single word.

I’d just steal Cloe’s notes later. They’d be ten times neater and more organized than mine ever were, anyway.

Her brain had a filing system mine never developed.

I didn’t know what to make of Ryder’s behavior lately.

For the past two weeks, it had been a consistent push and pull.

Heat and silence. Extra touches like last night on the field, his hand brushing mine when it didn’t need to, the way his voice dropped just low enough to get a rise out of me.

The comments. The looks . It was all too intentional, but nothing with Ryder Voss was simple.

Every word felt like a test. Every touch, a dare.

I hadn’t even told him about the creep under the tree just now.

I was so tangled up in the what-are-we and what-the-fuck-are-you-doing of it all, I’d forgotten to mention the very thing that should’ve had my full attention.

Both of us being in relationships didn’t seem to deter him anymore.

That was one of the worst things about his change of heart.

He never acted this way when we were both single.

Not once.

It was like the second a real line was drawn—boyfriend, girlfriend, boundaries—he picked up a blade and sliced through every piece of it meant to keep us apart. What was the end goal here?

Even if Ryder wasn’t with Brooke, if he was just the beautiful, infuriating boy I loved boldly out loud and deeply in silence, we could never be together.

I had made peace with that. At least, I thought I had.

Now I was trying to figure out how to live with it, and he was steamrolling my efforts.

Should I have been furious? Hurt? Offended?

I wasn’t.

I was unsettled and frustrated, but my anger was hard to pinpoint.

I wondered if he only wanted me now because I did finally have a boyfriend.

What if all those glances we’d shared were nothing more than moments I’d romanticized?

Maybe I was the only one haunted by them.

Guilt hit fast and sharp for even thinking Ryder would do that to me when he’d never once made me feel like anything less than special to him.

I felt even guiltier thinking about any of this when I had Ashton, who had no idea what was coming.

Yes. I was a mess.

Cloe glanced over as if she could sense the turmoil brewing within me.

I offered her the best smile I could muster, which wasn't convincing and wouldn't fool her for a single second. I returned my attention to the whiteboard and forced myself to pay attention. My personal life might’ve been circling the drain, but I couldn’t afford to let my academic one go with it.

After my morning classes, the mere thought of lunch nearly brought me to my knees with tears of joy.

Earlier, I had startled some poor guy in the west wing as I hurried past, shoving huge bites of the muffin Ryder gave me into my mouth.

That provided temporary relief, but once it wore off, the hunger pangs returned with a vengeance, along with my sleep deprivation.

Food was my only salvation after enduring back-to-back lectures.

Thankfully, there was no cheer practice today, or I’d be completely flatlined.

Cloe and I left our final elective together, joined by Olivia and, surprisingly, Meghan, who was also in our class.

I wasn’t sure why Meghan decided to tag along since we hardly spoke on a good day, but the atmosphere was light, and our conversation flowed easily as we made our way to the dining hall.

“Are you still seeing Ashton Hayes, Sanj?”

“Yes?” That sounded more like a question than I intended, and part of me considered telling her she hadn't earned the right to shorten my name like that.

Cloe did the honors instead. “When did you get the right to use her nickname?”

She blinked, clearly taken aback. “Oh! Sorry. I always hear Olivia call her that.”

Olivia laughed. “Because Miss Girl and I are friends. We met in our senior year at Hemlock High, and she's been stuck with me ever since.”

I tilted my head with a grin. "I think being stuck is something we both agreed on."