Page 12

I T’S BEEN A WEEK, AND things have been pretty quiet at Emberwell. Maybe my plan worked out after all. The cops of course still have no clue as to who broke into my house. They think it’s just one in a series of robberies that have been happening around the neighborhood. Since only a cheap phone and laptop were stolen, they don’t really care all that much.

The good thing is that Victor hasn’t spoken to me since. He hasn’t mentioned me, and all the chatter around me is slowly dying down. Maybe I can finally get some peace at this damn college.

But right now, I’ll have to spend half an hour watching Victor. We’re in class, and he’s having a presentation. The moment he steps in front of the class, his gaze immediately finds mine. He watches me for a few seconds and then starts his presentation.

As he speaks, I keep my eyes on the huge projection screen behind him and take notes so I don’t have to look at him. But as he flips to the next slide, my mouth falls open. My eyes go wide, my pulse quickening. My chest tightens, and I’m not even sure if I’m breathing anymore.

I blink, because what I’m seeing can’t possibly be real. It’s supposed to be a photo of a businessman, except I know the guy.

It’s Sebastian in a suit, and the photo was taken on the day of our prom. No matter how much I stare at the photo or blink, it stays the same. It’s the face I hoped I’d never see again. Not like this.

I find Victor’s gaze. A smile curves his lips.

He knows. He knows Sebastian was my boyfriend, and he used his photo on purpose. But I deleted all Sebastian’s photos, or I covered his face if it was a group photo that I wanted to keep. This photo wasn’t taken from my laptop or my phone. It’s from somewhere else.

Nausea rises at the back of my throat as my mind takes me back to my prom night. I grab my things as fast as I can and race for the door. If anyone notices or comments, I can’t hear them because I’m out in the hallway a second later.

I’m dizzy, and I have to lean against the wall for support. Then I let myself slide down and hug my knees.

Don’t think about Sebastian.

Don’t think about Sebastian.

Don’t think about Sebastian.

But it’s impossible. Whenever I try to command my mind not to think about something, it does exactly the opposite.

“I’m going to the restroom,” I say to Sebastian as I get to my feet.

“Okay, baby.” He catches my arm and tugs me to him for a quick kiss.

As I make my way to the restroom, one of my classmates stumbles toward me, a bottle in his hand. He almost bumps into me, and I lift my hands up.

“Sorry, Noemi,” he mutters. “You’re pretty.”

“Thanks.” I give him a quick smile and rush to the restroom.

Once I’m out of my stall, someone rams into me so hard I scream. It’s Sebastian, and he shoves me against the wall.

“Why did you smile at him, huh?” he spits.

“I wasn’t... I...” Tears fill my eyes.

“Don’t fucking lie to me, bitch! I saw you! I fucking saw you!” His hand shoots out and closes around my throat.

I close my eyes, pushing the memory away. Fucking Victor! Why did he have to do that? One photo, and it was enough to unravel me. I’m sure that son of a bitch is celebrating right now.

I get to my feet and find the restroom. The class will be over soon, and if anyone sees me like this, they’ll mock me even more. I don’t want everyone to know about Sebastian too.

Except, who knows what Victor will say? I’ll find out when everyone starts posting about it online. After splashing some water on my face and taking enough deep breaths, I’m ready to return to the hallway.

Some students glance at me, but no one seems particularly interested in me. Maybe Victor didn’t say anything. Right. Of course he didn’t. Doing that would’ve affected his grade and he wanted his presentation to be perfect. If he said something about me, the professor wouldn’t be happy about it. He only put that photo because he knew it would unnerve me.

As I pass by the classroom, I realize Victor is still there because he’s collecting his things. And he’s the only one.

I stride toward him,

“You’re a monster,” I say.

He arches his eyebrows. “What are you talking about now?”

“Where did you get that photo?”

“What photo?”

I groan. “Come on, don’t play dumb! You know what photo I’m talking about!”

“Are you talking about my presentation? Because I had a lot of photos, so you’ll have to be more specific.” The corners of his lips tilt up.

“Are you fucking kidding me? You know exactly what photo I’m talking about! The one that shouldn’t have been in your damn presentation because it’s a private photo!”

“I got all my photos off the internet, just like everyone else.” He stuffs his notebook into his bag, which he slings over his shoulder.

“Really? Am I supposed to believe that?” I stare into his eyes.

“You’re crazy.” He walks past me, his shoulder brushing mine.

You’re crazy.

You’re crazy.

I take a seat because the classroom is spinning around me. Those were the exact words Sebastian used whenever I dared to call him out for his abuse.

Does Victor somehow know that too? Has he talked to Sebastian? Or is it just a coincidence? I run my hand over my face.

Maybe I am crazy. I should’ve transferred to another college right away. Why am I even trying to deal with Victor? Everyone here wants me gone anyway. But then again, most students have gotten used to me and probably couldn’t care less whether I stay or leave.

It’s just Victor. He’s the one who picked me as his target for some reason, and he doesn’t want to let me go. I don’t understand why. Why does hurting me like this and humiliating me make him so happy?

If he thinks I shouldn’t be at Emberwell because I’m poor, well, tough luck. He could ignore me. If he didn’t keep coming after me, he wouldn’t even notice me.

Maybe he’s the crazy one, and nothing he does makes any sense. But how can I tell my parents that I want to leave? They already had to use our savings to buy me a new phone and laptop. Fixing the front door costs too.

I don’t know how we could afford it if I moved somewhere else. Am I giving up too quickly and too easily? Victor already thinks he’s won, but I need to stop him somehow because it’s obvious he’ll keep going.

Since he was worried enough about the videos I mentioned to break into my house, there has to be something bigger and more important than his weird post-game training. I need to find out what it is and be smarter about it.

If I find out something about Victor that can really hurt him, then I can use it against him, hopefully without him figuring out that I’m behind it. And even if he does find out, he’ll be too busy trying to salvage his career and his life.

Maybe I should try to find that guy who met with Victor in the alley, but that’s too dangerous. If Victor is using drugs or taking something to increase his performance, I need to find proof that I can easily share with the whole world.

Victor has been following me, but maybe I should start following him. But where does he even go when he’s not in class, training, playing hockey, or stalking me? In his dorm room, I guess. And that club his father owns.

Maybe I should check out the club this week. It’s a public place with lots of people, and it’s on the opposite side of the city. If Victor hangs out there, I can see who else he’s with. Clubs are perfect places for drug dealers too, so maybe his friend shows up and I can finally confirm or disprove my theory about the contents of the packet Victor took. Victor won’t expect me there either, so I could catch him unawares.

If you get too close to the fire, you’ll burn.

Maybe, but if I burn, I want Victor to burn with me.