Page 150 of The Deceptions

Could it be Olivia? Could it have all been a lie…

Well, I guess I’ll see.

Quickly, I close my laptop, run up the stairs to get dressed, and dash out the door. There’s only one way to find out if all the hope building inside me is true. I head to Oliver’s dorm room like my ass is on fire. Nothing can stop me now. Not the people calling my name or attempting to gain my attention. Not Amanda waving me down and jogging toward me.

Nothing.

If Olivia is really out there. If my eyes are playing tricks on me and the grainy footage is nothing more than a mirage, then I’ll find out. If anything comes of this, I know Oliver is not the man he says he is. He’s a woman, dressing up to attend this college. He went into that hotel room as a woman and came out in baggy clothes, a suitcase, and a friend escorting him here.

My chest aches when I throw open the dorm entrance and run up the stairs until I make it to his room.

I swallow hard, pounding on the wood urgently. My heart explodes in my chest when footsteps come from the other side and the door swings open.

“JJ?” Wade asks, contorting his facial expression. “Er, can I help you, man?” He nervously shifts from side to side and cocks his head.

“Oliver. I need to speak to him.” Only, I don’t wait for an invitation, I barge into their dorm.

“Dude,” Wade groans, shutting the front door. “Rooms over there.” He waves a hand in that direction. I don’t hear what he says or does afterwards. Nothing matters when I open Oliver’s door, and it slams into the drywall.

“Whoa!” Simon shrieks, tossing the popcorn bowl that’s sitting on his lap. His eyes widen at the sight of me standing there with sweat dripping down my temples and my chest heaving.

After overexerting myself last night on our mission, I shouldn’t be running through campus like this. Not only will it draw attention to myself and whatever I potentially find, but my body aches and curses me for having the audacity to run so quickly to get here.

But there wasn’t time to waste. I already did that this morning.

Oliver is here for a reason. He’s in disguise.

I swallow the lump in my throat when my eyes connect with Oliver’s. They’re wide, watching my every move. But there’s pain there, too. Something deeper that I can’t dissect from here.

“I need a word with Oliver.” My gaze darts to Simon, and I glare into his eyes when he stiffens. It doesn’t take long for him to jump out of Oliver’s bed and grin.

“Oh!" Simon jumps up. "Is this initiation stuff? Oh my God, Oli." He turns to grin at him, excitedly waving a hand. "This is it!" he whispers hoarsely and then peeks over his shoulder. "But uh, he looks a little murdery. Do you want me to stay?"

Murdery? I loosen my shoulders, which rise to my ears, and take a deep breath.

“No murder, I promise.” I study Oliver again. Taking in the faint scars I noticed on the cameras. More specifically, the slash across his throat.

Moisture leaves my tongue a dry desert as I take in the familiar freckles dotting his nose and cheeks. Fuck.

"I'm not getting it this time!" Wade shouts frustratedly from outside the door as someone else knocks on their front door.

"Probably our food. I'll take it to the living room. Meet me there and we can devour our lunch and sip on some pipinghot tea." Simon grins at that, nudging Oliver slightly when I reluctantly nod.

"Yeah, it's fine," Oliver says, clearing his throat. I hear the hint of softness in his voice. A familiar one I almost erased from my mind. "You go eat, and I'll deal with this..." This time, Oliver’s voice dips low, like it had been all the other times we had interacted. He shoots me a wary look, like he’s not quite sure how to take this.

Honestly, I don’t know either.

Now that I’m here. Now that I’m staring at a ghost I should have recognized the moment she walked on campus.

Simon brushes past me and stops. “Can I be in your initiation, too?” he asks with a grin, batting his eyelashes.

“Uh, sure,” I say absentmindedly. Not bothering to pay attention to his words properly. I’m sure I’ll regret it later. But right now?

I’m too damn distracted from the sight in front of me.

Simon leaves with an excited clap, leaving me and Oliver alone. My heart pounds so rapidly, I swear it’s the only thing I hear in my ears when I close the bedroom door behind Simon. It’s a shame the school doesn’t add locks to these dorm rooms. I could use one right now. Then, no one would disturb me and the ghost of my past.

I lick my lips and turn around, facing the girl I thought was dead for five years. The love of my life. The girl I ache for every night when I lie in bed. I know for a fact that when she stands, holding a knife in her hand, my gut feeling was right. Rage burns in her eyes, mixing with something I can’t place. She stands tall, despite the slight twinge on her expression. Something is eating her up.

Maybe the guilt from hiding from us for so long when she’s clearly alive.

Whatever it is, we’re going to squash it right here and now.

Because the girl I thought was dead is alive, and she’s standing in the same room with me. Breathing the same air as me. Proving to me that we were lied to, and she ran away.

And she better have a good fucking reason for faking her death.

“Spitfire,” I manage to whisper through my closing throat. “You’re alive.”

Eager to find out what happens next with JJ and Olivia? And with the rest of the guys?