Page 26 of Web of Lies

My heart falls into my ass as the image of a familiar girl dressed in black appears on the screen. My finger hovers momentarily above the mouse before I press play to watch what my video motion detector recorded. There’s no sound, but I don’t need it. She stands in the middle of my living room, sorrow written on her face, with tears lining her cheeks.

She just stands there, eyes darting like a wild animal wanting to flee.In my space, my precious space.Every emotion pierces through her perfect facade, like a fire ravishing through every beautiful aspect of her.

Her knees give out, dropping hard onto the carpet. Tears continually fall down her red, puffy cheeks with no end in sight. She sucks in a breath, regaining her composure with a wave of her hands. Wiping her tears with her sleeve, she stands tall, throwing her shoulders back. And just like that—she’s back to her perfect self.

She runs around my private space like her ass is on fire, knocking on walls, lifting the mattress, and rifling through my desk. Her swollen lips roll together, eyes flashing with misery again.

Utter defeat.

Her stiff shoulders sag, head shaking. She gives one last forlorn look at the room, muttering something my computer didn’t pick up. And then she walks out, slamming my door behind her, and locks it once again. Like she was never there. Like she didn’t intrude and break into a room that never belonged to her.

How dare she! How fucking dare she come in here to my space—Magnolia’s space.

Ainsley fucking Benoit walked into my room, rifled through my things like it was nothing. Like my privacy meant nothing to her. I knew leaving my apartment vulnerable for those few hours was a mistake. Crap—I’m going to have to put an entire security system in my apartment by the time this is all said and done.

I take a deep breath, blowing out my frustrations.

What’s happened has happened. Nothing I can do about it now—maybe later. As they say, revenge is a dish best served cold. Or, in my case, lukewarm.

My gaming computer continues to log me into my account, running through a last-minute update, giving me time to hack into the school’s secure network. The surveillance videos of my hallway are up in a minute’s time, showing me what I want to see.

There she is, with a single key in hand, unlocking my door. A key, she has a friggin’ key. Well—an old key now, but still a key! She has to be the one who put a camera in my vent. My heart continues to pound inside my chest. Like a drum with a wild, unsteady beat, I can barely hear anything around me. Static fills my ears.Thump-thump. Thump-thump.Blood rushes to my ears, my heartbeat filling them. Tiny ants crawl up my skin in tune with my heart. Deep breaths, Kaycee. Calm down. Countdown.

Me:

I caught my stalker.

Tristan:

You what now?

Me:

I have video proof. She came into my room looking for something….

But what? What could she find in my room that would interest her so much? I don’t have anything she would want. What would be so important she would break into my room and tear everything apart?

Tristan:

You need to report this shit. That’s serious, Addi!! I swear to God. I’m going to track your cute ass down and keep you fucking safe. Those kinds of rich bastards?? They. Don’t. Fucking. Play. Around. Addi!

I know when he uses the name I told him, he’s serious. Deadly serious—like a parent scolding me for stealing a cookie or something. Tristan could track me down if he really wanted to. He and I are exactly alike in talent. Sometimes, though, I think he’s better. That camera? Yeah, he’s still figuring out ways to help me track it down. I need to track its signal to find out who is responsible. My gut tells me now, Ainsley is deep into this.

Me:

Let’s play…. help me take my mind off it.

Tristan:

Fuck’s sake. They didn’t put another camera in there, did they?

Me:

No, not this time, they just tore my shit apart… looking for something….

Maybe it’s time I get to know Ainsley Benoit a little better—ok, a lot better. It’s time I became her best friend or something like that.BFFs for life!

I know exactly where she’ll be Friday night. Chase gave her away. I can keep surveillance as she leaves and then make my move. It’s perfect—an eye for an eye. If this was her second time coming into my room, she might have some vital evidence in her room. It was part of my initial plan, anyway. Break into their rooms, one by one, to discover their secrets. This solidifies it. They’ll never know what’s about to hit them. Like a thief in the night, I’ll be in and out before the first half of the football game.