forehead and feigned a swoon when I looked in the rearview mirror.
“She won’t be when Kate finds out in about five seconds.”
Small-town fishbowls and irony. Everyone knew everything about everyone in a small town, except I didn’t know anything about the one guy I wanted to know about. Which reminded me.
“Did you guys see Brian Austin tonight?”
Pixie shot me a crazy face. They all confirmed he hadn’t been there, but he had. So had the car and the smoker. They all frightened me. Or were they one and the same? Brian could’ve been in the car. I hadn’t seen the driver’s face or where he had disappeared to. I also hadn’t seen where Brian had come from. Holy crap! He drove me home one night. Knew right where I lived.
“Well?” Aubrie demanded. “Earth to Elle. Are you still lost in those gorgeous baby blues or what?”
“They’re super blue.” I wanted to say, they’re green like emeralds in a jewelry-store window, but that didn’t begin to describe them and also I knew who they meant. Davis. Pixie pulled onto the street, heading back toward school, as the small group of guys climbed into an SUV by the pumps. Davis lit up a cigarette before closing the door.
The urge to vomit overtook me. I shut my eyes and begged my body to get a grip. Davis smoked. He had walked into the coffee shop the night I saw the light outside the window. Had it been him outside smoking? Did Brian smoke? What was happening? I still felt his large, warm hands on mine, where he’d drawn me into the shadows. But where did he go? Ice ran through my veins. Nausea coiled my tummy. Could the guy I was falling for be the one following me?
Was anyone following me? I wrapped my arms around my middle before a hole erupted there. I was losing myself.
No. I needed to stop blaming my dreams. Something scary was happening. The truth of the thought winded me. I needed to find out who was doing these things. Fast.
“Darcy has a freshman curfew, so we’re moving movie night to her room.” Pixie accelerated around a curve.
“I’m not feeling well. Can you drop me off at our place first?” I kept my eyes averted.
“Aw, no way. Don’t do that because of me. Go ahead. I’ll take a rain check.” Darcy put her head next to the headrest beside my ear.
“It’s not that. I really don’t feel well. I promise to stay up all night with you next time.” A promise easier to keep than they knew.
Reluctantly, Pixie allowed me to dip out on movie night. She told me not to wait up because she thought that’s what I did. I doubted she’d make it home. I’d never seen anyone fall asleep in front of a movie as fast as Pixie could.
“Darcy? Did you hear back about being an office aide yet?” I twisted in my seat to look her way as much as the belt allowed.
“Yeah, right before lunch.” Her voice had lost its enthusiasm. I hoped Aubrie wouldn’t blame her for my going home early.
“Cool. Hey, I’m going to stop in tomorrow and say hi.”
We passed a Jeep a block before arriving at our apartment, and I shuddered at the thought that it might be him, watching. When I climbed out of the car, another car shut down its engine. This car was gray and compact, like a rental. I took the stairs two at a time. Halfway to the door, my legs locked in mid-step. A tiny orange glow brightened and dimmed only a few yards away from my apartment. My mouth popped open and a choked noise rumbled out.
“You okay, man?” A guy with blond highlights and a skateboard stepped toward me. He launched the remainder of his cigarette over the railing with his thumb and first finger.
My head rotated left and right.
“Ready?” The girl from one of the other apartments on our floor, bounced out her door, kissing the guy on his cheek.
“Later.” The guy passed me with a lazy look on his face. The girl trailed behind him chatting excitedly about some party. She waved. Where was campus security for that?
A huge gust of air escaped my lungs. Inside the
“She won’t be when Kate finds out in about five seconds.”
Small-town fishbowls and irony. Everyone knew everything about everyone in a small town, except I didn’t know anything about the one guy I wanted to know about. Which reminded me.
“Did you guys see Brian Austin tonight?”
Pixie shot me a crazy face. They all confirmed he hadn’t been there, but he had. So had the car and the smoker. They all frightened me. Or were they one and the same? Brian could’ve been in the car. I hadn’t seen the driver’s face or where he had disappeared to. I also hadn’t seen where Brian had come from. Holy crap! He drove me home one night. Knew right where I lived.
“Well?” Aubrie demanded. “Earth to Elle. Are you still lost in those gorgeous baby blues or what?”
“They’re super blue.” I wanted to say, they’re green like emeralds in a jewelry-store window, but that didn’t begin to describe them and also I knew who they meant. Davis. Pixie pulled onto the street, heading back toward school, as the small group of guys climbed into an SUV by the pumps. Davis lit up a cigarette before closing the door.
The urge to vomit overtook me. I shut my eyes and begged my body to get a grip. Davis smoked. He had walked into the coffee shop the night I saw the light outside the window. Had it been him outside smoking? Did Brian smoke? What was happening? I still felt his large, warm hands on mine, where he’d drawn me into the shadows. But where did he go? Ice ran through my veins. Nausea coiled my tummy. Could the guy I was falling for be the one following me?
Was anyone following me? I wrapped my arms around my middle before a hole erupted there. I was losing myself.
No. I needed to stop blaming my dreams. Something scary was happening. The truth of the thought winded me. I needed to find out who was doing these things. Fast.
“Darcy has a freshman curfew, so we’re moving movie night to her room.” Pixie accelerated around a curve.
“I’m not feeling well. Can you drop me off at our place first?” I kept my eyes averted.
“Aw, no way. Don’t do that because of me. Go ahead. I’ll take a rain check.” Darcy put her head next to the headrest beside my ear.
“It’s not that. I really don’t feel well. I promise to stay up all night with you next time.” A promise easier to keep than they knew.
Reluctantly, Pixie allowed me to dip out on movie night. She told me not to wait up because she thought that’s what I did. I doubted she’d make it home. I’d never seen anyone fall asleep in front of a movie as fast as Pixie could.
“Darcy? Did you hear back about being an office aide yet?” I twisted in my seat to look her way as much as the belt allowed.
“Yeah, right before lunch.” Her voice had lost its enthusiasm. I hoped Aubrie wouldn’t blame her for my going home early.
“Cool. Hey, I’m going to stop in tomorrow and say hi.”
We passed a Jeep a block before arriving at our apartment, and I shuddered at the thought that it might be him, watching. When I climbed out of the car, another car shut down its engine. This car was gray and compact, like a rental. I took the stairs two at a time. Halfway to the door, my legs locked in mid-step. A tiny orange glow brightened and dimmed only a few yards away from my apartment. My mouth popped open and a choked noise rumbled out.
“You okay, man?” A guy with blond highlights and a skateboard stepped toward me. He launched the remainder of his cigarette over the railing with his thumb and first finger.
My head rotated left and right.
“Ready?” The girl from one of the other apartments on our floor, bounced out her door, kissing the guy on his cheek.
“Later.” The guy passed me with a lazy look on his face. The girl trailed behind him chatting excitedly about some party. She waved. Where was campus security for that?
A huge gust of air escaped my lungs. Inside the
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