He smirks. “What happened? Did he invite you back to his dorm room?”
I roll my eyes. “Shut up. You’re annoying.”
“Which means I’m right.” He smiles entirely too big.
I huff. “I’m glad you’re amused by my broken heart.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Broken heart? Please, Cove. You just met the guy. You were attracted to him, but you didn’t know him.”
I keep my mouth shut. I don’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he’s right.
“I also know you’re attracted to me.” He sits down on the bed beside me.
I roll my eyes, but my cheeks grow warm. “Don’t flatter yourself Hunter. Trust me when I say, you’re not my type.”
He rubs his finger on the side of my cheeks. “Your red face tells me otherwise.”
I smack his hand away. “Maybe my cheeks are red because I have a boy in my room on my bed alone. Which is completely inappropriate, by the way.”
He snickers. “Right. Like I’m the first boy you’ve ever been alone with.”
I press my lips into a thin line, not saying one word.
“No way.” He sits up straighter, his eyes widening. “But you’re…”
He doesn’t finish his sentence. He just looks at me.
“I’m what?” I ask.
He shrugs. “Pretty or whatever.”
“Pretty or whatever?” Should I be offended?
“You know what I mean.” His face turns slightly pink. “You’re pretty. Certainly, you’ve had a lot of boyfriends.”
“Yeah, right. Preston Lomax is the only guy who has ever shown an interest in me.” I close my eyes, wondering why I just told him that. It’s really none of his business who I’ve dated, or not dated, in the past.
“Ah, that explains it.”
My eyes snap open. “Explains what?”
He shrugs, grinning. “Just that you’re all boy crazy over the wrong guy.”
I raise an eyebrow. “And what? You think you’re the right guy.”
He shakes his head. “No. You and I won’t ever be a thing.”
“Good cause I don’t like you anyway,” I smart, crossing my arms over my chest.
And even though I’m not interested in Hunter, his comment still stings. I may not be interested, but that doesn’t mean I want to be rejected. Rejection sucks.
Hunter just smirks. “Yeah, okay. Keep telling yourself that, Trouble.”
“Trouble?” I raise an eyebrow.
“Yeah. I’m going to call you that because you are trouble.”
I roll my eyes. “Does that mean I can refer to you as pain in butt? Because that’s what you are.”
He throws his head back and laughs. “And that is why you’re trouble.”
“Whatever you say.” I cross my arms over my chest. “Are you ready to tell me how you managed to disarm that guy? And how you managed to take care of him without the cops? And how the heck you carried me back to my dorm?”
“You’re light.” He stands up from my bed. “Trust me, you weren’t hard to carry.”
He carried me?
My cheeks grow warm. “What about my other questions?”
“Sorry, Trouble. That’s the only answer you’re getting from me.” He grins, waving at me. “See you later.”
Without another word, Hunter turns and leaves me in my dorm. I fall back against my bed, sighing.
I should be scared of Hunter Duran—I really, really should. Still, I can’t help but trust him. I feel like trusting him is a very stupid decision, but I can’t help it. He saved my life.
Just who is Hunter Duran?
My phone vibrates on my nightstand and I look at it curiously. I remember dropping my phone in the woods.
I pick it up, looking at it.
Huh, Hunter must’ve grabbed it for me.
I look at the text on the screen.
HUNTER DURAN: Maybe no more walks through the woods alone.
As much as I want to send him a smart response, I can’t help but think maybe he’s right on this one. I definitely won’t be taking anymore walks in the woods alone.
Monday, August 24
Take care of the body.
I can’t sleep.
My mind just keeps playing through yesterday repeatedly. I keep wondering—what happened to the guy who was chasing me? What if he got away? What if that is why Hunter didn’t want to say what happened? Because he knew I would be worried if I knew he was on the loose.
Or maybe…
Maybe Hunter really is a ruthless killer.
Nah, no way. Hunter is way too nice for something like that. I mean, sure, the guy gets on my nerves, but deep down… probably very deep down… he’s a nice guy.
Still, I wonder how safe this campus is. Maybe it’s a dangerous place to be and that is why Karen and William sent me here—maybe they’re hoping something bad will happen to me.
After a quick online search, I find that West Raven is a very safe school. East Raven had an incident last year with a politician’s daughter and a terrorist, but that issue was resolved. Besides, Hunter will protect me, right?
Uh, it’s four o’clock in the morning. Why am I thinking about Hunter Duran already? Talk about ruining my day.
I push my covers back, deciding to just get up. Sure, it’s way too early, but today is my first day of actual school at West Raven Academy. I might as well take my time getting ready.
I take a long shower, taking the time to even do a deep conditioner on my hair. After showering, I blow-dry my hair, which is a rarity, and then I curl it. I look like a supermodel. Eh, well, a short supermodel. But still, I look pretty for my first day of school.
I grab my school uniform, sighing.
There is one thing I have dreaded about coming to boarding school and this uniform is what it is.
Why does a school uniform feel like conformity?
Oh, right. Because it is conformity.
The skirt is a red, black, and white plaid, pleated skirt. It’s kind of cute, surprisingly. I hate even admitting it, but maybe it won’t be so bad. I put it on, noticing that it fits very well.
The shirt is a basic button up white shirt. There is a clip-on tie that is the exact same plaid color as the skirt. The blazer is black with a white outline and the school logo, a raven, is embroidered on my right chest. I slip a pair of red Converse on and then look in my full length bathroom mirror.
It’s not so bad. Actually, I think I kind of look cute. The clothes aren’t so bad. At least it’ll help me from having to pick my own outfits each morning.
I smile.
Yeah, this is not nearly as bad as I thought it would be.
Satisfied with my look, I reach for my doorknob, heading into my dorm room. As I open my door, I notice a figure standing in my room. I wonder what Liam is doing up so early, but then I get a close look and I see that it’s definitely not Liam.
I take a deep breath, letting out a loud, ear piercing scream.
It’s so loud that the guy with the gun holds both of his hands up to his ears to cover them, even the hand with the gun. If I were smart, like Hunter, maybe I could figure out how to get the gun away from the guy.