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He chuckles. “I want to watchyoueat.”
“That’s kinda…weird.”
“Would it be weird if we both watched each other eat?”
“That wouldn’t happen,” I say quickly. “What’s the assignment?”
“I have to see you to give it to you.”
“Why?” I ask, confused.
He could just tell me. Why is he playing games?
“It’s complicated.”
“It can’t be that hard.”
“It’s better if I tell you in person.”
I sigh. “ Fine. You could give it to me the next time we have class.”
“How about lunch tomorrow? Meet me at the quad, same table.”
On campus. Nothing can happen to me on campus. There are students everywhere.
“Alright,” I agree.
“Noon, Melody.”
“Alright,” I repeat.
I pull the phone from my ear to hang up.
“Melody?” He says my name slowly.
I place the phone back in my ear. “Yes.”
“Be there; don’t make me find you.” And he hangs up.
I stare at the phone like he’s going to crawl out of it and grab me.
What the hell have I gotten myself into?
After history class, I walk toward the quad through a river of students. Some give me brief glances that are sharper than glass. Knowing grins flicker across faces, igniting a trail of anxiety that coils in my stomach. My hands get clammy waiting for the laughter that doesn’t come, or is it something darker, a prelude to a torment I can't see?
I’m paranoid. I have anxiety. Get a grip, Melody. It’s not going to go away. Deal with it.
I grin back, refusing to show my inner turmoil. I have to stop thinking about the past.
But when I arrived on campus, I changed my mind. I thought I was crazy to even think I could.
What if they know people from Ohio? My brother knows Valen and the other sons of Kenyan. They go to parties, hang out, and date. It’s not uncommon. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Other people from Kenyan could have been there that night or heard the rumors they spun about me. Even recognized me the same way Valen did.
I push the doors to the exit. The wind is cool against the skin of my cheeks. The sky is overcast. The church looms, casting a shadow on the cobblestone pathway leading to the tables. The wind causes the trees to groan and drags the leaves across the grass.
A sign that fall is coming.
My throat goes dry when I spot Valen sitting on the bench. My steps slow, giving me time to look at him before he spots me walking over. Charles sits across from him facing him. Garret is saying something I can’t make out.
