Page 112 of Trick or Stalk

Wants to become a professor.

And when she's nervous, she tells herself everything is fine even when she doesn't believe it.

I know the sound of her laugh now.

The way her cheeks turn pink when I flirt with her.

The way her green eyes look when she's trying not to stare at me.

My jaw tightens.

It’s not enough. I don't know nearly enough.

The television flashes brighter. Presley tenses.

I shift to see what’s on the screen.

A tall man dressed in black moves between trees.

I straighten slightly.

Presley says something I can’t hear. Penny stops chewing and looks up at her.

Whatever Presley says next makes me wish I were inside the fucking room.

I want to hear it. Every fucking word.

Instead, I'm standing in the rain like an asshole.

The scene changes.

A woman appears on the television.

Then the man steps from behind a tree. He's wearing a mask.

My attention sharpens.

Presley goes still.

Even from here, I see the change in her.

Her hand stops halfway to her mouth. Her shoulders stiffen.

She looks away from the television, toward the window. Toward me.

I don't move.

She can't see me.

The rain distorts the glass, and darkness covers the woods.

But something about the way she stares makes my pulse quicken.

She feels me again.

My attention goes back to the TV right as the masked man slams against the window.

Presley screams. Popcorn flies all over the room.