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There wasn’t a single person around me not harboring a secret or living with a lie.
When we finally reached the cafeteria, I was ready to sprint off to the Villa Pizza window. Shockingly, I wasn’t all that hungry. It was a viable excuse to put some space between myself and the two of them.
“I’m going for a slice,” I announced, walking off without waiting for a reply. Various pairs of eyes tracked my movement across the cafeteria. I almost stopped twice to make sure my ass wasn’t hanging out. If my life wasn’t already overflowing with drama I would have stopped and yelled they could all go fuck themselves.
Grabbing a red tray, I got in line and waited patiently for my turn. Once I paid for the food with my meal card, I found my way to my usual table and sat in my usual seat, diagonal from Judas with Audrey on my left and Bri on the right.
My silver-eyed devil didn’t waste any time assessing me. I proudly held his stare while the gears in my head continued to churn through a thick puree of thoughts.
“You two need a moment alone?” Owen joked from the far end of the table.
When Judas ignored him and continued to silently watch me, I finally had to look away. I felt like I was under microscopic display when he did this. I caught Owen’s knowing blue-eyed gaze and returned his slight smile. I picked at my food, relieved when they eventually fell into conversation about trivial matters.
I was impressed at how well they pulled off normal. It made me wonder how many people got to see the real them. Who knew they were far more than an elite group of seniors? Their presence almost made me feel better about taking the spot of someone that deserved to go to school here. Almost, but not quite.
They didn’t need the credentials the rest of the student body was stressing over. Pesadilla was nothing but a cover-up for whatever Judas had come to Crudele to accomplish. That much I’d deduced with common sense.
It was a decent means of camouflage. Regardless of the reason, they were here, this was still a highly rated academy they could claim they attended after all was said and done.
“You’re unusually quiet. Are you reminiscing?”
His question pulled me away from my inner musings. “About what?”
I internally groaned the second his infuriating smirk made an appearance.
“Everything we did in my bed.”
Laughter spilled from the childish few people sitting with us.
Of all the things circulating through my head, I was making a conscious effort not to think about that and Dax.
One I’d dated without knowing who they were and the other had left me with a bloodied memory I obsessed over for two years. Unhealthily may I add. Now I had an entire weekend of vivid, tangible imagery to go with it.
“Sorry but no, I can’t remember much of it.” I shrugged and lifted the last bit of gooey heaven to my mouth.
“Ouch,” Gavin remarked, placing a hand on his chest.
“By the way, Audrey’s giving me a ride home today.”
“Yeah, Sorry J. You’re going to have to learn to share,” she lilted.
Judas leaned back and smiled. “I’ve never been any good at sharing. Ask Dax.”
Nearly choking on my half-chewed bite of pizza, I reached for my lemonade. What the hell was wrong with him?
“No thanks. I’d rather never see or speak to Dax again,” Audrey muttered, oblivious to the dark undertone in Judas’ words. She was the only one at the table that didn’t know Daxton was dead and his killers were close enough to reach out and hug, casually enjoying lunch and discussing homework.
The conversation continued to flow as if they were unaware of what he’d meant too, thankfully back to the topic of school. Judas made no further comments about me riding with Audrey which was surprising and also a bit unsettling. I didn’t trust it. I gnawed the inside of my cheek wondering what he could be up to now.
CHAPTER FOUR
For the first ten minutes, we rode in silence. It was highly uncomfortable and the last thing I wanted to deal with after the day I’d had, but I owed Audrey this.
“Are you gonna tell me what’s going on with you?” she asked, turning off the main road.
I adjusted how I was sitting and gathered my hair into a ponytail. “I’m trying to get my thoughts in order.”
“You don’t have to do that with me. You never have.”
“I know,” I replied softly.
“Then talk to me!”
I leaned back and wet my lips. Where was the wisest place to begin? What did I need to leave out aside from the obvious? Audrey never judged me. That was liable to change if everything wound up out in the open. Staying on my current path things were bound to get worse.
