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Professor Hamilton was droning on and on without a hopeful end. We were being assigned a group project again, but we were being treated as though “group project” was a new concept. He went as far as giving us the definition. The grading component made me want to eat nails. We’d have a grade based on everyone's effort and then a grade based on our personal account and peer reports.
What a fucking nightmare.
I never cared for where I sat in lectures, and it tended to change session by session. Today was the day he decided to state that our table partners were our project participants.Perfect.
There were two students occupying my table, and I had no clue who the hell they were.
He was pushing 9:30 a.m. to its last second. A kitchen timer on the podium went off, interrupting whatever redundancy he was in the middle of. Students wasted no time getting up from their seats, in a near sprint for the door. I wanted to race down to the library myself to see Bex, but coming across as a crazed stalker had never gone well in society.
I pulled my phone from my pocket and stepped through the heavy metal doors. The sky was cloudy today, and the dim setting on my phone made it hard to read anything in my notifications tab. I fidgeted with the settings as I continued down the damp path riddled with more fallen leaves.
“Hey!” I heard someone call from behind me. People were always loud in the commons area. I was relieved knowing no one ever hunted after me. “Hey,Metallica!” they shouted a little more gruffly.Okay, is this just a coincidence?
I stopped and looked over my shoulder. Usually, people called out more degrading names to get my attention.See,Juvie.
My eyes homed in on a slightly ruffled man in a suit. The man who was far too interested in my existence after Bex’s interview. Detective Nosy Ass.
“Detective Noah Bishop,” he introduced himself with an extended hand.
I took it in a firm shake. “Jai Wells. Jaiden, with ani.”
“Do you have a minute? Just some questions, I promise.” He held his open palms up to disarm my concerns.I’ll bite.
“What questions could you possibly have for me?” I stepped closer to him. He was a taller man, but I still had him unsure as he straightened to meet my stare.
“You do speak,” he stated more than questioned.
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“You weren’t talkative around your friends.” His lips twitched. It wasn’tquitecockiness, but he enjoyed this push.
“I talk plenty,” I dismissed.Fucking liar.
“It’s just interesting, a few pieces of my puzzle don’t seem to fit. But the image I’m getting here,” he hypothesized as he moved his hands in circular gestures for the campus grounds, “has some pieces missing that look familiar.”
“Are you going to talk in fucking riddles all day? I have somewhere to be.” I hadn’t planned for the library today, but I had time to kill and a girl to pine for if this was the other option.
“You’re Bexley Laughtery’sGhostface,” he alleged.
“And if I am?” I was looking down my nose at him. The last thing I needed was for this to blow up in my face by someone else’s involvement.
“Technically, it would make you a suspect,” he implied, leaving that statement open. I collected myself before responding.
“I’ll say this, you’re right that I’m her spooky courtship, but I am not your killer.” My jaw hardened as I gritted out, “You’d definitely know it was me.”
“You in the system?” That cocky twitch had turned into a satisfied smile.
“Summer of my junior year in high school. Oak County Juvenile Detention Center.” I looked away, but it wasn’t in shame. Rehashing the details wasn’t on my agenda today.
“Jai, I might have a need for you in the future. If you’re willing, I’d like to get your information.” He took out his notebook and looked at me like it wasn’t an actual suggestion.
“Yeah, I guess.” Whatever his plans, the odds were stacked against it going in my favor. I rattled off my number and looked over his shoulder.
Mariana was standing several feet behind him with her arms crossed, bunching her green hoodie. Her white tennis shoe tapped on the ground once.
“Detective, I need to handle something. You can just call with whatever questions you have.” I didn’t give him a chance to respond as I stepped around him, nodding for her to follow me. She looked the detective up and down as we passed him and headed toward the parking lot.
“The lovely Mariana, to what do I owe the pleasure?”
