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Changing course, I’m walking toward the dining hall when my phone buzzes, signifying another message. I pull it out and actually blush at the words.
Hawk:That’s my good girl.
Who knewfour tiny words could be such a turn-on? And instead of being creepy, knowing that he’s tracking my movements is actually erotic. As though he could just show up out of the blue because he knows where I am. Hmm, maybe I’ll keep the tracker once Kai has gotten rid of Mel.
Yup, it’s official. I’ve lost my freaking mind.
Entering the dining hall, I queue up to get my food before scanning the room for Hawk and the others. A broad grin stretches across my face when Hadley jumps up and begins waving at me like a lunatic.
Immediately, I feel safer. The crowded hall doesn’t stop the paranoia of feeling like I’m being watched, but it bolsters my confidence. Instead of feeling like a mouse trapped in a maze, I push back my shoulders and jut out my chin, silently daring Mel to step out of the shadows and face me.
I hadn’t realized until just now, but over the course of the last month, my entire world has shrunk until all that existed was my stalker. I only started this job because of Mel. Every time I was on campus, my thoughts were on her. Spending time with Kai—because of Mel. Even my interactions with Hawk and Wilder outside of the house revolved around her. She dictated my entire life.
Since gaining back the tiny bit of freedom offered by leaving the confines of the brownstone and coming to work, I haven’t had a chance to actually enjoy being out of the house. To breathe in the energy that comes from being on a college campus, with students eager to learn and make the most of their limited youth before they’re forced to find jobs and grow up.
Even when I spent lunches here with the others, my eyes constantly roamed the surrounding tables, lingering on every student and wondering if one of them was my stalker. Even surrounded by friends, I was never able to relax fully. To shake the weight of Mel’s presence.
However, as I wind my way across the room, taking in the smiling, happy, carefree faces around me, anger begins to boil in my veins, burning away my fears and anxieties. It wasn’t all that long ago that I wouldn’t have cared about missing out on having new experiences and making new memories, but now… now, it really pisses me off. I refuse to let Mel steal anything more from me, and as I approach the table, I make a promise to myself not to let her tarnish anything else. Not my lunches with everyone, not my private moments with Hawk, and definitely not my relationship with Kai.
Of course, I have to be careful not to look as though I’m too happy, or Mel might go after Hadley or one of the guys. Something I amnotokay with. We’ve already discussed that it’s okay for me to spend time with Hadley and the others, but not too much. Enough that Mel sees I’m making an effort to distance myself from the guys, though not so much that I put a target on Hadley’s back.
God, talk about a difficult balance to obtain.With not enough distance, Hawk, Wilder, or Kai could become Mel’s next victim; too much time spent with Hadley, and it could be her that Mel targets next. Of course, I’d love to see her try and take on Hadley. Mel might know her way around computers, but Hadley is a fierce fighter. Her skills and training mean she’d have Mel knocked out in less than a minute.
On second thought, perhaps I should subtly encourage Mel to go after Hadley. It would be one sure way to get rid of her once and for all.
Except, I’d never put Hadley at risk like that. Certainly not without telling her, but I also wouldn’t ask it of her. No, Mel is my battle to fight. I want her to know it was me who got the better of her. That I played her like she’s played me all these years.
“Hey!” Hadley greets when I arrive at the table. Everyone is already here—Hadley, three of her boyfriends, Hawk, and Wilder.
I smile, even as nerves flutter in my stomach. I used to feel so at ease around all of these people. They were as close as family to me at one point, but now I feel like an outsider. I know it’s my fault. I’m the one who put the space there by going off to a different college and refusing to come visit, other than the couple of times Hadley guilted me into it.
My eyes bounce over everyone, noting the dark scrutiny in Wilder’s eyes as his gaze drills into me, and the frown lining Hawk’s face. I must not be doing a very good job of hiding how frazzled I’ve been all morning.
“Come, sit.” Hadley waves me toward her. Although the only spare seat is the one at the end of the table, beside Wilder. “Cam, move so Em can sit beside me,” she tells him, shoving him in the shoulder.
“What?” he splutters. “Why do I have to move? Make West move!”
“West wasn’t the one who thought it would be funny to put red food dye in the showerhead, so it looked like blood was coming out of the shower this morning.”
I can’t help but snort. Their easy camaraderie is like a balm to my frayed nerves. I’m not the only one, as others around the table burst into a fit of laughter.
“I thought an animal had gotten into the water tank anddied,” Hadley snaps, faking anger as she glowers at him.
Even Cam smiles, obligingly getting to his feet. “Yeah, but then I wouldn’t have been able to come in and save the day,” he states, pressing a quick kiss to Hadley’s lips before grabbing his tray and vacating the seat.
“Does it count as saving the day if he’s the one who instigated it in the first place?” Hadley grumbles as we both sit down.
I chuckle, already feeling ten times lighter than I did when I left my classroom. “I don’t know.”
“Anyway, how are you? How are you finding your first day back?”
Her eyes rake over me, and I can tell she spots the strain on my face, but thankfully she doesn’t ask about it.
“It’s fine,” I say, the words coming out tight. “It helps that I’m loving my classes.” At least that is the truth.
“Oh, yeah, Miss Harrison?” she teases. “Thinking of becoming a professor?”
I chew on my bottom lip before admitting, “Yes, actually.”
