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Yay?
I turned that over in my mind as we climbed the stairs toward our room.
“I got our schedules,” Aubrey said as she opened the door for us. “Brace yourself. You got Douchebag Two for at least two classes…”
What?
“Shit.”
That was definitely not a yay.
Seven
RAMSEY
The sound of alarms blaring jerked me right out of a sound sleep. That and the distinct smell of smoke. Throwing the covers back, I rolled out of the bed. Lachlan was passed out on the sofa in the living room of my suite. The alarms weren’t inside, and they were quieter in here than…
Outside. It was another dorm. I often slept with the window cracked until winter meant we couldn’t anymore. I grabbed the flashlight, the fire extinguisher, and my phone. “Lachlan,” I ordered, flipping the light on. “Up.”
“What the fuck?” He groaned as he turned over. His black eye was worse, if possible, but I didn’t have time for that at the moment.
“Up, evacuation procedures. Evacuate this dorm and the others…”
“Is that…”
I didn’t wait for him to finish the question, I had the door open and yanked the alarm on my way past as I headed out the door. Outside, the smell of smoke was a thousand percent worse.
Students were already coming out the door behind me. “No,” I said when they started toward the burning building. That was the girl’s dorm. The roof was definitely on fire. Flames licked along the brick as it rolled over the side like a hungry beast in search of a violent meal. “That way.” I pointed him away from the buildings. “Fire drill protocols. Stay together.”
“Hey,” Lachlan called as I angled toward the burning building. The alarms were screaming, smoke was everywhere, and I didn’t have time for his questions or explanations.
“Follow the damn protocol,” I said over my shoulder, tossing him the flashlight. “Do it and get a headcount going.”
Harley was already outside, ordering girls away from the building as they came out. “How many?” I asked. The alarm on my phone indicated the fire department had been called.
“Not enough,” she yelled back. “Maybe thirty percent. There are girls on the upper floors.”
“I’ll go in. You keep on the count down here.”
“Ramsey, are you insane?”
I didn’t answer, mostly because I didn’t doubt the answer was yes. I didn’t see any blue hair on any of the girls who’d already appeared. As I climbed the steps, a girl plowed into me, hysterical and in tears.
“Easy, Payton,” I told her, trying to ignore the violent tickle cough that was starting to hit. “Go on down there, check in with Harley, and go.”
Payton dug her fingers into my neck as she held on. I didn’t have time for this. In attempting to disengage her, I nearly dropped the fire extinguisher and then, when she began to scream, I scooped her up and carried her down. Another four or five girls came rushing out behind us.
Once out on the open quad with the others, I set her down. “Look after her,” I ordered one of the other RAs and then turned back to the building.
It looked like something out of a disaster movie. Fire shot out in jets from a couple of the windows. A girl came tumbling down with a scream, and I wasn’t the only one racing toward her.
A broken arm would be preferable to burning alive. “How many up there?” I asked, as I scooped her up.
“I don’t know.” She was sobbing and coughing, so trying to get anything out of her wouldn’t be helpful. I carried her back and then returned to the building. This time I made it inside and with the fire extinguisher cleared a doorway to let more girls dash outside, among them the Wideman twins and a few other familiar faces.
Harley descended one of the stairs. She had a girl with her, and they both wore masks yet were also sooty and coughing. “Can’t get up to the third floor. Something is wrong with the door…”
“Go,” I told her, ushering them toward the door. Then I was running up the steps. It was so hot inside that my skin felt like it had a sunburn, and it was harder and harder to take a breath. I pulled my shirt up to cover my mouth and nose, but it wasn’t much.
