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“What’s that supposed to mean?” Athelia snaps. She looks between the three of us before trying to break free of Cal’s hold. When he doesn’t let go, she beats her fists into his chest. “Stop it!”
I step closer, watching with delight as she tries to cower away. Her fear is just as palpable, just as beautiful as it was the first night I scared her.
“I hate you,” she cries.
Wes snorts out a laugh. “Like that changes anything.”
“Please don’t touch my work again,” she begs. “I don’t know how you did it, or why, just please don’t. I need to keep my grades up.”
“We all do, Athelia,” Cal says on a bored sigh. “You’re not special.”
“Then just leave me alone!”
Finally, Cal releases her and pushes her back toward Wes.
Athelia doesn’t hesitate. Wes has his hands in his pockets and is watching her with a cruel smile and dead eyes. She slaps him hard across the face before darting out of my reach. She runs down the sidewalk, too terrified to even look back.
Pity.
I wouldn’t have minded seeing the terror in her eyes one last time tonight.
Chapter Four
Cal
Junior year
“Are you sure this will work?” Kellan asks impatiently. “She should be here by now.”
“She’ll show,” Wes says.
Kellan crosses his arms and taps his fingers against his elbow. We’re all standing on the dock that juts out into a secluded pond. It’s just off campus near the forest—the perfect place to lure Athelia out to.
“It’s ten past midnight,” I say. “If she’s not here in five minutes, I say we throw her laptop into the pond and leave.”
Earlier today, we broke into Athelia’s dorm and stole her laptop. I found her in the cafeteria around dinner and told her to meet us here at midnight if she wants it back.
I didn’t think she’d be stupid enough to show up late.
After what she did to Wes, she deserves everything we have coming for her. Our pranks have been fairly mild so far.
The worst we’ve done was swapping out one of her papers last year with one that was obviously AI-generated. It hadso many holes and grammatical errors that you couldn’t even read it. She was able to convince Professor Johnson to let her try again.
Wonder if the manipulative bitch took our advice.
Stealing her laptop is a whole new level for us. I can’t find it in me to feel bad for her, though. She hurt all of us, but using Wes the way she did? Fuck her.
Finally, Athelia emerges at the top of the hill. She’s running down the path as fast as she can. She skids to a halt at the beginning of the dock, eying us warily.
“I’m sorry I’m late,” she blurts breathlessly. “But I really don’t have time for this. Please just give me my laptop.”
“Don’t have time?” Wes taunts. He stalks down the dock, grabs her arm, and drags her closer to me and Kellan. “We should be your only priority right now if you ever want to touch your laptop again.”
“I have a test in the morning,” Athelia says. “Please just stop all this bullshit. Whatever you think I did, I—”
“Shut up,” Wes snaps. “I’m sick of you pretending that you’re an innocent, sweet girl. You’re the fucking opposite.”
“Wesley, just listen to me. Whatever I did—”
