85. Thea
85
Thea
L andon’s argument with Milo faded as I hustled out of the cafeteria, ignoring all the stares as usual. Ever since the four dickheads started paying me more attention, I'd become something of a social pariah.
Most of the girls on campus hated me because Landon was no longer interested in them. I got it. Really, I did. But I also gave no fucks. Once I was gone, he’d soon revert to his usual fuckboy behavior.
I flew up the steps to my room near the top of West Tower, half expecting Landon or Milo to chase after me, but neither of them did. Eden texted my burner phone, but I ignored her. I needed to reply to my father first.
His message was to the point.
Father: You failed.
I slumped down on my bed and gripped the phone so hard it was amazing it hadn’t cracked under the strain.
Was there any point in replying? He knew I hadn’t planted the drugs. If I had, the police would have found them.
What a mess. I should have done as he asked. Torrance was probably on his way here to collect me and take me home, where some awful punishment awaited. My ribs ached with phantom pains from the last beating as I thought about what my father would do to me once I was back in his care.
But now was not the time to worry about that. I needed to speak to Verity. Make sure she was safe. I’d not had a chance to talk to her since before London.
Needing to hear her voice, I hit call on Mrs Gia’s number. It rang and rang and then went to voicemail. I tried again, but the same thing happened.
A thread of anxiety unfurled in my chest. Mrs Gia didn’t always answer immediately, I reminded myself. She might be in the bathroom.
There was likely a simple explanation. I’d try again later.
The text message from my father taunted me from the bed. Two words. Psychological torture, designed to unbalance me before he struck.
I shoved the phone onto the floor. Knowing he was angry with me made me nervous about the potential repercussions, but as I reminded myself, I was safe here. For now, at least. Not even Torrance was stupid enough to storm onto campus during the day and kidnap me. It would cause too many problems.
My burner phone continued to ping with messages from Eden, Kyril, Milo and Landon, but I ignored them. The only person who gave me space was Cassian. And that was only because he’d probably forgotten I even existed.
I half-expected someone to start banging on my door, demanding entrance, but there was nothing. Gradually, the daylight faded and twilight fell over campus. When it grew dark outside, I decided I’d had enough of moping in my room, letting my imagination run riot.
Nothing I said or did at this point made any difference. I’d openly defied my father by not planting drugs in Cassian’s hotel room. The fallout of that was looming over me like the sword of Damocles, but there was nothing I could do right now.
Mrs Gia still wasn’t answering her phone. I’d tried several times, praying there was a perfectly innocent explanation. Maybe she dropped her phone in the toilet. Or it had run out of charge and she hadn’t noticed.
Yeah, delusional was my middle name.
After lying on my bed for another 30 minutes, I dragged myself up and pulled on some running kit. It was mild outside for once. No snow or ice. Perfect weather for an evening run, and the exercise might help clear my head.
The track around the perimeter of the campus was muddy as hell. Weeks of rain, sleet, and snow had turned the ground into a quagmire, which made it horribly slippery underfoot.
I maintained a steady pace, my long hair swinging in a ponytail as I navigated the treacherous twists and turns. It was almost dark, but my eyes had grown accustomed to the low light and I could see well enough.
Sweat trickled down my back as I pounded along. There was nobody else out here. Most people were either eating in the cafeteria or back in their rooms. Classes had largely ended for the semester - the Christmas Ball was two days away and excitement was high.
I’d heard Olivia bragging about the dress she’d ordered, which reminded me Eden had said something about dress shopping before she chucked a grenade into the conversation.
I wouldn’t need a dress. It was doubtful I’d still be here in two days. My father wasn’t the forgiving type. Torrance was probably on his way right now, ready to drag me back home.
When I got back to my room, I’d message Eden and tell her I’d be leaving shortly. As my one and only friend, she deserved to know. She’d be upset and worried if I vanished into thin air, and I couldn’t do that to her. Besides, she might call Declan, and my father would lose his shit if Declan Kelly started sniffing around our business.
I powered on, gradually upping my pace until my legs burned with lactic acid and it became hard to catch a breath. Once I’d climbed the hill to the highest point of the trail and the campus stretched out below, lights winking through the trees, I slowed down and checked my watch.
It was getting late. If I headed back now, the cafeteria would be quiet, and I could grab some food without attracting too much attention. In theory, at least. With that plan in mind, I picked up my pace again and ran steadily back down the slope, being careful not to slip and fall.
The sound of footsteps behind me caught my attention. I’d assumed I was the only person nuts enough to run at this time of day, but maybe not.
I sped up, hoping to outrun whoever it was, but they kept up with me.
Irritation burned away the fatigue, and I half-hoped whoever this dickhead was, he made the fatal mistake of jumping me. I looked forward to showing him why underestimating me was a mistake.
The footsteps faded when I took a left turn toward the gym. The other runner must have continued on the loop.
Now that I wasn’t being followed, I slowed down and let my heart rate recover. The temperature had dropped since I came out, but I barely noticed.
Just as the trees thinned out, Dario appeared, blocking my path. I slammed the brakes on and slipped on some wet leaves. He smirked like an asshole as I fell and ended up covered in mud down one side.
“Oops,” he mocked.
“Fuck you.” He laughed at the sorry state of me, but I ignored him.
Once I was back on my feet, I went to push past him, but his fingers closed around my wrist tight enough to hurt. An unwelcome buzz of electricity shot through me, a reminder of all the other times we’d been this close. And how pleasurable it had been.
“Not so fast, cagna .”
“What is wrong with you?” I snarled, done with his bullshit. Since he wasn’t letting me go, I pressed closer, forcing him back. From the way his eyes widened a fraction, he hadn’t expected that.
“What’s wrong with me, cagna , is that you fucking lied to me!”
“I never lied to you!” I yelled, low-key irritation turning into anger.
“Yes, you did!” It felt like we were going around in circles. He accused me of lying and I had no idea what about.
“What exactly did I lie about, Dar? We agreed to meet, and then you stood me up.” I had to crane my neck to look up at him - the asshole had grown a few inches since the last time we were this close.
He still smelled the same, though. Fresh with a hint of citrus.
My nipples peaked in my thin vest top, and I wondered if he could feel them. The last time we were intimate, my tits were smaller. I’d gone up at least a cup size since then.
“I didn’t stand you up,” he retorted. “I fucking loved you, Thea!”
From the way he recoiled the moment the words left his lips, he hadn’t meant that declaration to slip out. But it was too late. He’d admitted what I’d known at the time.
So why was he treating me like shit? And why had he not been there, at the chapel, on the night we’d agreed to give each other our virginity?
None of it made any sense. All the hurt feelings I’d suppressed rose up.
“I was there, waiting for you, Dar. You didn’t come.” I stepped back, needing some space, but he refused to let go of my arm. His fingers bit into my flesh as he leaned forward.
He was angry at me for something he believed I’d done, but until he explained, I was in the dark.
“I waited for hours, only to find your note when I got back to my room.” My voice cracked, but he seemed unmoved.
“I realized what kind of girl you were, so I left.”
“You’re making no sense!” I cried in frustration.
Dario pushed me back against a thick pine tree. His body pressed into mine and I mentally logged how different he felt. The old Dar was lean. Dario 2.0 was bigger, more muscular, and my body liked it.
He ground his teeth. He may claim to hate me, but his body told a different story. I could feel how hard he was through his sweatpants.
“Maybe you’re jealous,” I mused thoughtfully.
“I don’t fuck whores,” he snapped.
“Really? You should probably rethink your relationship with Polly, then.” I wiggled my hips, enjoying the way he clenched his jaw. He liked to pretend he was unaffected by me, but we both knew it was a lie. “I suggest an STI check, too.” He glared at me and I couldn’t resist smirking back at him.
Then I rolled my eyes as the chill in the air began to seep through my workout clothes. All this conversation was doing was pissing me the fuck off.
He hated me. I got it.
“Why are you here, at Abernethy? Has my father sent you to spy on me?” Now that I thought about it, his presence here made perfect sense. Dario had probably told my father all about my relationships with Landon and Kyril. And also Milo and Cassian.
“Does my being here worry you? It probably should, seeing as how you’re fucking half the students on campus.”
That bastard. “Even if I was, which I’m not, it’s none of your business, stronzo .” He laughed.
“You’ll find out soon enough why I’m here, puttana .” The vicious insult broke through my paralysis and I twisted away to break his hold, but he anticipated my move and blocked it. So I resorted to sinking my teeth into his wrist.
“ Piccola puttana viziosa,” he yelled in fury.
Blood trickled down his arm as I lashed out with my leg, catching him on the knee. He stumbled, and I followed it up with a fist in the face. To my delight, he lost his footing and went down.
Now we were both a muddy mess.
“I thought you’d have more moves by now,” I mocked, enjoying the sight of him flailing in the mud.
Before he could get up, I was away, running at breakneck speed toward my room in West Tower.
I’d learned nothing from our conversation, other than he hated me and something bad was coming. But at least I had the satisfaction of knowing I’d knocked his ass into the mud.