Chapter 6
SAGE
I spend my first day at Blackmore University with the overwhelming feeling of being watched—mainly because all eyes are glued to me, no matter where I go. I’m tense and exhausted by the time I’m settling into my seat in Creative Writing, in desperate need of a large coffee or two.
It’s barely past noon, my lunch break is after this class, and I’m running on fumes.
People have been friendly enough. I’m fresh meat, and I guess that means everything else moves to the back burner. But, in a town as close-knit as this one, I can’t blame them for being curious about a newcomer.
A pretty brunette takes the seat next to me, her bag crashing down on the floor as she gets comfortable. She turns my way, giving me the smile everyone has given me all day. I slide my fake smile back into place to say hello.
“Are you the shiny new toy I’m hearing about all around campus?” Her eyebrows wiggle, eyes shining with humor.
I chuckle, feeling a sense of relief. “That would be me. Sage.”
“Juliet,” she introduces herself. “How are you liking BU so far?”
I shrug, feeling more comfortable with her than I have with anyone all day. At least she’s asking about how I’m doing rather than making me feel like I’m under a microscope. “A little overwhelming so far, but it’s fine.”
She chuckles. “Yeah, it’s like Santa came today, bringing a bag full of presents. We don’t get a lot of new students.”
“No?”
She shrugs a shoulder, leaning down to dig around in her bag, and when she sits back up, she puts a flask to her lips and takes a sip. I can’t help snorting under my breath at how brazen she’s being. Her eyes flick to mine at the noise, and she grins as she offers it to me.
I shake my head. “I’m good, thanks.”
“More for me.” With a grin, she takes another swig before she slips it back into her bag, right on time for the professor to walk through the door.
The professor begins a lecture about the project we’ll be starting this week, and two minutes in, the classroom door bangs open, Beckham appearing with a smirk pulling at his rosy lips.
“You’re late, Mr. Bentley,” the professor snips, but Beckham just leisurely finds a seat across the room. As the professor falls back into the lecture, my palms go clammy. I try my hardest not to let the magnetic pull between me and Beckham take over, but I desperately want to look at him.
Juliet groans next to me, so I decide to look at her instead. I give her a questioning look, and she mouths the words shiny new toy at me, then nods toward Beckham, who’s staring right at me.
My gaze connects with his blue eyes for a millisecond before I snap my head back to the front of the classroom, trying to focus on the lecture instead of the attraction that’s rushing through my veins.
Juliet walks with me to the cafeteria for lunch and helps me maneuver the line, pointing out all the foods to avoid. I appreciate the insider tips and decide to copy her lunch choice of a slice of pizza and a can of Coke.
We find an empty table at the edge of the large room and silently start to eat our food. By the time I’m halfway through my pizza, I break our silence.
“Thanks for taking pity and sitting with me.”
She swallows her food. “Normally I sit alone.”
“Why?” I question, curiosity getting the best of me. Besides the fact she’s a day drinker, I haven’t found any reason she’d be an outcast.
She snorts. “I grew up here, like everyone else, but never really fit in to the Blackmore mold.”
She takes a bite of her pizza, then points across the room to where Kaiden, Beckham, and Vinny are sitting at a table with a few other people—except all three sets of eyes are on me.
I look back at Juliet. “What’s their deal?”
I’m desperate for morsels of information about the three guys I’ve found myself thinking about all day.
She puts her pizza down, brushing off her hands before she takes a drink of her soda. Once she’s swallowed, she rolls her eyes a little. “They’re Blackmore’s most wanted.” She chuckles. “Guys want to be them, and girls want their attention.”
She doesn’t look like she shares the same opinion, based on her unappreciative expression and the tone of her voice. “Why, though?”
“They’re part of this decades-old tradition, passed down for generations in Blackmore. They were popular”—she makes air quotations, rolling her eyes—"growing up, always together, so the three of them got passed the torch freshman year.”
I pick at my food, my eyes flaring. “What’s the tradition?”
“It’s called the Hallows Games.” Taking a sip of my soda, I listen intently, mouth watering for information.
Juliet continues. “No one really knows what it is. No one has ever confirmed or denied any of the rumors. I mean, people have talked about this since we were old enough to understand there’s more going on in the cemetery than mourning—if you know what I mean.”
“I don’t.” I shake my head, feeling the underlying sexual innuendo but not understanding because…how can there be one when discussing a cemetery?
She lifts an eyebrow. “Sex, drinking, you know.”
Laughing, I shake my head. “So what are the rumors?”
She shrugs once more. “I don’t participate in anything regarding the Hallows Boys.”
“The Hallows Boys?” I repeat, loving the way the words taste.
Juliet rolls her eyes. “Kai, Becks, and Vinny.”
“But what is it? What do they do?” I press, sliding forward on my seat a little, eager to get more information.
“I don’t know. All I know is that every October, every girl at BU transforms into a pick-me, drooling every time they walk into a room, dying for the chance to be chosen as that year’s Hallows Girl.”
Juliet’s eyes find mine, her gaze sparkling with amusement.
“Every girl except me. I don’t buy into their bullshit, and everyone generally steers clear of me.
If you don’t worship the Hallows Boys at this school, you might as well not be here at all.
” She shrugs. “Not that I care. I prefer solitary.”
Confusion simmers in my gut, though, making her fade into the background of my mind as I wonder what the hell they’re all about.
My body thrums with the need to learn more about the Hallows Boys and their Games.
Who are they? What are the Games? Why does everyone want to be the Hallows Girl? Why them?
But mostly, why can’t I stop thinking about them and why is part of me wondering how to get chosen?