Chapter 28
CHAPTER
TWENTY-EIGHT
NOLA
“You can’t be mad at them forever,” Callie says as we walk down the path towards our first class of the day, coffees in hand.
“I can and I will,” I huff.
It’s been a few days since Jasper snatched me off the side of the road and drove me somewhere else, just so he could question me on where I’d gotten the audacity to tempt him into doing something he forbade himself from doing.
Fucking excuse me? It’s not like I forced any of them to lose their control over me. I can’t help it that fate is so strong that it’s pulling us together.
How the hell doesn’t he see by now we’re meant to be?
“How stupid are boys?” I ask her. “Because at this point, I’m starting to question their intelligence.
I’ve shown them so many times in person that I’m not the girl they’ve conjured up in their minds, yet they still continue to hold themselves back.
They give in only to take it back. Like, stop fucking with my head! ”
“Want me to kill them?” Callie asks, and for a second, I think she might be serious. My bestie has developed a love for murder just like me. I love that it’s another thing we can bond over.
“You won’t. You love them too much,” I huff.
“So do you,” she points out.
“I know,” I sigh. “That’s the problem!”
“Why don’t you just do the big reveal now?” Callie suggests.
“My list isn’t long enough. I only got a few names in before they started getting suspicious.
I fucked up big time. I should have just written down their names and then buried their bodies.
But noooo, I wanted to be like my dad and took the whole serial killer thing too seriously.
This is what you get when you want too much, Callie. It’s not worth it.”
“Are you not enjoying it anymore?”
“I am. But also, not really? Sure, it’s nice to get revenge on the girls who bullied me in the past. But I can’t add their names to the list. Four names isn’t impressive. They’re going to laugh at me.”
“So what if only four of the names are women they’ve hooked up with, you still killed like, what? Ten people in total? You’re trying to show them you can handle their lifestyle. I think murder, no matter who it is, is good enough. I’d still add those names to your list. You should be proud!”
“Maybe,” I mutter.
“I say tell them.” Callie shrugs. “They’ve already shown that they’re interested in you for who you are now.
The list will just solidify that you’re perfect for them.
I’m not condoning what they did, leading you on like that was fucked up.
But I also think they’re just three men who are in love and couldn’t help themselves, then were reminded they need to protect you. ”
“But they don’t!” I groan.
“We know that. But they don’t. They’re not mind readers, Nola. You can’t do this forever. You have to take that step at some point. It’s been almost six months. Rip off that bandaid.”
I stop walking, biting my lip as I think about what she’s saying.
“You think it’s time?”
“Yes.” She nods. “Plus, they’ve been cautious, staying away from girls and everything.
So, there's not really anyone else you could add to your list, even if you wanted to. At least not anyone they’ve been with recently.
I mean, you could find out all the girls they’ve hooked up with in the past and start offing them, but girl, I highly recommend against that option because that list would be the length of a log book. ”
“Thanks for the reminder,” I say with a blank look.
“I’m just saying.” She laughs, grabbing my shoulders. “Why not ask them to hang out with you for Mardi Gras? I’ll even make myself scarce and give you all some privacy.” She wiggles her brows.
I smile, a rush of excitement hitting me. “Okay,” I laugh.
“Yeah?” She grins. “You’re going to tell them?”
“Yeah.” I nod, giggling. “I think it’s time.”
“Ahhh.” She pulls me in for a hug. “I’m so excited for you. This is going to be amazing. Trust me.”
I really hope she’s right.
The guys are all standing around Sylas’ car the next morning when I pull into the student parking lot.
Despite still being annoyed with Jasper, I can’t stay mad at them. “Mardi Gras is tomorrow,” I say as I approach them.
They all turn to face me. Sylas grins, and my heart kicks up. “Hey, Lola Girl. Uh, yeah, it is,” he chuckles.
“I was wondering…” I chew on my lower lip. “If you’re going to the parade, then maybe we could go together?” This isn’t weird. We’ve been hanging out a lot lately.
The three of them share a look before Jasper speaks. “We’re not going,” he mutters. “We have work.”
“Oh.” Disappointment weighs me down. “Can’t you take the day off?”
“No,” Wesley replies. “We have jobs. We can’t just take time off whenever we want to.”
They’re working, right? They own the damn companies. They have other people running it for them. I know they have some involvement, but not enough that they don’t have any free time.
“Okay…” My shoulders slump. “I just thought maybe…”
“Maybe, what?” Wesley raises a brow. “That we’d go with you?”
A wave of anxiety hits me. “Yeah… why not?”
Wesley snorts, and it’s like a stab to the heart.
“Why are you being mean?” I ask, my brows pulling together. They’ve always had this standoff-ish vibe to them, and besides their dirty, cruel words when engaging in bedroom activities, they’ve never actually been mean to me.
“No one is being mean. We’re just stating facts. Not all of us have time to waste,” Jasper says.
He’s kidding, right? They party all the fucking time! Yet they can’t spend one night with me?
“Okay.” I nod, trying to hold back the tears.
I don’t say anything else, just turn around and walk away. I’m not going to beg them or make a fool out of myself.
But I’m done being a pushover. I’m Nola fucking Edwards, the damn Butterfly Killer, and I should be shown some respect.
I’m not one of those stupid women they fuck and toss to the side like they mean nothing.
I’m their soulmate. Their future fucking wife!
And it’s about time they know it.
Now I just need to figure out how to reveal who I am and what I’ve done.
Because I’ll be fucking damned if I end up in the friend zone. It’s me, or no one else. There are no other options.
“What's wrong?” Mom asks. We’re sitting around the kitchen table having breakfast.
Normally, I love hanging out with them, catching up on life. But I’m feeling a little down after the guys turned me down yesterday.
“Huh?” I ask, blinking up at her from where I was staring at my plate, moving the bacon around mindlessly.
“We asked if you wanted to come to the parade with us tonight. But you look upset. What's wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong.” I force a smile. “Just having an off day.”
Mom frowns. “I’m sorry, sweetie. Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not really.” I shrug.
“Well, we’re here when or if you do.” She grabs my hand, giving me a soft, motherly smile. “I think you should come with us, though. Let’s get out of the house, do something fun!”
“Yeah.” I nod, giving her a smile, this one a little less forced. “Yeah, let’s have a fun family day.”
“Yay!” She claps her hands. “Okay, I’m going to go get ready. Let’s say, we leave in an hour?”
“Sounds good,” Dad confirms, giving her a loving smile.
She’s a ball of excitement, and seeing her so happy helps lift my mood.
“Okay, spill,” Dad demands as soon as Mom exits the room.
I sigh heavily, leaning back in my chair. “Boy problems.”
“What did they do?” He narrows his eyes. “I’ll kill them.”
“No, you won’t.” I point my fork at him. “I love them. You can’t kill the guys I love.”
“I can if they hurt my baby girl,” he growls.
“They didn’t hurt me,” I mutter. “At least not physically. My pride, however...”
“What happened?”
“I asked them to hang out for Mardi Gras, and they turned me down,” I pout.
“I thought since Callie moved here, the group as a whole were becoming closer?”
“We are.” I throw my arms up. “At least, I thought we were. But just as soon as they show signs that maybe a murder list isn’t the only thing that's going to solidify my place in their life, they turn around and become assholes.”
“I’m so lost right now,” he states, blinking at me.
“Doesn’t matter. What I need to do to fix this is to just come out with it. Tell them who I am, what I’ve been doing. Am I going to miss it? Sure. But I only became the Butterfly Killer to impress them.”
“They have no idea what they’re missing.
How many can say they’ve had girls become full-fledged serial killers just for them?
They don’t know romance, and it shows.” Dad shakes his head.
“I hope when they find out, they realize what a bunch of idiots they've been and that their perfect woman has been in front of them all this time.”
“Thanks, Dad.” I smile. “I love you.”
“I love you, too. Now eat up.”
Today might not have ended up how I wanted it to, but I’m choosing to see that as a blessing.
I’m having the time of my life with my parents. We’re laughing, enjoying all the things going on around us.
It’s genuinely ending up to be a really great day.
The sun is setting, and things are getting a lot more crowded. People are drunk, and we’ve gotten to the point where we’re weaving our way through the crowd.
“I think I’m ready to go home!” Mom shouts over the noise of the people.
“Yeah, this is getting to be too much.” Dad keeps eyeing up every person around us like they’re a threat.
I’m about to agree with them, but then I get a notification on my phone. Pulling my phone from my purse, I check to see what it is.
Huh.
With my life being so busy lately, I’ve been leaving the cam harness on Skittles a lot more.
Between Skittles following the guys and Callie eavesdropping on the guys, filling me in on anything she’s been able to listen in on, I’ve been under the impression that they haven’t hooked up with anyone.
At least not anyone I’ve been able to get concrete proof of, nor any of their wild group sex.
With me veering away from killing anyone with an obvious connection to them, I assumed they would pick back up with their typical sex-capades.