Chapter 29
MADDISON
The cafeteria is weirdly busy for this time of day.
River and I draw attention, and even after a few days of this, it still makes me feel a bit twitchy.
I end up putting a sandwich and fries on my tray while River gets a chicken sandwich and salad.
Then we make our way to an empty table. River sits across from me and immediately takes a huge bite of his sandwich while I shove a handful of fries into my mouth.
River is flowing with nervousness, his gaze sweeping across the people sitting at the tables. I’m not quite positive why, though.
“Dude, what’s your deal?” I ask as I rest my arms on the table. “You act like we’re about to get jumped or something.”
His gaze lands on mine. “I don’t think that. I just …” He slumps back in the chair with his arms crossed. “I feel so uneasy about this entire thing, like we’re not out of the clear yet. I’m curious to see how tonight’s meeting goes.”
“How are you feeling about that?” I ask as I dip a fry into a cup of fry sauce.
“I’m fine,” he says, but it’s clear he’s not fine.
I arch a brow. “You’re lying.”
He blows out a breath as he slants forward in the seat. “You’re right. I’m not completely fine. I’m worried about a lot of things; some of which have nothing to do with you, so don’t start blaming yourself.”
How in the heck did he know I was going to do that? “Want to talk about it?”
“Later, okay?” He presses me with a look, and I nod, getting his underlying meaning.
I give him a thumbs-up then shove half my sandwich into my mouth.
River’s brows raise toward his hairline.
“What? I want later to come sooner,” I inform him with a mouthful of food.
I can only imagine how unlady-like I probably seem to him, especially after what River and Finn have both told me about Lily’s upbringing and how she was forced to take manner lessons.
But he chuckles and shakes his head before collecting his own sandwich and stuffing almost all of it into his mouth.
See, look at us, being friends.
Everything is fine for a moment until the security alarm sirens off.
“Again?” I say as I cover my ears with my hands.
The sound is even worse in the cafeteria because the screeching noise is echoing off of the domed ceiling.
River pushes his chair back. “Come on; let’s get out of here!” he shouts over the noise.
I push away from the table, too, and leave my hands over my ears as we hurry away from our table and exit the cafeteria. The hallway is crowded with people filing out of classrooms. I try to remain close to River as I get bumped and jostled around, but I end up losing him in the chaos.
I try to keep a level head, but when a loud bang reverberates through the atmosphere and chaos ensues, my anxiety rises.
As everyone hurries to get out, I get smacked and elbowed from all angles.
I shove people away, but it’s not enough, so I push my way to the safety of an alcove.
I remain there with my back pressed against the wall, attempting not to think about what that bang could be.
I’m worried, though, to the point where I’m struggling to breathe evenly.
I shut my eyes and focus on getting air into my lungs. A breath in and then out. Over and over again—
Fingers brush mine, and when I open my eyes, River is in front of me. His eyes are wildly wide with panic, his hair is a mess, and he looks about ready to break the hell down.
“What’re you doing?” I ask, holding onto his hand. “You need to get out here. Your wound—”
He places a hand against my lips. “There’s no way I was about to leave you in here.
” He lowers his finger and places his hand beside my head, leaning toward me, as if he’s protecting me with his body.
“I almost lost it when I turned around and couldn’t see you.
” His lips are so close to my ear that when he speaks, his breath dusts my cheek.
I clutch onto the bottom of his shirt at the sound of another loud bang. “What is that?”
“I have no idea.” He breathes in and out before slanting back. He remains close as he leans over and peers into the hallway. “I don’t see anything … I think we should try to get out of here.” He offers me his hand. “Hold onto my hand, okay?”
Nodding, I thread my fingers through his. Then, ever so quietly, we step into the empty hallway. The alarm continues to screech as we rush toward the exit. It’s an eerie feeling, the emptiness mixed with the madness of the noise—
Boom—
I startle at the sound of another loud bang, this one coming from behind me. As we jog toward the doors, I throw a glance over my shoulder and spot a hooded figure standing at the end of the hallway.
“River,” I say, but my voice gets swallowed up by the siren.
The figure drags their hand across their neck then charges at us.
River looks behind us then quickens his pace. We move fast, probably faster than we should, considering our injuries, but we eventually make it outside.
I’ve never felt more relieved in my life than to be in the fresh air and sunshine.
“What the hell was that?” I ask as I struggle to catch my breath.
River shakes his head as he tows us toward a cluster of trees.
“I have no idea, but I’m guessing they’re the reason the siren is going off.
” He slows to a stop near a bench and sinks onto it, pulling me down with him.
He releases his hand then lowers his forehead, massaging his temples with his fingertips.
“This is the last thing our bodies needed.”
“Agreed.” I yawn as I slant back, resting my hands on the cool stone of the bench.
“I think fate has other ideas for us, though.” The pause I give is filled up with the screeching of the alarm and the chatter of people.
“What do you think that person in the hoodie was doing in there? And what was that loud bang?”
“I’m worried it might be gunshots.”
“It’s not. I’ve heard those before. It sounded more like explosions.”
He lifts his gaze and assesses the academy building that’s lined with towering arched doors, massive columns, and stairways, all of which look intact. “It doesn’t look like an explosion happened,” River mutters with a frown.
“Unless it was contained inside,” I suggest. “Like in a big room … Like in the library.” Like where the secret society has a hidden entrance.
His gaze snaps to me. “You don’t think that this has to do with that, do you?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. It was just a random thought. But someone is running around in a hood and mask—that seems very secret-like.”
“Shit.” He stands up and fishes his phone out of his pocket. “I need to check on Finn, Lily, and Noah.”
I like that he included Noah in that. Maybe that means they’re working on their friendship, which I think Noah needs.
River wanders over to a nearby tree to call his family. I try to calm my heart rate.
“Maddy, are you okay?”
When I glance up, Lily is standing in front of me, her blonde hair looking nearly white against the bright sunlight. She looks like a mess; her clothes are wrinkled, and she has a scratch on her cheek.
“I’m okay.” I point at her cheek. “Are you?”
She delicately touches her cheek. “Yeah, I just got pushed into a column while I was trying to get out.”
I sit up straight. “That mob was crazy. I had to duck into an alcove. River found me hiding out, and we waited together.”
“You and River.” She muses over this. “Seems like you and him are together a lot.”
“Well, we are dating.” Fake dating, but she isn’t aware of that yet.
She plops down beside me. “How is that going?”
“Good.”
I loathe lying to her. She was the first person at the academy to be nice to me, and it makes me feel like crap. But if I want to keep myself safe, I have to. Plus, if she knew the truth, it could put her at risk.
“Just good?” she questions with an arch of her brow.
I sigh, picking at my chipped nail polish. “I like him, but the problem is, I can’t like him too much because of the betrothed thing.” As if sensing our conversation, Isla appears in front of us.
She has long blonde hair and rarely wears a lot of makeup. Today, she has on a silk skirt and sweater, along with heels. She’s staring out at the parking lot.
Curious about what she’s looking at, I twist around. Nothing appears out of the ordinary other than people are everywhere. Although, I do spot an older car that looks out of place amongst the other expensive and lavish vehicles.
Lily turns and tracks my gaze. “What’re you looking at?”
“Nothing really. Just that car.” I give a discreet nod at the car parked near the curb
She eyeballs the dinged-up car with faded blue paint. The windows are rolled up so the driver’s face isn’t visible, but I can tell it’s a guy. I’m not gonna lie, part of me worries that Drew is in the driver’s seat, that maybe he didn’t really mean that he’d lift the bounty on me.
But then the door opens and a taller guy, around my age, with dark hair, dressed in worn clothes and a beanie gets out. He glances around, and when his eyes land on Isla, he smiles.
When I peer over my shoulder at her, she’s jogging toward him, but she doesn’t appear happy.
In fact, she looks panicked as she rubs by us and over to him.
Once she reaches him, she says something that causes the guy’s smile to fizzle.
Then he jumps back into his car and peels away, the tires squealing.
Everyone turns and stares at the scene.
Isla spins on her heels and rushes toward the side of the academy, disappearing as she rounds the building.
“What the hell was that about?” Lily wonders, glancing at me.
“I’m not sure.” I pause as an idea comes to mind. “Is she maybe dating someone from northside?”
Lily’s gaze darts to me. “Why would you think that?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. That guy just looked like he was from there.”
She considers this with a crease forming between her brows. “That’d be so weird if she was.”
“River’s dating me,” I remind her, unsure if I should be offended by her surprise or not.