12. Nim
Chapter 12
Nim
I’ve never been this embarrassed in my life, and I once had my pants split in public. Every student in sight is watching as these three savages carry me back to the girls’ dorms. It’s humiliating, and painful, and when Mason starts rubbing my ass, it becomes incredibly confusing.
Someone in the crowd calls out, “What the hell are you doing, you whack jobs?” but even they sound more curious than alarmed.
Mason yells back, “Deporting an illegal immigrant,” which gets a roar of laughter from everyone in earshot.
The rules obviously don’t apply to the Serpents, because they walk straight into the girls’ dorm like they own the place. Judging from what Romi told me, they probably do.
How does any of this make sense? They’re murderers! Yet here they are, walking in broad daylight, not a fucking care in the world. Of course, I could blurt out what happened. There’s more than a big enough audience. But if they’re punishing me for just being here, I can’t imagine what they’d do if I started running my mouth about what they were doing in the woods three-some months ago.
“I have legs,” I say, twisting so I can speak to Mason. “And I learned to walk when I was two.”
“Yeah, but I like doing this,” he rumbles under me, giving my ass another vicious squeeze. It’s terrifying how big his hand is. It literally engulfs my cheek, and the base of his thumb is brushing up against my asshole. That’s why I stopped struggling—I was just creating more friction.
As soon as we step inside the girls’ dorm, Knox says, “Put her down and check her pockets.”
Oh God, they’re going to find my keycard. Then they’re going to take me to my room.
And then what?
Fuck that—I am not finding out.
As soon as my feet touch the ground, I slam my heel down on Mason’s toes. Thankfully his dress shoes don’t have steel tips, and from his grunt I think I hurt him a little. He still tries to grab me, but I duck under his muscular arm and race for the stained-glass doors we just came through. I yank them open and dash outside, blinking as sunlight stabs my eyes.
“Border’s the other way,” someone yells.
“Back to steal our jobs, are you?”
“Someone call ICE!”
I force my legs to keep going, desperately trying to ignore the comments yelled in my direction. I dart through another set of stained-glass doors, and end up in a massive cafeteria filled with long benches. I cut back, using the bronze plaques to find my way through the east wing. By some miracle, I manage to work my way back to the girls’ dorm room, hiding in every nook and cranny whenever someone comes close. I doubt the Serpents would still be roaming around looking for me, but I’m not taking any chances.
When I get to the second level of the dorms and reach door 213, I nearly faint in relief. But I stand outside for a beat, wondering if I should go inside. What if they tracked down Romi and got her keycard?
What if they’re waiting inside for me?