6. Rae
RAE
I crouched low, the legs of my cargo pants bunching as I did. My fingers reached out and stroked the petals of the ranunculus. “You’re doing so good, girl. Proud of you.”
This section of our plant nutrient class had been dedicated to devising our own fertilizers, and I’d loved the challenge.
I’d gone with an all-natural formulation, but I wasn’t against giving my plant babies a little extra oomph.
It was just that my version of oomph came from whispering encouraging words.
But there’d been countless studies on this sort of thing, those that showed that speaking to plants with kindness made them grow stronger and stay healthy. It made sense to me. We all liked words of affirmation now and again.
“You’re growing so tall and beautiful. Look at your colors.” This one was a peachy-pink with notes of yellow carried through the petals.
Pax chuckled from the flower bed one over from mine.
“What’s so funny?”
“You and your one-sided conversations with our lab subjects,” he shot back.
“They are living things,” I argued. “You’ve seen the research.”
Amusement danced in Pax’s green eyes. “You mean the research you’ve force-read me at least a dozen times?”
My lips twitched. “You should try it. Might take that B average to an A.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he grumbled as he pushed to his feet. “Speaking of, I’ve got a meeting with my advisor. Want to meet in the cafeteria in thirty?”
“Sure. I need a little longer here anyway.”
“Okay. See you in a bit.”
I made a few notes in my notebook, chatting away to my flowers as I went.
I liked to tell them how amazing they were doing based on data, too.
I made sure they were thoroughly watered and shoved my notebook and pens into my bag as I stood—then, nearly stumbled as I came face-to-face with Sleazy Simon.
“Hey, Rae,” he said with a grin, his gaze tracking down my body.
Unease slid through me. It was like he could see beyond my clothes to what lay beneath. I fought a shiver. “Hey.”
He moved in closer. Too close. “Your flowers look great.”
I took a step back. “Thanks. I need to go. I’m meeting Pax.”
I started to step to the side and move around Simon, but he matched my movements. “Wait, do you think you could help me with mine?”
He got so close that I could smell his stale breath. My unease tipped over into a hint of fear. We were in a glass school building. People could see us. Only, as I looked around, I saw that no one was within eyesight.
That panic intensified, and I swore I saw excitement in Simon’s gaze. He liked my discomfort. My fear.
“I don’t have time now. I’m sorry. Maybe Wednesday,” I choked out, hoping it was enough.
“Come on, Rae. Don’t be a bitch.” Simon grazed his fingers down my arm.
I startled backward more, batting his hand away. But as I did, I knocked into the wall of glass.
Simon grinned and took one step, then another. “Such a frightened little rabbit.”
A throat cleared.
Simon whirled, his eyes going wide at the sight of the newcomer.
The stranger. The scary, hot one.
If I’d thought he’d been angry before, it had nothing on the fury practically engulfing him now. Those amber eyes burned a pure gold as they fixed on Simon. “Calling a woman a bitch is hardly appropriate. But touching one without her consent is something else altogether.”
“W-we’re friends,” Simon stammered.
The man’s gaze flicked to me. “Are you friends, Petite étincelle? Because if you are, we may need to have a chat about your choice in friendships.”
The nickname had me confused. Who gave one to someone they’d never met before? Yet something about it was…familiar. “We’re not,” I croaked. “Friends, I mean.”
Simon’s head snapped around, and he glared at me.
“Don’t.” The man’s voice whipped out. “Don’t look at her. You haven’t earned the privilege.”
A chill skittered across my skin—but not an altogether unpleasant one.
“Who the fuck are you?” Simon snarled. “How’d you even get in here?”
He had a point. We were at the back of the greenhouse, and the only door back here was never unlocked. It required a key card that only faculty had. Maybe Nisha had been right about him being a professor. But one who talked to students the way this man was speaking to Simon? I wasn’t so sure.
The man took one powerful step and strode toward Simon. “I am the architect of your nightmares, Simon.”
“H-h-how do you know my name?”
“I know everything I need to ruin your life, Simon Kensington. I know that you like scaring women. Hurting them. I also know that you live at 452 South Anchor Way, Apartment B. I know infinite ways to hurt you. Or end your life. And unless you go straight to the security office on campus and report every single thing you’ve ever done or thought of doing, I’ll end you. And, Simon? I’ll make it hurt.”
All the blood drained from Simon’s face, leaving him unnaturally pale. “You don’t know anything.”
“Don’t I?” the man challenged. “Halloween last year.”
Simon started shaking like a leaf. “What the fuck?”
“Report yourself. Now. If you don’t, I’ll find you,” the man snarled.
Simon didn’t wait. He ran.
It was my turn to tremble because, as much of a monster as Simon clearly was, it was clear that he was merely prey for the man before me. The stranger was a true predator. The lethal kind.
He took a step toward me, and I pushed myself harder against the glass wall. His eyes never strayed from mine as he crouched and picked something up. When he straightened, he held out the item. “You dropped this.”
My gaze dipped for only a moment, just long enough to take in the object. A pen. One that said I’d Propagate That. I flushed as I took it from him. Plant puns. Winning at life.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
He studied me for a moment. “I’ll make sure he does as he should. You won’t have to deal with him again.”
And then, he was gone.
I blinked a few times, trying to clear my vision to see where the man had disappeared to, but there was no sign of him.
What the hell had just happened?