Yesterday I had woken up with a throbbing headache. All too quickly, the images of my encounter with Mr. Preston played out in my mind’s eye.

Damn. Why had I made myself so vulnerable? He had taken a joke out of my bout of weakness, and for that, he had to pay. Today would be the first day. He would be sorry that he had messed with me. I was not a good enemy to have.

I put on my uniform and unbuttoned my blouse further than I was used to. My makeup was a little heavier today, and I tamed my curls more thoroughly so that they flowed down my back in wild waves. I also stole two sprays of Leilah’s perfume, which smelled divinely good of flowers, spices and something feminine.

With a proud stride, I walked down the hallways to the large common room, where several students had already gathered and were playing card games or laughing loudly in groups at some dirty joke. Filled with anticipation, I kept a lookout for the trio, who had become a bit too dear to me in the meantime.

My roommate beckoned me to join her, and I passed quite a few students I’m sure I’d seen at some point in class. By now, my name was no longer trending on their social platform and people had already found other gossip to talk about.

It was rather sad how quickly people forgot about the death of a classmate. I, for one, dreamed of her almost every night. And then these strange snippets that I could barely remember the next morning…. I shook my head. Not now.

“What’s that perfume?” Noah asked as he stepped closer to my throat and sniffed.

“Don’t you like it?” I put on a pout, and he playfully wrinkled his nose.

“It’s mine, you prick. And it smells amazing. Don’t listen to him,” Leilah cut in.

“I like your natural scent better,” he admitted with a wink and Caleb looked at him admonishingly.

“What’s the occasion?” the handsome guy with the light hair asked as he eyed me. I shrugged.

“Isn’t a girl allowed to make herself look pretty anymore?” Leilah looked back and forth between the two of them, annoyed, and I stayed out of the debate.

The boys led us to a pool table where balls and cues were already waiting.

“Fancy a round?” Caleb asked. I hadn’t played in a long time, but it was like riding a bike, wasn’t it?

Noah and I teamed up, and I already felt sorry for him because we were sure to lose.

“You owe me a drink if I have to give those two the win.”

I giggled, honestly amused by his lighthearted nature.

The flames in the fireplace cast a reddish shimmer on his skin, making it glow. He really wasn’t bad to look at, especially with his shirt stretched around his biceps like that.

Noah flicked me in the face, snapping me out of my thoughts. “Done staring?” I rolled my eyes and focused on the game.

Two losses later, I was already so pissed off that I threw in the towel. Either the others were far too good or I was lousy. Maybe both.

Leilah had taken pictures of us and our angry faces every now and then, and knowing her, she had posted them already. I looked at my tablet and scrolled through my feed.

Her evidence of our failure popped up, and I had to smile at some of them. One in particular caught my eye: I was standing with the cue in my hand, looking teasingly over my shoulder at Noah, who gave me a charming smile and tugged playfully on one of my curls.

It looked cute, so I downloaded the picture and posted it along with other funny ones on my profile. At least it didn’t seem so empty now.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a black-haired man walking hurriedly down the hallway, his hair wild and unkempt. Halfway down, his face barely turned in my direction, and I knew he saw me. I held his stare, didn’t buckle.

I could have imagined it, but I was almost sure he clenched his jaw dangerously hard before turning his face away.

We spent another solid two hours in the common room when suddenly my tablet vibrated. I stared at the brief message from Unknown and narrowed my eyes.