Chapter 9 GRASPING AT STRAWS
MERRIELYNN.
I screamed, recoiling from the rotting organ on my chest.
My heart raced as I tossed it on the floor and quickly leaped out of bed, staring at the decaying heart in a state of horrified panic.
The sudden movement must have woken the girls in the other rooms because they soon ran in, and thankfully, Emorie was with them.
I was suddenly glad her room was so close by.
The girls were as shocked as I was, their eyes darting between me and the pig’s heart. Emorie must have realized what it was because her eyes grew wide in shock and then obvious disgust.
“Mer, what the hell?” Emorie exclaimed, rushing to my side. She wrapped her arms around me, holding me tight in a comforting manner. And that’s when I realized I was shuddering slightly.
“I don’t know!” I cried, still shaking. “Someone put that… thing on me!”
Emorie’s face twisted in disgust as she peeked at the heart. She took a step forward and poked it gingerly with her toe, then jerked back.
“Ugh, that’s sick! It feels so real,” she said with a twisted expression. “Who would do something like this?”
That was the same question in my mind at that moment. Who could have done this?
But when Cormac’s smirking face suddenly flashed in my mind, I was sure it was him. How was he able to get into my room again? This time… by himself.
I trembled even more, feeling a wave of nausea wash over me.
“I need to get out of here,” I muttered, rushing into the bathroom.
Under the warm water, I scrubbed my skin, desperate to wash away the horror. As I scrubbed and scrubbed, my panic gave way to rage.
The image of Cormac’s smug face burned in my mind again.
I knew it was him, and my nostrils flared at the thought. He was the only one twisted enough to pull off something like this.
The only one who I knew had a vendetta against me.
My anger boiled over, and I slammed my fist against the shower wall, my chest heaving with pent-up frustration.
“How dare he?” I seethed, as the water streamed down my face.
Emorie’s concerned voice came from outside the bathroom door.
“Mer? Are you okay?”
I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down before answering.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I lied, right through my teeth.
Because I wasn’t fine.
I was livid.
And scared. And all that added up to an emotion I completely resented inside me.
Cormac’s message was clear; he could get to me anywhere, anytime.
I wasn’t safe. Somehow I had always known it, but now, it was really starting to sink in.
I turned off the water, my mind racing. This wasn’t just a prank; it was a threat. And I had to be careful.
I returned to the room and found just Emorie there, and the other girls were gone.
“Do you want me to stay with you for the night, Mer?” she asked, her eyes filled with concern. “I don’t mind.”
“Thank you, but I’ll be fine,” I assured her, gently squeezing her hand and forcing a smile.
“Are you sure?”
No, but I could only nod. I had gotten myself into this by messing with Cormac, and the last thing I wanted was to drag Emorie into any of it.
Now alone, I couldn’t sleep a wink as I wondered how Cormac had managed to break into my dorm room yet again without my knowledge.
I thought about what he had done to Mr. Ravenwood.
This? Was just a cheap trick compared to that.
It was haunting, yes. But I knew what he was capable of. I had been standing outside the science lab. I had witnessed firsthand what he does to those who cross him.
And yet… I wondered why he wasn’t taking things as far as he could with me.
Was he biding his time?
I didn’t want to be his victim, but why would he resort to this half-hearted crap when he was capable of so much more?
Or did he think I was too insignificant to pull out all the stops? It was hard to even think that way, though, especially when I remembered what he did at the assembly.
I sighed deeply, letting my mind wander to how he had been ignoring me ever since, and eventually, I drifted off to sleep with those thoughts swirling in my head.
\-x-x-
The following day, I found myself in the hallway, heading to my locker when I spotted Cormac across the hall, striding forward.
My feet almost came to a halt, but I pushed through and kept walking.
I could feel my stomach clench with apprehension as I passed him, and I tried to avoid his gaze. But it was pointless, because he didn’t even try to acknowledge me.
Of course.
He walked by like he wasn’t the same asshole who’d broken into my dorm room again the previous night. Or maybe he’d gone ahead and asked someone else to do it. And at the memory, I gritted my teeth.
As I opened my locker, I noticed his arm draped across the shoulders of a stunning redhead. I looked at her and instantly recognized her as Juniper something—the one Emorie mentioned was Cormac’s on-again, off-again girlfriend.
I shut my locker and started to walk away, but for a second, Juniper turned to glance at me. But it was only for a few seconds before she looked away.
I felt relieved she didn’t draw Cormac’s attention to me.
The fewer of them that noticed me, the better.
As I walked to my next class, I wondered whether or not Cormac and Juniper were together when I caught him with that teacher in the auditorium a week ago.
“That’s complicated,” I muttered to myself, hastening my steps.
And that meant he wasn’t just a psychopath, but also a cheater.
I realized that my partnership with Cormac for planning the auction was not going to work out.
I decided right then and there that I needed to talk to the headmaster about being relieved of the partnership. I could go it alone, or he might assign me another punishment, but I just had to limit my time around Cormac if I wanted to make it through the school year.
And I was certain of it.