Last night, I messaged her and told her about the rose. Apart from myself, she is the only one who knows. I had asked her if Jack’s family were in town and she had said yes, that she couldn’t understand it, and asked if it were possible that Jack’s family had friends who lived in my area. I guess at this stage anything is possible. The only other option I can think of is if all of Jack’s family is still in Nebraska, then maybe this is just a random idiot trying to scare me. My name was not released to the press during and after the trial, but what with social media and the world at everyone’s fingertips, it wouldn’t be hard to connect the dots. Apparently, Jack’s sister would post my photo on Facebook. Facebook would then take it down and block her account. She would just set up another page with a new name and start the whole thing all over again. When leaving dead black roses on my doorstep, they would take photographs of it and upload it on their pages. Unfortunately now lots of people know about the roses, so it could be anyone. In fact, I am hoping it is anyone but Jack’s family.
“What’s eating you this morning?”
Stacey and I have just gotten to college and now we’re walking up to the entrance. I notice Stacey’s chewing on a Twizzler.
I scrunch up my face. “Seriously, Stace?”
“What?” she asks, before pulling on the Twizzler with her teeth so far it makes my jaw hurt thinking about it. As she chews her forehead crinkles into a frown.
“It’s almost nine in the morning and you’re eating Twizzlers?”
She flicks her arm unceremoniously, causing the Twizzler to droop to one side. “You do know my mother’s half Irish?”
Laughing, I shake my head in bewilderment. “What has that got to do with anything?”
“Well, in Ireland right now it’s almost”—she looks at her watch—“two in the afternoon. That constitutes as Twizzler time. It’s always going to be Twizzler time somewhere.”
Amazed, I shake my head again. “You know...” I try to think of all sorts of things to argue against that theory, but I seem to come up blank. That, and the fact I just can’t be bothered so early in the morning to argue. “Never mind.”
As we get near to the entrance of the college, lots of people who walk past us say hi. I turn before we get to the door and look around the car park.
“He’s not in again today.”
I snap my head to Stacey. “Who?”
She rolls her eyes at me. “Don’t give me that look. You were just checking out the car park to see if Jez was there.”
“No, I was not.”
“Girl, please. You can try and deny it all you want, but I know exactly what’s going on in that head of yours.”
We walk into the hallway of the college and I pull her to one side for privacy. “Listen, I can’t deal with him right now. You don’t know what went down.”
“What, you mean with Amy and her brother?”
My eyes widen. “You know about that?”
“I had my suspicions, but now you’ve just confirmed it.”
I shake my head as it’s the only thing I can seem to do. Stacey watches me, sighs, and then comes closer, placing her hand on my shoulder.
“What he did, he only did because Amy’s brother hurt her. He’s not a bad person, and despite what you think he’s not a violent person either.”
My eyes widen at that, causing her to purse her lips.
“What I’m trying to say is he’s not violent just to be violent. He doesn’t go around randomly punching people because he has a temper. He only uses it when it’s necessary. That’s the big difference between—”
“Him and Jack,” I interrupt, finishing her sentence.
She looks away, placing her palm out in front of her. “I know you don’t want to hear it, but yes.” The bell then goes off and she looks around before turning to face me. “Listen, I got to go, but we can have a chat later, okay?” I nod and she smiles, offering me a Twizzler. “Are you sure you don’t want one? They’ll give you a nice sugar rush before class.”
I seriously don’t know how she can eat those things so early in the morning. “I think I’ll pass.”
She laughs before turning to walk down the hall. “I’ll see you later, Caits. Enjoy class.”
“You too,” I shout, before starting my walk to my lecture.
I sit through a two-hour lecture on the history and culture of ancient Greece before being assigned a five-thousand-word essay to be completed by next Friday. My next class is with Professor West, who is right down the end of the hall. I’m walking down there when a boy I don’t recognize comes up to me with a note.
“Caitlin Summers, right?” Hesitantly, I nod. He then hands out the note. “I was given this by Professor Campbell. He wants to meet with you before your next class.”
“Thanks,” I say, frowning. I take the note from him and he immediately walks off. I open it up and it reads, Please come and see me in room 214.
I look up, biting my lip, wondering what it could be about. I know the last time I had him was period two yesterday and I had handed him an essay on the reform and revolution of France. Maybe something’s wrong with it. I wrack my brains thinking what it could be, but I come up blank. I researched it thoroughly.
Glancing down at my watch, I realize I have ten minutes until my next lecture. If I hurry, I can see Professor Campbell and be done in time to get to class.
I quicken up my pace in search of room 214. It takes me a little while as I’m still trying to find my way around. The college is so big and I literally only know where my history classes are, because so far, that’s all I’ve needed to know.
When I get to 214, I knock, but I don’t hear anyone on the other side. I place my hand on the doorknob and turn to go inside. It’s dark—really dark. “Hello,” I say, knowing already that something’s not quite right. I manage to find a light switch and flick it on. I walk in and all I’m met with is a small room with lots of school supplies.
I wonder what’s going on when I come to the conclusion that maybe this is some sort of prank that they like to play on the new girl. I go to turn and walk out again when I hear the door click. My body freezes in horror as I realize the door’s now shut.
I turn around and to my horror, I’m correct. I turn the knob and push, but I’m met with resistance. I bang on the door and shout for help, but no one comes to my aid. It’s after eleven. A lot of students will already be in class. It still doesn’t stop me from banging the door and screaming until my hand hurts and my throat is dry.
I come to the conclusion I’m going to be here a while unless I do something, so I pull out my phone to try and message Stacey, but when I check, I have no coverage.
“Fantastic,” I grumble.
I place my bag on the floor and decide to sit down with it. It’s not the most welcoming of rooms. Not only are there no windows—which I’m trying my hardest not to think about—there’s also this horrible damp, but at the same time, bleach smell in the room.
Leaning my head back on the wall, I close my eyes. Lots of dark thoughts creep in my head like who was it that deliberately got me stuck in here, and could it really be a prank? I would say yes if it wasn’t for the fact I received a dead rose on my doorstep yesterday. I try not to think about that, and instead think about how pissed I am that I’m missing my class with Professor West. It’s not going to look good that I’ve already missed a class. Unlike Jeremy, I care about my studies.
Over an hour goes by and I start to go out of my head a little. The walls feel like they’re caving in. Another ten minutes roll by and to my relief I hear movement and voices outside. I get up and start banging and screaming for someone to let me out. Tears well in my eyes through the fear of being in here, but I will them down, concentrating on getting myself out of here instead.
I bang and shout for what seems like eternity when all of a sudden the door opens and standing there is a boy around my age, his hair blond and eyes a dazzling green. He frowns at first, but then smiles. “What are you doing i
n there?”
Out of breath, I walk toward this stranger, placing my hand on his arm. “Thank you for letting me out.”
He shrugs. “It’s no sweat, but the door was already open. How long were you in there for?”
I don’t answer the question at first. I’m too busy trying to get my head around the fact he just said the door was open. “The door was open, as in, it was unlocked?”
He smiles again like he finds this amusing. “Yes.”
All I can do is shake my head. Someone’s playing with me and I don’t like it.
“Are you okay? Can I take you somewhere?”
I glance up at the stranger and smile. He’s quite handsome in a Zac Efron kind of way. “No, that’s fine. All I need right now is some fresh air. It hasn’t been nice sitting in there for over an hour.”
“Over an hour? Wow. That must have sucked. It smells in there too.”
I laugh and for now it feels nice. “Yes, I can definitely confirm that’s true.”
He puts out his hand. “Todd Granger. I’m studying Biometrics.”
I take his hand and shake it. “Caitlin Summers. History.”
“Nice to meet you.”
We both grin at each other and for a moment we don’t say anything. He then looks over my shoulder, pointing to my bag. “I’ll just grab that for you.”
He ducks around me and quickly retrieves my bag. I’m glad he did as I have no desire to go past that door again. When he hands it to me, I offer him my thanks.
“Let’s get you some fresh air.”
“You don’t have to come with me.”
“I want to... as long as you’re okay with it.”
I’m okay with it, because, let’s face it, after being stuck in a room for over an hour the prospect of human contact of any kind is welcoming.
“Yeah, I’m okay with it.”
Todd motions for us to move down the hall toward the exit.
“How come I’ve never seen you here before? I certainly would have remembered your face.”
I gauge his appearance. He’s smiling. Is he flirting with me? “I’ve only been here a couple of weeks, so it’s plausible that we’ve never come across each other yet. Are you from around here?”
“I lived near DC up until the age of thirteen. My parents decided that if they sold their home they would be able to buy something bigger and outright farther out, so that’s what they did.”
We reach the exit and when I open the door, I take a much needed breath. It’s spitting with rain a little, but we’re still under cover as long as we stay close to the doors.
“Do your parents have to commute now?”
He laughs a little. “Yeah. A bit of a bummer for them, but hey, they have no mortgage to pay each month. I’m the lucky one as the college is only a ten-minute drive for me.”
“So, you roll out of bed, then roll into the college?”
He laughs again. It’s a nice laugh. I also notice he has dimples. “Yeah, something like that.”
“Thank you for rescuing me,” I say again.
“It was my pleasure. I guess I can up my hero status, huh?”
“I guess,” I reply on a small giggle.
“Do you have anywhere you need to be now?”
I look down at my watch. My class will be finished in ten minutes. So will Stacey’s. I should go back in there and explain to my professor what happened, but right now I don’t want to. The more I stay outside, the safer I will feel after that experience. I’m not good with enclosed spaces—especially ones with no windows. I don’t know why. I guess it has something to do with not being able to see the outside world. It takes a level of control away and I’ve had too much of that done to last me a lifetime already.
“My roommate will be finished soon. We came together, so we’ll go home together.”
“Aww, that’s a pity. I was hoping to ask you for a coffee or something.”
I raise my eyebrow. “Or something.”
He chuckles, brandishing those dimples again. “I guess the something is just in case you don’t like coffee.”
“How can anyone not like coffee?”
“I completely agree.”
There’s a moment of silence until I realize I should say something with regards to the fact he’s just asked me out. “Maybe another time?” I ask, not wanting to cut him down completely. I don’t know the guy. He could be another Jack.
And that’s just another reason why Jack has marked me for life. He’s made it so that I don’t trust anyone.
“I’ll hold you to that.”
Soon after the bell rings, it’s not long before a stream of students fill the exit. Stacey follows around two minutes later, glancing from me to Todd, before smiling.
“Hi,” she says, her eyes sparkling a little.
Yeah, she likes him.
“Hi,” he simply says back, showing her his dimples.
She turns to me and mouths the word wow. “Are you going to introduce me?”
“Yeah, sorry. This is Todd. Todd, this is my friend, Stacey.” They shake hands. “Todd rescued me from the storage cupboard.”
Stacey’s eyebrows furrow. “What?”
Todd and I both chuckle. “It’s a long story. I’ll explain on the way home.” I glance up at Todd. “It was nice to meet you, Todd.”
“Nice to meet you too.”
We all give a little wave before Stacey and I head toward my car. The rain is getting a little heavier now, causing me to put my hood up.
“What happened?” Stacey asks just as we get in the car and buckle up.
I take my hood down and shake off the rain. I start the car and then tell Stacey what happened after I left my first class.
“That’s crazy,” she responds, once I tell her everything. “Are you sure the door was locked and not just jammed?”
“I twisted the knob several times, pushed, pulled, everything I could to get it open, but it never budged. I really think someone locked me in there. That, and the fact I had been given this note. There’s no way a teacher would send me a note to tell me to meet them in a storage cupboard.”
Stacey stays silent for a moment. “Kids can be assholes. I had heard that someone had their door duct tapped, so they couldn’t get in. Some others have been toilet papered, had chairs stacked full in their rooms. All sorts.”
I really hope it is that. I can handle being pranked. It’s not like it’s never happened to me before. I also did it to some of my friends back in Omaha, so it doesn’t bother me. It’s when someone does something with malicious intent that I have a problem.
We get back home soon after to find Calvin on the steps of our home. Stacey glances my way nervously. “Calvin asked if he could come around so we can study together. He says he finds he studies better when he’s with me.”
I smile because for some reason Stacey wants to make excuses. I don’t know why, because they clearly really like each other. To my knowledge, they’ve never even kissed, and I don’t know why. I thought they would be going out by now, but I guess one, or both of them, have their reasons.
“Hi, Calvin,” I say cheerily as we approach the door. I look around for any evidence of a black rose and to my relief, there’s nothing. “No Jeremy with you today?”
Why the hell did that come out of my mouth? My attempts at looking casual have now failed miserably.
“He’s away until tomorrow,” he answers, rubbing his hand at the back of his neck nervously.
“Where?” Stacey asks before I can.
He looks at me before shrugging his shoulders. “I don’t know. He just said he’d be back tomorrow.”
Stacey and I both frown at each other. I have a feeling Calvin knows a lot more than he’s letting on, but it’s none of my business what Jeremy does.
Later that night, after pizza and a lot of giggling from Stacey’s room, Calvin leaves, and I’m tucked in bed by eleven. I had just finished my homework and ready than ever for bed. With my face staring at the ceiling, I
know I won’t sleep very well. Once the lights go out and you’re alone with your thoughts, sometimes those thoughts anchor a lot of demons.
As I’m lying there thinking about the black rose yesterday and what happened today, my phone lights up, alerting me to a message. I lean over, grabbing the phone from my nightstand. When I see it’s from Jeremy, I pull myself up to the seating position and bring up the bubble to read.
Jez Scozzari: I can smell you and it’s doing funny things to me.
I frown, wondering what the hell he’s talking about.
Calvin came over earlier and said you were away until tomorrow. Where are you?
I see the three dots immediately dance up and down.
Jez Scozzari: Closer to you than you think. ;)
I’m about to ask what that means when I see him typing again.
Jez Scozzari: I’m not a monster.
That comment makes me take stock a moment. I sigh and type back.
I know you’re not.
Jez Scozzari: Good. Does that mean we can make out when I come home tomorrow?
I shake my head before typing a message back.
Wow! There’s no messing with you, is there? Straight to the point.
Jez Scozzari: Isn’t that the best way to be? There’s no bullshit with me, sweetheart. What you see is what you get.
For a moment, I picture Jeremy in his low cut jeans, T-shirts that show off not only his tattoos, but impressive shape, and deep, penetrating blue eyes, and my belly starts to flutter.
If that’s the case, then where are you?
He seems to hesitate a moment and then a photograph pops up of a bedroom, but not just any old bedroom.
My bedroom.
I gasp, immediately calling him on the phone. When he answers with a cheery voice, I say, “What the hell are you doing in my room?!”
“Hi, Caitlin.”
“Cut to the bullshit, Scozzari.”
He sighs. “Fuck, I love it when you say my name.”
“Jeremy,” I warn.
“I told you that if you didn’t give me the answers, then I would have to go find them.”
I bury my head in my hand. Shit. How much does he know?
“Your stalking levels have just reached a whole new level, Jeremy. You can’t up and leave and go visit my parents without permission.”
Scozzari: Deviant #3 Page 13
