“No, and that’s why we’re all on edge. I don’t trust many people, and I take my leads from Isaiah. He didn’t trust them either.”
I snuggled back into Cade’s chest and wrapped my leg over his. I hated that the world was such a corrupt place. I hated that I had been sheltered at the orphanage, not knowing that there was a threat on my life, and all I wanted was to be adopted to get away from it. Regret was a heavy dose of reality, and I was ashamed. But most of all, I hated that I didn’t know what safety was until it was ripped away from me.
The days passedwithout any news of Sister Mary, and more snow had come, seeming to close down everything. The lacrosse game was rescheduled, and most of the student body was out on the field, having snowball fights, building snowmen, and sledding on whatever they could get their hands on. But instead of having fun out on the field, I found myself in the common room with the Rebels, Tobias—who would rather chop his arm off than place himself in such a group—and the only few girls that I trusted.
Sloane’s legs were resting on my lap as I buried my nose in a book, sneaking glances at Cade as he stood near the bookshelf with Isaiah and Brantley, all three looking more secretive than usual.
Cade and I had fallen into a good routine since our midnight adventure. We’d spend time in the library in the evenings after he had practice, in my favorite aisle, pretending the subtle touches of his fingers brushing over my hand didn’t actually send blood rushing to both of our hearts. Then, after lights went out and he saw me to my room safely, he’d sneak back in, and from there, we’d pretend that the past was nothing more than the past and that I wasn’t walking around with a target on my back. Things felt normal, but they were anything but.
“I have an idea for tonight,” Sloane mused, crossing her legs at the ankle over my lap. I peered over at her and tucked my hair behind my ear. Gemma and Tobias were both sitting on the floor, talking about something secretive, but she still took the bait.
“For the claiming?” she asked, looking up at Sloane.
Sloane nodded, and the smile on her face was mischievous. “Let’s kick it up a notch.” She sat up a little taller. “Hey, Rebels. Get over here.”
Isaiah’s eyes fell to Gemma automatically and Cade’s to mine. Brantley rolled his eyes, and Shiner popped out from behind the other bookshelf, looking flushed in the cheeks. I dropped my eyes and saw the tips of two Converse hiding behind the shelf and glanced around to see if anyone else had noticed that there was a girl back there with him. Either no one noticed, or they didn’t care.
“What do you want, Sloane?” Brantley always seemed so bored with life. Irritation flickered over his sharp features.
There was a faint growl from below that I’d heard a time or two before, and my jaw almost fell when I saw Tobias, the boy who showed zero emotion, glaring up at Brantley like he was ready to snap his neck. What is that all about?
Sloane ignored Brantley, completely unfazed by his attitude. “I have an idea for tonight’s claiming. What if we play the color game?”
“What the fuck is the color game?”
A faint laugh escaped my mouth, and everyone looked over at me, making my cheeks flame. Why did feeling even a sliver of happiness make me feel guilty? I knew the answer. It was because Sister Mary was missing. It was because I was supposed to come back to St. Mary’s and push everyone away until I found out who had tried to kill me. I was supposed to be a one-woman show, and here I was, surrounded by the same group of friends I had been torn away from with my heart beating wildly for the boy who was grinning down at me.
“Um…” I started, letting my smile fall. “If it’s anything like the game we used to play before I…left…it’s where you’re basically matched with the person who is wearing the same color as you.”
“Wait, what?” Cade asked, brows crowding as he looked down at me.
Sloane laughed under her breath as I cringed inwardly.
“The first time you and I…” Why is it so quiet in here? “At the claiming…”
“Did you only want me to claim you because we were wearing the same…color? Did you know it was me that first time?”
Gemma laughed quietly under her breath, and I was suddenly sweating.
Shiner threw his head back and laughed. “Aw, our poor Cade-boy thought Journey wanted him to fuck her because of love at first sight.”
There was a sudden grunt followed by choppy laughter from Shiner as Cade punched him in the stomach.
“Okay, so let me get this straight.” Everyone but Sloane turned to Tobias, who rarely ever spoke. Her entire body tensed, and she looked in the complete opposite direction of him. “First off, Gemma better not have been involved in this slutty game because fuck.”
She rolled her eyes and smacked his shoulder. “Shut up.”
“Secondly, you two and the other one…the car girl…”
“You mean Mercedes?” I asked, and Tobias nodded. Wait, where is Mercedes? I subtly moved my gaze from Tobias and stared at Shiner, who had a blank expression. And I now know who those shoes belong to.
“Yeah, so you three decided one time that you were going to play the color game, and whatever guy matched the color you were wearing, without even knowing it, was who you were going to get to fuck you?”
“What’s it to you, Tobias?” Sloane’s cheery voice was long gone. “Jealous?”
“Of your slutty behavior? No.”
“Tobias!” Gemma smacked her brother’s chest again, which didn’t even gain a look from him. He was in total lockdown with Sloane, and I made a mental note to ask him what was going on there. There weren’t many things that got a rise out of Tobias. I’d been so wrapped up in my own shit that I didn’t even think to ask him what was going on with him, and I knew better than to ask Sloane. She kept her secrets to herself. That was why she seemed to understand me the most.