A Disturbing Prospect, Chapter 10

The phone vibrates in my hand—an incoming call.

He’s actually calling me.

I take a deep breath before answering, so that I don’t sound as pleased as I feel. “Hey,” I say, my voice casual. Only my heart jackhammering in my chest betrays the emotions swirling through me. He called, he called, he called, my pulse drums out.

catch up

Olivia

I can’t help but sing while getting ready for class the next morning. Part of me feels like an asshole for kicking Cliff out, but Esther really was coming home, and I didn’t want to deal with her questions. Neither of us have ever brought a guy home before—usually I go to their places. I’ve also never slept with the same guy twice.

Cliff has me breaking all kinds of rules.

I throw on sweats and my high top Nikes, then toss my hair into a frizzy bun. With such wild curly hair, I’ll never have one of those cute messy buns that straight-haired girls rock. But I’ve managed to make it my own.

I’m supposed to work tonight, but I’ll come home and shower first. Still, just in case, I wing my eyeliner and dab on mascara. Looking at my reflection, I shake my head at myself. The odds of me running into Cliff today are pretty low. This is totally absurd. After another moment, I shrug and add lip gloss.

My hand is on my bedroom door knob when I hear a door slam. Frenzied shrieks and Spanish gush from my roommate’s mouth. I throw my door open and Esther barrels into my room.

Between high school and my roommate, my Spanish is pretty good, but she’s talking way too fast. Tears streak her cheeks, and she clutches her phone in her hand. I lead her to my bed and sit her down. After bringing her an ice cold glass of water, I calm her enough to talk.

“My car,” she gasps, her hands shaking. “Someone slit my tires.”

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