Stake You

Chapter Six

Sully didn’t turn up to the next day of school. I held my breath in the hallway that morning, and even Base kept glancing around as if watching out for him.

“Looks like your little display worked,” he said.

“Here’s hoping.”

He looked at me as if to say something else, but then he shook his head slightly and turned back to his locker.

“What? You think I was wrong?”

He heaved a sigh. “I think you had to do something. I also think there are better ways to deal with people.”

I had a feeling he wasn’t talking about Sully. I stared at him, thinking hard.

“Maybe,” I conceded.

He turned to look at me then, and I sucked in a breath, waiting for him to speak, but people started turning up, and the moment was gone.

***

“Is it true? Was he really hassling you?”

I glanced up at Deco and shrugged. “I wouldn’t lie about something like that.”

“Aw, Dev. I’m so sorry. Why didn’t you tell me? I could have done something about him.”

“I can handle myself.” I smiled. “Besides, he hasn’t been back. Maybe I ran him off for good.”

“I hope so.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked on his feet. “So.”

“Yeah, I better get to class.”

“Right.” His face fell. “See you.”

Maisy linked arms with me before I could make it to the classroom. “Well? Alls well again, yeah?”

“With me and Deco? Nah. I don’t make the same mistakes twice.”

“Neither will that creep. I still can’t believe he was stalking you like that.”

“Yeah, well, he’s…”

I was about to say gone. I was about to savour the word. But I was wrong. He wasn’t gone. Not at all. He had only been absent for a few days. And now he was back, this time sitting next to Aoife who seemed to be lapping up everything he was saying to her. Her normally timid demeanour was still there, but she watched him out of the corner of her eye, half-afraid to look straight at him, probably.

I leaned over Sully, outraged.

“What are you doing?” I could taste my irritation, and I knew part of it had to do with how much he scared me. There was something wrong about him. More than just a general creepy stalker. He was more like a general creepy serial killer.

Deep down, that’s what I was afraid of. I sensed something dark in him. I feared he would find pleasure in another’s pain, but what I didn’t know for sure was how far he would go. And Aoife was pure innocence itself. The kind of girl who couldn’t defend herself. I couldn’t let him hurt her just because I hadn’t let him hurt me. There wouldn’t be any trade-offs if I could help it.

He leaned back in his chair and gave me a cold smile. “You’re not interested. I moved on. Good choice, no?”

“Leave her alone.”

“Dev, I…”

“Aoife, seriously. You know what he’s like, right?”

She reddened and looked away.