When someone dies mysteriously during a Psych experiment, Rhiannon becomes enmeshed in a conspiracy that includes both the survivors and the killer.
*****
Short on cash, Rhiannon...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
DIFFUSION OF RESPONSIBILITY
( — the lessening of responsibility by individuals in a group situation or social collective. )
— ♡ —
RHIANNON LASTS HALF A FINALS WEEK WITHOUT BREAKING DOWN. Thus, when it happens, it's mortifying enough to make her feel like dropping out of college altogether, forgetting all about the experiment; it happens during her Calculus final, with everything vanishing from her head—everything minimally relevant to the solving of said exam, mind you.
As she stares down at her exam booklet, her eyes scanning questions she doesn't (or can't) understand over the incessant buzzing in her ears, there's something else going on in the background. Above the usual sounds of pens scribbling the booklets, dramatic sighing and occasional whispers of 'I'm too dumb for this', Rhiannon distinguishes something not so ordinary.
This type of whispering will never fail to raise goose bumps all over her skin, even the parts covered by her clothing, which is saying a lot considering she's wearing jeans and a turtleneck sweater. It's also something she wishes she had already gotten used to instead of being caught off-guard by it every single time, but she supposes part of her keeps hoping it will stop eventually.
Except it never does.
The students have been sorted in alphabetical order according to their last names and, though Rhiannon is a Ford and definitely wouldn't be sitting this closed to the Bs during any other exams, she's awfully close to Gabriella, Dimitri and Zelda—Brighton, Bonheur and Berry, respectively. She applauds them for having the courage to chat during a final exam, especially Calculus, but it gets sort of annoying when it manages to distract her this much.
The whispering is almost constant. Quite frankly, it has become quite disturbing and Rhiannon tries to associate these feelings to knowing they're all falling into Beatrice and Frances' trap by doing exactly what they want and creating strong bonds, even if said bonds are fueled by their hatred towards an experiment no one wants to quit.
She really doesn't want to admit it's also partially due to her feeling left out. They rarely include her in their conversations, but it's not like she puts an effort into trying to be a part of them.
It's one of the rare times she's glad Jude isn't sitting anywhere close to her, feeling like she's definitely not in the mood to feel his eyes glued to the back of her head. She knows they desperately need to talk and figure things out, as this is the most awkward their relationship has ever been in all twenty-one years of its existence, but she doesn't even know how she'll approach the subject.
