Wicked Game

Chapter 17

Monday came with a rough start.

I jolt from my slumber, instantly sitting up. I rub the sleep from my eyes, and run a hand through my bedhead. I glance at my alarm clock, but double take once I realized it was twenty minutes past eight. Shit.

I scramble from my bed, and rummage through my dresser drawers for a set of clean clothes. Snatching up a pair of jeans and a baggy t-shirt, I scurry across the hall to the bathroom, getting dressed and brushing my teeth and hair as fast as I could. I throw my hair into a sloppy bun and return to my room.

Shoes, check. Backpack, check. Sanity, not so much.

"Kasey what are you still doing here? We all thought you got a head start today," Louie furrows his eyebrows when I walk into the kitchen.

Louie had everything everywhere, giving away his plans. The empty cake mix box lays with the directions facing up, and all of its called ingredients were strewn over the counter in their bulks. The oven was already warming the kitchen, and there was already a little mess with the cake mix.

"I woke up late," I rummage through the cupboards, searching for the paper coffee cups.

"I can give you a ride of you want," he offers.

"That would be great," I raise my eyebrows to keep my eyelids from drooping shut. "Do you know if we still have any more of those disposable coffee cups?"

"I just bought some more because for some reason all of the lids went missing but we have like five extra cups," Louie sets the mixing bowl on the counter before digging through one of the bottom cupboards. "So I hid them where Fallon and Duke won't find them because I know it's them."

Louie hands me a paper cup with the black plastic lid and I thank him. I fill my cup as he slips his shoes on, hearing the pot sizzle when I put it back. I follow my brother out the door, not ready at all for the day ahead of me.

There were ten minutes of first period left by the time I got to the school, so I decide to wait until it was completely over before going back to class. That would keep curious eyes from making me feel awkward.

"Kase," Louie stops me before I close the car door. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks, Lou," I give him a smile and shut the car door behind me.

I wait outside the school for the bell to ring as the birds chirp and the cool air sends a shiver through me. As I'm walking up the front steps to the school, my foot catches, suddenly sending me forward. My paper cup comes down with a crack and a splash as my palms hit the cement. I stare in utter defeat at my coffee, because now it was only a big thin puddle seeping into the edges of the sidewalk. I wonder what could be next.

Finally the bell rings, and I'm left gazing at the front doors of the school. I huff, gripping the straps on my back pack since my coffee was no longer an option. I yank one of the doors open, and step through to a swarm of students buzzing in the hall. I glance down the left side of the hallway, and down the right, not catching sight of any of my friends. Onward to second period.

Through the shroud of my peers, I keep my eyes peeled, making sure no one was paying attention to me, no one noticing me. Whatever this hunter was up to, we were onto her now. Sort of. Well, we know what she looks like now at least.

"Kasey, there you are!" Someone's voice makes me jump, and I realize I was passing right by Lydia's locker. Her and Allison catch my eye, and I retrace my steps.

"We were looking for you this morning," Allison says worriedly. "After what's been happening, we thought..."

"No, I'm fine, I just woke up late," I shrug it off, assuring her that everything was fine. I was lying to her and myself, and I could feel it in my gut.  My nerves were on edge.