Clementine:
The three stepped back, standing side by side with Ian, who offered them cigarettes. They all accepted, except for Troy.
"What are we going to do with her now?" asked Haiden, looking at me with fury in his eyes. They were all shirtless, except for Haiden. He wore a gray sleeveless shirt that was now completely soaked, while the others displayed their abs proudly.
"The longer she stays with us, the more annoyed we'll be. Besides, look at her, what's she even got in here?" Haiden stepped up and stole the dinner pass from my pocket, hissing at it.
"You know she won because she cheated," he continued, scoffing and shoving the card into his shorts pockets before turning his attention back to his shirt. He casually walked over to his bed and pulled out his bag from underneath it, grabbing a dry one.
"She used to cause trouble back when we were in school," Haiden went on, forgetting that he used to bully me and everybody else too. He took off his wet shirt, tossing it aside and revealing his abs.
"But I never understood why she never took off her hat. It was as if it was glued to her head." He had a shirt in his hand, but instead of wearing it, he stood with the others around me, tall and dangerous.
"Troy, you were her best friend. Why don't you tell us why she never took off her hat?" Yorick asked Troy, and my eyes moved to him. His shorts were dragged so low I could see a V running down his crotch. I instantly looked away from Troy. It was meaningless to admire these men. They were only good looks–strength wasted on assholes.
"You were her ex–best friend once?" Ian asked, puffing smoke into the air.
"Unfortunately, yes," Troy replied.
For a moment, I went back in time and remembered the amazing moments we had when we were kids. I wondered what happened to him. How did a guy who was once so caring turn so evil towards me? Maybe peer pressure, or maybe he realized choosing me over the other students wasn't worth it.
"She didn't have hair, so she used to hide her bald head under a hat," Troy explained, and the others pretended like it was funny shit.
"I guess she still doesn't have hair. Probably just a few patches here and there. She never had hair on her head like a normal person."
But Troy didn't seem to mock me when remembering my condition.
Which was a lie I had told him. I never told him I could grow hair, that it was my stepmother who always shaved my head so her daughter would look better than me.
"Anyway, what do we do with her?" Haiden asked. It seemed like none of them actually found it that funny, so they got over it almost instantly.
"I know what we can do," Yorick smirked, making my heart skip a beat. Whenever he bit the inside of his cheek while smirking, I knew he was plotting something evil.
"You know where the Lurkers are stationed?" Yorick asked the three, and they nodded.
"I have a list of their duty posts," Ian said, exhaling smoke and forming circles in the air. His voice was just as rough as always.
"Good. Carry her. She's in for a long, long night. Let's show the academy that their transition-stage topper is really a coward," Yorick hissed, gesturing at Haiden, who walked over to me and knelt down to my level.
"You know what's tomorrow? Our welcome breakfast," he whispered, taking a puff and exhaling the smoke into my face. I coughed internally and turned away.
"But you won't be there. And you know why?" he smirked, looking both devilishly handsome and cruel. "Because you'll be in prison—for trying to escape like a coward."
My heart skipped a beat. My eyes darted from face to face, searching for even a flicker of hesitation, any sign that someone might object.
My best friend of years, who I thought might show even a little sympathy, nodded in agreement. I hadn't expected anything from the others, but Troy? When he nodded too, it hit me like a punch to the gut. I realized I'd wasted my time being friends with him.
And then there was Ian. He looked way too happy, like he was floating on clouds. Leaning against the wall, one leg bent, foot resting against it, cigarette in hand, he watched everything with a sick kind of satisfaction.
"Carry her. Throw her across the border. And make sure you knock her out before untying her hands and feet," Yorick added. Haiden tilted his head slightly, as if giving it a moment's thought. Maybe he'd remember how brutal he'd already been to me, and realize doing it again would be unjust.
Or maybe not.
"Why should I do it? I'm no one's bitch," Haiden snapped, making Yorick glance at Troy, then at Ian.
"Then let's vote," Yorick said, and they all stepped into a circle, except for Ian, who stayed leaning against the wall, smoking.
"Who thinks I should go?" Yorick asked, his expression unreadable.
Haiden was the only one who raised his hand.
"Who thinks Haiden should go?" Yorick asked.
All of them raised their hands. Even Ian lazily lifted his hand to shoulder height and waved at Haiden, who clenched his fists.
"Fine. But remember, I won't forget this," Haiden muttered.
Of course Haiden would take it personally. He always did. He could bully everyone around him without blinking, but the second someone joked at his expense, he'd lose it and beat them bloody. He had always been the worst of them all, and the principal never did a thing.
But the moment I did something about his bullying, I became the villain.
"Come on, be in good spirits. Who knows, after we get rid of her, maybe we'll get a much sexier roommate?" Yorick said, wrapping his arm around Haiden's shoulder in a mock-seductive tone.
"He's right. They'll probably assign us a new roommate since we've already lost Riv and now this one," Troy chimed in, while I shifted my shoulders, trying my best to loosen the ties around my legs or arms.
"Alright, one condition," Haiden said, smirking darkly. "Whoever the new she-wolf is, I get to hit on her first."
He said it like it was some kind of game. Like my safety, my life, didn't matter at all. Once I was found across the border, the Lurkers and the Headmaster wouldn't care how I ended up there. The rules were simple: protect yourself, or face punishment.
"Deal," Yorick said, and the others echoed it, sealing the agreement like it was just another twisted joke.
Then Haiden turned toward me.
"Say goodbye to this nuisance, guys," he said before lifting me over his shoulder.
Haiden carried me out of the dorm room, heading straight into the passage where the Lurkers patrolled.