Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 66997 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 335(@200wpm)___ 268(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66997 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 335(@200wpm)___ 268(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)
“None taken.” At least I could look back and acknowledge he was pretty to look at and enough of a distraction from real life that I honestly should have taken more advantage of it and him now that I’m stuck with jump scares from Jude, huh, kind of has a ring to it. My attentions piqued. “Are they talking about any of the girls at all?”
“What?” She frowns.
“The Dean’s List thing?” She pauses outside my room. “People are selling shirts that say ‘I survived the purge.’”
Damn.
I sit up slowly and immediately regret it when nausea rolls through me. My chest still feels tight from last night, like my body remembers terror even if the rest of me wants to pretend it didn’t happen. What a mess.
Charlie knocks once more before disappearing toward the kitchen. “Coffee’s done! Also, if you bail on our date tonight I’m dragging your corpse there myself!”
Right.
The date. Because apparently almost dying wasn’t enough excitement for one week along with Jude’s resurrection.
I force myself out of bed and immediately check my blinds.
Empty parking lot.
No black car.
No Jude.
My lungs loosen just enough to breathe.
See?
You’re being dramatic.
He drove you home, came back from the dead, and nearly killed you in the process.
That’s all. Ha ha.
Sure, he psychologically tortured you and drove into oncoming traffic while monologuing like a homicidal philosopher but technically you survived. Gold star for me. I didn’t have a breakdown and he didn’t see me crumble at least not completely. If he’s trying to make me hate him more, he’s succeeded. If he’s trying to make me hate myself in the process he’s failing beautifully, I already had that past-self enough to kill her off. I still dream about that night and no amount of him threatening me is going to make it better. I’d have to still be that person and I’m not.
I shower too fast, throw on jeans and an oversized sweatshirt, then debate covering the dark circles under my eyes before deciding there’s no amount of concealer powerful enough to fix emotional trauma or jump scares from Jude.
The second I step onto campus I know something’s off. The atmosphere is different like the school itself is holding its breath waiting for the other shoe to drop or maybe just like me waiting for more news on The Dean’s List and if it’s actually been exposed for real this time or if there are just rumors Evans was on it. As long as the lore behind The Dean’s List exists, it’s going to get blamed for literally every bad thing here especially downfalls.
Clusters of students stand outside buildings whispering while scrolling on their phones. A girl near the fountain is openly filming a TikTok. “And get this, another one bites the dust, none other than super sexy professor of the Arts Evans. Blackstone University has been notorious for its elite powerful families so this one’s gonna hurt a bit, guys. You gotta wonder what donors are doing right now that their name is getting dragged through the mud…” He curses and elbows a guy next to him. “Move dude, I can’t get the building in the frame if you’re standing so close.”
Everywhere I look people are staring at their phones like they’re all waiting for another name to drop associated with the list and that’s when my own phone goes off.
“Countdown to The Dean’s List Manifesto.” What the hell? I click open the email; my blood runs cold as I read it.
The rumors are true. The list exists. If you have no reason to be on it, then you have nothing to fear, and if you want to pay to stay off our radar there are ways to earn our favor. If you receive a red form in your mailbox this evening, our advice is to do exactly as it says otherwise, you’re next and we don’t sugarcoat our findings. The fallout is never pretty.
A shiver crawls down my spine. It was sent to my campus email and it’s like I can see in real time as everyone reads the same thing.
“…that was one time last year!” A girl rushes by me. “You think she told?”
“My parents would kill me. Forget finding a job in corporate. Earth wouldn’t even keep me!” Another yells into her phone as tears stream down her face.
I can’t decide if I’m relieved I’m not the only one panicking or just relieved in general that it’s out in the public and it’s one less thing Jude can threaten me with. I may have slept with my professor but he’s already been exposed and I was careful, there’s no way Jude knows and if he did, all he’d say is that I did what apparently at least five other girls did.
So I’m safe.
I take a deep breath then stumble to a stop.