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Before I pull out of the parking lot, I text Cecily that I’m home, like a world-class liar. But it’s because she won’t be able to sleep if she knows I’m still out.
What Cecy and my parents don’t know is that I refuse the notion of spending any unnecessary time alone.
Jesus. I can’t believe I’m graduating in a couple of weeks. What am I going to do without the buffer uni’s offered me?
Make other cliques of friends outside? Join a thousand and one clubs?
I desperately need to stay out of my parents' orbit before they figure out everything.
With a sigh, I shove all those thoughts back to the back of my mental closet as I refresh my makeup.
My phone vibrates and I freeze when I see it’s a text from Eli.
Tin Man
Are you going home?
Me
New phone. Who’s this?
Your location better be on the way home.
Guess where I am for a hundred quid.
I snap a selfie while doing a kissy face and send it over, then silence my phone, and pull out of the car park. I nearly drive into a wall, but my car’s camera saves me in time.
Oops.
I follow the GPS and voice command the car to play music. Bach’s Cello Suite No. 2 in D minor fills the car and I release an annoyed noise as I punch the radio button and listen to some pop music instead.
Classical music and I are officially divorcing.
That’s what I said after my last failed attempt at winning yet another competition last year. Or more like, participating.
And yet I went back this year. Only to make a bigger fool of myself.
What did you see? Or not see?
Eli’s words from earlier send a shiver down my spine.
He couldn’t have known, right?
No one does?—
I stare at my rearview mirror when I notice a car without headlights following me.
How long has that been there?
I look ahead but the road is clear.
Shit.
Okay.
I shake my head to come back into focus and speed up, just a tiny bit over the speed limit.
The car matches my speed and my heart starts to gallop in a scary rhythm. I voice command my phone to call the police.
