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My shoulders quirked up in feigned casualness, like I was asking for a last meal to which I was entitled. Nobody noticed the glance I speared at the ceiling, where a flicker of red blinked down at us.

Her eyebrows shot up, and her eyes narrowed, as if she spotted the catch, but couldn’t quite make out its shape.

She took another pull, longer this time, as she surveyed me, then peered over her shoulder to check in with Tiffany. The latter’s mouth curled into a beautiful, cruel line, dark eyes glittering as she gave a slow nod that reminded me of a ruler’s signal to the executioner.

The fifth girl snorted from behind me while Tiffany lit another cigarette with intentional movements I caught in the large mirror on my left.

“Sure. We do love charity,” Chloe drawled, turning to me and spreading her hands in front of her in a gesture of magnanimity that belied her animal-like smirk, all teeth and intent.

I wasn’t sure what they planned to do with me, but my stomach tumbled as a draught hissed over the back of my neck, as though the girl behind me had slipped out to keep watch. The rest tightened the circle and the air thinned, crackling with something that made my hairs stand. I swallowed around the knot in my throat and kept my smile on with gargantuan effort.

She handed me the cigarette, eyes glued on me like a lioness stalking prey. I was pleased to see my hands were steady as I brought it to my lips and took a long pull.

Thank fuck dad taught me how to smoke.

If my plan failed because I’d cough up my lungs…

Anticipation thickened in the air, making it hard to breathe—or maybe it was the smoke burning down my throat. My heart kept slamming itself against my ribcage, a loud war drum I feared they might hear. The nicotine hit my system, dulling the edge of my panic.

Then, three things happened in the same breath.

I blew the smoke up into the smoke detector right above me.

The alarm blared to life—a high, shrill sound followed by sprinkles a split-second later.

Then, the cigarette hit the damp marble floor, extinguishing with a hiss, as I pivoted on my heels and hightailed it out.

Shrieks and thudding footsteps trailed behind me.

Adrenaline pumping my legs, I didn’t stop until I reached class, darting through the doorway just as people were taking their seats.

The clock tower chimed four, marking my return to safety, and I finally allowed myself a long, shuddering exhale as I sank into a seat, pulse still screaming in my ears.

My hair hung a little damp as I draped my blazer on the back of my chair and shrugged when Pri asked me what had happened.

“Faulty tap. Splashed me all over.”

My eyes skittered away from hers as I opened my notebook. My pen clicked, and I prayed she wouldn’t pry further. If she leaned in, smelled the cigarette smoke clinging to me, and point-blank asked, I wouldn’t be able to lie to her. I’d exhausted my acting abilities for the day.

If someone noted the absence of the glamorous, revered fivesome, nobody said a thing.

Class came and went, and still, they didn’t return. The sky bruised purple, and they were nowhere to be seen at dinner, either. But I did hear rumours they’d emerged soaked, with make-up trailing down their faces in dark rivulets after they’d screamed themselves hoarse, until someone had finally let them out.

Shutting the door on the way out and propping a bin under the handle had been unnecessary, maybe even a shade petty, but I allowed myself the little act of rebellion.

And by the way my lungs still burned hours later, when I finally made it to the sanctuary of my room and sank onto the plush bed, I felt it in my marrow—I’d been lucky to escape with only damp hair.

Chapter fifteen

Josh

I told myself avoiding her had nothing to do with the image of her dancing that wouldn’t leave my mind, and everything to do with my parents: an invitation to an exclusive event had been rescinded without explanation. A small, insignificant coincidence on its own, but it made me wonder—was it connected to how much I’d been seen around her?

So I’d done my best and stayed the fuck away.

Bang!

A locker slammed shut like a bullet, jolting me violently mid-laugh at something Matthew was telling us. Conversation turned to static as my head whipped around to the source of the noise.