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“I need to go. I’ll see you at practice.” I stood, then shuffled past Gabby and a few others in the row. I glanced over my shoulder to see Gabby’s face filled with worry. I bolted into the hall and out the building’s door, my tennis shoes smacking against the cement steps as I fled. Fuck. I couldn’t do it. I was losing my shit, and I’d only been at school for a fucking week and a half. I should have known I couldn’t make it without my family. The only reason I’d made it this long without losing my mind was due to years of therapy and my family’s love and support. Tears welled in my eyes as I sucked in a breath of fresh air.
“Brie!”
Fuck!Gabby had followed me. I slowed and bent over, placing one palm on a knee while I held my backpack in my other hand.
“Girl, you are not okay. Casper has more color in his face than you do. Let me take you home.” Gabby took my bag from me and touched the small of my back. “Brie, it’s okay. I’ll take you to your place, then, if you’re not feeling better later, I’ll have Everlee help me bring your car over.”
I nodded, slowly straightening. “I took a damn sleeping pill last night, and it’s making me sick. I feel like I’m walking around in a hazy dream.”
“Is it a prescription or over the counter?” She slid her arm around my waist, apparently afraid I might topple over at any given moment.
“Prescription.”
“Then call your doctor when you get to your place. I’ll stay with you for a bit. My sister had a script for a while, and it royally fucked with her. She walked in her sleep and would wake up on the other side of the house. That shit’s dangerous.”
“She did?” A flicker of hope welled inside me. Maybe I wasn’t losing my sanity after all.
“Yeah, it was bad. I think she tried to push through the side effects, but after two weeks, she told the doctor no more. You just never know how it will affect someone.”
Gabby led me across the grassy patch of lawn and to the parking lot.
“That actually helps. I mean, I’m sorry your sister went through that, but at least I’m not crazy. I was starting to wonder for a minute.”
We reached her BMW, and she waved a hand in front of the handle, making the locks pop up. She opened the door for me, and I crumpled into the soft red-and-black leather seat. Gabby tossed my bag in the back seat, then hurried to the other side, climbed in, and started the engine.
“Are you cold or hot?”
“Cold.” I rubbed my arms, warding off the chill, while Gabby adjusted the temperature and vents.
“Buckle up, babe.” She nodded to the seat belt that I’d forgotten.
I belted up, then leaned against the headrest and closed my eyes. A tall figure in black flickered across my thoughts, and my eyelids popped open again. As soon as I got my bearings, I needed to call Alida, but first, I needed to sleep off the medication. I just had to set my alarm for cheer practice so I wouldn’t get booted off the team.
As if she read my mind, Gabby said, “If you miss practice today, I’ll vouch for you so it’s not counted as a strike.”
“Really?” I asked, hope and gratitude in my voice.
“Hell, yes, bitch. You look like shit.” Gabby flashed me a silly grin. “You’re still a sexy beast, though.” She winked at me, attempting to lighten the mood.
She had no idea how much I needed her humor.
* * *
Trusting Gabby to talk to our coach, I didn’t bother to set my alarm when I tumbled into my bed. Gabby hung out for a bit, then locked the door behind her when she had to leave, assuring me she’d check in after practice.
Three hours later, I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my hazy gaze. I stared at the wrist cuff on the floor, and my shoulders slumped. I hadn't bothered with it for my nap because I hadn't expected to actually sleep. At least I felt better, though. It seemed like sleeping meds were similar to hangovers; I had to sleep them off. I stood, making sure my jeans and sweater were where they were supposed to be—on my body.
Since my brain was much clearer, my thoughts returned to the events of the prior evening. Remembering that my shorts and panties had been folded on top of the dresser, I gathered the cuff and stretched the chain to see if it would reach my dresser. It did. Then I walked toward my bathroom. I studied the length of the restraint and the distance to my mirror where the scorpion was drawn in the corner. It wouldn’t reach. My toes met the edge of the en suite, and that was it.
I dropped the cuff, and fear flickered in my chest. Closing the rest of the gap, I opened the small cabinet drawer where I kept my makeup. I rummaged through the mess until I spotted a red lipstick, then removed the lid. In seconds I’d writtenfuck offon my mirror near the deadly bastard. Fearing the worst, I took a few steps back and turned on every light available. My legs trembled beneath me, and my tummy flip-flopped. The shade wasn’t a match.
After a frantic scramble for my other lip colors, I tested each of them. Blinking several times, I stared at the samples across my mirror. None were a fit.
I could feel what I’d just witnessed making my stomach churn as if I were on a rickety boat lost at sea. Sweat beaded on my forehead, and I wiped it off with the back of my hand, my breathing ragged as reality seeped into my bones. Someone had been in my house last night.
As quickly as possible, I cleaned the mirror, all but thefuck offbecause it made me feel a bit better. My heart sank to my toes as I realized I had nothing to tell the police, so it was pointless to call them. They would brush it off as a side effect of the pill. Plus, the slider was still locked this morning, and so was the front door. The only thing that had happened was there was a scorpion painted on my mirror in red lipstick.
“Get it together, Brie. Maybe the sleeping pill hit you before you even knew it, and you were walking around drunk before you used the wrist cuff. Maybe the lipstick was left from the previous renter, and you found it, decided to get creative.”
