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“You’re right,” I say to Sarah, keeping my attention on the tall, dark-haired man. “Tucker is definitely the hottest of the three.”
The girl holds back an exclamation at my words.
“But,” I say firmly, “I’m not interested in him.”
“But he is interested in you,” she finally admits after a few seconds.
“You don’t need to be jealous,” I say. “Nothing will happen between him and me.”
Sarah moves to face me, and I have just enough time to see the angry look on Tucker’s face before she blocks my view. “You silly girl,” she scoffs. “If Tucker decides there’s going to be something between you, then it will happen.”
I purse my lips to keep from laughing and let her finish.
“And I’m not jealous,” she continues. “I’m not a toy…he and I…it’s much deeper than anything you can imagine. I saw you two earlier, it was ridiculous.”
And what exactly did she see?
“Look, that was a nice chat, but I’ve got other things to do. I’m going to stop you before you try to make some stupid threat thinking it will terrify me, which isn’t the case. You don’t seem to care about me, either. To tell you the truth, I don’t really give a shit, so I’m going to ask you to move your little ass and forget about me.” I take a step in her direction. “Yes, you are jealous,” I say, keeping my voice neutral. “Look how your muscles tense up. The thoughts and insults are spinning in your head, ready to be spilled. Your mouth wrinkles a little more, you hardly hold back your words, yet you’re dying to get at me, aren’t you?”
My analysis of her behavior doesn’t seem to please her.
“Listen, if I were to give you advice…it’s not by considering me as a pseudo-threat that you’re going to get him,” I continue by nodding to Tucker. “If you want the guy, tell him. Friendly advice, of course.”
From the offended look on Sarah’s face, the conversation isn’t going the way she wanted it to. “I don’t want your advice,” she spits. “But I’ll give you a little. Stay where you belong, which is away from us.”
I can’t help but let out a little laugh.
“I just told you I didn’t want him. But hearing you threaten me…oowhoo,” I breathe in deeply, “makes me want to piss you off even more. So don’t make me want to do anything you wouldn’t like.”
I don’t wait for her answer before walking away. She doesn’t hold me back, but I can feel her eyes piercing my back. Who says I won’t make enemies by coming here? Quiet town…yeah, my ass.
I weave in and out of the twenty or so students who are in front of me, watching as Dan leans over to Tucker and says something to him. The two smile knowingly at each other as TJ opens his mouth in shock.
I spot Yeleen a little further away. She looks busy, pressed up against the tall black man who has her pressed against his chest, hands on her hips. She gives me a small delighted smile when she discovers me here. She must have been expecting me to be here tonight as much as I was.
“So…ready for the second step?” shouts TJ, and the others around me shout back.
Am I really going to follow instead of running away? I am completely sick. At this point, everyone looks like savages.
“This year, we decided to make things a bit more intense than the previous two years,” he continues, as “oowhoo!” is heard. “For centuries, the Bomley estate has been known for its huge deer hunts. So we thought we’d carry on the tradition tonight…in our own way.”
A girl in front of him asks a question I can’t hear. TJ laughs softly and nods happily. He pulls a thick ribbon, about 6 inches long, from his pocket. A bright red ribbon. He waves it in the air for all to see.
“Of course, doll,” he replies to the young woman. “There are many of you who want to enter the wolves’ home tonight. A limited number of ribbons have been hidden in the forest,”—he points to the trees behind him—“four, to be exact. The rule is simple. You go, you find a ribbon, you come back. And above all, you don’t go into the house. The hunt is only in the woods.”
I raise an eyebrow. Wait, is this a joke?
“Your stupid hunt is a simple treasure hunt? All that’s missing is the birthday cake…”
A guy next to me laughs at my mocking tone. TJ notices me and smiles, “My best friend,” he says softly in my direction.
“Who said it would be simple?” Tucker yells.
Tucker doesn’t seem at all amused by my question. His eyes are focused on me. His jaw is clenched. His arm muscles are still tense. Is the boss offended?
“The goal is for you to find a ribbon…without getting caught by the wolves that will be throwing themselves behind you,” he tells the crowd, who seem to be hanging on his every word. “If you manage to find one of the four ribbons before a wolf finds you, you win your place on the next step.”
“What if the wolves find us?”
