Page 211 of Ruthless Court
“Do you?”
“She left. Usually they stay. Cling. Suffocate.”
“Is Haverhill finally getting played?”
“Shut up and find me an RA.”
He sighs and hangs up.
I leave campus long enough to stop at a twenty-four-hour market.
Popcorn is easy.
Family-sized gummy bears. Figured she already had her fill of Twizzlers.
Dr Pepper, because she ordered one during our library session before changing her mind and getting water.
Chocolate might be too much.
I put it in the basket anyway.
Then gummy worms, because I’ve been standing in the candy aisle too long and need to leave before someone recognizes me.
At the register, I add mints.
The cashier looks over the pile.
“Movie night?”
“Something like that.”
Briar Hall is quiet.
Warm light glows behind old windows. Ivy crawls over the rain-dark stone. The building looks like the kind of place where someone could disappear into books and refuse to come out.
Hannah nearly managed it.
A student sits behind the lobby desk with headphones around his neck. He looks up when I enter.
“Haverhill?”
“Yeah.”
“Eli texted.”
“I need Hannah Goodwin.”
“Room number?”
“That’s what I was hoping you’d tell me.”
“Not happening.”
“You know who I am.”
“That makes this request worse.”
I lift the grocery bag.
