Chapter 9

T hree of my friends are dead.

They. Are. Dead.

No one can convince me that it's not because of that damn Ouija board, no matter how much Kaelin argues about how unrealistic it sounds. He has been talking about it nonstop for the past fifteen minutes as we light a candle in front of the Phi Mu House.

"Could you maybe shut up?" Noah snaps at Kaelin, and my boy stiffens visibly, which makes me feel on edge. Yeah, it's been a little annoying to have Kaelin not believe me about the game we were playing in Maria's room, but he wasn't there. Can I really blame him for being skeptical? " You weren't there."

Kaelin's eyes narrow on Noah's face, and I sigh. If I don't intervene now, they're going to go at each other's throats. "Baby," I whisper against Kaelin's ear. "It's okay. Don't pay attention to him."

His eyes slide to my face, and his jaw visibly tics. But he keeps his composure, and I give him a solid A plus for effort, which earns him a kiss. Pressing my lips to his softly, I close my eyes and grab the back of his head to angle his face. His tongue slips past the seam of my lips, and he strokes mine along with his.

"Are y'all done mauling each other?" Noah snaps, pulling me away from Kaelin, which only pisses him off even more. "Or are we here for the friends we lost?"

"Don't be a dick," Kaelin sighs, and Noah's eyes widen. He looks even more annoyed now than he did a moment ago, and I'm hoping they don't fight because I don't know who would win. And quite honestly, I don't think I'll be on Noah's side this time.

"Just how cum-drunk are you, Jer?" Noah asks through gritted teeth. "He fucks you a couple of times and you choose him over your friends?"

"Would you relax?" I whisper loudly to Noah, Kaelin moving to stand behind me. He wraps his arms around my waist, leaning his forehead onto my shoulder. "I'm not choosing anyone."

"Yeah, Jer," Kaelin whispers in my ear, biting the lobe softly. "Choose between us." There's a growling sound over my shoulder, and when I look it's just Kaelin staring back at me.

I sigh, untangling myself from Kaelin's embrace, and walk away. I came here because it was the right thing to do for our friends, but now that I've lit the stupid candle at the vigil that won't bring them back, I'm feeling quite done with their bickering. They can keep going at it for all I care, as long as I'm not in their vicinity.

I almost trip on the hundreds of bouquets of flowers on the ground and groan. I want to go back to bed. I don't want to be out anywhere public right now, not that it would matter if it's my turn to die. Then again, the only one who died in the privacy of her home was Maria. So maybe if I stay in the dorms, I'm safe. Maybe?—

"Where are we going?" Kaelin asks me, slipping his hand into mine. There's a smile on his full lips, and my stomach flutters when his deep blue eyes shine as he looks at me. "Baby?"

"Home." I shrug. "I don't want to be around people right now."

Kaelin's hand tightens around mine, squeezing once. "Whatever you want."

Ten minutes later we're finally back in our room, Kaelin sitting on his bed staring at me. He pats the empty spot next to him, and I smile, settling in beside him. Our backs are against the wall, seeing as his headboard broke in half, and our shoulders are brushing against each other as we stare straight ahead. Maybe I'm being too codependent on him. I realize that's a very big possibility, but he doesn't seem to mind it. In fact, it feels like he encourages it. He wants to be near me all the time. With me.

"I think—" I breathe in deeply. Maybe if I say it slowly, he won't freak out. "Do you think we're moving too fast?"

"What?" Kaelin frowns, "No. I don't…do you?"

I shake my head. "It sounds really stupid—" I gulp. "I think we're going at just the right speed."

"Stupid how?" He looks at me, blue eyes searching my face.

"Well…" I sigh, "I just didn't expect to end up here with you. Ever—we've barely even looked at each other since the semester started."

"Do you regret it?" he asks softly, and I shake my head quickly.

"No, Kae." I shorten his name, and his lips part as he stares at me. "I'm yours and you're mine—and there's not one moment that I regret between us. What we have is something I've never experienced before, and I'll be damned if I let anyone take you away from me."

His lips pull up into a genuine smile, one that reaches his gorgeous blue eyes. "I'm so fucked when it comes to you, you know that?"

"Fucked how?" I smirk.

"I'm a fucking fool for you, Jeremiah." Kaelin gazes into my eyes, leaning into me and pressing a kiss to my lips. "Can't you see that?"

Instead of replying, I kiss him harder. Our lips mold, and he sucks on my bottom one slowly. This time we're unhurried. Hands roaming, lips kissing, tongues tasting as we reacquaint our bodies. Kaelin slides down on the bed, lying down all the way, and I get between his legs. It's been a long day, and the only way I want to spend the rest of it is with him in my arms.

Burying my face into the crook of his neck, I inhale his vanilla scent deep into my lungs and kiss him there. He chuckles, wrapping his legs around my waist, and hugs me to him. But I go back to his lips, seeking that connection, loving the way he returns my feverish kisses. There's a noise coming from him, and he goes limp in my arms. I frown, pulling away, just to see him shaking his head.

"Kaelin?" I ask slowly, softly, looking at his blank eyes staring up at the ceiling. "Hey, are you okay?"

Kaelin is saying something, but no sound is coming out. I read his lips, but surely I'm wrong—surely he can't be saying?—

" Help me, Jeremiah," Kaelin chokes out. "This isn't me."

I frown, trying to understand what he means, when he shakes his head as if he's clearing it. Then chokes himself. He turns red, then purple, then blue. I practically fly off the bed, falling on my ass as I try to desperately get away from him. I know I should be trying to help him, but the way he's acting is strange and it just feels…weird.

My breathing is ragged as I get up from the floor, watching as Kaelin's body contorts, his back bowing at an unnatural angle. My eyes almost bug out of my head as I shake it, trying to rid myself of the image of him bent like that, but I can't unsee it. Because it's happening right in front of my eyes. Right fucking now.

"R-r-run," Kaelin whispers, and the sound sends a shiver crawling down my spine. I don't dare move. I don't even fucking breathe. "Run, and don't let me catch you."

But I still don't move. Instead, I stare.

"I will never let him go, Sam," Kaelin growls. "So stop fucking fighting me–Jeremiah is mine."

There's something inside of me that wants me to stay anyway, even through the fear. Some irrational part of my brain tells me that this is Kaelin— my Kaelin. That he would never hurt me. That he'd never do anything to jeopardize what we have. But the other part of me, the more rational part, has me gripping the doorknob within seconds and rushing out of the room.

I'm not one to run without a final destination in mind, so I'm not surprised in the least when I end up in front of Noah's door, which is exactly two floors above from where I live.

Slamming my fist on the door, I knock over and over. It's possible he's not even home considering we were just at the vigil, but I have to try because I left his key back in my room and there's no way in fucking hell I'm going back for it.

"Noah!" I growl. "Open the fucking door!"

The door opens suddenly, and a very stunned Noah is standing on the other side of it. He lets me in, slamming the door shut and immediately locking it. Except when I walk into the room, the first thing I see is the Ouija board—right on the fucking bed.

No.

No. No. No.

No .

"What the fuck is this?" I mutter, looking up at him. His brown eyes widen, and I shake my head. "Noah—what the fuck is this?"

"We're next."

Two words shouldn't send me over the edge, but as I recall what just happened in my own room, I run to the toilet and expel the contents of my stomach into it. My chest heaves as I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand, and I close my eyes. There's thunder booming in the background and I tense, my hands beginning to tremble. I don't know where I go from here, or what I'm doing to stay alive, but I think it's imperative that Noah and I don't leave this room again for the time being.

Not for any damn reason.