11. Maddison

Maddison

E ven a day later, I still haven’t responded to my mother’s text, not only because I’m still pissed off at her for stealing my money, but also I’m suspicious of her out-of-the-blue text. My mother is weak when it comes to a lot of things, and if Drew’s gang is threatening her to get my location, she’ll cave relatively quickly.

In a desperate attempt to seek help, I call up my aunt’s disconnected number again, which is pointless. I send her an email instead, but her email address no longer exists, either.

“What the hell, Aunt Ellie?” I grumble as I lightly bang my head on the headboard in frustration.

Sure, my aunt has always been sort of a wanderer who lives by her own rules and tries not to have any responsibilities, but this is the most off the radar she’s ever been.

I take out the necklace she gave me when I was a kid. I haven’t worn it in a while, since it’s not really my style, but holding it in my hand makes me feel closer to her. I just wish I could talk to her.

Needless to say, I barely slept last night, which is a fantastic start going into my first day of class. To try to recenter myself—and start my training—I get up when the sun is barely kissing the top of the mountains, slip on a pair of running shorts, a tank top, and sneakers, then pull my hair into a ponytail, put my earbuds in, and slip my phone carrier onto my arm. In another life, I’d have wireless ones and one of those GPS watches so that I could go sans phone. But those cost hundreds of dollars, and since I currently have about thirty dollars tucked away, that isn’t even close to within my reach. Yet, it doesn’t lessen my enjoyment of running.

I do some warmup stretches in my room before I head out, cranking up the music as I step outside. It’s chilly, but I’ll warm up quickly, so I take off, jogging down the stairs before quickening my pace as I exit through the gates and into the parking lot.

I read online that students can use the track whenever, but I want to do my first run to the bus stop so I can see how the journey will be for me when I have to go to work for my weekend shift.

My feet thud against the pavement as I run toward the exit that consists of two pillars that stretch up to a sign that glitters with the words, “ Welcome to Royal Academy .” As I run under it, I get a glimpse of the massive football stadium where guys equipped with helmets in their hands and duffel bags wander in. I guess football practice starts early.

I can’t help thinking about how I accidentally went into that room the other day and how everyone made such a huge fuss about it. Even though River explained why, it’s still weird. Even stranger is that, when Lily was giving me a tour of the campus yesterday, she pointed out a lot of off-limits rooms. When I asked her about it, she merely shrugged and said, “I’m not sure why. That’s just how they were labeled on the campus map. And River and Finn warned me about them, too. I don’t think anyone knows why students can’t enter them.”

We talked about that for a while and concluded that perhaps the rooms were for teacher faculty. I don’t know, though; it all seems odd that a school campus would have so many secret rooms. Then again, it’s a massive campus, so that could be why.

My attention shifts elsewhere the farther away from campus I get. It’s so pretty up here, with the paved road lined with flourishing cherry blossoms, flowers, and trails lining the road. Not a single home is in sight, so it feels like it’s just me in this world, and after living in the congestion that is northside, I feel like I can finally breathe for a moment.

As I’m rounding a corner of the road, I slam straight into something solid. For a horrifying moment, I worry I’ve run into a car and am about to die, but as my ass hits the ground, one of my earbuds falls out, and I hear a guy curse.

“Dammit,” he grits out, sounding in pain.

I manage not to completely fall down, but my ass hurts, and so do one of my ankles.

Sitting up straight, I look in front of me and realize that the “car” I ran into is none other than the one and broody River. He has his dark hair pulled back into a small bun and is donning a pair of running shorts, a tank top, and expensive running shoes—a brand I’ve eyed from afar, dreaming of the day when I can finally afford a pair.

Crashing into him wouldn’t be so terrible, but a ways behind him is a group of runners—all guys. And all of them are eyeing us as they approach.

It’s time for me to peace out.

“Sorry about that,” I apologize as I stand, wincing as I put weight on my ankle but try to shake it off.

River stands up, rubbing his elbow as if he hit it when he fell. “Are you okay?”

“Yep, totally good.” I wince again as I move to step by him.

He stops me by placing a hand on my arm. “No, you’re not. You’re hurt.”

I’m not guy crazy, but the gentleness of his touch is unfamiliar enough that my stomach flutters ever so slightly.

Goddammit, what is wrong with me?

“I just twisted my ankle.” I move my arm away from his hand and let the flutters wither and die, just like they should. “I’ll jog it off.”

He frowns. “Are you sure? You might’ve sprained it. You should get it checked out.”

“I’ve had a sprain before,” I inform him, taking another step forward, ready to make a quick exit before his running buddies reach us. “I know it’s not that.”

He watches me as I take another step forward. “Where are you running to?”

“To the moon,” I joke then take off before he can ask any more questions.

“Hey,” one of the runners greets me.

He has short brown hair, the greenest eyes I’ve ever seen, and he’s tall and lean—they all are, really.

I give him a half-ass wave then pop my earbud in and hurry off before they can speak to me further.

It’s not that I’m a total bitch, but I’m not the best at socializing. Plus, back in northside, whenever I found myself on the street alone with a bunch of guys around, that was my signal to get the hell out of there. And I don’t believe I should throw my rules away merely because these guys have money.

I’m not that na?ve. Being rich doesn’t mean people are nicer or good. And I have zero trust for most people, anyway.

As I guessed, the pain in my ankle subsides after about a minute of slow running. Then I pick up my pace, hauling down the hill that leads to the bus stop. I was planning on running slower this morning, but after the crash and fall, I’m behind schedule, and the last thing I want is to be late for class.

I manage to make it to the bus stop quickly, but going back means ascending uphill, and while I manage to keep an even, respectable pace, I make a mental note to add some hill climbs into my regimen. If I make the team, anyway.

I’ll admit, I’m a bit nervous, mainly because of the stuff Lily said to me. I may get desperate enough to ask one of her brothers for help. River, maybe? I don’t know. He seems so intense. But Finn is the biggest flirt, and I feel like I’d get into trouble if I created a bridge with him.

By the time I arrive back at campus, a few students are wandering around. I leave my headphones in as I make my way back to my dorm room, with plans of taking a quick shower because I stink.

“Oh, hey,” Lily greets me as I enter the room.

She’s rocking a silk shorts pajama set, her hair is in a bun, and she’s in the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of juice.

“Hey,” I reply, kicking the door shut and yanking out my earbuds. “Holy crap, I stink.”

She laughs at that as she walks into the living room, where I’m leaning over to take off my shoes. “How was your run?”

“Great, actually.” I unlace one of my sneakers. “The road down to the bus station is so isolated. I love it.”

“Yeah, River texted me and said he ran into you on that road—like literally ran into you.” She drops down on the sofa. “Is your ankle okay? He wanted me to check and see.”

I glance up at her as I yank on my laces. “I’m fine. And I told him that already.”

“He’s a worrier.” She swipes her finger across the screen of her phone. “He’s always been like a protective big brother to the point of being annoying. He even does it to Finn.” She pauses, mulling something over. “He is a nice guy, Maddy. I know he didn’t come off that way when you first met, but he seems to like you, and I think if you gave him a chance, he could help you get onto the team and stuff.”

“Maybe.” I kick off my sneakers and stand up straight as I unstrap my phone holder from my upper arm. “I just don’t get why he’s being nice to me, because it seems like whenever I talk to him, I’m annoying the crap out of him. Not that he’s necessarily in the wrong for that. I’m kind of a smartass.”

“You’re not that bad,” she quips with a smirk. “At least, sometimes.”

I flip her the middle finger, and we both laugh.

Then I sigh heavily. “Fine, I’ll go to him and see if he can give me any pointers on how to better my chances of getting onto the team.”

“Good.” She smiles at me as she slants back on the sofa. “Let me know how it goes. Oh, and I was told that if your ankle hurts, ice it.”

I give her a salute and head into my room to grab some clean clothes so I can take a shower. The entire time, I can’t stop thinking about why River is being … nice-ish. Even though it makes me a freak, I’m suspicious of it.

Maybe I’ve lived on northside for too long, but from my experience, people who are nice usually want something from you.