“Hi, Karen,” I replied in the same manner.
My heart was pounding like a freaking drum as I hurried between towering bookshelves. The closer I drew to the spot I’d left the book, the quicker my pulse raced.
I found the exact place on the shelf, but the book was gone. “Fuck,” I murmured under my hitched breath.
I glanced around, unsure of what to make of this. Was this a good thing, or did things just get worse? The fact that the book was no longer here only meant that someone had taken it. But who?
Was it the book’s owner or a third party? Did anyone see me reading the ledger? How deeply was I involved in whatever the heck was going on here?
“Looking for something?” a masculine voice startled me.
I yelped, almost jumping out of my skin. My heart had sunk into my belly, and fear was etched on my face. Luckily for me, it was just Steve—the popular guy who invited me to his party.
“Uh…are you okay?” he asked, tilting his head slightly to the side.
“Yeah….” I placed a hand on my chest, rising and falling with slow breaths. “You just scared me, that’s all.”
His lips curled into a faint grin. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to.”
Silence.
His unwavering gaze was starting to make me feel uncomfortable.
He cleared his throat. “My party’s tonight, though.”
“Good for you.” I clutched my books to my bosom, my left foot tapping against the floor.
He let out a quiet chuckle. “I take it you haven’t changed your mind.”
I shook my head. “Sorry.”
He clapped once and began slowly withdrawing from me. “I guess I’ll see you on Monday.”
Silence.
Steve turned a corner and disappeared while I listened to the sound of his retreating footsteps. I waited until I was sure he was gone before I picked up my pace and headed out.
By the time I stepped outside, dark clouds had already started forming in the sky. I raised my eyebrows, shocked at how quickly the day had been taken away in a matter of moments. Just minutes ago, it was all bright and sunny, but now, a heavy darkness was pressing down on everything.
“You gotta be kidding me,” I whispered to myself, shoving my books into my backpack.
People were hurrying past in restless waves, some clutching their bags over their heads. I squinted my eyes against the cool breeze slamming into my face. With my backpack slung over my shoulders, I rushed down the steps as the wind swept through the streets.
I could easily run back into the library and wait for the storm to pass. But with everything going on at the time, I didn’t want to leave the campus in the cover of night. It was already six o’clock in the evening, and I wasn’t sure how long the rain would last.
So, I chose to head home in the storm. Besides, it hadn’t started pouring yet.
A jagged streak of lightning split across the dark sky, sharp and blinding. What followed next was a low, rolling rumble of thunder that vibrated through the ground beneath me.
By now, the streets had cleared because almost everyone had taken shelter from the coming rain.
A few minutes after I turned a corner, I had this crazy feeling that I wasn’t alone anymore. At first, I didn’t want to think much of it, but with each passing minute, the feeling grew more and more intense.
I locked my jaw and kept going until I began hearing footsteps behind me. It was weird because whenever I stopped, the footsteps would stop as well. And then when I picked up my pace, I’d hear them again.
I summoned the courage and swiveled without a second thought.
There was no one behind me. Not a single soul. My heart was pounding in my chest as I tried to make sense of what was happening. However, I decided to turn around and keep going.