Chapter 19
“Snapped out of it.”
Q
0
8
I jolted out of my thoughts, blinking like I had just been slapped. My eyes darted to Tess, who was staring at me with a mix of worry and curiosity.
“Snap out of what?” I asked, feigning innocence and trying to ignore the heat creeping up my neck.
Tess narrowed her eyes at me, her pen tapping against her notebook. “Don’t play dumb, Cam. You’ve been like this all through class. Zoning out, scribbling nonsense in your notebook, looking like you just saw a ghost. Is something wrong?”
I glanced down at my notebook and cringed. Instead of the neat notes I should’ve been taking, the page was covered in random doodles–mostly spirals and jagged lines that looked more like a crime scene than a study guide.
“I’m fine,” I said, waving her off. “Just tired, I guess.”
She tilted her head, her curls catching the sunlight streaming in from the window. “You sure? Because tired doesn’t usually come with a side of paranoid twitching. What’s going on?”
“It’s nothing,” I insisted, but my voice wavered, betraying me.
Tess leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. “Camila, come on. You know you can tell me anything, right? If something’s up–like, I don’t know, creepy old ladies sniffing you or whatever–just spill.”
My heart skipped a beat. “How do you-” I stopped myself, realizing she was just joking. “Never mind. It’s nothing like that.”
“Uh–huh,” Tess said, clearly unconvinced. “Well, whatever it is, you need to get it together. Mr. Henderson’s been glaring at you for the past ten minutes like he’s deciding whether to call you out or let you self–destruct in peace.”
I turned toward the front of the room, and sure enough, Mr. Henderson–the epitome of stern math teachers everywhere–was glaring at me over his wire–rimmed glasses. His expression screamed, You’re on thin ice, young lady.
“Crap,” I muttered under my breath, straightening in my seat and pretending to look interested in the quadratic equations on the board.
Tess smirked, clearly amused by my discomfort. “Smooth, Camila. Real smooth.”
“Thanks for the moral support,” I hissed, scribbling random numbers in my notebook to look busy.
The rest of class dragged on like molasses, with Mr. Henderson droning on about something I was too distracted to process. Every few minutes, my mind wandered back to the old woman, her unsettling words echoing in my head. You’re not supposed to be here.
When the bell finally rang, I shoved my stuff into my bag and bolted for the door, Tess hot on my heels.
“Okay, seriously,” she said as we navigated the crowded hallway. “What’s going on with you? You’re acting even weirder than usual, and that’s saying something.”
“I’m fine, Tess,” I said, though my tone was anything but convincing. “Just drop it, okay?”
She sighed dramatically, throwing her hands in the air. “Fine. Be all mysterious and broody. But don’t come crying to me when you end up in some Lifetime movie scenario because you didn’t tell anyone what’s going on.”
I rolled my eyes, but her words struck a nerve.
As we made our way to the cafeteria, I couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. It wasn’t just paranoia; it was like an itch at the back of my neck, persistent and impossible to ignore.
We grabbed our trays and found a table near the window. Tess launched into a rant about her latest group project disaster, but I could barely focus. My eyes kept flicking to the cafeteria doors, half–expecting Ethan to walk in and start his silent stalker routine again.
“You’re not even listening, are you?” Tess said, snapping me back to reality for the second time that day.
“Sorry,” I mumbled. “What were you saying?”
She sighed, stabbing a fork into her salad. “I was saying that if Derek doesn’t pull his weight in this project, I’m going to glue his laptop shut. But seriously, Camila, you’re killing me here. Spill. Now.”
I hesitated, my gaze darting around the room. Everyone else seemed so normal, laughing and chatting like their biggest problem was deciding what to watch on Netflix later. Meanwhile, I felt like I was unraveling at the seams.
“It’s just… weird stuff,” I said finally, my voice barely above a whisper.
Tess perked up, her curiosity piqued. “Weird stuff like what? Ghosts? Demonic possession? Secret government experiments?”
1/21
3:34 PM
Chapter 19
I shot her a look. “Could you maybe not make me sound like a lunatic?”
“Hey, I’m just trying to help,” she said, holding up her hands defensively. “But seriously, what kind of weird stuff?”
I hesitated again, the words sticking in my throat. How could I explain it without sounding insane? Creepy old women, shadowy figures in my room, Ethan being a psycho and being everywhere I turned… it all sounded ridiculous.
“It’s nothing,” I said finally, picking at my food. “Just me being dramatic, I guess.”
Tess didn’t look convinced, but she let it go–at least for now.
The rest of the day passed in a blur, but the nagging feeling of unease never left me. By the time the final bell rang, I was practically sprinting for the bus stop, desperate to get home and lock myself in my room where, hopefully, nothing creepy would happen for once.
But that was obviously a pipe dream.
2/2
