Page 13 of The Wallflower

Oh well, at the very least, I can't let Jackie go alone, so...I really have no choice.

It only takes a few minutes to dress and slip a few essentials into my dress pockets. I lotion up, then twist my hair into a messy bun on top of my head. My glasses go on last, and I step into the kitchen of our suite. "Are you almost ready?"

A minute later, Jack steps out of her room, looking like she's going to a club, not anything even remotely outdoors. "Uh...you sure you want to wear that?"

She glances down at the bright pink minidress. "What's wrong with it?"

"Doesn't it, like, defeat the purpose?"

She smirks, grabs her small crossbody bag, and opens the door to leave. "I guess that depends on your purpose, huh?" With a thwack, she smacks my ass on the way out the door. It earns her a squeal from me as I scurry out into the hall toward the stairs.

It doesn't take very long to cross the campus toward the address. We reach an iron fence, where a man in a suit is posted. As we pull up, he motions at me to open my window. I hold a finger up to ask him to give me a second and lean down to crank the handle to roll down the window in my old-ass car.

Once we show our invitations, he waves us in while he speaks to someone on a radio.

I pull up the driveway, looking for parking. When I see the house, my jaw drops. "Holy shit. I've always wanted to know what was up here, but I never imagined it was this."

Jackie wiggles in the passenger seat. "Isn't it gorgeous? I saw it last year during The Hunt, but it's still breathtaking."

I park with the other cars and climb out, the door creaking loudly through the mostly quiet twilight.

We head up the small hill to find a group of people milling around in front of a small black platform. From the back of the crowd, I lean to Jackie. "So is there anything I should know here?"

She shrugs. "They change the rules every year to keep it fun. Last year, everyone had to wear blindfolds. I wonder what they’ll do this year. And where the hell is Sebastian hiding?"

I shake my head as she scans the people, but I don't see any oversized jocks lurking. Only the women and a few men are here, waiting.

It doesn't matter. I have my eyes on the beautiful house. It's huge and so pretty. I scan each stained glass window and sigh. I'll never have anything like this, but it's lovely to look at.

Gravel crunches, and we all shift to look toward the driveway leading to the left of the house. Ohshit. I duck behind the taller women in front of me. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. It'shim.

I peek over her shoulder, which earns me a glare from her. "Sorry," I mumble. "Just saw my ex."

Her glare softens, but she shifts a few feet forward to get some distance between us.

One of the men who approached steps up onto the platform and raises his arms to call for quiet. "Welcome to The Hunt"

I keep waiting for him to produce a top hat and tug out a rabbit.

Jackie squirms against me. "Oh my god, there he is. Sebastian," she breathes.

He’s wearing black on black, his dark hair perfectly settled, his green eyes flashing in the setting sun.

I roll my eyes and glance at the other few men and find the tallest one staring back at me. "Who is that one?" I whisper. He looks like the guy from the library, the unhinged one. She notices where I'm staring and grins wickedly.

“That's Andrew Marshall. Captain of the football team, school golden boy, and millionaire.” She waves at the house. “This is his family's estate."

I push my glasses up my nose and force my eyes away. "Of course it is."

I turn my attention to the man speaking and notice the menace in his tone. He doesn't sound angry, per se, but...damn, I feel like I'm in trouble.

He raises his voice over the whispers. "Six miles to the cabin, which is north. First person to arrive wins the trophy inside and the prize money. Simple."

The grin on his face as he says “simple” causes my stomach to drop. Shit. I'm not going to like the next part.

He waves toward the towering woods about a hundred feet away. "This year, we’ve added something special. If you join the event, there are no rules. You do what you want in these woods...and if you go in, you agree to these terms. If someone catches you...you better learn how to beg for mercy."

Jackie gulps and fans herself next to me. "I'm calling for mercy now, shit."