The Valentine's Dare (The Sycamore Serial Book 1) (11 page)

That’s when she remembered what it was that had bugged her all day.

Mason’s third roommate, Glenn, was out on foreign exchange. She’d been given a placard for him and had even set him up with a girl, because Frankie had told her there was someone coming in his place; a grad student, specifically. When Kierra had asked him what his name was, Frankie hadn’t been able to tell her; so she’d set him up with a girl she’d been told was a lesbian and considered it no more. But she’d never gotten that final name from Frankie.

He couldn’t possibly have gotten back in,
she thought, barely noticing as she body-checked another student in her haste to back away from the door and put as many people as possible between her and her ex.
Not that fast. Even his father’s lawyers couldn’t have done this. Everyone knows what he did.

But did they - did they really? Sure, they knew he put a guy in the hospital, but did they know that Evan hadn’t fought back at all, hadn’t so much as laid a finger on Brooks? Did they know what his face looked like when his hands were covered in blood, what happened when the guy he was beating up fell unconscious and he kept going and going, like God himself couldn’t hold him back?

Only Kierra knew; and beyond speaking to the police on Evan’s behalf, she hadn’t done anything about Brooks, not in the tangible sense. There was no restraining order, no proof of her fear of him. She’d thought his school suspension would be enough to keep him away - at least for a while; at least until the year was up.

Of course he’s here. I couldn’t have just a little bit of heartbreak on Valentine’s Day; I had to have a lot.
Spotting a freshman, Kierra intercepted his trip to the food table.

“There’s a guy over at the door who just came in - auburn hair, blue eyes, red tie. I need you to double check his invitation; he’s not a Sycamore House resident.”

“Sure thing, boss,” he said, disappearing into the crowd, which was much too thin for Kierra’s taste.

Wanting to make herself scarce quickly, she hurried over to the hallway that led to the bathroom, trying to face away from the doors at all times.
Please don’t let him see me, please don’t-

A hand on her arm stopped her. She froze, a rabbit facing the jaws of a predator.

“I didn’t know you wanted to avoid me that bad.”

Mason.
Kierra sighed audibly, turning to face him, her heart still recovering from the scare. “I didn’t see you come in.”

“Oh. I thought you were avoiding me.” His hand fell off her arm, his eyes downcast. Kierra surprised herself by worrying for him; he looked almost gaunt, his face thin, his eyes darkened by lack of sleep.

“It’s just a little awkward, you know?”

Wincing, Mason looked away. “Right, of course. Because of…” he shrugged, looking helpless and small. “I get it. I wouldn’t want to be around me either, after what I did.”

The look on his face was agonizing; Kierra had to harden her heart to keep from forgiving him right then and there. “There are worse things you could’ve done. Why don’t we just agree to let it go and move on, okay?”

Mason glanced at her, his eyes hollow. “Move on? If that’s what you want.”

“It is,” she insisted, making sure there was space between them, a visible gap between her and her temptation.

“Then that’s what we’ll do. After all, we’ll be seeing each other plenty.”

“I’m glad you understand,” Kierra said, genuinely.

“As long as we’re being friendly…” Mason glanced out into the crowd; Kierra followed his gaze, spotted an annoyed-looking Anna across the room. “Since you set me up with my ex-girlfriend, I think you owe me at least one date.”

Kierra opened her mouth to acquiesce - what harm could it do, at this point - when her eyes slid past Anna to the figured behind her, who most certainly
hadn’t
been kicked out of the dance.

Brooks was still there, and this time he was looking back at her, his eyes penetrating. She shivered, frozen to the spot; for a long moment no one moved, no one even seemed to breathe, and then Brooks glanced over - and right at Mason.

The anger in his eyes was unmistakable.

Terror in her heart, Kierra turned and ran.

“Hey - Kierra! Wait!” Mason’s voice called to her as she careened down the hallway to the emergency exit, her heels flying off with the force of her strides, her dress tugging at her knees. With a great heave, she pushed open the doors and shot out into the night, unable - and afraid - to look back.

CHAPTER TEN

Just like the First Time

This time, he would go after her; this time, he wouldn’t lose her like he had before.

Mason didn’t know why Kierra ran away from him like a bat out of hell, but he knew that he couldn’t do nothing to get her back. If she was afraid, it was because this thing between them was bigger than the both of them; and if she didn’t want to do anything about it, he understood, but he had to try.

Besides, she left her shoes behind. He had to at least bring her
those.

She was a figured in the distance, haloed by the halogen light of the parking lot lamps. The red-and-black dress she wore cut her figure in an alluring way, but when she stopped to get her breath - eyes wide as she glanced over her shoulder - there was nothing sensual in her gaze.

For some reason, she was terrified.

Mason stopped, brows furrowed, realizing that going after her might not have been the right idea.
This isn’t the game of cat and mouse I thought it was.
This was no go-away-no-chase-me routine; Kierra was truly frightened of something.

“Mason!” She reached towards him, eyes wide, hands trembling; he couldn’t tell from this distance, but it was like she was looking - somewhere -

Turning, he saw him.

A pale figure in the dark, face twisted in fury and violence, ghost blue eyes chilling even from a distance. He stormed out of the emergency exit door, hands balled up into fists at his sides. Suddenly Mason understood why Kierra was so afraid.

But the guy wasn’t coming for her.

He ran at Mason, roaring as he brought his fist up to punch him in the face. Mason blocked - barely - and went down, surprise registering as he fell to the pavement on his back.

“Brooks, no!” Kierra screamed, running towards him on bare feet. Mason realized, as if distantly, that he’d dropped her shoes.
Her feet will get all cut up on the pavement,
he thought, even as the fists rained down.

It was all Mason could do to shield himself with his arms, unprepared as he was. The guy held him down with his knees and pummeled him again and again, blows falling wildly, hitting his face, chest, arms, stomach. Mason yelled, barely understanding why they were even fighting, trying - and failing - to get his own blows in.

“Stop it, stop it Brooks!” Kierra grabbed the guy’s shoulders and pulled him back, giving Mason a few seconds of sweet relief. He staggered up, swaying on his feet, angry at himself and his foe for not even getting the chance to fight back.

“What the fuck is your problem?” he spit out, breathless and in pain, his ribs screaming at him.

“You’re my fucking problem, hitting on my girlfriend like that.”

Girlfriend?
Mason stared at Kierra in shock, surprised at how much that hurt - on top of all the physical injuries. She shook her head, so pale and small with her hands barely holding Brooks back.

“I didn’t know she was your girlfriend,” Mason ventured, deciding to play nice and see if it got him out alive. “I’ll just-“ he coughed, chest straining, barely able to spit out the words. “I’ll just leave, man.”

For a moment, it almost seemed like that would work. Then this
look
sparked in Brooks’ eyes, and he roared like a man possessed.

“You think I don’t know what’s going on here? You’re going to meet up with him later, aren’t you.” This he shot at Kierra, his figure towering over her as he took her by the shoulders and
shook
her. “All I want to do is love you, but everywhere I turn you take what I’ve given you and turned to ashes and dust.”

“I’m sorry,” she ventured, eyes meeting Mason’s gaze and then darting back up to Brooks in fear. Mason gathered himself together, trying to figure out if he had enough unbroken bones to take this guy
down
- at least for long enough that they could run back inside to safety.

“I’m glad you realize your mistake.” Mason watched with wide eyes as Brooks melted under Kierra’s sympathy, turning from a crazed lunatic into a sappy lover. He caressed her cheek, drawing her close. With his eyes on her like that, Brooks didn’t even notice Mason shuffling towards him.

But Kierra did, and she shook her head, mouthing
“no.”
Mason stopped, second guessing himself. Was he the savior, or the interloper?

Brooks saw her mouth moved and turned, seeing Mason standing right behind him with his fists raised, ready to punch him in the back of the head.

“Someone doesn’t learn his lesson easy,” Brooks snarled, his hand disappearing inside his tuxedo jacket.

Mason saw his opening. He punched him right in the jaw, fist smashing with a satisfying
crack,
knuckles buckling in pain. Gritting his teeth, he stumbled back and cradled his fist.

“Get out of my sight, now.”

In answer, Brooks pulled his hand out of his jacket.

A knife flashed in the darkness.

Kierra screamed.

She watched him fall, time moving impossibly slowly - but not so slowly that she could stop it.

Suddenly she was back in time, trying to pull Brooks off Evan and barely even managing to budge him; only this time the object of his ire was someone she’d come to care about - even as she pushed him away.

The knife, so small, so innocent a tool, darted in and out of Mason’s body. He fell, eyes wide in disbelief. Kierra could feel more than hear her own screaming; if someone told her she’d gone deaf, she would have to believe.

In an instant, like chess pieces moved by a careless hand, they had fallen to another position.

Kierra knelt by a bleeding Mason, hands darting towards his chest, tears rolling down her cheeks.

“No no no nono nono,” she muttered like a prayer. “Please, stay with me.”

“It’s not that much blood,” he said, chest rattling with the effort. “You really like your parties dramatic, huh?”

A sound; she turned and saw the emergency exit doors standing wide open, people milling about in the open air, and realized they’d set off the alarm.
It all happened so fast.
Someone spotted them and started running; she recognized Lacy’s cotton candy pink hair, but she was so far away.

“Kiki, I-“ Brooks sobbed, hand dropping the shiny wet knife as he backed away. “I just love you so much.”

She stared up at him, fear and rage twisted in the hollows of her heart. “Get the fuck away from me.” For the first time in her life, she felt nothing when he looked into her eyes. “Don’t you ever come near me again.”

Kierra raised her hands to ward him off, and realized by the way he looked at her that they were bright red with blood, as garish as the decorations inside. With a start, he seemed to come awake, turned, and ran away, the darkness swallowing him up.

There’s not a lawyer in the world that can protect him now,
she thought;
I’ll make sure of that.

“Hey, so, think I could get that dance?” Mason coughed, that smirk on his face even as he grew paler by the second.

“Sure, just let me make this phone call.” Kierra’s fingers slipped on the touchscreen of her phone. The numbers were all blurry - she could barely tell the 0 from the 9. “I got it, just one sec.”

“Don’t worry, babe.” Lacy reached down and pulled the bloody phone from her hands. “I got it.”

With a start, Kierra realized they were surrounded by students, all of whom seemed reluctant to step too close to Mason, like his stab wounds were somehow contagious.

He wasn’t talking anymore.

“Mason!” Kierra tried to shake him awake, leaving bloody fingerprints on his dress shirt. “Please, don’t go.”

“Shhhhhh.” Lacy pulled her hands away with effort, suddenly joined by Leila and her inhuman strength.
 

“Chica, let me.”

Without ceremony, Leila pushed Kierra away, bent over Mason, and pressed her ear against his chest. Then she put her mouth on his for a few beats, breathing out air like a bellows. Finally, she pressed her hands together and pushed down on his chest, in time to a heartbeat that was fading away.

It was then Kierra realized he was dying.

And she hadn’t even gotten to love him.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Every Little Beat

She could barely breathe in the space between each beep of the monitor.

Kierra’s visit was limited to five minutes; she’d been told this by the severe orderly who waited in the hallway for her to finish up. There wasn’t really a point to the limit; it’s not like she could upset Mason. She couldn’t even look him in the eye.

Instead, she took pen to paper, and with shaky hands she wrote him a note.

It took four and a half of her allotted five minutes. She knew, because she counted each and every one of them, her eyes on the clock just as much as her letter. In it, she told him everything; about Brooks, about her feelings, about how much he meant to her. Last of all, she told him why she had to leave - and where she was going.