started dating over Christmas break, since I couldn’t find a trace of conversation between you on social media. You two don’t even follow each other, and the last personal photo you shared was of you and Kenneth. If I had to speculate, I’d say you were faking it.” Her words are loud enough that if someone were listening to us, they would have heard it.
I glance around, checking to see if anyone’s close enough to be listening. There are students dotted along the hall talking and goofing off, but no one seems to be paying any attention to Gul and me.
I swallow. Once again Gul’s nose for news has led her true. She’s got me dead to rights. It didn’t even occur to me to doctor my online presence to reflect my new relationship status. I can’t believe I overlooked it. Rookie mistake. One that I won’t make again.
My eyes narrow in defiance. “Just to be clear, Ricardo and I ARE dating, but I’ll stop hounding you about the call,” I concede.
Gul cocks her head to one side, weighing my words.
If I’ve guessed incorrectly and she didn’t make that call, there’s nothing to keep her from floating her theory about Ricardo and me all over school. She’d love nothing more than to spread rumors about us, especially if I’ve been barking up her tree by mistake. It wouldn’t be her first time savaging a new couple.
I unclench my jaw when she nods.
“Okay, I’ll keep it to myself, but if you mention that stupid call again…” Her implication is clear.
“I won’t.”
Grady appears at her side, face drawn. He looks exhausted. “Ready?”
“I’m starving,” Gul purrs. “Let’s go off campus.” She twines her fingers with his and saunters away, confident that she’s won our match just now.
It galls me to no end that she got the upper hand. If I hadn’t taken her bait, hadn’t shot off my mouth, it may have ended differently.
I stomp up the hall toward the dormitory, my glower cutting a path for me through the crowd. Everyone is pumped that it’s finally the weekend, and I was too, until a few minutes ago. I thought I’d have more clues as to what happened to Professor Rook, but Gul didn’t give me anything but threats and warnings.
My fingers tap along the bannister as I ascend the dormitory stairs. I’ll have to come up with another way to prove that Gul was outside the academy during that call. If I’m going to talk to her again, I’ll need some leverage.
Which means I’ll have to build some goodwill with my classmates so if Gul does spread rumors about Ricardo and me, they won’t have long legs.
It looks like Ricardo and I will have to make another public appearance this weekend, and a cute one too.
My mind returns to all of the possible reasons Gul might want to keep people from finding out she made that anonymous call. Is she capable of participating in a hit and run that ended a man’s life?
I don’t know, and I can’t think of a motive.
As far as I know, Gul doesn’t have any reason to want Professor Rook dead. They didn’t have much interaction that I saw, and I don’t have any reason to suspect she bought drugs from him even once, let alone habitually.
So why would she protect the killer?
15
With Gul’s threat hanging over my head, I have to go about my investigation into Professor Rook’s death another way. And I need to play up my relationship with Ricardo so our classmates start rooting for us. That way if Gul decides to let her suspicions slip, people will be less likely to believe her. I hope.
I read the same paragraph of my textbook for the fifth time, rubbing at the back of my neck. I’ve been sitting in my desk chair for what feels like hours. Rolling my shoulders, I turn to where Adrienne and Genevieve are sitting on floor poufs, leaning against the side of my bed.
A quiet stream of classical music filters from the speakers on my laptop.
“I don’t understand why my phyllo dough won’t cooperate,” Adrienne says, flicking her finger over the screen of her tablet. “It falls apart, every time. And Mikhail’s birthday is next week.”
Genevieve pats Adrienne’s arm. “You’ll get it. I know it. Just like you did with that calculus test last week.”
Adrienne smiles in reply.
Since my concentration is shattered, I snap my tablet closed. Standing, I arch my back in a much needed stretch. “I need a