Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82415 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 412(@200wpm)___ 330(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82415 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 412(@200wpm)___ 330(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
In the short time I’ve known him, he’s shown me a lot more than the fun, sex-crazed guy I’m used to seeing around campus. So far, he’s been true to his word about keeping our secret. He helped me gain access to Spencer’s room. And now he’s trying to protect me from what he believes is a dangerous group.
I could just pretend that’s what’s going on. Then tell him to fuck off. But I don’t want to do that.
This could be the stupidest mistake ever, but as I look into his sympathetic gaze, I say, “Meet me tonight in the woods. Don’t tell Brad where you’re going or anything about any of this.”
6
MATTEO
I hike through the woods, one hand tucked in my pocket while holding my phone with the other, using the light app to guide me. Alexei said I couldn’t come from the trails near campus, so I had to drive around to the street on the other side of the woods and walk. I’m already trembling from the chill in the air, but an even colder breeze passes over me, making my body shiver even more.
The past few days, I’ve been a wreck, worried sick about Alexei. Then he told me that shit about his brother. I’m haunted by his words and how difficult they were to get out as he shared this dark part of his life. And now I understand his desperation, and I’m even more concerned that the Alpha Alpha Mu guys are taking advantage of him.
“Meet me in the woods.”
I don’t know what the hell he wants, but I tried to reason with him, only for him to insist he had to show me, and then he left the library study room. Later, he texted me where to meet him, his last text reading: If you don’t come, I’ll understand.
Of course, whatever the hell he’s into, I’m not gonna leave him, and if I find out those frat assholes are pulling a fucked-up prank on him or worse, they’ll discover he was the wrong guy to fuck with.
I’m worried I might have read Alexei’s instructions wrong, but then I come up to a dilapidated shed. A light flashes on before moving toward me. It looks like it’s floating, until Alexei draws near. Unlike me, he’s using an actual flashlight. He’s bundled up in a coat and a beanie, tufts of his lengthy bangs hanging loose, his breath fogging up in front of him.
“It’s cold as fuck out,” I say, which makes him chuckle.
“Welcome to the past few shitty weeks of my life. Now let’s get to it. I’ll let you know when you need to turn out your light.”
“You aren’t gonna give me any clues about where we’re going?”
He shakes his head. “You need to see this for yourself. I wish there was another way, but I can’t get an audio or visual recording of any of it, and even if I could, I doubt that would be enough to persuade you.”
What a weird thing to say. What would he need to get a recording of, and what would prevent him from getting it?
He guides me through the woods, and after a few minutes, we reach a trail. He directs me to turn off my light. Just enough moonlight illuminates the woods, so it’s not too difficult to navigate en route to wherever Alexei is taking us.
We walk in silence, but something’s been weighing on my mind since our conversation, so keeping my voice low, I say, “Earlier, when you said I don’t know what it’s like not knowing, I understood it more than you might realize.”
In my periphery, I see him turn toward me.
“I didn’t lose anyone, at least not like you did your brother. But…I was adopted as a baby. When I got older and asked about my biological parents, Mom and Dad told me they had to sign an NDA preventing them from ever telling me. Fucked with my head. I had to know. I had to understand why they gave me up. I knew—hoped, maybe—it must have been hard on them, but it didn’t have to do with them. I needed an answer.”
“Did you ever find out?”
The memory comes to me, seeing my biological mother for the first time, the horror in her eyes as she looked at me. “His face…you have his face.”
I shake it off. “Yeah. And the truth wasn’t pretty.” That’s as much as I can bring myself to say. “Sorry. I just wanted you to know I understand why you need to do this. And given how close you were to your brother, it sounds a hell of a lot worse than what I went through.” Which is why I’m tempted to kick the asses of the frat guys putting Alexei through this.
He’s quiet for a few moments before saying, “I’m sorry for…whatever it is you found out about your biological parents.”