Betrayed, Then Back For Blood

Abbie and Mia were momentarily stunned by Briar’s sudden outburst, but they quickly sprang into action, rushing to help Lydia, who was clearly in pain and barely able to stand. “Lydia, you okay?” they asked, voices thick with worry.

“Briar, how could you lay hands on her? That’s so low!” Abbie snapped, pointing an accusatory finger at Briar.

“We were trying to talk to you like civilized people. You brush us off and start throwing punches the second you don’t like what you hear? Seriously, how could you be so rude?” Mia piled on, her tone sharp with indignation.

“My back hurts so bad,” Lydia whimpered, tears streaming down her face. She wasn’t faking it–Briar’s shove had left her rattled, her back throbbing like it was already bruising.

She thought to herself, ‘Is this Briar even a woman? What kind of girl hits that hard?‘

“Let’s take a look,” Abbie said, lifting Lydia’s shirt with Mia to check her back. Then, they gasped in unison.

“Oh my, your whole back’s red, and it’s turning purple in spots!” Abbie exclaimed, wide–eyed.

“This is serious! You need to go to the infirmary right now. What if something’s seriously hurt?” Mia added, her voice urgent.

“I’m reporting this,” Lydia said through clenched teeth, pointing at Briar in fury. “You think you can come in here, start fights, and walk away? I’m going to tell our advisor. You’ve crossed the line!”

Briar stood there, arms crossed, watching their melodramatic performance with a mix of amusement and disdain. When Lydia threatened to tattle, she shrugged. “Go for it. Take it straight to Mr. Goodwin. Maybe he’ll kick me out on the spot.”

She wasn’t scared of trouble or of escalating it. These girls had come at her with their petty games, and Briar wasn’t about to let small–time scheming run her out of a place like Shoneport University.

this!” Lydia

lay hands on her again–resorting to a catfight would only bring them down to her “level,” and they had too much pride for that. So they turned, helping Lydia limp away toward the infirmary, plotting their

each other like they’d survived a war. She smirked,

lunch break, and the dorm door had been wide open the whole time. The noise had

nosy students lingered near Room 2015, peeking

around to be gawked at like some zoo exhibit. She locked the dorm door with

lab. Instead, she slung her backpack over her shoulder and made her way to the campus gates, bound for her place at Moonspring Estate. A quick nap sounded like the perfect way to shake

nonsense.

for half

screen flashed an unknown number. Groggy and annoyed, Briar silenced it without a second

her surprise, the caller was relentless, ringing again and again. By the fourth call, Briar’s patience was gone. She answered with a growl, “Hello? Who is this? You better have a good reason for

11

Chapter 44

tone threw the caller off, and after a brief pause, a

Ms. Briar

rattled the girl. She shut her eyes, tamping down her

the fact that the caller knew she was