Darn Stupid Brother You Are by Mairee

Chapter 36

(Angel's POV)

I told them everything. Every single detail.

Dilara, Cylan, and Hande, my dorm mates, all sat in silence as I finished explaining what I found. Their eyes were wide with shock. The journal lay in front of us and it was half-hidden in my jacket. I hadn't shown them the contents yet. Not here. Not in the open.

"We need to be careful," I warned. "We can't let anyone see it yet."

Dilara frowned. "What about the guys? They need to know too."

I nodded and swallowed hard. "We'll meet with them tonight but it has to be discreet. We can't afford to mess this up."

Hande's eyes flicked nervously between the door and me. "What about Hendrix? Does he know?"

I shook my head. "I'll talk to him later." The truth was I hadn't had the courage to face him since that night. Since the kiss.

I didn't even know where to start with him but now wasn't the time for that.

The cafeteria was loud and full of students by the time we joined the boys. Eddie and Thomas were already there and their eyes lit up when they saw us. Eddie wasted no time and launched into his usual line of questions.

"So what's the deal with this book, Angel? Can we see it now?" His voice was too loud and careless.

"Shh!" Dilara hissed and leaned forward with her eyes flashing. "Use your brains. She can't show it to you here. Are you trying to get us caught?"

Eddie rolled his eyes but quieted down and threw a look at Thomas, who was watching me with curiosity. "We'll see it tonight then?"

I nodded and barely listened. My eyes scanned the room for Hendrix. He wasn't there and my stomach churned with unease.

"He was with Ava earlier," Thomas said as if he read my mind. "Talking out on the patio."

I barely had time to process what he'd said when the cafeteria doors swung open. Hendrix walked in and there she was beside him. Ava. Her laugh echoed through the room like nails on a chalkboard and for a split second, my heart felt like it was about to burst out of my chest.

them. But

my throat, hot and acidic. I couldn't do this. Not now. Not with her hanging on his arm

boots hitting the tiles echoed in my

was wrong with

these games. And with Ava, of all people. My thoughts spiraled back to the kiss and

quietly behind me. I knew it was

low and cautious, and it broke

turn around.

"It's not what it looks

my

I ripped it out and shoved it into his hands. "Read it," I said

this?" he asked and flipped it

"Just read it."

pages and I watched as his face shifted from confusion to shock. His eyes widened and his lips parted as the horror sank

night," I explained and my voice dropped to a whisper. "It's worse than we thought,

his face went pale. "They... they're making it

using all of us.

the journal again and then back at me as his hands

in my jacket again. "That's what we have to figure out. But we need to focus, Hendrix. We have to focus on what's important now. Please. For your sake, if not for anyone else's." There was an awkward silence between us, one that felt like it could stretch on forever. I took a step back and was ready to leave but he grabbed my

He didn't know what to say.

I managed and pulled away from him and headed for

...

gathered in a dark corner of the center, far from the eyes of guards and nurses. The boys and girls sat together in nervous anticipation. I pulled out the journal and this time I let them see it. Dilara was right-this was too important for them to

learned. The experiments, the fake illnesses, the organ harvesting. Hendrix sat silently and kept his eyes fixed on the floor,

into tense silence as we absorbed the gravity of the situation. We were trapped in a place that used us like cattle and waited to butcher

and his voice

was low but determined. "I want to see it for

glanced at Hendrix,

I said finally. "But we have to be