Stalked by my Professor Novel

Chapter 60 My foot bumps against Kai's leg, causing a sudden dull ache from my wound that forces me awake. Which prompts a desperate signal from a very full bladder. I might have been able to ignore the pain long enough to fall asleep. Might even have convinced my bladder it can hold another pint or two. But then the thoughts roll in, and I'm doomed. First and foremost, that fucking photo. It swirls around in my head like a scene from a low-budget horror movie. That Kai could have thought it was real is fucking hilarious. I'd still be laughing if I wasn't devastated.

How could he think it was me? Does he think I went off the rails after our disastrous meeting on my sweet sixteen? That I turned into some super whore who fucked anyone with a dick who glanced my way? Ugh. Now I really need to pee. Judging from the light pouring in through Kai's dorm room window, the sun is already up. Should I chance sneaking through the hall and hope no one sees me? I struggle to sit up because of the heavy arm draped over my hip. Kai is so fast asleep that sliding it off me doesn't even wake him up. My lips twitch into a smile as I study him.

His hair's disheveled, face slack with sleep. How the fuck can he look so gorgeous when he's busy drooling all over his pillow? With another ache from my bladder, I'm not left with much of a choice. Well, there's Kai's waste paper basket, and a potted ficus that already looks like it's given up on life, but I have enough to fill up my car's gas tank, and I'm not risking it overflowing either container. Yawning, I gingerly extract myself from bed, forcing down the urge to accidentally kick him. Because then I'd be the asshole.

I still can't believe he carried me all the way back here last night...without complaining. Bet he thinks I owe him like a hundred blow jobs to make up for it. Weird that he didn't insist on one last night. As soon as I put weight on my injured foot, I have t0 bite back a yelp. The pain is so much worse this morning. I perch on the edge of Kai's bed and prop the ankle of my sore foot on my other knee to quickly check the damage. It's quite a deep cut, but thankfully it's not bleeding anymore. Doesn't look infected either.

Limping over to the door, I ease it open and peek into the hallway to check if it's clear. I hobble as quickly as I can to the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind me. Ha, never mind my foot. My entire body is aching from our romp through the forest, our energetic fuck-fest session in the cabin, and the long trek back to the frat house. No wonder Kai crashed so hard last night. I can't imagine how sore his muscles are after carrying me all that way. I close my eyes as I wait for my bladder to empty. It takes a while.

When I'm done, I flush the toilet and summon the little resilience I have left as I stare at my reflection in the mirror. The past few weeks have been...disastrous. I'm used to shitty days. Exhausting days. Terrifying days. But this? Holy fucking shit. Nosy bitch I am, I root around in the bathroom cabinet. Aw, how nice. Someone left a small first-aid kit in here. I take it back to the toilet, sitting on the lid so I can bandage my foot. Then, I squirt out a blob of toothpaste someone left lying around and scrub it over my teeth with a finger.

Gargle with some dodgy-looking mouthwash after reassuring myself that just how soap can't ever be 'dirty', mouthwash is basically pure alcohol and can't breed germs. Then I run my fingers through my still-damp hair, trying to get it into some kind of style as I frown critically at my disheveled reflection. When I realize I'm preening-for Kai-I leave the bathroom scowling, first aid kit tucked under my arm. I don't get very far. Hardly out the door, in fact. I walk straight into the guy who followed me to Pie Palace the other week.

He's in a faded blue zip-up sweater instead of his bright red hoodie, and no baseball cap in sight, but I'd recognize those pedo eyeglasses anywhere. Does this frat only let creeps and weirdos pledge or something? Blake was bad enough with his feet pics...but this guy? Said creep leans back, not bothering to be subtle as he checks me out. And yeah, that makes me feel like a piece of meat. More specifically, some really juicy 'long pig' cuts.

I cross my arms over my chest, not just to cover up my stiff nipples-I got a serious jump scare-but also in case he thinks I'm giving him any positive signals. "Haven." "Frat bro," I reply, just as matter-of-factly. "Girls aren't allowed up here." I snort-laugh. "What are you, five?" When I try to push past him, he either doesn't realize that he's filling up just enough of the doorway to block me, or he purposefully doesn't make way. "Does Kai know you're here?" "Wh-of course, you..." I almost call him a name, but damn this guy is all kinds of freaky up close. And what is that smell?

Some kind of medicated antiperspirant? Who'd use that and not cover it up with cologne? Only other explanation is that he works in a morgue. Nowhere near the corpses, of course, because he'd do things to them. "Someone get hurt?" he says, eyes now glued to the first aid kit. There's such an intense gleam in his eyes that the hackles on the back of my neck give him a standing ovation. "You, if you don't get out of my way," I say, trying not to breathe through my nose, really not wanting to breathe through my mouth. Smelling is one thing, but tasting? Fuck this. I'm outta here.

I twist, sidling past him and brushing up against way too much of his body. But at least I'm free. Don't know why, but I keep expecting him to grab me as I stagger down the hall, my injured foot propped up on its heel, arms pistoning for balance. I shudder when I glance back over my shoulder and he's still standing there, watching me. Why did I leave Kai's room wearing so little clothing? I tug at the hem of the jersey he gave me last night as I open his door and slip inside. I stand there for a few seconds, listening intently. Like I could actually hear footsteps on that thick carpet.

Dropping the first aid kit on the corner of the bed, I give sleeping Kai a quick glare. Could he not have picked a less creepy guy to trail me? I did not need to be on that guy's radar. I want nothing more than to climb back into bed. It was warm and safe in there. Maybe I could even catch some more zzz's before the alarm. But my stiff body is begging for movement, so I hobble around Kai's room, trying to stretch out while avoiding stepping on my bandaged foot. How the hell am I supposed to spend all day on my feet with an injury like this?

The alternative, of course, is calling Milo hours before my first shift to tell him I can't make it. Not gonna happen. I'll just take the painkillers Melissa gave me for my cramps. One should be enough to take the edge off without tranquilizing me like it did the other day. Hopefully, it's still on my nightstand-I can collect it when I go back to GAZ this morning to get dressed for my shift. The view out Kai's window is gorgeous. The top of the campus building peeks out between the trees, framed by the distant hills that border Agony Hollow.

But pretty soon I'm bored with the view, so I do another circuit of his spacious room. His bookshelf catches my eye. It's got a handful of sports medals and trophies on it. Some textbooks. A few non-fiction titles with douchey names like Zero to One, The Game, and Forty-Eight Laws of Power. I purse my lips when I spot the Lucifer Effect he took from me that day in the library. Hope you get a late fine, asshole. But what makes me pause is the odd-thing-out. More specifically, an envelope-shaped thing.

Easily recognizable, because it's the same stationery Kai used when we wrote letters to each other. I should have stopped myself. Going through a frat house's bathroom cabinet is one thing. Rifling through your ex-best-friend-turned-enemy-turned-fuck-buddy's mail is on another level. Lizard brain doth not give a fuck. It needs an answer the instant I spot that envelope. Because even from here, frozen in the middle of Kai's room, I can see it's closed, but not sealed. That there's something inside. Like a letter inside that was never sent. I'm practically salivating by the time I reach it.

I open it and slide out the letter without thinking. Same handwriting along the top. Same greeting he always wrote at the start of his letters. Just a big fat 'hi' with way too many exclamation marks. God, he had serious golden retriever energy back then. HI!!! NEXT WEEK'S THE BIG DAY! 16! GUESS I CAN'T CALL YOU "LITTLE" MISS HEAVENLY ANYMORE??? I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU. IT'S BEEN TOO LONG! WE GOT ALOT TO TALK ABOUT. GOT SOMETHING FOR YOU. HOPE YOU⁠- It ends mid-sentence. I turn over the page, but the back is blank. I read it again. Again.

When I fold up the letter and open the envelope to put it back inside, I feel something shift inside. I tip it over and stare at the delicate silver chain lying on my palm. There's a tiny butterfly pendant, barely bigger than my thumbnail, its wings studded with two bright blue stones. This was meant for me. But he never sent it. Why? What made him stop writing mid-sentence? What made him fold up the letter and put it away? Why does he leave it lying out here in the open like it's just another pamphlet for a party he forgot to throw away? There's a dull ache growing inside me.

The unfinished letter, the butterfly pendant-they feel too heavy in my shaking hand. Kai had been excited to see me that day. He even bought me jewelry. If I ever had any doubt, here's the proof that my green-eyed boy cared about me. So what the fuck happened? Me. I happened. I made him feel like shit because he wouldn't take my virginity. And then his brother poisoned him against me. I put the envelope back on his bookshelf, blinking furiously as pressure builds behind my eyes. No way I'm crying about this.

As I turn back to the bed, where I plan to definitely kick Kai on the way in, I spot the corner of a black spiral-bound notebook peeking out beneath a stack of legal pads. My heart stutters in my chest. Must be Kai's Activity Log. This text is hosted at find•novel.net I guess it makes sense-he'd had to have taken Professor Rooke's class to become his TA. But why the hell did he keep it? As soon as I'm done with Bastian's class, I'm burning mine. It became more than an assignment to me. I was using it like a fucking grudge book. Noting every wrong deed anyone ever committed against me. Kai.

My dad. My uncle. ...Mom. I'm reaching for it while my mind's still ablaze. He's only got himself to blame, leaving something like this out here where anyone can find it. ACTIVITY LOG As soon as I pick it up, I can feel it's as well used as mine. The edges of the pages are uneven, like they've been rifled through plenty of times. The cover's even a little creased in one corner, just like⁠- No. Fuck no. -just like mine. I don't know how long he's had this, but I'm pretty sure he's read it cover-to-cover already. And he still had the audacity to treat me like a piece of shit?

My eyes cut back to the envelope. I'm fucking glad he never sent that letter. Never gave me that stupid necklace. They say people never change, but Kai is the exception that proves the fucking rule. He might have been sweet and kind in his own unique way, but that Kai's long dead. Why the fuck am I pretending there's a chance I can resurrect him? The rage hits me so hard I have to grip the bookshelf to stay upright. He read every entry...and he still called me a slut. Still hurt me. Still made me feel like I was nothing but Riverside trailer trash.

I want to bash his head in with one of his trophies. I want to burn this whole fucking frat house down-with him inside. Instead, I just stand there shaking, staring at the boy who used to be my entire world. A boy who's become my personal demon. Guys are all the same. They'll say anything, do anything, just to get you to sleep with them. And if you still say no...well, they'll fuck you, regardless. I'm so fucking naive. So fucking pathetic. And so fucking done being the punchline.