Darkness Follows by J.L. Drake

routine.
    I smoothed my hands down my gray pencil skirt, which complemented my plum silk blouse nicely. I sat on the corner of the bed and watched the news. There was hardly any mention of what had happened to me. The FBI had done a great job of steering the media toward the manhunt for Lasko. They said he had abducted a young female, but she had managed to get away. They urged high schools and universities across Orange County to beef up security on campus. Seth and Garrett were nervous the media would find out it was me, but my name was never mentioned, nor was there any description given.
    “Seriously?” Johnnie pointed at my heels as I walked into the kitchen. “Does it not hurt your calf?” He referred to my bright red scar.
    “Nope, I’m all good.” I plastered a smile on my face, wanting to seem as normal as possible. “With whom do I have the privilege of driving to school this morning?”
    “Connors and I are taking you.” Garrett came out of the laundry room. I nodded as I sipped my coffee. It was odd that Seth had given me the cold shoulder the last few nights. He’d made an excuse for why he couldn’t come to bed. What the hell had happened when Michaels showed up?
    “Something on your mind?” Garrett gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.
    “Nope. I’m just looking forward to my classes.”
    On the drive to school, I barely spoke two words. I got anxious as we got closer. I knew I had been under Seth’s watch for a few weeks, and that was a big comfort, but now it set in he wouldn’t be with me. I told myself everything would be okay, that as long as I was with someone at all times, I should be safe.
    I caught Seth’s face in the mirror. He studied me carefully. When I caught his gaze, he gave me a sad look. Then a mask fell over his face. Was it just me, or was he pulling away? I shook my head. He wouldn’t push me away again, would he? No, not after the last time, not after he’d said all those sweet things that made me fall in love all over again. I hated that my insecurities about relationships crashed down whenever I got nervous. I closed my eyes briefly and tried to clear my mind.
    Don’t over-analyze this, Em. He’s probably just nervous about letting you out of his sight.
    He opened my door and offered me a hand out of the car.
    “Check in with me hourly, okay?” He spoke over my head as he scanned all around me. “Don’t leave campus, and call if you need anything.”
    His voice was different, almost unemotional. Like he was talking to a witness rather than his girlfriend. I immediately got my back up and stepped away from him.
    “Right. Got it.” I mirrored his tone. His gaze shifted down to mine. I thought I saw fear flicker in his eyes, but I couldn’t be sure. “That it?” I snapped.
    “Yeah.” He stepped toward me and kissed my forehead. I held perfectly still, not sure what to make of all this. He nodded at someone over my head. I turned to see Erin come up behind me. When I turned back around, Seth was in the car. Garrett gave me a small wave and then eyed Seth. I could tell he was just as shocked by his behavior as I was.
    “Ready?” Erin asked as she linked arms with me. “’Cause I would sell my left kidney not to have to sit through ninety minutes of our philosophy class. Sweet Jesus, that man will be the death of me. Like, literally, I sit there and plot my own death.”
    This made me laugh. Erin always had such a great way of bringing me out of a funk. We headed toward our torture.
    The second hand on the clock above the whiteboard moved at a ridiculously slow speed. My eyes followed that tiny needle all the way around the numbers, hoping someone or something would make time jolt forward and save us from this ‘ I want to ram a fork in my cornea’ lecture.
    Erin dropped a paper on my book, and I glanced down to read it.
    “I don’t recall wanting to kill myself as a selling point for this class.”
    I smirked and shifted as my ribs started to ache from