HOPE
The sound of a groan startles me awake. Awake? I've barely had any sleep, so why am I jerking awake to sunlight when it was clearly dark just a second ago?
My head aches a little as something tickles my cheek. I dust it off, feeling the swipe of my fingers, and jerk my hand back to stare at it in horror.
With my eyes widening, I study the very whole hand in front of me, then take in the very new sensations surrounding me.
Warmth. Softness. Hardness. A slight chill in the air. The whisper of wind rushing over my skin. But I concentrate primarily on the warmth, because a large, heavy hand is spanned across my stomach, the heat of it carrying through the thin gown that is actually real now.
I slept with Eli's jeans and hoodie, so how the hell do I have a fucking gown on?
I moan before I can stop myself because of all the sensations washing over me at once.
My legs glide over the sheets, feeling the exquisite softness beneath me. It's absolutely amazing. Almost overwhelming, because I can remember declining everyone's effort and offer to sleep in their bed since there's no extra bedroom.
I had to make my point by sleeping on the couch and even stupidly declined a blanket offer.
The hand on my stomach tenses, slowly squeezing just enough to wrinkle my gown. Then Kaleb's head pops up, his eyes widen on me, and those pairs almost dance with excitement.
That warmth floods me, and something akin to a dull ache moves between my thighs as I try to get my rapid breathing under control. I only thought I knew what arousal was until this moment.
It's a consuming, burning desire that swarms you, making you desperate for touch like I never imagined possible.
What the hell am I doing in his bedroom?
His eyes do a quick sweep of my body, and a dark, daring grin tugs at one corner of his mouth before his eyes come back up.
His hand darts out, grabs the front of my gown, and rips it down to my waist.
Sensation washes over me, stealing my scream as my nipples harden almost painfully, and that ache intensifies as my body continues to heat.
I suck in a breath as he suddenly comes down on top of me, tugs my hair aside, and brings his mouth to kiss me.
Ohhh, if I had my snow fucking globe!
"Fuck yourself, asshole!" I push him off my body and instantly jolt up on the couch.
What the hell?
Was that... a dream? A wet dream?
Oh my fucking goodness!
The air conditioner is still on, but thankfully, I'm not freezing because of a blanket covering me from neck to toes.
I pull it away to check my clothing, and I'm still comfortably in the oversized jeans and tee.
So what the hell was that? I've never had such a stupid experience.
I quickly cover myself back up with the blanket when I hear a footstep approaching. My blood begins to pound in my temple.
Fantasizing sex with a total stranger was never on my to-do list.
***
"Good morning, Hope. You literally didn't sleep anywhere last night, did you?"
"I'm sorry I broke out of prison yesterday, Principal Kaveri. Please, can you assign me to my dorm now?"
Principal Kaveri raises an eyebrow, clearly amused but trying to keep her composure.
"Breaking out of prison isn't exactly the best way to make a first impression, Hope."
I cross my arms, smirking. "Well, it wasn't exactly my best choice either, but you know\... arresting a student just because she wanted justice and treatment for a suicide student isn't a school's perfect first impression either."
Her smile tightens, but there's a steel edge beneath it.
"Justice, Hope, is more complicated than you think. Sometimes it requires patience, not defiance."
I lean forward, eyes locked on hers. "Patience doesn't save lives. Action does. If I waited and was patient and stupid like the rest of the students I saw yesterday, that girl would have been dead."
"She's dead anyways," Principal Kaveri says, her voice dropping just enough to sound like a warning.
"She was already beyond our reach, Hope. You creating a scene didn't change that. It has got you into much more trouble, and you'll realize that soon... Always stupidly reckless, like your mother."
"What do you know about my mother, Principal Kaveri?" I ask, but only get the loud response of the ceiling fan.
She looks me dead in the eyes for a split second and then dials a number on an old desktop telephone.
After a few seconds of conversation, she drops the phone and finally says something to me.
"Your roommate will be here shortly to show you to your room. I understand Kaleb Dimitrov didn't give you a tour around school as scheduled, so she will do that for you. Just sit right there. Quietly," she gestures at an old waiting chair outside her office.