Playing Heart Games

Level 12: Run

AXEL

Violet's eyes widened, becoming impossibly large.

There shouldn't have been anyone in the school. I'd checked. The custodian was supposed to be off duty today.

My focus returned to Violet. Who looked as if she was about to go into full-on panic mode.

Crap crap crap crap crap crap—

"Breathe curls," I whispered, my voice nearly inaudible.

If she didn't take a breath, I was pretty sure she would faint.

I watched her inhale, but her eyes were still wide and full of terror.

Okay, Axel, you got her into this mess, now you have to get her out.

I held my finger to my lips again.

She nodded to say she understood.

I dropped my hand from her lips, catching her hand instead, then pulling her to the pool side. I climbed out, then helped her over.

I held my hand up to tell her not to move.

She nodded, eyes still wide.

I crossed the tiles, retrieving our clothes from the floor. I moved back towards Violet, handing over her stuff.

We slipped on our clothes rapidly.

The entire time, my body was tense as I listened.

Mentally, I willed the custodian to leave.

No such luck.

The sound of the door opening sliced through the silence.

Oh sh—

I grabbed Violet's hand, pulling her with me as I lunged beside a set of bleachers, out of view from the entryway.

The man's voice was clearer. "Who's in here?"

Violet was trembling. Her hands were clapped over her mouth, panic in her eyes.

Crap crap crap—

The sound of footsteps slammed through the air like thunder. I imagined what the custodian was seeing—splashes of water on the floor—

"Look, I know someone's in here," he said, his voice louder, carrying through the dome. "Now you can come out now or I can call the cops and you can come out then."

Violet's trembling worsened. Her eyes darted to me.

Crap—

My gaze flickered around. An escape route. We needed an escape route.

My eyes locked on a set of double doors a few metres away from us.

Except they were fire doors. Which meant the moment we went through them, an alarm would blare through the entire school. That would be pretty bloody subtle.

The footsteps grew closer. "Breaking into school property is a crime. If you make me chase you, your punishment will be much worse."

And the moment we ran through those doors, he would be able to follow us.

Violet stared up at me in utter terror.

I was such a dumbass for bringing her here.

But, damn it, I wasn't going to let her get caught.

I released her hand, nudging my head in the direction of the fire doors.

If she ran, I could distract the custodian. Lie that I pushed the doors, then got scared and forgot to run when the alarm started screaming.

I was Axel Ryder. The Bad Twin. The town of Reynard's most infamous screw-up. And, according to my dad, pretty damn worthless.

This wouldn't mean anything to me in the grand scheme of things.

I'd get in trouble. So what? It had happened before, it would happen again.

But Violet—Violet was only here because I'd made her come here. Because I was so desperate to keep her around, so desperate not to be alone, that I kept up this idiotic game.

She was perfection incarnate. She had standards to live up to. I didn't.

Her brows furrowed, confusion flitting over her features. She caught my hand, tilting her head towards the door.

I shook my head, releasing her hand. I mouthed: go.

Realization seeped into her features.

I waited, knowing that she would leave. She had to.

But then she was shaking her head rapidly.

My brows furrowed. Go, I repeated.

Now she was glaring at me. No.

What the hell?

The footsteps were growing closer. "I know you're hiding in here. Come out now."

She met my gaze, still glaring. And then she broadened her shoulders and stepped towards the voice.

Well, sh*t.

A split second later, I'd caught her hand and we'd slammed through the double doors. In the space of a breath, alarms were blaring through the air, throbbing through the ground. And we were sprinting, racing around the school, towards the parking lot.

I heard the sound of a voice yelling behind us, "Hey! Get back here!"

Please be unfit. Please be unfit.

No such luck.

The sound of running footsteps pounded behind us.

Crap, crap, crap—

We broke away from the school, our feet racing over the parking lot's asphalt. I scrambled in my pockets with my free hand as we ran, yanking out my car keys.

My fingers fumbled with the buttons, finally hitting unlock.

"Stop running!"

Hell, no.

We slammed into my car. I released Violet's hand and she scrambled into the passenger seat. I crashed into the driver's seat—

"Stop!"

The door had barely shut before we squealed out of the parking lot, the wheels of the car trampling the neatly trimmed grass bordering the edge of the lot.

"Get back here!"

I floored it. The car screeched down the street, so fast that our surroundings blurred to black.