Killer Instinct

22 | Mary

         

For the first time in her life, Mary Hadden was completely speechless.

Her chest hurt. She couldn't breathe. It felt as though her entire world was just crumbling down before her eyes, as the entirety of the Barnum Prep student body turned around in one fell swoop to stare at her through the glass walls of her own personal skybox.

She couldn't take her eyes off of the picture. She was glued to it, her eyes filling with tears and her mind going blank. It was Neil. Neil. She was still so in love with him.

Her mind jumped back to the last time she had seen him, at his graduation party, three days before the accident. He had pulled her aside, into one of the hundreds of rooms in the Conrad estate, and shut the door behind them.

            "So when are you going to tell him?" Neil asked, his eyes searching Mary's desperately. "When are you going to tell Parker about us?"

"I swear I will. I just don't have a good time, with soccer tryouts and him going for captain—"

"He can manage, Mary." Neil replied, taking her hands in his. "I told you, I want to be with you for real. We've been doing this secret thing for far too long, and I hate making you cheat on someone."

"That's my choice." Mary replied, "The Nottinghams are family friends, and it would kill my parents to have me dating...someone else."

Neil raised his eyebrows.

"Someone like me?"

Mary shook her head fervently.

"No, of course that isn't what I meant. But think of everyone that this would affect...Jordan, my parents, yours, Parker, the school..."

"I'm done with that school now. I don't care."

"But I still need to secure my position as Erin Green's replacement on the social ladder." Mary snapped, "And I don't appreciate you not taking that seriously."

"If you knew Erin Green like I know her, you'd know it's not a hard position to fill." Neil rolled his eyes, "And don't worry about Jordan. I know she's my little sister, but she won't care about this. She hates Parker just as much as the next sane person."

"That's my boyfriend you're talking about, Neil."

"Who you don't love." Neil shot back quickly, and Mary was silent. He was right. She hadn't felt anything for Parker since her and Neil first started seeing each other over two years ago. Her relationship with him was a front, and both of them knew it. She knew that Parker hit on other girls and had most likely cheated multiple times. But Mary had been in a whole second relationship for two years now, and it wasn't fair to Neil to keep seeing Parker.

"Alright." Mary nodded. "I don't love him, so I'll try to figure something out. Do not do anything until I come up with a plan, am I understood?"

Neil smirked slightly, the corners of his mouth turning upwards in a smile that he knew made Mary melt.

"Yes, ma'am." He whispered, pulling her towards him. "What do you say we lock the door and pretend there isn't a party going on outside?"

Mary shook her head, stepping backwards.

"People will start to wonder where you are and come looking. The last thing we need is another Kaden Marcum situation on our hands."

That was the last thing Mary had ever said to Neil. And now she was staring at the two of them on a screen in front of the entire school. And as she remembered back to that graduation party, as she remembered that conversation, she remembered the name.