Chapter3

William stared at me. He let out a short laugh.

"You're bleeding from the head, Evelyn," he said. "You're not thinking straight."

He checked his watch.

"Maddie needs my notes for the seminar. I have to go." He patted the edge of my mattress. "Get some rest. We'll talk when you calm down, okay?"

He didn't wait for my answer. He just turned and walked out with Professor Sterling.

The clinic door clicked shut.

Sophomore year, I got a paper cut from a textbook. William skipped an hour of his final exam review just to hold an ice pack to my finger.

Now, he only cared about Maddie’s study notes and didn't care about my wound.

I didn't cry. My chest didn't even ache.

Then I grabbed my jacket and walked out of the clinic.

I went straight to the library.

Professor Sterling didn't even wait for the final exams. He had already bumped me down to make room for Maddie.

They thought blocking my faculty sponsorship would make me surrender.

I pulled up my raw, unedited economic data models. The real ones. The ones I never showed William.

If they wanted a war , I would give them one.

I stayed in the library until midnight.

I didn't expect Maddie to actively seek me out.

She looked at me. Her voice trembled with a pathetic, pleading tone.

"Ev, I know you used to intentionally give up the number one spot for William."

She took a step closer. "Could you just... step aside for us, one more time?"

I looked at her coldly.

"Why would I do that?"

Maddie’s eyes instantly turned red. Tears welled up perfectly on cue.

"I just don't want to see William lose. He's so stressed. If you really need me to, I can back out. I can give him back to you..."

I stared at her. The sheer absurdity of it actually made me laugh.

"Maddie. Stop acting. I'm not playing this stupid game with you anymore."

I turned to walk away.

The helpless, fragile look on Maddie’s face vanished instantly.

"I knew you wouldn't listen," she said. Her voice dropped the sweet pitch.

She wiped the fake tears from her cheeks. She pulled her phone and tapped the screen.

The moment the audio hit my ears, my entire body went rigid.

On the screen, it was me. Three years ago. Cornered in a filthy, dark alley behind a dive bar in South Boston.

Maddie tilted her phone toward me. She smiled.

"What do you think happens when the entire Economics department sees this, Ev?

My blood stopped moving.

Freshman year, William ran his mouth at a bar and provoked those guys.

They dragged him into the alley. I stepped in. I took the hit so William could run .

That night became my worst nightmare.

I stared at Maddie. "William gave this to you."

Maddie shrugged, feigning innocence. "It took a lot of convincing, honestly. He kept it hidden so well."

She paused. She looked at me with pity.

"I didn't realize you threw yourself in danger just to save him back then. I’ve never been as smart or brave as you, Ev. But William chose me. He gave me your secret."

She stepped closer. "So just tank your exams. Let us have the Cambridge spots. Just this once, okay?"

I looked at her. I felt nothing but absolute pity.

"You want me to bomb the finals so you can win?"

Maddie nodded eagerly. "Your foundation is great. You can just apply for a different program next year. It won't hurt you that much."

I slowly curled my lips into a smile. The smile didn't reach my eyes.

"You really don't know me at all, Maddie."

I stepped past her. "Post the video. I'm not losing to you."

The first day of finals, I crushed the paper in half the allotted time.

The next morning was the Macroeconomics final.

My alarm didn't go off. I woke up thirty minutes late.

I sprinted out to the street and flagged down a passing yellow cab.

"Harvard Yard, please. Fast."

I put my earphones in and stared at my notes.

Ten minutes passed.

I looked up . The streets outside were entirely wrong. There were just empty, run-down industrial lots.

My stomach dropped. I gripped the door handle.

"Driver, this is the wrong way. Pull over here."

He didn't slow down. The locks on the doors clicked shut.

Before I could scream, a heavy hand reached .

A sour-smelling rag clamped violently over my mouth and nose.

I thrashed. Black spots swarmed my vision.

When I opened my eyes again, the smell of motor oil choked my lungs.

I stayed inside an abandoned garage. My wrists and ankles were bound tight with rope.

"Look who finally woke up."

Two men stood over me and I recognized them instantly.

The blood drained from my face.

"You caused us a lot of trouble a few years back,," the taller man sneered. He flicked a cigarette butt onto the floor. "Sent my brother to lockup. Didn't think we'd get a reunion."

The shorter man laughed. He stepped closer. "Who did you piss off this time? Whoever it is, they paid us good money to make sure you miss that exam of yours."

My chest heaved. I fought against the ropes.

"They said just keep you tied up," the taller man said. His eyes dragged down my body. Greasy. Hungry. "But be a shame to just sit here and stare at you ."

He reached out.

The nightmare from the alley rushed back into my head.

I couldn't breathe. I squeezed my eyes shut, my entire body violently shaking.

Right as his dirty fingers brushed my jacket.

The steel side door was kicked completely off .