Sweet Deadly Lies (A Dark Academia Mystery) Watty Winner ✔️

Twenty-One

It's just before noon when I roll out of my blanket cocoon. The blinds are still closed and the room is dark and empty, and there's a bottle of Ibuprofen sitting on my desk. Beside it is a sleeve of wheat crackers and a glass of water. That Iris thinks of everything.

I let two pills fall into my hand and swallow them down with a few sips, careful not to overdo it and upset my stomach.

An annoying ache throbs behind my eyes and pulsates toward the back of my head, digs into the tender area where the base of my skull meets my neck. I sit on the edge of the mattress and press my fingertips to my brows.

This is the part about drinking I don't miss. The hazy, half-dead stupor that takes over the moment you drag yourself out of bed.

I'm such an idiot. All that progress I made not drinking and I just flushed it down the toilet. And for what? The only thing I accomplished was making a bad situation worse—and kissing someone I had no business kissing.

Shame warms my cheeks. With a shaky hand, I reach for a cracker and grab my phone, my eyes sweeping over the long list of pointless notifications. Social media apps. The weather. Sales from my favorite boutiques. The only one of importance came about an hour ago, a text from Iris letting me know she's spending the day with Khalil.

Shit. Some friend I am. I didn't even think to ask her how their walk went. Just one more notch to add to my growing list of offenses.

I stand under the blast of hot water for twenty minutes, figuring out what to do. I'm not going to the cafeteria—too many people to run into there—and there's only one person I need to see.

I have to speak with Xander and find out how close he was with my sister.

Honestly, the two of them together doesn't feel right, although, I can't put my finger on why. Maybe it's because I don't want to.

I dress in jeans and a long T-shirt and head toward The Morgan House, waving at Lauren as I pass by her desk.

"You don't look so hot." She appraises me with troubled eyes. "Not feeling well today?"

"I didn't get much sleep."

She arches her brows knowingly. "It doesn't have anything to do with the bonfire, does it? I'll never understand why Mr. McKenzie allows them. I'll bet he didn't even stop by to see how things were going, did he?"

I shrug. "I didn't see him, but I wasn't there for very long." Because I was too busy making a fool of myself here.

"Well, make sure you hit the sack early tonight, okay? I'd hate to see you get sick. And if you run yourself ragged, that's exactly what will happen."

"Got it." I wave again and push my way out the door.

A thin layer of clouds cover the sky, casting a gray film over campus. I take the path to Xander's dorm, tentatively push open the door, and approach the desk.

I smile at the housemother. "Hi, I'm Mia. I was wondering if Xander Lim is here?"

"Well, hello there!" she says, displaying the gap between her front teeth. "I'm afraid you just missed him. He left probably," she checks her watch, "Oh, I don't know. Maybe thirty minutes ago?"

Something sinks in my chest. "Was he going to the cafeteria?"

She shakes her head. "He had his rubbing supplies. I imagine he has a long day planned in the cemetery." She glances out at the darkening sky and laughs. "It's good weather for it, too—if you're looking to scare yourself silly! And we don't need any more ghost stories around here."