Chapter 90

Rowena

“Rowena Griffith… I love you!”

I felt as though I might throw up just looking at the sign in Adrian’s hands. The stereo by his feet was blasting a cheesy love song, a song that I had heard too many times on the radio and didn’t even like, and the smug smile on his face just infuriated me even more.

The other girls in my class, however, seemed to feel differently about the situation.

“Rowena!” one of my classmates hissed, grabbing my arm. “This is so romantic!”

“You should go down there!” someone else said.

“He clearly loves you so much,” another student swooned. “I wish someone would love me like that…”

“You’re so lucky!”

“You really are, Rowena! Go to him, quickly!”

I grimaced and felt one of my eyes twitch. “I’d rather die than go to him,” I muttered to myself, although the sound of my words was lost amongst the bustle of excited conversation and that god-awful love song still playing from the speaker.

“Rowena Griffith!” Adrian cried out from below, holding his sign up higher. “Rowena, I know you’re up there! Open the window!”

Before I could return to my seat, one student was flinging the window open for me while another propelled me forward with her hands on my shoulders. “She’s right here!” they cried out. “She’s just being shy!”

Adrian laughed theatrically. “Oh, my sweet Rowena! You don’t need to be shy around me!”

Shy, I thought to myself with a sickening twist of my stomach. I hadn’t felt shy in ages now; let alone around Adrian Almond, of all the damn people in this camp. Maybe I would have felt that way a few months ago when I was still hopelessly lovesick, but now… Now, the sight of his face just made me want to vomit.

Finally, when the students had shoved me into the window, I gripped the edge and glowered down at Adrian. Upon seeing me, he thrust the sign up over his head and waved it back and forth.

“Rowena!”

“What do you want?!” I yelled, cupping one hand around my mouth. By now, other students in other classrooms were poking their heads out of windows to get a glimpse of the oh-so-romantic gesture.

Adrian took a step forward, his handmade sign catching the sunlight. The large bubble letters were sprinkled with glitter, pink and red hearts drawn in the white space around them. It occurred to me immediately that he had certainly not made that sign himself.

Heather probably did it for him, I thought to myself. They had been working together from the beginning, whether to humiliate me or take over New Moon pack or likely even both. Well, I wasn’t buying it anymore.

“Rowena, I’ve loved you since the beginning,” Adrian called out. “I’m sorry I upset you, but I do love you and I want to make it up to you. Will you go to the winter dance with me, so I can show you how I truly feel?”

The other students around me swooned at his words, but I saw the lies straight through the honey sweetness of his words. Cringing, I leaned out the window a little more.

“Get lost, Adrian.”

I heard ripples of gasps around me. Even Adrian seemed to waver ever so slightly, lowering his sign a bit. But the song continued to play on a loop on the stereo, and he didn’t seem to have any intentions of leaving.

“But Rowena—”

“I said, get lost!” I growled, gripping the window. “People are trying to attend class!”

With that, I slammed the window shut, effectively drowning out Adrian’s voice and his dumb love song. I didn’t bother giving him a second glance, instead turning and storming over to my desk. A smattering of murmurs and even some faint applause from some of the less-amused students made its way through the room, but I barely heard any of it.

That will show him, I thought to myself as I took my seat, fully satisfied with Adrian’s public embarrassment.

“Thank you, Rowena,” the professor said with a clearing of his throat. “Now, let’s get back to class. Everyone, take your seats…”

…

A little while later, the bell rang and classes ended for the day. I was eager to get home so I could call Eric—his phone had been returned to him in quarantine and he was allotted a thirty-minute conversation each day. I couldn’t wait to inform him about the day’s events; surely he would get a laugh out of it.

But as I was leaving, I was met with the sound of Emma’s voice echoing from down the hallway. “Rowena! Wait, Rowena!”

Turning, I smiled at my friend and waited for her. She caught up to me, breathless, and grabbed my arm.

“What the hell is going on today?” she hissed, pulling me into a nearby empty bathroom.

I shrugged and set my books down on the porcelain sink, taking a few moments to fix my hair and adjust my glasses in the mirror. “I’m assuming you saw that little performance earlier,” I said.

Emma snorted and leaned on the sink beside me. “You looked badass telling him off like that,” she replied. “Adrian is so used to getting everything he wants, especially when it comes to girls. Maybe he’ll learn that he’s not all that he thinks he is. Especially when you and Eric…”

Emma met my gaze in the mirror, her voice trailing off. Of course she knew—I couldn’t bear to not tell my one friend the truth. By now, Emma was my best friend. I trusted her with this secret, and I knew that she would never tell a soul about my true lineage.

“Soon,” I said with a smile.

Emma let out a soft sigh. “I’m just so happy for you. Does he know yet?”

I felt my face redden at her words and shook my head as I toyed with a curl around my face. “No, I… I wanted to tell him when he’s recovered. I can’t bear to do it while he’s still locked up in that room.”

Nodding, Emma strode over to me and placed her hand on my shoulder. “I think that’s a good idea. If you want, I’ll help you set something up—make it romantic, and…”

Before she could finish, my phone was ringing. I fished it out of my pocket and glanced at the caller ID.

“It’s my mom,” I said, swiping to answer. “Sorry. I have to take this.”

Emma nodded and took a step back, busying herself with primping in the other mirror. I pressed the phone to my ear and answered, “Hello?”

“Rowena,” my mother’s voice came through, strained and worried. “Rowena, I have bad news… about Eric.”

I felt my chest clench as I whirled around to stare wide-eyed at Emma. “What is it?”

My mother drew in a shaky breath before speaking. “Eric, he… The serum didn’t fully eradicate the virus. His condition is worsening again, and—”

I didn’t wait for my mother to finish. Quickly hanging up, I gathered my things and began bolting toward the door.

“Rowena!” Emma called after me. “Where are you—”

“It’s Eric,” I said over my shoulder. “I have to go.”