Killer Geek (SLOW UPDATES)

YN

Two days had passed, but the fear lingered. It clung to me like a second skin, a constant reminder of how vulnerable I’d been. At school, surrounded by people, I thought I’d feel safer. I was wrong.

Standing at my locker, I turned the combination dial with shaking fingers, the dull click of the lock barely registering over the hum of voices in the hallway. Everyone around me looked so normal—laughing, talking, carrying on like the world hadn’t shifted beneath my feet just days ago. But I couldn’t stop wondering: Was it one of them?

Every face that passed felt like a question mark. That guy from English class who always sat in the back row? The girl from gym who never said a word to me? Or maybe someone closer—someone who already knew too much.

The thought made my stomach twist. My eyes darted around, scanning the faces as discreetly as I could, searching for...I didn’t even know what. A twitch of the mouth? A lingering glance? Anything that might betray their guilt.

I barely noticed Randy until he was standing right beside me.

“Hey,” he said softly, his voice pulling me out of my thoughts.

I jumped, slamming my locker shut and clutching my books to my chest. “Jesus, Randy,” I hissed, my voice coming out sharper than I intended.

He held up his hands, a sheepish grin on his face. “Sorry! Didn’t mean to scare you.”

I took a deep breath, trying to calm the pounding in my chest. “What do you want?”

He frowned, his playful demeanor shifting to something softer. “Just checking on you. How are you holding up?”

I stared at him, unsure how to answer. How was I holding up? I wasn’t. Not really. But I couldn’t tell him that. I couldn’t tell anyone. The last thing I needed was for people to start whispering about how crazy I’d become, jumping at shadows and imagining killers behind every corner.

“I’m fine,” I said finally, forcing the words out.

Randy raised an eyebrow. “You don’t look fine.”

“Gee, thanks,” I muttered, rolling my eyes.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” he said quickly. “I just...you’ve been through a lot, you know? It’s okay to not be okay.”

The sincerity in his voice caught me off guard. I looked up at him, really looked at him, and for a moment, I almost believed he cared.

But then the doubts crept back in. He’s playing you, a voice whispered in the back of my mind. They all are.

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, suddenly feeling trapped. The hallway felt smaller, the walls closing in around me. I glanced over Randy’s shoulder, my eyes scanning the crowd again. Could it be him? No...it couldn’t. Could it?

“Yn?” Randy’s voice brought me back. He was watching me with a concerned expression, his brows drawn together.

“I’m fine,” I said again, more firmly this time. “Really.”

He didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t push. Instead, he leaned against the lockers, crossing his arms. “So...Billy’s still being his charming self, huh?”

I stiffened at the mention of Billy. I hadn’t told him everything—about Billy refusing to go to the cops, about the fight we’d had after Randy left Stu’s house, about how every time I looked at my brother, I saw his frustration and guilt and anger all tangled up into a storm he couldn’t control.

“Billy’s...Billy,” I said vaguely.

Randy snorted. “Yeah, that sounds about right.”

I glanced down the hallway, half-expecting to see Billy charging toward us, his jaw clenched and his eyes burning like they had the other night. But he wasn’t there. Not yet, anyway.