Chapter 6

Ricky Shane stood towering over me, his narrow eyes slightly lifting at the corners, his expression unreadable.

I glanced toward where Chloe had been floating earlier, but she had disappeared.

It was just me and Ricky now, alone in the classroom.

I gripped the edge of my skirt and answered, “I’m not feeling well.”

Ricky reached out to touch my forehead, but I instinctively swatted his hand away. “I’m fine,” I said coldly.

“A minute ago, you said you weren’t feeling well,” he drawled, lazily leaning against the desk beside me. His fingers brushed a strand of my hair as he smirked. “You’ve gotten brave, slapping my hand away like that.”

His words were soft, but they sent a shiver down my spine. He might’ve only been a kid, but he had the cold, calculating nature of a venomous snake. It felt like he could wrap his coils around my throat at any moment, cutting off my air supply. The fear was palpable.

I stared straight at him, not saying a word.

In my old life, I’d never been pushed around or treated with veiled threats like this. And right now, I couldn’t afford to let him suspect that I wasn’t really Chloe Watson.

Ricky wasn’t the kind of person who could be easily fooled.

His gaze drifted down to the math test on my desk, and a slight smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. “After all the tutoring I’ve given you, how are you still doing this badly?”

I blinked in surprise. Ricky Shane had been tutoring Chloe? I couldn’t help but wonder if his “tutoring” had involved more than just academics.

I responded cautiously, “I’m not as smart as you.”

He seemed to expect my answer, letting out a barely noticeable sigh. “With grades like these, how are you going to follow me to Harvard?”

I frowned. He really thought of Chloe as his possession, didn’t he? He wasn’t just controlling her now—he planned on keeping her trapped even after high school. No wonder she couldn’t take it anymore.

Ricky straightened up, his smile fading. “I’ll help you study tonight,” he said, his voice turning cold. “And don’t lock the door. Or else…”

He trailed off with a casual laugh, not finishing his sentence. But the threat lingered in the air.

I lowered my eyes, forcing a stiff smile.