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I have uploaded the re-written CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO and CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE at the same time. Please make sure you read them in order!

The concept of time became distant to me.

Once I woke up from my seemingly drugged stupor, the first thing I heard was the sound of the alarm blaring in my ears. But once my vision cleared up, my heart jerked in my chest as I realized who stood over me. When Mr. Johnston's finger traced my cheek, a cold shiver ran down my spine. I wanted to scream, turn away from him, and run as fast I could. But my body wouldn't respond. My eyelids were heavy, my mouth was sticky, and my limbs were like lead. My body was so dysfunctional and unresponsive to my mind's commands. Confusion consumed me as I lay there, immobile.

"What...the hell?" I managed to wheeze out.

"Ah, finally! The young Hayley Larson is finally awake."

"What's going on?" I mumbled, my eyes stinging with exhaustion. He lightly slapped my face to effectively wake me up. He was still hovering over me. Now that I was more alert, I realized I was still in my dorm, but Imogen was nowhere to be seen. Instinctively, I wanted to reach out to her. I wanted her to help me.

"Don't fall asleep on me now," Mr. Johnston threatened.

"Did you...drug me?" I asked groggily. I still couldn't speak properly.

"Me? Never!" he exclaimed in mock horror. He slapped his palm to his chest for dramatic effect. "A nice, friendly guard did the deed in exchange for a little, shall we say, incentive. Imogen should be finished with him soon enough to join the party."

His words were swirling around my brain. It was hard to process what he was saying when I felt so utterly exhausted. He had a charismatic smile stretched all over his face as he stood over me.

"What's that sound?" My words sounded incoherent to my own ears, but fortunately, Mr. Johnston seemed to understand.

"Oh, that? Just the fire alarm. I needed a distraction that would evacuate everyone out of the building and drown out any noise we make in here," he said casually, as if he did this every day. He rubbed his hands together with excitement evident on his face. "You see, Hayley, this has been my plan for a while. We needed to get rid of Colin. At first, we thought just putting him away in isolation would work, but no, we needed to get him completely away from you. It took John to convince Derek, who then had to convince Miranda to sign Colin out of school. Apparently, that was easier than anticipated."

His words weren't making sense in my groggy brain. Colin. My body ached for him. Panic shot through my veins as soon as I realized that I had no one to help me. I was so frustrated that I couldn't move to get away from him. And to make things worse, my mind felt so cloudy.

"Also, the fact that you found out about Imogen and I helped speed up the plan. I see you're probably confused. Let me explain," he said and sighed theatrically, falling elegantly on top of Imogen's bed. "I am the boss of a very large and powerful underground operation. To put it bluntly, I buy and deal drugs. Imogen's stepfather—who you met at Colin's, I hear—is an employee of mine. A very loyal and highly esteemed employee, may I add."

As I struggled to keep my eyes open, very slowly, his words were slowly sinking into my brain. I felt sick to my stomach. What did any of this have to do with me? Slowly, I began to sit up. He made no movement to stop me. I felt like I was drunk. Although my mind was cloudy, it was functioning somewhat, whereas my body was not.

"You see, your father borrowed money from us lots of money. But he couldn't pay back his debt. So...Well, I think you can fill in the rest," he resumed casually, looking down at his fingernails. My heart dropped into my stomach. Icy tendrils of fear slithered through my chest. My eyes burned with tears as I felt bile rise in the back of my throat.

"You killed my father," I whispered disbelievingly.

"Yes, I did," he confirmed. "Once I heard from one of my many spies that you were transferring to Downright High, I knew this would be my chance at revenge. If your brain has not caught up yet, I had John send his stepdaughter, Imogen, here to befriend you. This has been my plan from the start. Your father is going to pay for the money he cost me, amongst other things. I offered him a position with us, but he didn't take it. His loss."

"Don't you think he had already paid when you murdered him?" I attempted to get to my feet. The entire process was excruciatingly slow and exhausting.

"Well, yes,"—he laughed—"but I do have a reputation for going above and beyond."

"I'm going to kill you," I mumbled, trying my hardest to stand. I wanted desperately to clench my hands into fists, but even that movement was weak. My vision was slightly blurry around the edges, but I could make out where he was well enough.

Clearly, he didn't find my threat very authentic. His laughter was surprisingly loud, and he slapped his hand on his knee as he doubled over. It took a long time for me to recover, but I eventually got to my feet. My body swayed dangerously as I struggled to walk toward him since I was in a somnambulant haze.

I didn't hesitate to leap onto him. By leap, I meant I threw my body toward him in slow motion. He simply pushed me away effortlessly, so I fell into a painful sprawl on the floor. My body ached from the impact and my muscles practically screamed at me to stop moving. I was just so tired. But his laughter hadn't died down the entire time. He just sat there and watched me, as if nothing had happened, his shoulders shaking in mirth. If my body weren't wired up with such paralyzing fear, I probably wouldn't have been able to resist falling to sleep.

"You know, making you immobile wasn't as fun as I thought it was going to be," he said and frowned, then tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Now, I want you to struggle, just like the first time."

My teeth automatically gritted. I couldn't believe I sat in a classroom with this homicidal maniac for the past few months without knowing he murdered my father and tried to do the same to me. Goosebumps erupted all over my body at the thought.

He got to his feet just as the door to my room swung open. Imogen walked in, flipping her golden hair over her shoulder. The siren was still blaring in our ears, but I had oddly grown used to the high-pitched wailing.

"Oh! Hey, 'bestie,'" she called in an over-the-top cheerful voice. Now as I stared at her, I realized the way she acted was blatantly a facade. I felt like an idiot for not realizing sooner. I let my guard down.

I froze for a moment at the realization. The blond girl who tipped my uncle off about me wasn't Eliza. It was Imogen. A strange sensation of fury swelled in my chest. I wanted to punch her in the throat so hard she wouldn't be able to speak again.

"You were in on this the whole time?" I mumbled. I was curled up in fetal position on the floor, my body shaking involuntarily. I wish they would just let me sleep.

"Yep."

"I hate you."

"Ouch." She laughed. Then she wandered toward Mr. Johnston and interlaced their fingers. The sight was disturbing. I couldn't help but bury my face on the floor in disgust. I felt dizzy as my heart was still slamming inside my chest in fear of one thought:

I was going to die.

"We made it," she declared in triumph. She turned and planted a passionate kiss on Mr. Johnston's lips. Obviously, time was on their side because they began to make out. I, on the other hand, was crippled on the floor, my drugged body unable to function. Slowly, I reached for my phone and rang Colin. My fingers were trembling so badly. I could only pray in my mind that they didn't notice. I almost wept when he answered, but I had to slip the phone in the back pocket of my pants so they wouldn't catch on to what I did. Even that movement was hard. My heart felt like it jumped up to my throat. Even on the night of my father was murdered, I wasn't this terrified.

"Are you going to make my father pay or are you just going to talk about it?" I asked, my voice coming out strong, much to my pleasure. "Your public display of attention is making me nauseous."

Imogen and Mr. Johnston thankfully detangled from each other. Once they were apart, he swept his cool gaze over me like I was an insect stuck on the bottom of his shoe.

"Just because your bed buddy isn't here with you doesn't mean you can cast your negativity on us," he cooed. "Poor little Hayley. You really are alone, aren't you?"

"You're a monster," I said, almost able to taste the fire spitting out of my mouth.

"Oh, that was a stinger." He laughed, his hand rubbing up and down Imogen's arm affectionately.

What I did next surprised even me. I let out a high-pitched, ear-splitting screech that I swear popped my own eardrums. My scream reached that high on the decibel scale. Imogen cringed automatically. Mr. Johnston's face twisted into an unpleasant scowl, and he reacted faster than I thought possible. He slammed his foot on my ribcage. My scream only intensified, if that was even possible. By the third strike, I couldn't scream anymore. My body was aching, and my muscles were quivering with fear. My eyes drooped from the pain, and I could see black dots dance across my vision.

"Uh-uh." He slapped my cheek again to keep me conscious. "Stay with me, Hayley."

"How much of that stuff did he give her?" Imogen asked and frowned. "It was only meant to make her a bit disoriented."

"Obviously too much."

I could only hope with my entire heart that Colin had heard me and he was on his way. Pushing my pride away, I wanted nothing more than to have him here, to save me, and to kick Mr. Johnston's ass like I knew he could.

"Stay here. Don't let her move," Mr. Johnston barked as he strode out of the room. I wanted to point out that the job wouldn't be too difficult but bit my tongue.

Once Mr. Johnston left, Imogen let out a small sigh, as though this predicament was boring her, and sat on her bed. I couldn't help but stare at her with distaste.

"You think he loves you?" I asked incredulously.

"Shut up," she snapped.

"Seriously? You're stupider than I thought," I retorted.

"Like you're in the position to be talking smack," she snapped at me, her eyes narrowed into slits. "What we have is real, unlike you and Colin."

An unattractive snort escaped me. "You have no idea what you're talking about."

"I think I do."

"Imogen, think about what you're doing," I pleaded, annoyed at the desperate tone in my voice. "I'm about to build a life for myself. Is he really worth it?"

"Spare me the guilt trip, Hayley," she quipped, her voice came out frosty. She folded her arms neatly in front of her chest and swung one leg over the other. "I don't have a choice. I can't be blamed for what happened to my mother."

I wrinkled my face up in slight confusion. "Whatever happened to her is what these people are capable of. You think you're safe because you're cozying up to the boss? You know better than anyone how manipulative and calculative this man is. Get out while you can."

"Shut up," she screamed as she clambered to her feet. She stomped toward me then pressed the sole of her foot on my throat. My breath hitched as I struggled for breath. She put more pressure on her foot that I gagged and desperately clawed to get it off. My cheeks burned as blood rushed to my cheeks.

"Don't say another word about him, Hayley, or I'll be the one to kill you. Got it?" she threatened.

My weak nod was a sufficient answer. Mr. Johnston reentered the room and raised an eyebrow at what he saw.

"Oh, don't stop on my account."

Imogen rolled her eyes and, fortunately, removed her foot from crushing my throat. My chest swelled with oxygen, and I involuntarily coughed. Mr. Johnston stared at her for a moment with slight admiration. He must have underestimated her. Maybe he did love her. Absently, my fingers rubbed my throat. My entire body was sagging from exhaustion. I thought I'd be feeling better by now, but if anything, I was groggier than ever.

"Imogen, love, would you go scout the perimeters? Make sure there are no rebellious teens lingering in the halls."

She nodded obediently. Afterwards, she marched out of the room without a backwards glance like a good little soldier. I was surprised she didn't salute.

I gazed up at the ceiling, feeling the burning sensation of tears in my eyes. I was literally going to die in this place. I must have done something unspeakably horrible in my past life to deserve this. Just when I find happiness, it had to be taken away from me. I felt like the floor beneath me had cracked, and I was falling to my death.

What surprised me the most about the experience? As I thought about dying, I realized how badly I wanted to make things right with my grandfather. We had both been wrong, but I had to be the bigger person and apologize. Now, I wouldn't have the chance.

It was a strange feeling, knowing you were going to die. It gave you an entirely different perspective on life. Suddenly I wanted a relationship with my grandfather, the man I thought I hated. He was all I had left. Why had I been so stubborn? He did what he thought he needed to. If he hadn't sent me here, I would never have experienced true love. I would never have met the boy of my dreams. For that, I would be forever grateful.

"I must admit before I found out about his sins, I really did like your father." Mr. Johnston's voice snapped me out of my daze. "He had a good sense of humor. Shame he made those choices. He would have been a great asset to my team."

"Don't talk about him," I spat. White-hot anger pulsated through my veins with sudden ferocity. "You have no right."

"Your defensiveness is honorable. You would've made a nice asset to my team as well. But with your history of recklessness and recent discovery of my background, I understand now that you would be more of a burden than an asset."

"I'd never work for you."

"Exactly. Which is why I have to get rid of you instead."

"Get it over with then," I whispered in defeat. "Making me wait is worse than death itself."

"Yes, good point." He nodded, contemplatively tapping his chin.

He turned and began rummaging through a bag that was located on the end of Imogen's bed. At that moment, the door swung open. If my face weren't already against the carpet, my jaw would have hit the floor at the sight. Anthony stood by the door with a knife pressed against Imogen's throat. Mr. Johnston hadn't even bothered to look up yet, obviously too distracted with finding a weapon. Anthony locked eyes with me and gave me a firm nod. I felt relief pulsate through my body.

He was here. He was on my side.

When Imogen whimpered, Mr. Johnston snapped his head up faster than I could blink and straightened. I swallowed uneasily once I saw he had a knife gripped in his hand. Flashbacks of him using a knife against me the night my father was murdered burned my mind. Absently, I touched my sides, which were still aching from his ferocious kicks.

"Well, this is an unexpected turn of events," Mr. Johnston drawled, tightening his grip on the knife. Instead of lunging at Anthony like I thought he would, he turned and locked gazes with me. "It turns out the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, does it, Hayley?"

"What?" I asked stupidly.

"Like father like daughter." He gritted his teeth. "Your father having an affair with my wife, you cheating on Colin with a guard."

My stomach dropped. It all made sense. Dad not only borrowed money from him but also cheated with his wife. That was why Mr. Johnston wanted revenge so badly. I felt completely and utterly sick.

"He didn't..." I trailed off. I hadn't even known my dad was in a relationship. With a married woman, no less!

"Not quite the hero you thought he was, isn't he?"

"Let the girl go," Anthony snapped. His authoritative tone made my eyebrows rise. He tightened his grip on the knife and narrowed his eyes. "I care nothing for this girl, so I will hurt her if I must."

"Likewise," Mr. Johnston challenged, waving a lethargic hand toward me. He let out a laugh, and a malicious smirk danced on his lips. "You're not going to touch her."

With that said, Mr. Johnston stormed toward me, dropped to his knees, pressed the knife against the scar he gave me last time and sliced it open with the blade. A scream left my lips as the all too painful memories of that night came rushing back to me. It was then Imogen's turn to scream. Mr. Johnston froze as Imogen's blood ran down her neck. Her face was pale and her eyes were wide with fear. I had never seen her look like this before. She actually was scared. A part of me was sad for her because I thought she really had been my friend. Annoying as she was, but still my friend.

"Alright!" Mr. Johnston yelled. "Alright, stop."

Anthony's face remained impassive. "Let her go."

"No."

Another cry left Imogen as he dug the knife deeper into her skin. An animal-like growl tore out of Mr. Johnston's mouth. He looked furious when he suddenly stood up.

"Take him out," he ordered.

Anthony quickly spun around, obviously thinking someone was behind him, but Imogen pushed roughly against him. She turned and ripped the knife out of his hand. A booming laugh left Mr. Johnston at the turn of events. My stomach fell in despair. Now Anthony was going to be collateral damage, and all because of me. He had a life, a fiancée.

"Thank you, lovely," he purred, stroking Imogen's shoulder. "I've taught you well."

I wanted to claw the smug smile off her face.

Viciously, Mr. Johnston reached out and tugged Anthony toward us. He pushed him so that he was sitting next to me. This whole situation felt surreal. I felt like I had been withdrawn from my life and planted in a horror movie.

"What were you saying?" Mr. Johnston asked sweetly. He turned and began inspecting Imogen's injuries. Slowly, I reached up and gingerly dabbed my own cut. "Go clean yourself up."

She willingly obliged and slipped into the bathroom. Mr. Johnston turned to me again with a sadistic smirk planted on his face.

"Where were we..." Before he could finish, there was a loud bang and Colin appeared. I almost cried with happiness. Without hesitation, Colin sent a punch straight into the back of Mr. Johnston's head. He stumbled forward from the impact. Colin took that as his chance to boot him in the back, causing Mr. Johnston to drop to his knees. When Jeremy materialized beside him, again, I wanted to weep with joy. Shortly after, Chase emerged through the door as well. It was like a kill squad—a really hot kill squad.

"Hey, babe," Colin said casually, throwing Mr. Johnston to the floor. He jammed his knee into his back and looked up at me. "Got your call."

My boyfriend had never looked so hot. Despite being drugged and crippled in pain, I felt a hot flush creep up my neck as I saw him. No matter what situation I was in, he always had some effect on me.

"Imogen is still here," Anthony said sharply. "Don't underestimate her."

My eyes automatically went to Chase, who had a pained expression on his face. I felt so bad for him. He actually did love her. She had been using him this whole time to keep an eye on Colin. That's got to hurt. Speak of the devil, she strolled into the room. She came to an abrupt halt as her eyes drank in the new scene in front of her.

"Wow, Imogen," Chase said in a quiet voice. "Wow."

"Sorry," she said, looking anything but that. "You were just part of the plan."

I felt the burn of that remark. I actually saw Chase's face paling by the second once she said that. At this point, Anthony hastily got to his feet and nonchalantly brushed off his pants. Being a guard, I guess he would have been in his fair share of fights and disturbances before. "I'd like my knife please."

"No," Imogen snapped.

He sighed, shaking his head at her. Afterwards, he strode toward Imogen to grab the weapon she took. But she thrust her hand forward, and the knife connected with his shoulder. He hissed from the pain and recoiled away instantly. What happened next surprised me. Chase walked toward her and punched her.

Straight in the face.

Now trust me, I was not one to support men hitting women, but in this case, I was thankful. She dropped to the ground in a sprawl. He immediately reached down and wrenched the knife out of her palm. He didn't utter a word as he passed the knife to Anthony. His eyes were devoid of emotion, and his face was paler than I had ever seen it.

Colin got to his feet and swapped positions with Jeremy. Mr. Johnston let out a pained groan as Jeremy's knee dug deeper on his back. Colin quickly came over to me and gently helped me to my feet. His touch felt like heaven. Once I was upright, our lips met in a rush. Something fluttered in my chest as our lips moved hastily together.

"I'm certainly glad to see you." I breathed against his lips, wrapping my arms securely around him. "How did you know?"

"Once I got the text and call from you, I put two and two together. Once I got here, I saw everyone out the front because of an alarm being set off. It was obvious that you weren't there. So I found Jeremy and Chase, filled them in. Anthony saw me and asked what I was doing here. After realizing Mr. Johnston, Imogen, you, and the guard that swapped with Anthony were also missing, we knew something was up. I think you know the rest."

"You're my hero," I croaked out and smiled. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Thanks, guys," I said with a shaky smile. "You're the best."

"Must have been some strong stuff to take you out," Jeremy smirked.

"Not strong enough," Mr. Johnston muttered. I had no idea how, but at that moment, I had kind of forgotten about him. I was too caught up in Colin and the others. Staring into his pale eyes made me want to throw up.

"What now?" I asked, ignoring him.

I hugged myself, rubbing my aching sides. Jeremy looked as clueless as me.

I glanced over at Chase who was staring at the ground. Imogen was curled up on the ground, nursing her nose. She was letting out a series of groans, but no one was really paying any attention to her.

"Hand the scumbag over to the authorities," Anthony stated matter-of-factly.

"Aye, aye, sir," Colin muttered, resting a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Let's go."

Chase was the first one to leave. He didn't utter another word. My heart pained for him. If I found out Colin betrayed me like Imogen had, I would be shattered too. Completely and utterly shattered.

"I'm going to get some cuffs," Anthony said and cautiously followed him out while keeping a trained eye on Mr. Johnston.

I began to do the same when Imogen suddenly leaped to her feet. It all happened so fast. She shoved me roughly, and with my body still unable to function at proper speed, I stumbled to the floor. A wave of frustration washed through me. I hated being an easy target. I wanted nothing more than to fight these guys with all I had.

Mr. Johnston reacted at the same time, swinging an elbow straight into Jeremy's face. He let out a painful cry, stumbling back. Mr. Johnston lunged forward and tackled Colin to the ground. I hobbled after them, trying to claw Mr. Johnston off his back.

I swung around to get Jeremy to help when I felt it. The blade. It sliced through my skin with complete ease. It happened so fast that I couldn't even cry out for help. A shocked gasp left my lips as Imogen wrenched the knife out of me and took a step back.

"I know you never liked me, bitch," she said in a low, quiet voice. As I stared into her eyes, I realized that I had no idea who this girl was. She wasn't my friend. She was a stranger. A dangerous, unhinged stranger. Her eyes were wild, her hair messy, and her nose bloodied. She was unrecognizable.

My hands automatically went to my stomach, my own blood coating my hands. It was strange. Despite knowing that I had been stabbed, I didn't feel any pain. Jeremy let out a shocked scream at the sight of my blood. Anthony and Chase came sprinting back in. When they saw what had been done to me, Anthony lunged at Imogen without hesitation.

My entire body began to tremble in panic. And that's when it started. The pain was indescribable. It was nothing like I had ever felt before in my life.

I didn't really know what was happening. I stumbled back, falling to the ground. I could see people fighting and wrestling each other in my peripheral vision, but everything was so distant. It was like I was slowly fading out of this world. My already heavy eyelids drooped.

The last thing I remember was Colin rushing to my side.

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