Catherine’s voice is loud, so loud it’s breaking through my sleep. Am I dreaming?
“Hardin! Hardin, please open the door!”
I jump up out of my bed, confused and panicked as the knob on my door jingles. Fists pound against the door.
“Hardin!” the voice screams again.
Is that . . . ?
I unlock the door and yank it open. Tessa’s standing there, her face flushed in horror and her eyes wild with fear. The hair on my neck stands, and I go into instant defense mode.
“Tess?” I wipe my eyes to gain some clarity, trying to dispel the dream, get a focus on what’s going on.
“Hardin, please can I come in? This guy . . .” Tessa looks back down the hallway, so I step out to see what’s she’s so scared of.
Neil is walking toward us, his eyes bloodshot and his shirt stained. He’s disgusting. And when he stumbles into the wall, I see just how drunk he is.
Why is she running from him? Did he . . .
Neil’s eyes meet mine, and he stops immediately. If he knows what’s good for him, he will turn the fuck around and walk away. If not, Tessa and all these people in the hallway—people who didn’t seem to want to help her—might be in for a show.
I look back at her quickly, to make sure he didn’t do anything to cause me to have to hide his body when the police come.
“Do you know him?” she asks, her voice cracking.
I feel my hands shaking at my sides.
“Yeah, get inside.” I lead her into my room and I sit down on my bed. Her gray eyes watch me intensely, and I rub my eyes again. “Are you okay?” I ask.
She looks okay—nervous, maybe, but she’s not crying. This is a good sign . . . I think?
“Yeah,” she says softly. “Yes. I’m sorry for coming here and waking you up. I just didn’t know what—” Tessa’s words come out fast and shaky.
She’s saying sorry for waking me up?
I run my hand over my hair, pushing it back from my forehead. “Don’t worry about it.” I notice the way her hands, like mine, are shaking, and I ask the question that’s been raking at my mind since I opened the door. “Did he touch you?”
Murderous ideas float through my mind. No one would miss Neil, that’s for sure.
“No,” she starts, then hesitates. “He tried, though. I was stupid enough to lock myself in a room with a drunk stranger, so I suppose it’s my fault.”
Her fault? What the fuck?
“It’s not your fault that he did that. You aren’t used to this type of . . . situation.” I try to keep my voice calm and not frighten her further. I’ve seen this happen to a lot of girls in my life. From my own mum, to drunk girls at parties. I had to save Molly’s drunk ass from Neil just last year. I thought he would have learned his lesson when I broke his nose and dislocated his shoulder, but I guess not. He obviously needs a refresher course. Logan will help, just like last time.
Tessa walks toward me, and I pat the empty spot next to me on the bed. She sits down and places her hands in her lap. Her vulnerable expression suddenly makes me realize that I’m wearing nothing but black boxers. I want to put something else on, but I don’t want to draw her attention to the fact, and I don’t want her to feel more uncomfortable since she came in here for escape, for peace.
“I have no plans on getting used to it. This really is the last time I’m coming here—or to any parties, for that matter. I don’t know why I even tried. And that guy . . . he was just so . . .”
She shivers, and tears start falling down her cheeks.
“Don’t cry, Tess,” I whisper, and bring my hand to her cheek. My thumb catches the wet tears as they fall, and she sniffles. It’s such an innocent, vulnerable sound that I try to look away from her, but can’t.
.ssefnoc I ”,era seye ruoy yarg woh deciton t’ndah I“
.wollahs oot ,ysub oot saw I .won litnu semag ym ot ytilibitpecsus reh dna stsaerb reh dnoyeb sliated ot noitnetta hcum diap t’nevah I
.reh was I tnemom eht ecnis lrig siht tuoba sgniht tseinit eht ot noitnetta gniyap neeb ev’I .rail a m’I ,oN .flesym pots I neht tuB
.enim tsniaga htuom reh gnisserp ,resolc snael ehs ,yawa dnah ym llup I sa tsuj dna ,htuom ym ot deulg era seye reH .od syawla I yaw eht ti no gut dna hteet ym neewteb gnir pil latem ym gnirb I .detrap spil lluf ,em ta gnirats llits s’ehs dna ,keehc reh no stser llits dnah yM
?gniod I ma kcuf eht tahW ?gniod ehs si tahW .draug ffo yletelpmoc thguac ,htaerb prahs a ekat I
.spih reh ot sdnah ym evom I dna ,suovren dna eltneg si htuom reh ,toh si niks reH .em gnissik eb ot deveiler s’ehs fi sa ,htuom ym otni gnihgis s’ehS .sdnah ym neewteb skeehc reh puc I sa spsag llams reh gniwollaws m’I ;spil tfos reh gnola eugnot ym gninnur m’I .pots t’naC .pots t’nod I tuB
.kcab llup I ,eugnot reh no akdov eht etsat I nehW
?siht ot teg ew did woH .dnim ym raelc ot gniyrt ,psag I .niaga meht gnitrap ,spil reh ssorca eugnot ym epiws I dna ,shgis ehS .htuom reh otni ehtaerb I ”. . . sseT“
.gninetaerht s’ti ;erofeb mlac fo esnes siht tlef reven ev’I .nrub tnatsnoc eht morf feiler a s’tI .doog sleef tI .em fo edisni erif eht fo etisoppo eht ,looc leef I
.siht ta doog ehs si ,kcuF .siht ta doog os s’ehS .htuom ym gnivael reven ,enim sesaet eugnot reH .tsehc ym no sdnah reh stser dna osrot ym otno pu sbmilc ehS .sserttam eht no kcab eil dna ,spih reh no pirg ym gninethgit ,resolc reh llup I .esnes lla revo nekat sah enim no htuom reh fo leef eht ;egrahc ni regnol on si dnim yM
.llet nac I ,stimil reh gnitset ,won tsehc ym nwod dna pu gnivom era sdnah reH .em stnaw ehS .drah yltnatsni em sekam siht od I nehw spil reh sevael taht repmihw ehT .sreh morf yawa htuom ym llup I dna ,niks ym otno nwod sllaf riah reH
?dlrow edistuo eht ot edurp dna mirp lla mees ot ylno ,mih htiw si yllaer ehs woh siht sI ?siht ekil mih gnisaet ,sih revo spih reh gnikcor ,srexob ylno gniraew s’eh nehw mih fo pot no ,siht ekil reh dah eh saH ?dneirfyob reh htiw enog ehs sah raf woh tub ,nigriv a s’ehS .thginot ton tuB .reh fo lla ,reh leef lliw I .niaga revo dna revo reh kcuf ot tnaw I ,lleh—reh tnaw I .gniht ym ton s’taht dna ,gniknird neeb s’ehS .thginot toN .raf oot og siht tel t’now I
.htaerb reh rednu eman ym gniyas ,niaga snaom ehs dna ,senobralloc reh ta gnippin yltneg ,rewol htuom ym evom I .kcen reh ssik I sa riah reh dloh I dna ,snaom ehS .on yas dluow I ,niks reh tsniaga eugnot ym fo hcuot eht rednu gnipsag s’ehs yaw eht yB ?kcen reh fo niks tfos eht gnola decart eugnot sih saH
