Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 112951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 565(@200wpm)___ 452(@250wpm)___ 377(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 565(@200wpm)___ 452(@250wpm)___ 377(@300wpm)
She shook her head. “No, thank you.”
“Ah. Come on.”
“No. Really. No, thank you.”
Sarah was the closest to me, and she’d stopped jumping up and down. The flushed coloring was fading, and she was no longer smiling. She leaned to me. “It was his party where it happened.” She shook her head. “What is Laura thinking?”
But she didn’t wait for my response. She waded in and took the drink that he was offering Casey. Firmly situating herself between the two, she held it up to his face. “Are you kidding me? You know what happened to her, and it was a drink you gave her.”
“Hey—” His persuasive smile fell away, and he drew back to his fullest height. “If you’re saying I drugged her—”
“No, but he gave you the cup and you gave it to her. It could’ve been Laura or me. It could’ve been any girl and you’re giving her another one?”
“I said—” he started to bark back.
She flung the liquid in his face.
“HEY!” he roared, swiping the alcohol out of his eyes. “What the fuck, Sarah?”
She crossed her arms over her chest and lowered her chin in place. She wasn’t moving. “Get out of here, Kreigerson. We’re done partying with you.”
“I—” His hand was in the air. I didn’t know what he was going to do, but I was back there.
It was dark out.
Night.
The library closed.
I was on that sidewalk.
“Hey!” a new voice rushed in, and there was movement. I was grabbed and pulled away, but I didn’t know what was going on. I was on that sidewalk again. Those two shadows were looming over me, growing larger and larger.
They were raising the bat.
I screamed and tried to cover my face.
“Hey, hey, hey.”
I was caught and held against a chest. I was frozen, the impending attack was coming, but I recognized Shay in the back of my mind. I was safe. I wasn’t. I was in his arms. No, I was going to get hit. I was going to fall to the ground, and I was shuddering.
“It’s okay, Kenz. It’s okay.”
My head was being cradled against a chest, a strong chest that I knew intimately. I looked up and saw Shay’s loving eyes. The flashback left, but I was drained. I sucked in some breath and pressed my forehead to him again. “I was back there.”
“You’re safe. I’m here.” He twisted around and shouted, “Get him the fuck out of here! NOW!”
“Hey, man. I didn’t know—”
A growl cut him off, and I recognized Linde’s voice. “You know now, and it’s time you left.”
“No.” I looked up, but Shay was holding me against the wall. His back was protecting me, shielding me, and I tried to step out of his arms.
“No.” He tightened them. “What are you doing?”
I shook free from his hold. “I’m fine.”
I walked forward.
Linde and another guy had Kreigerson’s arms twisted and behind him. They were beginning to walk him out when I hurried forward. “No.”
Linde looked over, his eyebrows pulling together. “What are you doing, Clar—”
I balled up my fist and swung.
It wasn’t this insensitive asshole I was lashing out at. It was Carruthers. It was the other guy. It was Casey’s rapist. It was all of the assholes who thought they could attack a girl and get away with it, but this was really about me.
My fist hit him across the face, and the pain blasted me. I didn’t think I could smile any wider.
“What the fuck?” His head jerked to the side and then he looked back at me.
I said to him, “You helped hurt her.”
Casey stood right there, and her eyes filled with tears. She clasped her hands together and looked down to the floor.
“You helped hurt me.”
“What? No, I didn’t. I didn’t even—”
“If you hurt one and don’t change from it, you’ll hurt another.” I flexed my hand out. I wasn’t making sense, but I didn’t care. He’d understand when he had a daughter one day. I turned my back on him, giving Linde the nod to kick him out.
Then the pain started.
I whimpered, “Ice bag, please. Or morphine. Whichever is closest.”
Shay already had an ice bag in his hand. “Here. Let’s go upstairs.”
I put the ice on my knuckles as I looked over my shoulder. Kristina, Casey, and both the other girls all had dazed looks on their faces.
I said, “I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Yeah.” Kristina blinked a few times. “Take your time.”
We went through the kitchen, through the door, and up the stairs to Shay’s bedroom. It was half mine now. I had a nice pile of clothes in the corner and grabbed one of my T-shirts to wrap around the ice bag.
I sank down on his bed and fell back, groaning softly. “Why did I do that?”
Shay went to his closet and pulled his shirt off.
My mouth watered at the sight. He was beautiful, and my eyes dipped down to that V. It dipped under his pants. And suddenly, I wasn’t feeling my hand pain at all. He crossed to sit next to me, the bed dipping under his weight. He lifted the ice bag to inspect my hand and grimaced. “How bad does it hurt?”