34. Beaten
Brazely jumps up, which sends Brandy’s arm flying.
“What took you so long?”
Tamara steps forward. “What are you doing with Brandy?”
“I was doing what Lainey should have been doing.”
Cameron circles the bed and kneels beside Brandy. “Is she okay?”
Brazely lets out a breath and runs an exhausted hand through her hair. “She is now. I cleaned her up and got her into bed.”
“She is now?”
Brazely bites the inside of her cheek. For a minute, I think her eyes begin to tear up. I must be hallucinating.
We’re all quiet for a long moment before she glances at Tamara. “I saw her downstairs,” she says. “She was rather popular among the boys. I mean, she was wearing these tight leather pants and a tiny bralette as a shirt.” She motions to a pile of clothes by the dresser. “She puked all over them. I plan on burning them later.”
On the bed, Brandy sighs sleepily and then abruptly snores.
Brazely continues. “I was minding my business by the kegs.”
“Oh, were you minding your business?” I interrupt. We all know she’s not good at things regarding her own business.
“Shut the hell up. Anyway, Brandy stumbles over to me and some friends.”
“Do any of those friends happen to be nasty, ugly perverted guys?”
“Lainey, I swear to God.”
I roll my eyes and zip my lips.
“She started to flirt with one of Stef’s friends. Lip biting, hair twirling, intense touching.”
“Intense touching?”
“Lainey,” both Tamara and Cameron scold.
I hold up a hand and let her finish.
“If I thought sober Brandy was a whore…she starts putting her hands all over this guy. He looked intrigued, but I shooed her away. After she left, he and Stef got to talking. They were whispering. I only caught a few words. From what I got, it sounded like Cal, Stef’s friend, wanted to fuck her, and Stef knew the perfect way to get her to agree, even though she already expressed her interest. I should have found that odd, but?—”
“Did they drug her?” Tamara asks with a sense of urgency.
Cameron bolts up. “Brazely, what the fuck?”
“I didn’t do anything!” she hollers. “How should I know they’d actually do something like that?”
“That’s not it, though,” I say. “You let it happen because she’s my friend, and you hate me. You set Stef on me, and now you set him on Brandy.”
Tamara places a hand on my arm and shakes her head at me. All I see is red though. Good to know that my school does nothing about sexual assault allegations and bullying. I make a mental note to tell every kid I pass not to attend this university. There is no justice in this godforsaken world.
“I told you what was going on between us. I told you why you saw us together. Do you really think I would put either of you in serious danger?” Brazely asks, looking genuinely disturbed. “I’m not that much of a fucking troll, you shit face!”
“Well, at least you admit to being somewhat a troll,” I spit back.
“I didn’t tell Stef to go after you. You don’t know half of anything you’re talking about, so shut up.”
“Enough!” Cameron says like an agitated parent trying to wrangle two obnoxious children. “This is an actual problem.”
“Yeah, no shit!” I snap. At that, he frowns and turns back to Brandy.
“I saved her,” Brazely blurts. “Once I figured out their plan, I saved her. I held back her hair while she threw up. I changed her clothes. I brushed her teeth. I helped her take a bath in Stef’s mom’s fucking bathroom! That should have been you! Some friend!”
I hold back my response and kneel down next to Cameron, who is on his knees beside the bed. He rests his hand over hers. Tears sting my eyes as I reach for both their hands. A smile forms on her face. She’s dead asleep. Not a care in the world.
I turn my head when I feel Cameron’s gaze on me. I desire nothing more than to make up with him. To have the open communication we’ve been lacking, but now is not that time. I know he understands, yet his expression still has a trace of sorrow. The last time we truly spoke, I gave him the impression that I didn’t love him. Well, he can’t believe I don’t. Actually, I have no idea what he believes because we haven’t spoken in weeks.
I wipe locks of Brandy’s blonde hair off her face, and she buries it in the pillow. The guilt from not coming with her presses against my chest, making it hard to take in a steady breath. I should have been here. She was there for me when Stef cornered me at the Christmas party, and I should have been there for her tonight. There’s no way I could have known this would happen, but I should have been here. Her eyes fly open, and I flinch, startled. She sits up, looks around, then speaks. “I want food.”
I recover and sit on the bed beside her. “How are you feeling?”
She sniffs the unscented air. “Pizza.” She says it as if this imaginary pizza she smells is the pizza she’s been waiting for her entire life.
“You can eat when we get back to school,” Cameron says.
Brandy sighs, her mood shifting. “No, you don’t understand. I want it now.”
“We need to go first.” I slide my hand up and down her bare arm in an attempt to console her.
She slaps her head. “My brain hurts.”
“I know, but we need to get back to school.”
Brandy closes her eyes and sighs. “Hurry up then. I want food.”
Brazely snaps at us from her place by the bedroom door. “You got her?”
“Yeah,” I respond. “Go.”
“We’re fine. Thank you,” Tamara says.
“It’s whatever.”
“I mean it,” Tamara says louder. “Thank you for texting Lainey. Asking for help was the right thing to do.”
Brazely tucks a piece of blonde hair behind her ear. Her expression is hard to read, but I can tell there is something going on in that evil mind of hers. She half smiles after her moment of processing Tamara’s words and disappears.
Tamara, Cameron, and I lift Brandy and begin our journey downstairs. There is no way we’re walking her through the party to get to the front door, so I look for a back exit. Hopefully, one that doesn’t lead to an equally crowded grassy lawn.
“Garage,” Cameron says, motioning to a door directly across from us.
We follow him without question, that is until I hear a voice that sends a wave of uneasiness through my whole body.
“Stef, let me go! I have been here way too long,” Brazely’s words echo in my ears.
“You’ll stay if I say to,” Stef says over the crowd noise.
Cameron clears his throat, and we share a look. He wordlessly tells me to follow. My look back tells him to wait. Cameron reaches a hand in his pocket and gives Tamara his car keys and tells her something I can’t hear. She takes the full weight of Brandy and leaves us with one last glance.
Stef speaks again, but I can’t take any of it in because suddenly I’m severely nauseated. It sends my thoughts back to the bathroom stall. His predatory, controlling, dirty mouth holding mine captive. Bile rises in my throat when I spot him in the crowd of people. His hand is latched around Brazely’s tiny wrist, and he only tightens his grip when she pulls away. Whatever was between them is over.
“We had a deal,” he says after I take a couple of deep, calming breaths.
Cameron’s arm brushes against mine. The contact is short. I”m not fully sure it was intentional, though to me it feels like an embrace. He has that effect on me. The faintest touch can take me to my safe space.
“Coleson, fuck him. Let’s go,” he says beside me.
Stef pulls Brazely behind him as he heads for the stairs, and I find my legs moving before I officially tell them to. They move toward Stef and Brazely, and I wish they would stop. I feel Cameron on my tail. At least I have plan B hot in pursuit. In case I end up making matters worse, I’m going to need his backup. I shouldn’t bother. This is Brazely and Stef…I have a million reasons to let the worst happen to them both. But I’m scared of Stef, and I can tell Brazely is too. I understand how she feels, and I couldn’t possibly let him touch her again, if it’s like the way he touched me.
Stef senses me before I stop next to Brazely. A foul smirk forms on his devilish face. “Well, hello, Tease. Or is it Whore now? I’ve heard you really made your way around the university.”
I cringe at his words, and the anger inside me fails to keep my mouth shut. “When are you finally gonna leave women alone?”
“Fuck off, bitch.”
I take a look around the party, and no one is paying any mind to this scene. Too engaged in the music and their own conversations. Brazely, though, shakes her head at me. “Just go,” she says.
I can’t. My feet are glued to my current spot. There are too many possibilities of what could happen if I go. I won’t allow myself to. I can’t exactly offer much help in this situation, but somehow I feel more useful here than not.
I startle a bit at Cameron”s touch when he catches up. I unintentionally pull away. He stays close. “Is there a problem?” The way it comes out of his mouth surprises me. He can be quite menacing when he wants to be.
Stef aggressively tosses Brazely’s wrist aside, and he gets in Cameron’s face. Too bad Cameron is almost a foot taller than he is. “Tell the little bitch to mind her business.”
I briefly see a grin form on his face. “All right,” Cameron says calmly. Another step closer to Stef. He doesn’t back down. “Mind your damn business, Little Bitch.” Cameron shoves Stef slightly, then takes my hand.
“I’m fine,” Brazely says. “Just leave.”
For the first time in forever, I take a good look at the person in front of me. Her breaths are quick and shallow. Her eyes are shiny. Nervous sweat lines her hairline. Her one hand furiously picks at the cuticles of her other. She is not fine. She is terrified.
I pull from Cameron’s grasp. He glances past me to Brazely. He knows why I hesitate.
I love him for it.
“Nuh-uh,” Stef shakes his head and smirks. “You can take your plaything away, but mine is staying right here.”
He grabs for Brazely again; she smacks his hand away. I find her arm and grab it.
“You really are a little bitch, Stef. It’s pathetic that you need to force a woman to suck your dick. However, it’s understandable because we all know no woman would ever willingly do so, she wouldn’t even be able to find it on her own.”
What the hell are you doing, Cameron? How the hell does he know? Lucky guess? Does Stef do this with other people he knows?
Brazely narrows her eyes in my direction, but I shake my head.
“Says the guy runnin’ around with prissy over here,” Stef nods in my direction. “I suspect you’ve turned to the trusty vacuum for a good suck since we all can safely assume you’re going pretty dry walkin’ around with her.”
Hold on. Brazely and I exchange a look. This conversation is not happening right now. Is that a thing people do? Cameron latches onto me and squeezes my hand without even glancing in my direction, and I return his pressure. But then he releases it. He’s telling me to walk away, but I don’t want to.
“Cameron,” I whisper. “Walk away.”
“Take Brazely to my car” is all he says.
“Hell no,” Stef takes a step, but Cameron blocks him. Stef shoves Cameron. Then Cameron shoves him back, harder. Brazely backs away from the scene, taking me with her.
“We need to leave. Like, yesterday,” she insists.
I can’t move.
Stef swings at Cameron, but his reflexes react immediately. Cameron latches onto Stef’s hand, and he twists it until Stef curses at him. That’s my boy. I love him. With his other hand, he slaps Stef across the face. Cameron’s got this one. I let Brazely lead me away.
Getting to his car, I see Tamara is struggling with Brandy. She lies face down on the grass of the neighbor’s lawn. In her hand is a fistful of pulled grass. “I’m sorry. She sank out of my arms like dead weight and refused to stand.”
I help her pull up Brandy. She’s heavy when she wants to be. Eventually, she does allow us to get her up and settle her in the back seat, but barely. And with a great deal of sleepy groans and demands for food.
“Where’s Cam?” Tamara asks.
Brazely responds before I get a chance. “Beating the hell out of Stef.”
Tamara’s eyes go wide, and she seizes Brazely’s arm. “What happened? What did Stef do?”
“Call the police?” I blurt.
“Unless you want Cameron locked up for assault, we should get him out of there first,” Brazely snaps.
I glance at Brandy napping in the car and then to Stef’s front door. There is a moment of silence and then a howl. I see multiple people scurry from the house. I take off without a second thought. I have no idea why. I just know it’s necessary. I ignore Tamara calling me to stay back. I run until I reach Stef’s living room. Where I left Cameron. My heart jumps against my ribs and cracks right at the center.
In those couple of minutes I was outside, the entire situation has flipped. Cameron is pinned to the ground. A larger guy has Cameron’s hands glued to the floor with his muscular arms. Another one holds down his feet, and right on top of him, straddling and punching him in the face, is Stef. My entire body shakes, and a suffocating lump forms in my throat, making it hard to swallow.
I stop a passerby. “Call the cops.”
I don’t wait to watch her do as I request. I muster up my strength to go in after Cameron. I have no plan, yet I find myself grabbing at the hands of these giant men that hold him down. Nothing. The next thing I know is I’m pushed to the floor next to Cameron, a pain in my chest.
“Lainey…” Cameron croaks.
Stef leans back and puts his full body weight onto Cameron’s gut. I want to throw up at the sight of Cameron. His face is bloodied and bruised, but the unbearable thing is the humiliation painted on his face.
A couple of people push through and pull the three guys off Cameron. I sigh, half relieved and half annoyed that these losers waited so long to intervene.
“Next time, I won’t let you go,” Stef hisses and spits on the ground next to Cameron’s face.
Because I’m in shock, I watch as a few people help him up.
“Fuck, Lainey!” I whip my head around to see Brazely. She pauses and stares at the scene. She is as dumbfounded as I am. “We—we need to go. I think I heard sirens.”
In an instant I’m walking. I take Cameron and follow Brazely to his car. She’s right. That girl must have listened to me and called the police. Brazely hops in the backseat; Cameron and I stop at the curb.
“Wanna go to the hospital?” I ask lamely.
“No,” he sighs. “I’ll clean up and ice the bruises, and it’ll be fine.” His voice is strained, and I hate it. “Thanks for caring enough to ask.”
Guilt overwhelms me. I can tell by his tone he’s not being sarcastic or snarky. He honestly appreciates me, and once again, the waterworks begin. “I love?—”
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Brazely bangs on the back seat window, and both of us ditch our conversation and hurry into the car. The sirens are indeed getting louder, and we need to leave. I drive so Cameron can take it easy and tend to his bleeding nose. I’m out of practice since I don’t have a car, but?—
“Drive, for fuck’s sake!” Brazely yells.
I put the car in drive and zoom off, away from the sirens. I severely hope Stef and his bastard friends have the displeasure of rotting in hell.