Chapter 20
“Hey,you ready for that quiz in History of the Built World class?” Addy looks up from her phone.
I make a face. “No. And who gives fucking quizzes on seven chapters?” I roll my eyes.
“Jennifer freaking White. That’s who. This class is going to be a nightmare. Strike that. This class is a nightmare. I have heard stories about this woman. She is one tough cookie.” She shakes her head. “I heard she failed an entire class one year. And entire class!”
“I don’t think the school would let her do that. That would hold up all the students from graduating.”
I go back to skimming through the required text for the class. Which is conveniently also called History of the Built World by no other than Jennifer White. Yeah, we are reading a book by the professor for the class that very same professor is teaching.
“Did you get the quiz done at the back of each chapter?” Addy gets up from her bed and starts putting her books and laptop into her backpack.
“Yeah, and those were a fucking pain. It was like a paragraph of an answer for each question. She’s the goddamn devil.” I close my book and pack up my backpack as well.
“You wanna go to the Black Dragon tonight?” Addy asks, tugging on her bag.
It’s been a couple weeks since the incident at the drive-in. Which I still don’t remember much about what happened on the walk back to campus. I have created a new habit of looking over my shoulder constantly.
There were nights I woke up screaming in my sleep or in a pool of my own sweat. Flashes of that night coming back to me. I started listening to music or the new sound machine I bought. Anything to quiet my mind.
Damien has disappeared into thin air, and I’m thankful for that. He dropped from studio, and no one has seen him on campus.
Thank fucking God. What an asshole.
Lately, I’ve been busy with my projects, so sleep has been far and few between, and I actually welcome it. The headlights haunt me. The fear that crawls over every inch of my skin…
I shake my head, trying to pull myself out of the dark tunnel I am headed through. Thankfully, it’s been a normal couple of weeks since all of that. Well, except that I have three assholes shadowing me for everything.
Yeah, the three fucking amigos are tailing me in every class, every place I go to. I can feel their fucking eyes on me before I even spot them.
It’s annoying. They won’t talk to me, but they stalk my every fucking move.
And I’m sure it’s all Xayden’s doing. God forbid he lets his father find out something happened to me.
Actually, I’m kind of glad he hasn’t. Pretty sure my mom would pull me immediately out of school. Especially after that whole dryer incident.
Which everyone still blames me for. Because why would I ruin my own clothes? Well, since they can’t figure out who did it, must be me, right?
Whatever. As long as I can graduate and get my degree, I really don’t give a fuck.
“Yeah. You know, a night out may be nice. We’ve been killing ourselves with this studio project, and we deserve it.” I shrug.
“Will your watchdogs be there?” Addy raises an eyebrow at me. She knows they’re following me everywhere, and she thinks it’s cute and sexy how I have three hidden bodyguards.
I keep reminding her that life isn’t a romance book.
“Let’s hope not. I would like to feel like I’m not being suffocated. But I don’t want to stay out too late. I have to finish that model tomorrow, and dragging ass isn’t on my list of things I want to feel like as I’m doing it.”
She whines, “It’s Thirsty Thursday! We will quench our thirst and then come back home.” Addy smiles.
My phone rings, and I see it’s my mom, so I quickly pick it up.
“Hey, Mom. How’s it going?” I say as I throw myself back onto my pillows, holding the phone to my ear.
“Oh, I’m fine, sweetheart. Just calling to check in on you and see how classes are going.” There’s a lot of noise coming through the speaker, voices and laughter, coupled with a gust of wind blowing by.
“I’m great. But where are you? I can barely hear you. The wind and whatever is going on around you is loud.”
“Oh well, we’re outside in the parking lot. Can you come down? We have a surprise for you,” my mom says excitedly.
“What? You’re in the parking lot?” I sit straight up.
She laughs. “Yes! Aaron and I.”
“Um, okay. I’m headed down. Be right there.” I hop out of bed, ending the call and meeting the curious look of Addy.
“What was that about?” Her eyebrows jut upward.
“My mom is in the parking lot with my stepdad. Wanna join me for whatever this surprise is about?” I ask as I walk toward the door.
“Oh, hell yeah I do.” Addy jumps off her bed and we make our way out of the dorms.
Once we reach the parking lot, I see my mom and Aaron standing there waving at me. I immediately run toward her, and my arms wrap around her the minute I reach her.
“Mom!” Tears start to pool in the corner of my eyes.
“Oh, Aurora. How I missed you.” She squeezes me tighter before pulling back to take a look at me. “How are you, sweetheart?”
“I’m fine. I … I missed you.” I sniffle.
“Oh, my beautiful baby girl. See? Staying in Las Vegas would have been harder. I wouldn’t be able to see you without hopping on a flight and booking a hotel.” My mom plays with my hair and smiles down at me.
“Yeah, yeah. I get it. You like having me close.” I roll my eyes.
“Has Xayden been helping you get settled here? Meeting people and all? Doing his big brother duties?”
My stomach drops, and I swallow over the newfound lump in my throat. “Stepbrother, and he doesn’t need to help me make friends, Mom. Besides, I’ve been busy with school. So, haven’t seen him much.”
She makes a face, then shrugs. “Well, we really need to do a family dinner one of these weekends.”
“Sure, Mom. So, what’s with this surprise?” I wring my hands in front of me.
“Well, sweetie, Aaron and I wanted to do something nice for you. Remember the car that your dad and you talked about getting you when you were little? The car you two were obsessed with?”
“A 1967 Ford Mustang GT.” And that’s when I look past her as Aaron removes a cover that is hiding the black beauty directly behind her. “Oh my God. Is this …”
She nods excitedly. “Yeah. Aaron had it fully restored for you.” She purses her lips as she waits for my reaction to the news that my stepfather bought me the car that my dad and I planned on getting and restoring together.
And I honestly don’t know how to feel.
This was supposed to be something my dad and I did together, not something Aaron simply bought me.
But at the same time, I understand the gesture. The need to try to bond with me on something. Except he’s already doing so much for me. Almost too much.
He is paying for my entire education. He gave me a place to live. He takes care of my mother.
And I know how much it will hurt if I don’t give him this inch.
I watch him walk from the driver’s side around to where I am standing. His eyes say it all. The hopefulness.
“Wow, Aaron. I don’t know what to say. She’s beautiful. Thank you for this.” I look up at him and instantly see the relief on his face.
My stepdad wraps me in a hug. “I’m so glad you like it. Here.” He pulls back and drops keys in my hand. “It’s all yours. Filled her up, and already have the parking sticker pass on the window. You just have to go take her for a ride.”
“Oh my God, yes we so need to take this for a ride.” Addy jumps in excitement behind me.
“As much as I would love to do that now, we have classes in a bit. We will take it for a spin later today after we finish.” I look over at the beautiful piece of machine. My heart wrenches as I wish it was my dad here with me to take it out for our first drive.
“Look, maybe next weekend you two can come home for dinner.” My mom rubs my shoulders comfortingly.
“Maybe so. I need to look at my project schedule. But I will call you and let you know.” I smile politely at her.
She pulls me in for a hug. Her arms feel so warm, so assuring. “Okay, sweetie. Aaron and I have an appointment we need to get to. Call me later, okay?”
“Sure, Mom. I love you.” I lean in and kiss her cheek.
“Love you too, Rory.”
“To fucking projects!” Jason holds up his shot of Fireball.
“To fucking projects!” the four of us repeat and clink shot glasses.
Scarlet, Morgan, Addy, and I knock back our drinks and slam them down on the table. The warm cinnamon flavor has a nice burn as it goes down.
I do a little shake at the strong aftertaste of the alcohol.
“You want to go dance?” Addy glances over at me. I look down at the dance floor bustling with college students, and a grin breaks out over my face.
“You know what? Yeah, I do! Let’s go!” I jump out of my chair and grab her hand as we race down the stairs of the Black Dragon.
The band on the stage starts up a new song and I instantly recognize it: Thirty Seconds to Mars The Kill (Bury Me).
Throwing my hands in the air, the alcohol giving me a comfortable buzz, I start to move to the music. There are bodies all around me, jumping to the song, swaying to the beat. My voice shouts out the lyrics, and my body finally feels at ease.
Addy and I rock out to the band as they continue to play song after song. Chevelle’s Remember When starts up by the cover band, and I lose my mind. I love this fucking song. I belt out every single word, exhausted by the end.
“I think I need some fresh air,” I yell over the music.
“Oh! I can go with you!” Addy shouts into my ear.
I shake my head and wave her off. “No. I’ll be fine. I need to just step outside for a minute. I’ll be right back! Five minutes! I’ll meet you at our table.”
Addy nods as I push past the crowds of people to head out toward the entrance. Once I reach the doors, the fresh air hits me immediately, and I instantly feel like I can take a deep breath.
I walk over to the wall next to the entrance and lean against it. Taking out my phone, I see that I have a missed message.
Damien:
You need to leave. Get out of town. It’s not safe. Leave now.
What the actual fuck does that mean?
And what the hell is he doing messaging me after all these weeks and the shit he pulled at the drive-in?
I close the messaging app, ignoring the sinking feeling in my stomach. I pull up my Instagram account and scroll through for a bit until I hear snickering come from in front of me.
Looking up, I see the Bitches of Groveton staring right at me. I sigh and roll my eyes. “What the hell could you four possibly want?” I sneer.
“Shouldn’t you be back home eating your weight in snacks?” Monica steps up closer to me.
“Ha. Fat joke. Hilarious.” Shaking my head, I try to move around them, but the four of them keep me where I stand.
“Here’s the thing, we need you to leave our guys alone.” Ivy obnoxiously chews her gum between each word.
“Your guys? Please, have at them. Can I go now?”
Monica shakes her head, her eyes narrowing. “No. You will go when we say so.”
Suddenly, a hand grabs my hair, and I feel other hands grabbing my arms. They begin dragging me around and when I open my eyes from the release of the pain, I see that we are now on another side of the building.
“What the fuck? All of you can go fuck a cactus!” I scream at them. I rub my arms and head from the pain they caused.
“Aw, do you kiss your mother with that mouth?” Ella mocks with a snort.
“No, I suck your dad’s dick with it,” I spit.
Before I can react, a pain radiates across my face. I blink a few times trying to rid the stars from my eyes. Hands yank at my hair just as a fist plows into my stomach.
“You fucking slut!” I can’t make out who said it, as my grunts and the sound of their fists connecting with me keep me from figuring out which one landed which blow.
My hair is being yanked from my head, a burning sensation as hair is ripped from me. I stagger as I try to gain my balance to fight back, but a foot sweeps my legs out from under me. I groan as my body hits the hard ground. Feet come flying at my stomach and legs as I curl myself into a ball, trying to shield my face.
Pain sears through my body with each deafening blow. My eyes water from each kick and hit.
The ground digs into my skin as my body jolts from the force of the onslaught of attacks. A wetness hits my face, and I know it’s not from me.
One of them spits on me again as they all yell obscenities. What the fuck did I ever do to deserve this shit?
I don’t know how long it lasts, but it seems to go on forever. When it finally does end, they walk away leaving me there in a crumpled heap. The four of them yell things, but the pain and my own moaning wash out their words.
With my phone clutched in my hand, I turn the screen over to see it completely shattered. I let out a cry as I lay there in pain, completely alone.
Where the hell is my roommate?
With every ounce of strength I have, I try to push myself up, but my body hurts too much. I drop back to the ground and roll over to my back.
“Rory!” My name slices through the air as I recognize Addy’s voice. “Dek! She’s over here!” Footsteps come running from around the corner before I watch Addy drop down beside me.
“Shit. What happened?” Dekker comes up next to me. Without even answering, he runs a hand under my head and another under my legs and lifts me up.
“She went outside for a moment, she needed to cool down. I have no idea.” Addy’s voice wavers as she speaks.
My body screams in pain with each movement. Everything in me wants to jump from Dekker, but right now, I don’t have the strength.
“Open the passenger side,” Dekker commands.
I grip my broken phone in my hand as he gently tries to set me down in the passenger seat. He slowly extends the seatbelt and buckles me in.
“Where are you taking her? She needs a hospital,” Addy demands.
“We will take care of her.” Dekker slams the door shut, and I barely can make out what they’re arguing about.
The driver’s side door opens, and the car shakes a bit from him getting inside. I let out a groan as my body moves with the car, sending pain through me.
“We’ve got you, Angel.”
I want to yell at him that I’m not his angel, but I just don’t even care at this point.
The drive is relatively short, or at least it feels that way. When we reach their house, Dekker carefully lifts me from the car and brings me inside.
As slow as he can, he carries me up the stairs to his room. My body stiffens under him, and he picks up on it immediately.
“Relax.” It’s the only word he gives me.
When we get to his room, he slowly and softly lays me down in his bed. The minute my body hits the mattress and my head hits the pillows, I can feel my body relax.
Dekker disappears into his bathroom for a few minutes before coming out again, walking over to a small refrigerator he has next to his desk. He opens it and reaches inside, pulling out a bottle of water. He opens it as he walks over, holding out his other hand for me to take something. I side-eye him, wary of what he is giving me.
As if he can sense my apprehension, he chuckles. “It’s just some ibuprofen. It will help with the pain.”
Nodding, I hold out my hand and take the medication. I place the two pills in my mouth as he holds the water to my lips. Dekker takes his time pouring the water into my mouth, and when there’s enough, he pulls back to allow me to swallow.
He spends the next hour attempting to clean and bandage any of the areas that are scrapped up. He takes notes of any areas that are starting to bruise, but he never raises my shirt past my stomach.
When he finally gets done cleaning me up, he removes my shoes and places a blanket over me. He doesn’t say much, just looks at me. His black eyes pierce through me, but it’s nothing malicious. A genuine concern flashes in his eyes.
“Get some sleep,” is all he says before he turns off the lights and leaves the door slightly cracked.
My body is sore and tired, and it doesn’t take long for my eyes to feel heavy, the toll of today finally wearing on me.
And with a slow, steady breath, I let the sleep I need take me.