Chapter 9
Daniela
Stale beer.
The loud bass of a muffled song through the walls.
A cold tear running down my cheek.
Scratchy carpet beneath my knees.
Those were the sensations I’d never forget as I knelt alone in the room, shaken, vulnerable, and more alone than I’d ever felt in my life.
I never should have gone up there with him—the hot fraternity boy I’d been crushing on for months. I thought maybe we’d find a quiet space to talk…maybe kiss a little. I thought I trusted him. How wrong and na?ve I was .
I hated myself in that moment for how soft and passive I was. Why didn’t I fight? Why didn’t I scream ‘no’? Why didn’t I…do more?
With a shaky hand, I reached for my phone to text Layla.
I didn’t think anyone could save me in that moment, but she’d come and help me get out of that room. At least physically. Mentally, I might never leave.