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Forty-­some minutes passed before the bedroo a hand through her shoulder-­length brown hair, s the ends down She saw ed "Oh! You haven’t been out here too long?"

"No Just a ­couple ofa closer look at Debbie while she straightened the hem of her floral blouse Her eyes were red and puffy They’d been fighting Again They ht soother than arguing andover the screen of his cell His short, dark hair stuck straight up He was good-­looking, I’d give hi in the frat that Jase belonged to, was soh school years, but he had the personality of a cornered hyena

Sliding his phone into his jeans pocket, he smiled at me, but it was a nervous smile, one that made me antsy

"Are you okay?" I asked her

"Of course she is," Erik answered, laughing

I stared at her pointedly, ignoring hi to get so to eat before we head to the party You want to come?"

My mouth opened, but then Erik also answered forher, so she probably wants to stay here"

I snapped my mouth shut

Debbie looked uncomfortable as Erik started to usher her toward the door "You co to the party?"

I hadn’t really been invited, but I knew if I showed up, no one would say anything--­no one except Jase, and I didn’t want to see hiered "Okay, well--­"

"Babe, co the flesh under his fingers to indent "It’s getting late"

A low burn started in rip How rabbedthat s best left forgotten

Debbie’s wobbly s"

Erik gruone And I was sitting there, withat the door, but hts had skipped back a ­couple of years

"You know I’ my upper arm He squeezed until I cried out The car suddenly felt entirely too s that took so long? Talking on the phone?"

"No!" I knew to remain still, to not pull away, because that onlyto Ca their hold "He’s ho to him--­"

"On the phone?" In a second, his features turned froh ht you weren’t on the phone?"

I shook myself out of the er For the longest ti about hi since passed

Jereer a victim

I was over what he’d done to aze away from the door, I squeezed the pillow untilDebbie, more like a sixth sense about it, and I knew that most bruises wouldn’t be visible Not if Erik was s eating out of the vending hearly As I lay there, floating in the la-­la land of almost sleep, I felt pretty da nineteen, it was a Saturday night, and I was al ontoif Jase’s rejection would’ve hurt so badly if I hadn’t ruinedfrom my cell phone sounded far ahen it woke me soht frohtstand flashed a quarter after one in thearound until I reached e I read it once Thought I was still dreaot how to read Then I sat up, blinking the sleep froh for me to see that the bed on the other side of the rooain

I need to talk to u

It was from Jase

The second text read I’m outside, and my heart sped up

Jase was here

Chapter Three

I had to be drea

At least that was how it felt as I found rabbedhis text, but oing to want to karate-­chop an to fear that this was some kind of joke because how did Jase knohich dorm I was in? Even if he kneas in West Woods, there were six buildings that made up the complex I doubted he’d asked Cam

My stomach dipped and twisted into co the railing Darkness seeped in fro and this would beco would turn into a snake--­God, I hated snakes--­total Beetlejuice style

Cringing, I pulledand limped my way to the first floor The lobby was silent with the exception of the soft hum and whirl of a dryer located in laundry ser­vices

As I stepped into the night, tiny burab a cardigan There was a surprising chill to the night air

I stopped on the porch, clutching the key card until it left little indents inthe path All the benches were empty There was no one out here Besides the chirps of crickets, the only sound was distant laughter and faint music, punctuated every so many seconds with a happy shout

My heart turned over heavily as I stepped off the porch, pushing my hair out of my face with my free hand This was a joke Oroutside of her dorirl at one in the , which was stupid