Mason pulled himself up from the chair, eyeing the exit at the far end of the building. Realizing his sudden urge to break away from the noise, he walked toward it, scrambling for his phone along the way. The hinges creaked noisily as he pushed open a gate that led him into a dimly lit alleyway. He leaned against the brick wall alongside the exterior of the building, and let out a long sigh.
Just as he was about to return the phone to his pocket, it lit up. Mason glanced at the screen, trying his best to focus on the bold, illuminated letters.
It was Rhea.
He thought twice about taking her call—especially since she’d ignored him all night—but decided it was best not to hold a grudge. After fumbling with the finicky touch screen, he finally answered. “Hello?”
“Mason?” Rhea responded, her voice distant and far away.
“Hey, Rhea. What’s up?”
There was a pause on the other end of the line as music filled the airwaves. It was hard to hear her response.
“Something’s happened.”
Even in his current state, Mason could tell something was wrong. He’d known Rhea for quite some time and she wasn’t one to panic easily.
“Mason, I need—” her voice broke off as the line went dead.
“Rhea?”
No response.
“Hello?”
His phone flashed a few times, indicating that the call had been disconnected. Mason stood still for a minute, trying to clear his head. On one hand, both Rhea and Emery had bailed on him. On the other hand, he’d known Rhea for a long time and considered her a close friend. Not to mention, she seemed to be in trouble.
He repeated Rhea’s last words in his head, and dialed her number again, hoping that she would pick up, but it went straight to voicemail. Frustrated, he hung up and knocked his head against the wall. Think, Mason.
He’d heard music in the background of the call, which meant that that she was probably out somewhere. Mason hit his hand to his forehead as he realized that there was only one place she could be.
On Alpha Drive.
All of the club buildings on Alpha Drive were known for hosting socials the week before classes started for one obvious reason: to allow new students to get acclimated to their favorite clubs. The more students to show up at one building, the more likely word would get out around campus.
Mason pushed open the alley gate that led to Alpha Drive, his vision blurred as he made his way along the outside of the building. The streetlights swayed back and forth, an orange halo of light shimmering around each lamp post. He paused briefly, focusing on the cracked pavement beneath him. Pull it together.
A strained yell of frustration sounded from the opposite end of the street. His gaze moved from the pavement to the end of the alleyway, his pace quickening as he focused on the sight in front of him. Two female figures entered his view. He could immediately tell that they were struggling—one of the girls was leaning heavily on the other, slowly slumping to the street with each step.
He was almost there. Just a few more feet.
Without thinking, Mason called out Rhea's name. One of the girls spun to face him, her hair whipping around the side of her head.
“Mason,” she breathed, half thrilled, half panicked. “You found us.”
He finished his last few strides, noticing that Emery was slumped over on the curb, her body motionless. Mason looked from Emery to Rhea, noticing her hands were shaking. He took her hands in his and squeezed them tightly. She was out of breath and looked seriously disheveled, but still beautiful as ever. As he looked her in the eyes, he tried to project his calm state of mind onto her. “Everything is going to be okay,” he assured.
Rhea met his gaze and nodded, her breath slowing with each inhale she took.
“I need you to tell me what happened, from the beginning,” he instructed as he knelt down to check Emery's vitals. Her pulse was slow, but she was still breathing.
“We were on our way to meet you, but we were invited inside one of the club buildings for a few drinks.” Her eyes shifted to her roommate’s immobile body. “We were only going to stay for about thirty minutes, but I guess we lost track of time.” A wave of guilt washed over her face.
Mason listened attentively as she finished her story. His instincts kicked in, his adrenaline overpowering the alcohol. “My first thought is to call 9-1-1.”
Rhea’s eyes filled with fear. “Mason, she only had one drink. I’m sure she’s fine. No hospitals,” she insisted as she scratched the back of her neck. “Please.”
As much as Mason disagreed with her, he knew this wasn’t the time to argue. “Okay, this is what we need to do. We need to get Emery back to your room and sit her upright, making sure her head is propped up. We can try to give her some water and maybe get some food in her system. Got it?”
Rhea nodded, her head moving up and down like a bobblehead on the dash of a car.
“Good. You walk in front, okay?” Mason glanced down at Emery’s motionless heap of limbs. He leaned down and put his left hand under the back of her neck for support. He slid his right arm underneath her knees and, in one swift motion, lifted her off the ground. Surprised by his own forcefulness, he stumbled back a little. It took him a second to balance his footing and adjust to the dainty, yet noticeable, weight in his arms.
Mason trudged down Alpha Drive behind Rhea, one step at a time, until he reached one of the two crosswalks that led to Rosemary Hall. He set Emery down and propped her up against a nearby streetlamp, checking her pulse for good measure. As he straightened up, Mason noticed a motorcycle sitting a few stoplights away. His stomach turned.
It was campus police.
He froze, unsure of what to do. Maybe the cop wouldn't see them. If he picked Emery up now and ran, it would be too obvious—but if he just stood there and acted like everything was normal, the cop would probably still approach him. Either way, he was screwed.
Mason gazed at his surroundings, noticing an oversized, electrical box sitting just a few feet away from the sidewalk. “Rhea,” he whispered as he grabbed her arm. “I need you to hide behind that electrical box.”
Rhea’s eyes widened. “What? Why?”
“Just trust me.”
As she scurried to hide behind the box, Mason picked Emery up and shuffled over to where Rhea was kneeling. He gently placed Emery on the ground, then put his finger to his lips. It crossed his mind to stay crouched in hiding, but it was likely that the cop had seen at least one shadow. He motioned for Rhea to stay put, then walked back over to the sidewalk.
The light turned green and Mason watched as the motorcycle inched closer and closer to where he stood. He let out a sigh of relief as the cop rode past him, but that feeling was quickly replaced with dread as the officer made an abrupt U-turn. He took a deep breath as the cop parked his bike, his grim expression suggesting his night had been anything but pleasant.
“Good evening, son.”
“Evening, sir,” Mason stated, doing his best to sound sober.
“Are you a Darden student?”
“Err—uhh—yes,” Mason stammered, immediately regretting the words as they left his mouth.
The officer eyed him suspiciously, his mouth curling into a smirk. “All Darden students must obtain permission to be out after 10 P.M. Do you have said permission?”
Mason looked down at his shoes. “No, sir.”
The cop took a step closer. “Have you been drinking tonight?”
Just be honest, Mason thought to himself. He was royally screwed either way, so he may as well tell the truth and hope the cop would go easy on him.
“Yes, sir. I have been drinking tonight.”
The office pointed his flashlight over at the electrical box, then shifted the light back onto Mason’s petrified face. “Identification, please.”
Mason's hand retreated into his back pocket as he pulled his driver’s license out of his wallet.
The cop shook his head, clearly debating what to do. “Is thi
s your first offense?”
“Yes, it is,” Mason answered, wishing he’d just let him off the hook. He bowed his head as the officer scribbled furiously on his pad.
The officer handed the ticket to Mason. “Get home safely,” the officer instructed as he hopped back onto his bike. The motorcycle roared as he restarted the engine, then sped off down the road.
Mason looked down at the ticket and, much to his surprise, smiled. PLEASE STATE THE NATURE OF OFFENSE: JAYWALKING.
13
Everything was upside down and spinning. Emery's eyes fluttered open briefly before shutting again. Her pelvic bone moved rhythmically as it hit up against what felt like the top of a shoulder. Opening her eyes again, she realized she had been slung over someone's shoulder like a bag of laundry. The carpet on the floor below turned tricks like a kaleidoscope as her mystery captor trudged along. The pattern was vaguely familiar. It was then she realized that she was back in her dorm, in Rosemary Hall.
Emery lifted her head slightly and extended her arms, hoping to get the attention of whoever was carrying her. Muffled voices surrounded her and she faintly recognized Rhea's laugh, but she couldn’t figure out who her roommate was talking to.
They came to a stop and Emery heard a key slide into the door. It creaked open as her head brushed against the doorframe. In seconds, she was on the floor, a fluffy, goose down pillow acting as her only support. She lay there, motionless, looking up at the blurry images floating in space above her. An unrecognizable face moved closer to hers, and a hand rested on her forehead. Recognition took hold. Mason.
“Emery,” Mason whispered, his hand still resting on her forehead.
“Hey.” She winced as her stomach turned.
“You’re awake,” he breathed, letting out a long sigh of relief.
Rhea's face appeared overhead next to Mason's. “There you are!” she yelled in a volume far too loud for the time of night. “I thought we’d lost you. What in the world happened?”
That’s a good question. Emery felt one shoe come off, then the other. She wiggled her toes, the rest of her body feeling numb and tingly.
“Do you have this under control?” Mason asked.
“I think so,” Rhea responded.
“Okay, call me if you need anything.” Mason smiled as he bowed out of the room, closing the door securely behind him.
Rhea took hold of both of her roommate’s arms and yanked her upright to a sitting position. Emery sat there like a limp rag doll as her shirt came up over her ears and finally over her head. “We need to get you in the shower,” Rhea demanded. “You were sweating profusely during your . . . episode.”
“That’s a good idea,” Emery murmured.
“Of course it is.” Rhea said as she turned on the faucet, then tugged her roommate up from the floor.
With Rhea's help, Emery stepped over the ledge into the tub. Just when she thought she had her balance, her right foot slipping away from her. She squealed, her body hurling forward into the ceramic, tile wall. Immediately, Rhea’s hands were on her shoulders to steady her. She felt a push and collapsed as her legs gave out.
“Just sit and stay sitting,” Rhea instructed as she walked out of the bathroom.
Emery did as she was told and closed her eyes, willing the faucet to stop the cascade of spinning water droplets that were pounding onto her head. Her eyes opened when she felt a nudge on her shoulder, a water bottle dangling in front of her face. As the image of the misshapen bottle came into focus, Emery looked down, realizing that she was still half dressed.
Rhea shook the water bottle again. “Drink up. You need to hydrate.”
Emery grabbed the bottle, eyeing her roommate as she took a giant swig. “If you ask me, you’re the one who should be drinking water.”
Rhea waved her hand in the air. “I’ve had years of experience. Besides, I’m not the one who blacked out after one drink.” She situated herself on the edge of the tub, her feet hitting the water with a splash, knocking things over as she reached for the shampoo. “We just moved in and already the shower looks like a bomb went off. How many bath products can two girls own?”
“A lot more than I imagined,” Emery replied as she tightened the cap on the water bottle.
Rhea squirted a quarter size of shampoo in her hand and began to lather her roommate’s hair.
Emery abruptly turned away. The chip. Don’t let her see the chip. “You know what, I got it,” she said as she batted Rhea’s hand away.
Rhea gave her a funny look. “I was just trying to help.”
Emery didn’t want her to get suspicious, so she changed the subject by recapping the night. About five minutes into the conversation, they were laughing hysterically. It was their first real bonding moment as roommates.
As Rhea leaned over to turn off the faucet, there was a knock at the door.
“Emery?” a raspy voice called out.
Rhea looked at her roommate’s face for recognition of the voice on the other side of the door.
Emery’s face paled. “It’s Anthony,” she whispered.
“What should we do?”
Emery took a deep breath. “Hand me a towel.”
Rhea threw her legs over the edge of the tub, pulling a towel from the rack, quickly drying off her legs before tossing it over to her roommate. Emery dried herself off, squeezing the water from her hair, then walked out of the bathroom, grabbing her shirt along the way. She pulled the shirt over her head and opened the door, only to find an empty hallway. She gazed down the hall to see Anthony trudging to the stairwell with his head down.
“Anthony,” she said in a low voice, not wanting to wake her neighbors.
He turned around and hurried over to her. “What happened? Why are you all wet?”
She ignored his question. “What are you doing here?”
“You haven’t answered any of my calls or texts, so I was worried.” He raised his hand to stroke her hair.
Emery took a step backwards, not wanting to be touched. “I’m not really in the mood,” she said as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Look, I’ve had a long night and I’m not feeling well. I need to get some sleep.”
Anthony lowered his arm, eyeing her suspiciously. “Oh. Well, can I at least come in and meet your roommate?”
The hurt in his voice ripped through her. She unwillingly grabbed Rhea by the arm and stumbled back toward the door. “Here she is.”
Rhea looked at Emery with a confused expression, then shifted her attention toward Anthony. “Um, hi. I’m Rhea,” she said as she extended her arm.
Anthony shook her hand to be polite, but his attention was entirely focused on Emery. She could feel him observing her. Judging her. The thought made her stomach turn. Her hand shot up to cover her mouth, the color draining from her face.
“I thought we were past this phase,” Rhea grunted as she helped lead her roommate’s shuddering body back into the bathroom.
“Can I help with anything?” he offered.
“Yeah. Grab another water bottle from the fridge,” Rhea suggested. “And some bread. She needs to eat something.”
“So, you two went out drinking.” He paused. “Emery’s not really into that whole scene.”
“She only had one drink.”
“Then why—?”
“Why is she shuddering and heaving?” Rhea looked down at her roommate. “I think that’s the one question we all wish we had an answer to.”
Anthony sighed as he scoured the mini fridge for water bottles. A loaf of bread sat atop one of the desks, so he grabbed it, then meandered back to the bathroom. He handed both items to Rhea, plopping his rear down outside the door.
Rhea tried to coax Emery into eating, but she could barely lift her head. She waited patiently until Emery was well enough to stand up. Anthony jumped to his feet and helped guide his girlfriend through the dimly lit room, pushing her up the ladder onto the bed.
As Rhea walked to the sink to brush her teeth, Anthony stopped her. “L
isten, I know you just met me and all, but I’d really like to stay with Emery tonight.”
She turned her head toward the sink, spitting some of the foam down the drain. “I get that and I know you drove a long way to see her—but we have class tomorrow and Emery needs to rest.”
Anthony sighed, disappointment written all over his face, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he sulked toward the door like an abandoned animal. “Okay. Well, thanks for taking care of her.”
Rhea couldn’t help but feel bad. “Hey, even if you did stay, I don’t know how the two of you would fit in that twin size bed anyway. Talk about uncomfortable,” she joked through the bristles of her toothbrush.
“Will you let me know how she is tomorrow?”
Rhea moved the toothbrush to the side of her mouth. “I’ll have her call you first thing in the morning.” She walked him over to the door and shut it behind him, stealing a glance at Emery, who was lying face down on her pillow. Rhea stepped up onto the bed’s ladder and rolled her roommate’s body over, positioning her so she was flat on her back.
Rhea could only hope that her roommate’s episodes wouldn’t be a recurring thing. Unfortunately, she had a feeling that this was only the first of many.
14
Emery awoke to a pounding head and a screaming alarm clock. She clambered out of bed and down the ladder, reaching across the desk to hit the off button. A note was stuck to her laptop. Frustrated by her dependency on contact lenses, she brought her face closer to the jumbled handwriting. Went to the gym before class. Hope you’re feeling better! Love, Rhea
How late had she slept in? Emery glanced at the clock again, the glowing white numbers coming into focus. It was 10:07 A.M. She moved her index finger across the touchpad of her laptop and quickly retrieved her course schedule for the fall semester. A sigh of relief escaped her lips. Her first class wasn’t until 11:45 A.M.
A shower sounds perfect right now, Emery thought as she trudged over to the bathroom.
The Alpha Drive Page 8