by J. Nathan
I shrugged, the only answer I could give her, then looked back to my friend. “Do you think you’d like to go to health services?”
Valerie’s eyes flashed to mine.
“They have counselors you could talk to. It wouldn’t hurt.”
She cocked her head, her eyes pleading with me not to treat her like some fragile little flower.
I held up my hands in surrender. “It was just a thought.” She’d been through a lot. Talking to someone could help her.
I walked her back to her room a little while later, making sure Tina was there. I knew better than to leave her alone. So did Tina at this point.
I returned to my room and finished my Art History essay in record time.
My phone buzzed. I checked the screen, not recognizing the number. “Hello?”
“Is this Sophia?” Chase asked.
My nose wrinkled at his question. “Yes.”
“Hey, this is Chase Shaw,” he said. “I got your number from this other guy Chase I used to know.”
I stifled a grin, understanding what he was doing. “Oh yeah?” I lay back on my bed. “And what did this other Chase say that made you call me?”
“Well…he said you were a hell of a soccer and pool player.”
“Go on.”
“And you like football which is fucking hot.”
I chuckled.
“He did mention that you have this list of things you hope to accomplish before you graduate college.”
“I do.”
“I was thinking…maybe you need someone to help you with some of those things.”
I closed my eyes, feeling like a tween again when the boy I liked smiled at me. “I may.”
“Anything in particular I may be an expert at?”
“I’ve still yet to dye my hair blonde.”
“Not quite what I was thinking.”
I laughed. “Hmmm. I’m gonna have to think about it,” I said. “I mean, I don’t really know you.” I wasn’t lying.
“I’m actually a really nice guy,” he assured me, keeping up the charade.
“Says who?”
“Well…my mom, for one.”
I laughed, thinking back to the cute picture of him and his parents in his room at the frat. “An unbiased source.”
“Oh, my mom is as unbiased as they come. Maybe I could introduce the two of you sometime.”
My heart flipped over in my chest. Did he really want us to meet? Was he trying to prove this thing between us—or at least what could be between us—was still important to him? But the bigger question was…could I forgive him and move past the deception? Could we really just pick up where Chase Reed and I left off? “We’ll have to see how our first date goes.”
“So, you’re saying I can take you out?” he asked.
“You know where to find me.”
His laughter carried through the phone, and one of the cracked pieces of my heart slipped back into place. I disconnected the call, cutting off his laughter before I did something foolish like invite him over.
My priority was Valerie. And she needed me.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
I was jerked awake by banging on my door Sunday night. I jolted up, my eyes shooting around my pitch-black room. Had I been dreaming?
The banging started up again.
I slipped out of bed and opened the door.
Tina stood there. “Valerie’s gone.”
“What do you mean gone?”
“She went to sleep when I did, but now her bed’s empty,” Tina said, on the verge of tears.
“Okay. Let me think. Did you check with the other girls?”
She nodded. “No one’s seen her.”
“Chantel?”
“I can’t find her.”
“Text her.”
She nodded.
I grabbed my shoes and slipped them on. “I think I might know where Val went. You stay here and wait in case she comes back.”
Tina nodded. “I knew something was wrong with her. I just didn’t know how to help her.”
“I know. I’m sure she knows too.” I slipped out of my room and headed to the stairwell. Instead of going down, I climbed my way to the top floor and to the emergency exit.
Here goes nothing.
I pushed open the door which led to the roof. I’d never been out there before, but similarly to the roof Chase and I had been on, this one was flat with a ledge wrapping around the perimeter.
I squinted, struggling to see anything in the darkness. I pulled out my phone and turned on the flashlight, shining it around the dark space. Big vents, air ducts, and utility boxes filled different areas on the roof.
“Val?” I called out softly as I switched off my light. I didn’t want to startle her, knowing how something like that ends. I moved around the vast area slowly, my legs trembling with each step. “Are you out here?” I called.
“Sophia?”
I spun around, searching for her voice. “I’m here. Where are you?”
“Up here.”
Up? My legs almost gave out beneath me as I found her standing on the ledge. “Oh, dear God.”
“Don’t come any closer,” she warned.
“Val? I need you to come down. Nothing good could come from you being up there.”
“I can’t take it anymore.”
“What can’t you take?” I asked.
“I feel like I’m cracking. I’ve got so much weighing me down.”
“Like what, honey? What’s weighing you down? I can help.”
“Valerie?” Chantel’s voice said from behind me.
I froze to my spot, my limbs turning numb.
“What are you doing?” she asked Valerie, anger coloring her tone.
“I can’t take it anymore,” Valerie said.
“Be smart, Valerie,” Chantel warned.
“This is the first smart move I’ve made in a long time,” Valerie assured her.
“Val, please come down. We can help you,” I said.
“There’s no helping me,” she said. Even in the darkness the tears falling from her eyes were impossible to miss.
“You’re scaring me. Please come down,” I said.
“I need to do this. I need to be free,” she said. “It’s the only way.”
“I don’t understand,” I said.
“Chantel knows.”
My eyes shot to Chantel. “What do you know?”
She shrugged. “I have no idea.”
“Well, you need to do something because apparently this has something to do with you,” I said.
“You know what we did, Chantel. You know we were up here when Sydney fell,” Valerie said.
“She’s out of her mind,” Chantel said.
“Don’t you dare say that about her when she’s up there,” I spat. “Help her, God dammit!”
“Come down, Valerie,” Chantel said. “We can get you help.”
“Help?” Valerie scoffed. “You’re the one who’s gonna need help. You’re the one who’s going to have two dead bodies on your conscience—if you even have one.”
“What happened to Sydney was an accident, and you know it,” Chantel said.
“Then why did you force me to hide the truth? Why wouldn’t you let me tell the police?” Valerie asked, the desperation in her voice heartbreaking.
“You know why we couldn’t tell. We’d be pulled out of school or worse put in jail,” Chantel said.
“Her parents needed to know the truth,” Valerie said. “It was an accident. An accident I should’ve never allowed you to make me stay quiet about.”
“How do you sleep at night?” I asked Chantel.
Her eyes cut to mine. “Don’t go getting all self-righteous now, Sophia. Especially after you stole my boyfriend right out from under me.”
“I was never your boyfriend,” Chase said as he stepped out from behind one of the utility boxes.
“What the hell?” Chantel said, her head whipping around.
“P
lease come down from there, Valerie,” Chase said, speaking for both of us.
Valerie hopped down and I breathed a huge sigh of relief. So many things could have gone wrong causing her to meet the same fate as Sydney. She slipped her phone from her pocket and recorded Chase as he moved toward Chantel.
“You have the right to remain silent,” Chase began, pulling out his handcuffs. Chantel’s eyes grew wild with fear as he approached. “Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.”
Chantel backed away from him. “You can’t do this.”
“I can and I will,” he assured her as he grasped her by the shoulders and turned her around, cuffing her hands behind her back.
“Just in case,” Valerie said as she continued to record the whole scene on her phone. “You never know when you’ll need a video like this.”
“My father will sue you for all you’ve got,” Chantel spat at all of us.
“Why?” Chase asked. “You just gave me the confession I needed. And I assure you, I will take the stand to be sure you get the harshest punishment possible.” He glanced to Valerie and me. “Thanks for the assist.”
We nodded, watching as he walked Chantel toward the door to the roof, disappearing into the darkness.
Val stopped recording and turned to me, wrapping her arms around me tightly. “We did it.”
“You did it,” I assured her.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
It was late afternoon when I finally stepped outside my dorm. The previous night had been…a lot. News vans and cameramen had been camped outside since the early morning, occupying both the road and sidewalk.
“The case of Sydney Lane came to a close early this morning when the truth about a hazing accident surfaced,” a reporter said into her camera. “In a sorority pledge event gone horribly wrong, Sydney fell unexpectedly to her death.”
I dragged in a deep breath as I opened the passenger door to the black SUV waiting down the road for me.
“Hi,” Chase said as I slipped into his passenger seat.
“Hi.”
His eyes moved over my jeans and hoodie. “You look nice.”
“Nice?”
He smirked. “It’s a first date. I’m trying to be a gentleman.” He reached over and linked our fingers.
Boy, I missed the feel of him. “Where are we going?”
“Just a little road trip, if that’s okay?”
I nodded, curious where he planned to take me.
We drove for some time. My curiosity grew the longer we drove, but Chase kept me occupied by answering every question I asked him about himself.
“Spanish and Italian,” he said, his eyes alternating between the road and me.
“So, you speak three languages?”
“And a little French.”
“I’m impressed.”
“That I’m smart?”
I laughed. “That you’re so well rounded.”
“You know I could make a dirty joke right there, right?”
I rolled my eyes.
“How old were you when you first had sex?”
“Sixteen with Jessica Hynes.”
I lifted a brow as jealousy whirled in my belly. “Do you see Jessica now?”
He pegged me with his eyes. “You jealous?”
“Maybe.”
“I like that you’re jealous.”
“Where did it happen?”
“Where did we have sex?”
I nodded, cringing before he even answered since I knew it would only increase my jealousy.
“My friend’s pool house. But, I assure you, it lasted two minutes and was definitely unmemorable for her.”
I laughed to myself, his answer making me feel slightly better. “Favorite all-time song?” I asked, needing to change the subject before I did something crazy like go all stalker-mode on Jessica Hynes to see what she looked like or if she had a boyfriend.
“Good question. Maybe…‘Sweet Home Alabama’ or House of Pain’s ‘Jump Around’.”
“Those are two extremes.”
His low chuckle filled the SUV. “I’ve got eclectic tastes.”
A comfortable silence passed between us as I considered what other information I wanted to know.
“Have you ever killed anyone?”
He hesitated. “Not yet.”
The word yet reminded me what a dangerous job being a police officer really was. “Are you going to become a detective?”
“Someday,” he said. “Right now, I’m good doing what I’m doing.” His eyes cut to mine, and I got the feeling we weren’t still talking about his future.
A short while later, he drove into a residential neighborhood filled with beautiful brick homes. He pulled into a long driveway and shifted into park.
I turned to look at him as he cut the engine.
His eyes held indecision.
“I don’t have to meet your mom tonight,” I assured him.
He shook his head. “That’s not what this is.”
My eyes widened. “Jessica Hynes?”
He shook his head with silent laughter. “Not even close.” He turned, his attention seeking something by the front door.
I followed his gaze. I stilled, the hair on the back of my neck prickling.
Sydney’s mother stood on the front steps, her arms wrapped tightly around her chest.
I pushed open my door before I even knew what I was doing. My legs carried me up the winding brick sidewalk toward her.
“Sophia,” Mrs. Lane said, enfolding me in her arms. “My angel.”
I blinked back stinging tears as her frail body held me to her. “I’m so happy you got the closure you were seeking.”
She pulled back, still grasping my shoulders so she could look at me. Her eyes softened in the corners. “Officer Shaw said you were the reason we learned the truth.”
“I only helped Valerie. She’s the one who fought to get you the truth. She’s so sorry she couldn’t get it for you sooner.”
Mrs. Lane shook her head, holding back her own tears. “We’re just happy we know now.”
Chase stepped up beside me and Mrs. Lane wrapped her arms tightly around him. “Thank you, Officer Shaw. A weight has been lifted from our hearts.”
He stepped out of her arms. “I was just doing my job.”
“Yes, but we know being undercover and spending time with that dreadful girl had to take its toll.”
He glanced to me. “Yeah, well, it led me to someone else.”
She smiled, and Chase and I could see the genuine gratitude she felt for both of us in that moment. And if I didn’t know any better, I’d say she was giving us her blessing.
***
I rested my head back against the headrest and closed my eyes.
“What are you thinking?” Chase asked as we drove back to Houston.
“I just can’t shake the look on her face.”
He nodded. “They’ve been waiting for the truth for a long time.”
“How’d you know she’d want to see me?” I asked.
“I didn’t. But I knew you’d want to see her.”
Contentment filled my body. Sydney’s mother finally got the truth. And, Chase knew me. And he knew exactly what I needed.
His eyes jumped between the road and me. “You once told me you wanted to be the reason someone did something amazing.”
I nodded.
“I’d say you’ve done something amazing for that family. And, you got Valerie to step up and do the right thing to bring Chantel down. So, I’d say you accomplished your goal.”
My head fell to the side and I stared at Chase, his side profile distinct in the fading evening light. “Take me to your apartment.”
Surprise filled his eyes. “Yeah?”
I nodded.
We fell through his apartment door a little while later, our mouths incapable of disengaging as he kicked the door shut behind us. He walked me backward down his hallway to his bedroom, his lips moving desperately over m
ine. When the backs of my knees hit the bed, he lowered me down. Only then did he pull away. He stood at the foot of his bed and gazed down at me. My hair must’ve been a mess, my cheeks were beyond pink, and my chest heaved like a marathon runner.
I watched as he pulled his shirt over his head. I drank in the definition he had freaking everywhere. He slipped the button through the slot on his jeans and lowered his zipper. I watched every calculated move he made as he slowly pulled down his jeans and boxers and stepped out of them, standing naked in front of me.
A rush of desire swarmed in my chest. I may have thought I wanted him before. I may have thought I’d never feel more desire than I did when I asked him to sleep with me on my birthday. But I was wrong, and I understood that now. The feelings exuding from me as I lay on his bed with him offering himself to me for the first time couldn’t be replicated. Nerves were a distant memory. This was what was supposed to happen. And, I’d never felt more sure until this moment.
I unzipped my hoodie and pulled it, along with the shirt beneath it, over my head.
Chase’s eyes never wavered from mine. Even seconds later as I reached behind my back and unfastened my bra, letting it fall off my arms, his eyes remained on mine. I unbuttoned my jeans, lifted my ass, and shimmied out of them and my panties, leaving me just as naked as he was—except I still wore my mason jar necklace.
“You sure?” Chase asked.
I nodded, never more sure about anything. I lifted my hand and beckoned him closer with my index finger.
He crawled up the bed until he hovered over me. “I didn’t think I could want you more than I did when you corrected my threat outside the frat house.”
“Liar.”
He shook his head. “And it only doubled when I walked into your room and found you watching football.”
“Doubled, huh?”
“And, then it multiplied when you asked me to take you back here. I’m done.”
“Done?”
He inched down so his lips were a mere breath from mine. “In love.” He closed the distance, pressing his lips to mine. I wrapped my arms around him, arching into him and deepening the kiss. Our tongues were in sync, tangling as we explored each other’s mouths. Our lips stayed molded together as our naked bodies found a rhythm.
I pulled out of the kiss, my heart racing and my chest heaving. “I’m ready,”