by Bella Abbott
“Where are we going?” I asked, following Carl as he led me away from Luke’s car. I strained to make out Luke and the guy I now knew for certain was Jared. The arguing had stopped, but not the commotion… I heard what sounded like a smack or a punch. Are they fighting? Because of me?
“Home,” he said. “Your home. Or wherever you’re staying. Which is…?”
Somehow I felt safe telling him. “Ridley Academy. But it’s too far; you couldn’t possibly. If you could just call me a cab or something…” My voice trailed off. How could I pay for a cab? “Or a bus…”
“There’s no bus at this hour,” said Carl firmly. “I’m taking you to Ridley. No arguments.”
I had none to give anyway, so I decided to accept gracefully. And gratefully. He was being so kind.
As Carl opened the door of a long vehicle and I slipped into the back seat, a wave of shame washed over me. I sat there numbly till Carl opened the driver’s side door and took his seat. “I’m so sorry,” I began.
“Sorry for what?” he said. “Your jerk of a boyfriend?”
“He’s not my boyfriend.”
“Well, that’s something. But listen here. You are never to apologize for something like that. You did nothing wrong.” He paused, and it seemed like he was going to say something more, but instead he just sighed. The car tires crunched over the gravel, and then I heard the smooth, even purr of the motor as the car found pavement.
Neither of us spoke while Carl took a few turns and then eased onto the on-ramp to the highway. Once the car reached its cruising speed, I finally leaned back and examined the vehicle.
This thing was huge. I could stretch my legs out fully and not touch the back of the driver’s seat. A rope of neon blue and pink lights glowed along the interior roof of the vehicle. Is this a car or a disco? Was I still drunk?
“There’s some water in the compartment to your left,” he said.
Water? Compartment? My brain finally turned on, and I realized I must be in a limo. I’d never actually been in one before, but I’d seen them on TV. I felt along the left side of the seat and pushed open a sliding panel. Inside were six bottles of water. I opened one and drank greedily. I hadn’t even realized I was thirsty, but when I’d finished most of the bottle, I did feel marginally better.
I tried to make out the hands on my watch, but I couldn’t focus. “What time is it?”
“About one in the morning.”
“Crap.”
I took another swallow from the bottle of water. “What about Luke?”
“The punk in the car?”
I nodded. “Right.”
“Don’t you worry about him. He won’t be bugging you anymore.”
I had to know. “Whose jacket is this?”
“That’s Jared’s.”
“But – are we just leaving him there? Jared?”
Carl grunted. “Man’s got a lot on his plate. He’ll deal with your, uh, with this Luke, and my job is to take you home. Boss’s orders.”
“How long will it take to get to Ridley?” I asked, trying to work out an estimate in my head. Could I get there before some sort of alarm was raised?
“Well, this thing don’t do so well on winding roads. Maybe a normal car could make it in a couple of hours, but not this boat. Built for comfort, not for speed. But we’ll get you there well before sunup, don’t you worry.”
How could I have been so stupid as to go out, alone, with a strange guy and drink? Why had I left my roommates? I felt like such an idiot. If Jared hadn’t been there…
Jared.
His face popped back into my mind, playful and puzzled backstage as he asked if we’d met before. His eyes so blue they practically glowed, his perfect chiseled features below the shock of unruly hair, his lips slightly curled in the beginning of a smile, his skin radiant. An angel had come to rescue me, and I hadn’t even caught a glimpse of him.
“Crap,” I muttered again.
“What’s that?” Carl asked.
“Nothing.” I stewed for a few minutes. “What about my friends?”
“Don’t know nothing about your friends. Sorry.”
I withdrew my phone from my back pocket, but my hands were still trembling too much to text. I sent a note to say I’d gotten a ride back, and then I gave up as the big car lumbered around a bend. “You work for Jared, Carl?”
“That’s right. Drive, security, whatever.”
“Has he…has he ever rescued anyone before?”
A long pause. “That’s not for me to say.” The privacy glass slid closed.
The steady thrum of the tires worked their magic on me, and despite my best efforts, I slipped into sleep. When I awoke, the car wasn’t moving. Fresh air was blowing against my face from an open rear door. “We’re here,” announced Carl, from just outside the car.
I scrambled to sit up on the rear bench seat and reached for the handle above the door. I pulled myself out and nearly fell, and Carl steadied me just in time.
“How do you feel?” he asked.
“Fine. Maybe just a little out of it.”
He indicated the gate twenty yards away. “Think you can make it okay?”
The idea of being led into the dorm on Carl’s arm was one I had no interest in exploring. I’d never be able to explain it, and someone was sure to see us, even at the late hour – the guard being the first. Showing up in the middle of the night was bad enough.
“Yeah. I…I’ll manage.” I held out the jacket to him.
He shook his head. “Keep it. Kind of chilly out.”
“But…”
“He wouldn’t have left it with you if he didn’t want you to have it.” He hesitated. “You sure you don’t need any help?”
I took a cautious step and then another. I was still a bit dizzy, and the exhaustion from the long day and the longer night had caught up with me, but I was steady enough to walk. “Thanks for everything, Carl. I’m good.” I eyed him. “You sure about the jacket?”
His smile lit up the night. “Positive, little lady. Now get yourself home and stay out of trouble.”
A different guard was sitting by the gate, who barely glanced at my ID. He probably was used to students staggering in at all hours, so my condition wasn’t noteworthy – at least, that was my hope.
By the time I made it up the stairs to my room, I was dragging. The lights were off when I eased the door open, and I could just make out Serena’s sleeping form on her bed. I glanced up at the poster of Jared and felt my way to my bed, and then collapsed onto the mattress, Jared’s jacket draped over me.
My head was throbbing as I replayed the nightmarish ordeal with Luke over and over in my mind, wondering what would have happened without Jared’s timely rescue. Slumber eventually pulled me into its warm embrace, and I drifted off, Jared’s crooked grin at the concert my last waking thought.
Chapter 5
It seemed like my head had just hit the pillow when Sarah’s voice woke me.
“How did you make it home?”
I cracked one eye open. Sarah stood by the window in gray sweatpants and a varsity shirt that looked five sizes too big, sunlight streaming through the curtains. Kate sat cross-legged on her bed, looking at me accusingly.
“What time is it?” I croaked.
“Ten,” Kate said.
“Who gave you a ride? You didn’t say. And where did you get that jacket?” Sarah pressed.
I forced myself to sit up. “Good morning to you, too.”
“We only got in an hour ago. How did you get home? How come you didn’t take us with you? What happened to Luke?” Kate asked.
I dodged the first questions. “What do you mean, what happened to him?”
“He left us stranded, is what. It took us all night to make it back. We wound up having to take the bus,” Sarah complained. “We kept texting you, but you didn’t answer. You have no idea what kind of sketchy characters are hanging around the Portland bus station at five in the morning.”
I
tried to think of something to say. Serena smirked from where she was sitting at her study table. “At least you were dressed for it, Sarah. I don’t imagine it was too hard to raise money for the fare.”
Sarah ignored her. “Seriously. What was the deal with Luke? How come he took you home and not us? Did you guys go somewhere?”
“Luke’s a scumbag,” I said. “He got me drunk and tried to… I don’t know. I said no, but he didn’t stop. Hopefully he got arrested for drunk and disorderly or something. Although his dad’s a lawyer, so he’ll probably get off light.”
Kate’s expression was one of shock. “You’re joking!”
“I wish I were.”
Serena moved from the table to my bed. “Are you okay, Lacey?”
“I guess. I mean, he didn’t succeed, so that’s something. But it was horrible.”
“You have to press charges,” she said.
“How? There’s no, you know, evidence of anything. Plus I’d have to explain what a minor was doing in a club, drinking alcohol, for starters. I’m pretty sure a good attorney could make that pretty ugly and paint me as a total slut who was asking for it.”
“You still should, Lacey,” she insisted. “Or he’ll do it to someone else.”
I sighed and sank back against my pillow. “Well, first off, nothing actually happened. Second, I’m here on an academic scholarship. If I go on record being in a club, drinking, I can kiss that goodbye.”
Sarah frowned. “That totally sucks. But she’s right. The school would bury her.”
Kate snorted in frustration. “Were there any witnesses?”
I pulled the jacket to my chin. “Not really. I mean, nobody who would want to get involved, I’m pretty sure. Besides, nothing happened other than him pushing too hard.”
Kate leaned forward. “What do you mean, nobody who’d want to get involved?”
“It’s a long story,” I said.
“I’ve got time,” Sarah responded.
“Me too,” Kate seconded. Even Serena had stopped even pretending to work and had fixed her full attention on me.
I pushed the jacket to the side and sat up. “Somebody stopped Luke before it went too far. But he’s not going to want to come forward. At least I don’t think so.”
“How do you know unless you ask?” Serena demanded.
Sarah’s eyes narrowed. “Who was it?”
My gaze drifted from Sarah, to Kate, and finally settled on Serena. “You’re going to think I’m crazy. I halfway think I am right now.”
“Try us,” Serena said.
“It’s just…so frigging nuts. I mean, even when I try to figure out how to make it sound halfway normal, it just doesn’t.”
“Who?” Sarah pressed. “Spiderman? Superman? Zorro?”
I had to laugh, breaking the tension. “That would sound more normal than what actually happened.”
“You have to tell us,” Kate insisted. “Come on, Lacey. Give.”
I let out an exasperated sigh. “Okay, don’t laugh. It was Jared.”
Their expressions said that if I’d told them a giant squid had dropped from Heaven and rescued me, I couldn’t have surprised them more. Sarah was the first to react.
“No way.”
Kate’s stare moved to the jacket. “Is that his?”
I nodded, pink flushing my cheeks.
“Oh. My. God…” Sarah whispered reverentially. “Oh. My. God.”
“He gave you his jacket!” Serena said.
I looked away. “Sort of. I mean, he left it for me. I guess? Things were a bit confusing. I tried to give it back, but…”
“How did you get home? Did he fly you here on a winged unicorn?” Kate asked, her tone skeptical.
“His limo.” I paused, seeing the disbelief in their eyes. “His driver’s name is Carl. He’s really sweet, although he looks pretty scary. Big man.”
Serena stared at me. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“I couldn’t make it up if I tried.” I hesitated. “I told you it would sound crazy. It still seems that way to me, too…”
Sarah and Kate exchanged a glance. “That’s why Luke’s car was still parked there,” Kate said. “He probably got busted. Maybe Jared’s people called the cops.”
“I would totally have slashed his tires,” Sarah said. “Assuming I couldn’t have cut anything else off.”
I let that go by. “Anyway, it’s over. And I really need some sleep.”
“Jared saved you only a couple of hours ago, and you can sleep?” Kate said in amazement, eyeing the jacket.
Sarah shook her head. “I hate you.”
“I didn’t ask for any of this,” I protested.
“Did he kiss you?” Sarah asked.
“No,” I blurted. “It wasn’t like that.”
“The dude gave you his jacket. So what was it like, exactly, if not like that?”
“I… It… Carl gave me the jacket; he just said it was for me. I didn’t even talk to Jared. He was arguing with Luke. Maybe…maybe even fighting.”
“He fought for you?” Sarah breathed reverently. “That is so romantic.”
“Sarah, come on. Not like a duel. He was coming out of the club. He heard some noise. He stopped Luke. That’s all it was,” I said, pacing my words and trying to make it sound like no big deal.
“And then he had his limo drive you a hundred miles,” Kate said.
“And gave you his jacket as a memento,” Serena added helpfully. “Yeah. Probably happens all the time.”
“We totally have to be your bridesmaids,” Sarah said. “I look awesome in pink or lavender, if you’re thinking colors.”
“Are you going to have your own reality show? Keeping Up with Lacey and Jared?” Kate continued.
“Guys…”
Kate held her hands up. “Lacey’s right. We shouldn’t be bagging on her.” The corner of her mouth twitched. “But, you know, if Jared wants to come over and take a shower or something, that would be fine. Just sayin’.”
“Maybe a bubble bath,” Sarah said. “Four’s company!”
“I am not going to talk about this anymore,” I said with a yawn. “Can I go back to sleep now?”
Sarah couldn’t help but yawn too. “I suppose I could use a nap myself. But you have to promise to tell us everything later.”
“Sure,” I said.
“Can I sleep with the jacket?” Kate asked in a small voice.
I turned over with it wrapped around me. “Not a chance.”
Chapter 6
By the end of the weekend, my exploits had become big news with the other students, and everywhere I went, I got curious stares. Sarah and the crew had obviously opened their big mouths, and now in addition to getting acclimated in a new environment, I had to contend with being the star of my own personal freak show. For someone as self-conscious as I was, that was like a rock in my shoe, and as much as I tried to ignore the attention, I couldn’t miss the whispers and glances.
I hoped that the campus grapevine was as efficient at spreading the truth about Luke as it was gossiping about Jared. Every time I thought about the attempted assault (and with some distance, I could see it for what it was) I saw red, and the knowledge that formally accusing him would get me kicked out of school didn’t improve my mood.
When Monday morning arrived, I was relieved to have something to do other than skulk around like some third-string celebrity. My first class of the day was Intro to Psychology – an elective class that was prep for the college version. I was one of sixty in the hall, and when the teacher, Simon Pence, walked to the podium and cleared his throat, you could hear a pin drop – he was a gifted speaker who also taught at the state university, and he had a thriving YouTube following for his lecture series on relationships. He instantly had the rapt attention of all the female students, including Kate, who was also taking the class and was seated next to me.
After the lecture, we were broken off into seminar groups of twenty. Mine would be led by a graduate t
eaching assistant from the college, named Robert, who seemed easygoing and was handsome in a scruffy way. Yeah, we were supposed to call him by his first name. It wasn’t as weird as it would have been with someone older, at least. Kate was also in my group, and once we’d taken our seats, we took turns introducing ourselves. When it was her turn, I couldn’t help noticing that she was a bit flirtatious with Robert, who politely thanked her and moved on to me.
“Lacey Wilkes,” I announced quietly, studying my bootlaces. “From Pennsylvania.”
“That’s an interesting name. Is it short for anything?” Robert asked.
“No. Just Lacey.” What would it be short for?
Soon enough, he turned to the next student. When class let out, Kate tailed me from the room and cornered me in the hall while I checked my class schedule. “He isn’t hard to look at, is he?”
“Who?” I asked.
“Hello! Robert.”
“Oh. Um, I guess.”
“And he was really nice. You could tell he was actually interested in everyone’s answers.”
“He’s the TA. He’s supposed to be nice. And to pay attention to what his students say.”
“Well, some graduate teaching assistants can be really mean. Like we’ll think they’re full-fledged teachers if they’re super strict. And especially Robert…well, I guess I thought he’d be a little more reserved or something. After all, he’s one of the most sought-after guys on campus.”
“Really?” I asked, curious in spite of myself. “Why?”
She studied my face. “You really don’t know? I thought everyone did.”
“Is there a punch line to this?” I asked.
“He created an app that made a gazillion bucks when he was a college sophomore. He’s a campus legend.”
“Then why’s he a GTA at the academy? That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Sure it does. He’s working on his doctorate at the university, or something like that, some kind of distance program? And teaching is part of what they do. Even geniuses can still learn more stuff.”
She had a point. “So he’s not developing more apps?”