I thank the nurse and slouch on the gurney, hanging my head. This is going to get ugly. Maybe coming to this place was a mistake.
Or was it?
If I hadn’t been there tonight, something much worse might’ve happened to River. Still, Blake and his friends are going to make our lives miserable.
And now I can’t leave. I can’t leave River alone in this place. But how can a guy like me protect her? I’m no match for them. I’m no match for anyone.
Just before midnight, River pulls around to the back entrance of my dorm to park and help me to my room. I keep telling her there’s nothing wrong with my feet, but she feels responsible for everything.
So stupid. She did nothing wrong. “I’m fine, Riv. You don’t need to take me up.”
She turns off the engine of her red Chevy Spark. “Yeah, well, maybe I’m the one who doesn’t want to be alone.” She blinks her mascara-smudged eyes at me, silently pleading. Or maybe it’s more of a warning: Don’t, Huff. No fighting. Not tonight. Just say yes and give me what I want.
I can tell she was crying before she picked me up. This night feels so messed up. “Okay. Come on.” I exit the vehicle, and she walks around to meet me. “Is it always so dark in this lot?” There’s only one light, and it’s coming from the glass door leading inside.
She shrugs. “Never been back here so late.”
My eyes scan the dark lot filled with cars. I notice two lampposts are out and think about girls like River coming home late. “I’ll say something tomorrow. It’s not safe like this.”
“This campus is probably the safest there is,” she replies as we start walking between several large SUVs to get to the door. “Well, excluding Blake—”
“Funny you should mention my name, sweetheart,” says a deep voice behind us.
I swivel in my Converse and catch the silhouette of the grand master douche himself.
“Oh, Jesus,” River hisses with frustration. “What are you doing here, Blake? Aren’t you in enough trouble already?”
He stands there but doesn’t say anything, and I suddenly get the feeling he’s not here to apologize.
I slide my phone from my pocket to hit the emergency call, but a hand comes out of nowhere, and my phone goes flying. Suddenly, River is screaming. I’m only able to make out her shadow kicking and punching against a large guy.
“Leave her alone!” I charge toward her, but I’m yanked back by the neck of my T-shirt.
“Where you going, dipshit?” Blake growls.
I no longer have the power of tequila in my blood, but I do have painkillers. I twist my body and punch Blake, but it’s like hitting a tree trunk. I don’t make a dent.
One of the SUV’s back passenger doors open, and two guys shove River inside.
“No! You can’t take her!” I wiggle free of Blake and charge toward the vehicle, only to be tripped from behind.
River’s cries turn to muffled whimpers, and I jump to my feet. All I can think about is getting to her, but I’m pushed to the ground again.
Blake sits on me, covering my mouth. “Shut the fuck up, or we’ll hurt River. All of us. Taking turns, if you know what I mean.”
I freeze. Yeah, it’s fear. Fear fueled by the violent image my mind just produced of these guys doing some very bad shit to River. And somewhere inside this fucking mess I call a head, I’m figuring out that these dudes are either morons for doing this—because they’re already in deep shit—or they’re out of their minds for coming here.
What the hell are they thinking?
This visit could be meant to scare us so we won’t file charges. That’s the most obvious explanation. It’s what a normal person would believe. But I’m not normal. My sister was murdered. Right in the middle of the day in a middle-class town, in a middle-class high school, where middle-class parents sent their children to school every day. It was the sort of place people moved to, believing nothing bad could ever happen.
But I’m not naïve. I know how life can turn into a senseless nightmare when you underestimate the depths of an evil person’s heart. No one wants to believe that people act like animals. But I know.
My mind quickly plays through the possible outcomes. These guys are here to silence us. In which case, they’ll threaten River to shut me up. Then they’ll tell her I’m going to have my balls cut off if she presses charges against Blake. That’s scenario number one.
Then there’s scenario number two. They’re going to kill us.
As these thoughts rush around my head, I know it behooves me to assume the worst.
Why? Because River will tell them to go fuck themselves when they threaten her. She’ll tell them they’re idiots because the police will be looking for them. Half my upperclassmen dorm must’ve heard the commotion. And by morning, the entire campus will have heard about the incident.