“She’s amazing. She’s going to teach me how to do a groin kick,” I say.
“I feel that’s necessary. Just please, Rach, be safe. I don’t like the thought of you staying alone tonight in your hotel room. Couldsomeone stay with you? Or could you stay in Evan’s room?” she pleads.
My body stills at the suggestion. “I’ll be fine, Mal. Really. Melanie has made sure the security is aware of the stalker. They all have his photo, and they’ve doubled security.”
The bathroom door opens again. “Hey, Rachel. I’m going to go grab our pizza order. It’s just a couple blocks down. I promise you are going to love it. It’s one of my favorites when I’m in LA.”
I nod my head. “Sounds good.”
“I’ll be back soon. Pepper spray is locked and loaded though,” she adds.
I nod again before the door closes.
“Well, I’m between classes,” Mal says. “Please consider what I said.”
“Okay,” I lie.
I’m definitely not considering staying in Evan’s room or having someone come stay in mine. I’m a big girl with big-girl underwear and everything.
Speaking of underwear…
I realize none of my clothes are here, and I don’t really want to slip into that frilly pom-pom of a dress. It’s not exactly the kind of outfit you plan to wear while binge watchingParks and Recand devouring an entire pizza, which is what Lily and I have planned for the evening.
“Love you, Rach,” Mal says.
“Love you, too,” I reply.
I carefully set my phone down on the marble floor beside the tub while looking around the large bathroom that is practically the same size as my entire apartment in Yonkers. I spot a fluffy white robe. Perfect.
After rinsing all the bubbles off my body and draining the tub, I wrap the robe, which probably retails for the same amount as my weekly paycheck fromThe New York Standard,around me. I’msure Evan won’t mind since he doesn’t seem to be the fluffy robe type. That’d be too extravagant and frivolous for him.
I open the bathroom door, settling myself on the white couch in the living room.Whitecouch. I don’t understand all the white. I’m prone to stains. Give me color every day. Yes, I love color, but also, it hides things.
I pull up the message from KillerPlotTwist because I guess I like to torture myself.
He knows my age, my hometown, my job location, and I’m never going to eat Rice Krispies again, because all I can do now is picture him eating the cereal, believing that somehow Snap, Crackle, and Pop bring us closer together.
Lucky Charms. That will be my new favorite.
The“See you soon”at the end of his message makes me wonder how soon?
I’ve been sitting on the couch for at least fifteen minutes when I hear someone at the door. The handle moves, but the door doesn’t open.
“Lily?” I say meekly before remembering that I’m thirty years old and I’d just given myself a pep talk that I even wear big-girl underwear.
The handle jiggles again.
I quickly stand from the couch and grab the pepper spray that Lily left on the coffee table for me. I tiptoe quietly toward the front door.
I hear a grunt outside the door. It’s a deep voice. Not Lily.
KillerPlotTwist.
I turn off the lights and take a deep breath because this is a flight or fight moment, and I’m not exactly sure how to grow wings in the next thirty seconds so I can fly out the twelfth-story window…so I know I have to choose to fight.
I position myself in the corner near the door, ready to strike from behind as soon as the man opens it. I have the pepper spray readyin my hands, my index finger ready to release the liquid or aerosol. I don’t really know, but it’s not important at this moment.
The door finally swings open. I hold my breath, clutching my robe with one hand while trying to keep the hand with the pepper spray in it from shaking.
