“Kaia!”
I grabbed coffee and toast and joined her and two other girls. I still didn’t know their names. Willowbrook was small, but cliques here felt invite-only. I wasn’t sure when—or if—I’d get one.
“What’s with the commotion?” I asked, taking a sip.
“Bree,” said Teagan’s blonde friend. “She snuck out last night. Got in trouble.”
The coffee sloshed in my empty stomach. “Trouble? What kind? Is she okay?”
Teagan tore off a piece of croissant and shrugged. “She’s in the infirmary. Rumor is a guy at the club slipped something in her drink and took advantage of her.”
My fingers trembled. Dean’s body pinning me flashed behind my eyes. Suddenly, my coffee reeked of beer and cigarettes. Nausea surged, and I clutched my wrist like his hand still gripped it.
Shit. I hadn’t thought about that party in forever. “But is she okay?” I pressed. “Did the police catch him?”
The other girl scoffed. “She should’ve known better than to hit a sleazy club. You look for trouble, trouble finds you.”
Was she serious? Heat crawled up my neck. “What if she just wanted to have fun?” My voice shook. “What if she trusted him? You know what?” I shoved my tray aside. “Nothing she did made it her fault. It washis.”
I drained my coffee in sharp gulps, each one echoing in the sudden hush. Girls stared. Teagan’s friends with judgment. Teagan with something unreadable. Others with respect. And Alba … well, at least I had her attention now.
“Excuse me.” I shoved back my chair and stood, leaving my tray behind.
A minute later, I was outside, stomach empty, chest tight with disappointment. A school for girls didn’t mean girl-friendly, apparently. Spending senior year with people who blamed victims was going to suck.
Back in my room, I flopped on the bed. My wall was bare compared to Teagan’s collage of photos and posters. She fit here. She had friends.
I rolled onto my stomach and groaned into the pillow. I needed Asher’s voice. To know how he was coping. To tell him I missed him.
Yesterday, I’d wanted to call, but Sarah’s office was closed. Maybe I’d get lucky now.
I jumped off the bed, my leftover lethargy blown away by the thought of talking to him. Everyone was still finishing breakfast as I ran to Sarah’s office. The door stood ajar, and relief loosened my shoulders.
I knocked on the jamb. Footsteps echoed inside, then the door opened wide. “Yes?” Sarah asked, that same polite smile she’d worn when she welcomed me to Willowbrook.
“I’m sorry.” I fiddled with the hem of my polo. “Can I make a call?”
“Are you sick?”
“No.”
“See.” She sighed. “Students get three personal calls a week. This would be your fourth.”
A dull ache stabbed my chest.Threecalls? Three calls—only a few minutes each, since she only allowed them during office hours. No way to talk about anything that mattered. At least I could hear Asher’s voice. He had an important race Sunday; he couldn’t lose focus on the track.
My fingers curled into the cotton of my shirt, shaking. “It’ll only be a moment. I really needto—”
“I’m sorry, Kaia. The rules are the same for everyone. I can’t make exceptions.”
Her grin never reached her eyes. I wasn’t sure if it was genuine or part of the job.
“I understand,” I mumbled, backing away.
“But if something happened—if you got sick—we would call your parents immediately.”
Those words stabbed. That was exactly what I feared.
“It’s okay,” I said. “I’m not sick. I just needed to talk to someone.”
