And now he’s paying for me to stay on the Isle of Kala for almost six weeks.
“I need a favor. Just one more,” I promise.
“You can ask for as many favors as you need,” he counters.
“There needs to come a time when you tell me to figure my shit out on my own,” I argue.
He laughs. “Not going to happen, Roux. What do you need?”
I take another bite of biscuit with a huff. When I’m done chewing and have swallowed, I answer. “I want to transfer schools. Again.”
Lix nods. “Where to?”
“Rainbow Dorset University.”
He stops chewing and looks at me with his eyebrows knitted together. “That’s a real place?”
I laugh. “Yeah. It’s like the capital of pride. The entire campus is decked out in LGBTQIA+ pride. It’s not just an inclusive campus. It’s a home base.”
“I thought Longwood was inclusive,” he says with a frown. “Did something happen?”
“No, no.” I shake my head. “Nothing like that. It’s just…” I hate talking about this. “It’s not far enough away from Marley. I feel like I’m always looking over my shoulder.”
I’d started attending Marley Coast University right out of high school because it was on the southern coast of California. I thought, you know, educationandfun on the beach. Instead, I met Trevor McAllister.
As it turned out, that wasn’t even his name. What I thought was love turned out to be an abusive relationship—physically, mentally, sexually, and emotionally. He was controlling, and… yeah. I’m still not sure how I found the strength and courage to end it, but I managed to right before the school year ended.
No, wait… That’s not even true. He broke up with me because I wasn’t… What had he said? He didn’t think I loved him enough?
But he didn’t leave me alone. He kept messaging me and gaslighting me, making promises that he’d never hurt me again. Telling me how much he loved and missed me and didn’t want to live without me. Yes, that was a subtly veiled threat to kill himself all in an attempt to manipulate me.
I broke down and called Lix last summer, and he’d picked me up on theOpulence. I didn’t tell him about Trevor then. It wasn’t until we went back to his house in the weeks following that I found the courage to tell him and ask him to help me transfer out of Marley Coast.
Since then, Lix told me Trevor had been “neutralized,” though I don’t know what that means. He didn’t even know what that meant either, but he trusted it.
Still, even with this knowledge, I can’t help the way my hair stands on end. I’m always looking over my shoulder, waiting for Trevor to come out of the woodwork. Or for him to message me again. For him to show up on campus, right outside my classroom, waiting for me.
Longwood U is only an hour inland from Marley Coast, and the distance is far too close for me to rest easily.
Lix wraps an arm around my shoulders and pulls me close. It’s only a little awkward in the chairs. “I’m sorry,” he says. “Yes, of course I’ll help you transfer.”
“I won’t ask again,” I promise. “I’m sure it’s going to look sus that I’ve transferred twice in two years, so I’m not even sure they’ll take me.”
“They’ll take you.”
“Don’t do something ridiculous like bribing them,” I warn.
He laughs. “I won’t. I think you can get in on your own. I’ve seen your grades, and you’re getting a lot of attention for yoursoccer skills. Let’s do some research on this school and make a strong case about why you want to transfer.”
“I have. I think their soccer program is stronger. I like that it’s… Inclusive isn’t a strong enough word, but there’s that. They have a program that I’m interested in that’s not offered at Longwood. And… It’s far away from my abuser. I’m not necessarily willing to put that into my entrance essay, but…” I shrug.
“Let’s focus on soccer, the program, and the environment,” Lix agrees. “Have you started the paperwork?”
Sighing, I nod. “Yeah.” I slide my chair back so I can reach my tablet inside the door and bring up the application I already have open. “I have both official transcripts in my bag, but I have their PDF copies attached. There’s also a recommendation from my coach at Longwood for my transfer.”
Lix smiles. “You’ve been thinking about this for a while.”
“It took me a couple months to understand why I was uncomfortable there and alwaysawareof everyone around me. I figured it out one day after I nearly had a heart attack when someone who looked like Trevor walked across the soccer pitch.”
