My mouth opened as I studied my best friend, briefly wondering how she managed to keep up with the constant stream of nonsense that came out of her mouth. The thought lasted only a second. The rest of my attention shifted to how I was supposed to explain this to her.
“Cherry, do you remember that guy Brandon? He used to go to Hawking, a year ahead of us,” I asked, watching her carefully.
“Yeah, I know him. He’s cool,” she said, eyeing me suspiciously.
“No, Cherry, he’s not,” I shook my head. “That drink you took from him last night was drugged.”
“Wait.” Her head jerked back like my words had slapped her. “Like, he roofied it? He roofied me? Wait, no. He tried to roofie you! He gave you that drink.” I barely had time to nod before she kept going. “Oh my god. What the hell happened? Did he… did anyone…?”
“No,” I said quickly, grabbing her shoulders as her chest began to rise and fall too fast. “Nothing happened. I found you in time. And Austin and Levi helped.”
“Who the hell are Austin and Levi?” she asked, her voice still tight with panic.
I frowned. “Okay. Um.” I took a breath, trying to explain this in the least alarming way possible. “You met Austin before you drank the drink. He’s the one who found you with me. And he’s also the one who beat Brandon until blood was leaking from his face.”
“Damn.” Cherry’s eyes glazed slightly, and even though I knew she was trying to make light out of it, for her own sake and mine, she was a bit panicked listening to all the things she couldn’t remember. “So we have one bad boy. Who’s the other one?”
“The other one carried you out of the party and put you in this bed,” I shrugged. “He seemed nice. I didn’t talk to him much. It was a weird night.”
“I’m getting the feeling you’re not just talking about me being drugged and us ending up in a stranger’s house,” she said slowly. “And I’m not sure what could be weirder than that.”
“How about a night that ends with Zane Briggs walking into this room,” I said, already anticipating her reaction.
“Zane Briggs?” Cherry perked up like I had just said the word treat. “As in the Zane Briggs I had a crush on all through freshman year?”
“Yeah,” I laughed. “But I don’t think you have a chance. He walked in with—”
“With Seren Garcia?” she cut in instantly.
“How did you—”
“How did you not know?” she asked, genuinely surprised. “Everyone was talking about it last year. She was assaulted by some asshole. From what I heard, Zane helped her through it.”
“Wait,” I held up my hand. “What do you mean assaulted?”
“I mean she was raped,” Cherry said, her eyes serious as they locked onto mine. The weight of it settled in my chest. “Why were they here?”
“She’s Austin’s best friend,” I said quietly. Images from last night flashed through my mind. The hurt radiating off him when he realized what had almost happened. What Brandon had planned. The anger that sent his fists flying. It all traced back to her.
“That’s a weird connection,” Cherry muttered, staring off like she was trying to map it out in her head.
“Seriously,” I said, shaking my thoughts away and focusing on her. “Are you okay? How are you feeling? I know last night was scary. I’m here for you, okay? You know that.”
“I know, B,” she smiled, though I could tell she was a little more distant than usual. “For now, let’s get the hell out of Bad Boy One and Bad Boy Two’s bachelor pad.”
“I don’t think they’re awake,” I said, pausing to listen for any noise through the walls.
“Let’s keep it that way,” she muttered. “I’m not in the mood to meet two hot guys.”
“I thought you didn’t remember them,” I said, pursing my lips.
“I don’t,” she shrugged. “They sound hot though. And you didn’t deny it. So keep your lips sealed and let’s walk of shame this bitch.”
Agreeing with her, we both freed our legs from the mess of heavy blankets lying on top of us. It only took a second to leave the room we had slept in, mostly because we were already wearing what we’d come here in. The house felt empty as we crept through it, and although she didn’t say anything, I could tell the luxury was just as jarring to Cherry as it had been for me the night before. Her eyes were wide as she took in the features of the massive home. When she spotted the front door ahead of us, she looked back at me and pointed at it, jabbing the air aggressively.
“Yeah,” I whispered, nodding to confirm it.
“It’s that one?” she whispered again, and I had to fight the urge to roll my eyes. That’s what I just said, Cherry.
