Holly and Jaxon don’t return, so I settle into an easy conversation with Alex and Bay. A few of their diving friends join us, and they all seem welcoming. Soon I need to pee myself, so I ask Bay to take me. We stand up, and Nick quirks an eyebrow at me, so I mouth ‘bathroom’ to him. He grabs the hot chick’s hips to stand up, but I put up my hand, shaking my head. “It’s okay. Bay is coming.”
He looks back at the house, seeming to think for a minute, then nods his head and settles back into his seat. Bay offers his hand again as we walk, and I take it gratefully. He takes me to the front of the house because the back patio is crowded. “Dance floor is at the back of the house with the kitchen, so there shouldn’t be many people in front.”
I nod, following him in through the front door. There are a few people around, but not enough to cause me a problem. Bay navigates up the stairs and to the right. We pass a few closed doors and one that is open, showing three people in a heavy make-outsession. He stops and opens a door on the left for me. “Here ya go. I’ll wait right here in the hallway.”
“Thanks, Bay,” I smile at him. Closing and locking the door, I do my business. I hear a shout and a scuffle in the hallway outside.Someone’s getting rowdy,I think. As I’m washing my hands, I hear a click and look over to the door to see the knob turning. “Occupied,” I yell as I turn the water off. Grabbing a towel to dry my hands, I notice the door open out of the corner of my eye. I know I locked it when I came in here. “I’m finished. You can have the bathroom,” I say as I turn around.
“Hello Summer,” Ben says, closing and locking the door behind him.
Well crap.“I’m just leaving,” I reply.
“Why rush off? We’re finally alone,” he tells me with what I'm sure he thinks is a sultry smile. His eyes are glassy, so he’s been drinking.
I can feel the uptick in my heartbeat. “Please move Ben. I’m not interested.”
“Sure you’re not,” he smirks, sliding the chain on the door into place. I grab my phone from my back pocket to call Bay, but he rushes me, the suffocating pressure of his weight pinning me to the counter. I flinch, attempting to curl inwards as my lifeline slips through my fingers, hitting the floor with a dull thud. Adrenaline surges like a tidal wave through my body, creating a deafening roar in my ears. I can’t have a panic attack right now. It’s too dangerous.Focus Summer. Breathe and focus.
The searing heat of his hand, ghosting my skin beneath my shirt, shatters some of the panic. I open my eyes, gasp down precious oxygen, and scream Bay’s name from the depths of my diaphragm. I claw his arm and try to push it away from my skin. Ben chuckles as he runs his nose up my neck. I shudder with revulsion. “Bay is occupied right now. He can’t help you. Besides, I know you want me. You accepted my roses,” hesays.
“Wh-what?” I stutter. That makes little sense. He was upset at seeing the roses. “No, the roses weren’t from you.”
“Deep down you know they were, even if I suggested otherwise,” he says, grinding his length right between my legs. The violating feeling of him there dissipates the remainder of the panic, fading into a primal rage. Echoes of my foster dad’s naked body pulling my clothes off flash through my mind, transforming me. I become a snarling mountain lion as I kick and lash out at Ben with all my might. The sickening thwack of my knee connecting with his groin elicits a pained groan as he crumbles, releasing me.
He’s still between me and the door, though. Frantically searching for an escape, I spot another door on the far wall. Bolting for it, the handle turns with a satisfying click. Throwing myself through, I slam it closed, the solid wood a comforting weight against my back as I slide to the floor. Shuddering, I cover my face with my hands, trying to compose myself.
A high-pitched screech breaks the silence. The room is dimly lit, but a bedside lamp sheds enough light to reveal a couple on the bed. A hand reaches forward, and the flick of a switch brightens the room further to reveal Cara sitting astride Seb. “This room is occupied, bitch. Get out!” Cara yells, her voice shrill and laced with venom, a finger pointing to a door behind her that must lead to the hallway.
This night keeps getting better. My instincts are tingling, tension tightening in my chest. Pushing up from the plush carpet, I approach the bed. How could Seb sleep with Cara, of all people? Seb wouldn’t. Cara loosens another screech, like nails on a chalkboard. Ignoring the noise, I study Seb’s face. His eyes are closed as if he’s in a peaceful slumber. Seb is fully clothed; Cara, however, is only in her underwear. Something’s wrong here. “Seb?” I call and get a mumble, his head turning towards my voice. “Seb,” I repeat, voice getting louder.
“Sunshine?” He slurs in a low voice, eyes fluttering open, unfocused and glazed over, his pupils abnormally large. He doesn’t seem to register that Cara is on top of him. Oh, hell no. This bitch is taking advantage of him.
“Get out, Summer, or I’ll make you,” Cara snarls, scrambling off Seb, advancing on me. I move instinctively, my fist connecting with her nose. The bathroom door bursts open as Cara hits the floor. I turn, prepared to defend Seb, but it’s Nick, not Ben. I breathe a sigh of relief, dropping my arms to lie limply at my sides.
“Next door,” Nick yells, coming towards me. He scans the room for threats, pausing at Cara on the floor, then Seb. “You all right?”
“Yes, no.” Tears begin dribbling from my eyes as the adrenaline dissipates.I’m safe.
Bay, Alex, and E explode through the hallway door. Bay takes one look at me and envelopes me in a hug. “I’m sorry, Summer. I’m so sorry. A fight broke out in the hallway. I heard you yell, and I tried to get to you, but the door was locked. I was trying to get to you.”
“Not your fault,” I reply, wrapping my arms around his waist as my body loses strength.
Alex steps forward to examine my hand. I didn’t realize it was hurting until he moves my fingers around. “Your hand is not broken, but it will be sore for a while. I take it you are why Cara has a bloody nose?”
I nod and look over at E. He looks devastated at the scene before him. “Something’s wrong with Seb. He’s drugged, I think.”
Shock covers E’s face as he rushes over to Seb. Nick is picking Cara off the floor. It looks like I may have broken her nose. Good. Nick practically throws her into a closet with her clothes and shuts the door. “Alex,” E says, “someone gave Seb something.”
“Will you be okay for a minute?” Alex asks me. I nod, still hugging Bay. He walks over to the bed to check on Seb. “He definitelyhas something in his system. I will call the doctor to get a blood sample.”
“Cara was on top of him when I came in here. I thought they were having sex.”
E looks absolutely murderous. He stalks over to the closet and hauls a crying Cara out. “What did you give him?” He yells.
“What are you talking about?” She cries, holding her bloody nose. Her irritating voice is more nasal than normal.
“He’s drugged, you vapid bitch. What did you give him?” E says, shaking her.
“Nothing, I swear,” she wails. “We were just having a good time. I didn’t give him anything.”
