“I got worried when you didn’t come back right away from getting hot chocolate,” I admitted, eyes dropping to the floor at my feet like it was suddenly the most interesting thing I’d ever seen.
“I’m okay,” she whispered, low enough that Crew couldn’t hear.
Before I could respond, my phone buzzed in my pocket.
CREW
We found her.
FINN
Thank god. Where?
CREW
Women’s bathroom near our section.
ME
Why don’t you explain how we found her, baby bro?
WEST
do tell.
Crew growled at me. “Fuck you,” he said out loud.
Ignoring him, I asked Sutton, “You sure you’re okay?”
She nodded. “I got hot chocolate and took a walk around the concourse. I thought…” She shook her head, cutting off whatever she was going to say.
“You thought what?” I prompted.
“I thought someone was following me. I kept feeling that prickle on the back of my neck, you know? Like I had eyes on me. Then I came in here to pee, and when I came out of the stall, there was this big ass man coming at me. I just swung.”
“Atta girl,” I said, and she preened. “Where’d you learn to throw a punch like that?”
“I took some self-defense classes after the assault.”
“What?” Crew blurted.
I cursed, staring at Sutton wide-eyed. “You don’t?—”
She cut me off, facing Crew head on. “The night of my twentieth birthday, I was raped.”
“You don’t have to tell him.”
Sutton looked up at me. “Iwantto. Keeping it bottled up all these years hasn’t been good for me. I’m only now starting to realize that, but I think, by sharing it with people, it lessens the weight. Like I’m not carrying it alone.”
“You’venevercarried it alone,” I reminded her.
“I know,” she said, smiling sadly. “But nowyoudon’t have to either.”
“I’m so fucking sorry that happened to you, Sutton.” Sutton dipped her chin in thanks. “There’s a special place in hell for men who do that to women,” Crew added vehemently.
And that’s exactly where he is: hell.
Outside, a cheer rose from the crowd, and I realized the second half must have started.
