Chapter NineteenTaylor
As she walked in, everyone in the room turned away from the teacher to stare at Kami. Her eyes scanned the room until she saw me in the back, where I’d saved a desk for her.
“Come on in, Miss Hamilton,” the teacher said, and Kami walked down the row of seats until she got to me.
I couldn’t believe what had happened between us just a few hours ago. I couldn’t believe we’d finally been together, and I’d finally gotten to feel her the way I’d been wanting to for so long. I’d kissed her, touched her—even been inside her. I’d enjoyed experiencing her sweetness and the passion behind that pretty face. Watching her climax had been a highlight of my eighteen years of life. Knowing I was the one who had taken her to orgasm made me so happy, and all I could think about was doing it again.
I had lost my virginity at fourteen. For some people that might seem early, but it had come at a time in my life when everything else was spiraling downward; nothing around me seemed to be working out. Mom hardly got out of bed because she was so depressed, and that depression meant she picked the most terrible boyfriends, guys that only made her feel worse. My brotherstarted getting into big trouble at school, and even though he always looked out for me and for our mom, he was a ticking time bomb about to explode. I remember his face when he’d come home, always so pissed off at the whole world, and his dark humor spread through the house, although he hardly realized it.
Sex was my escape. Girls noticed me as soon as I hit puberty, and especially once I’d grown taller than six feet. And when you’re fourteen and seventeen-year-old girls are throwing themselves at you…it’s not easy to resist.
I turned to Kami and said in a low voice, “Tell me they expelled that son of a bitch.”
She looked at me and then at the door and—I couldn’t believe it—there was Walker coming in as though he had done nothing. I almost got up, but Kami held me back.
“Leave it, babe,” she said, “please.”
I would’ve liked to split his damn face open. A tense silence fell over the class; even the teacher stopped talking as he came in. Probably everyone in the school, even the staff, knew what had been going on. After all, a nude video of Kami on the internet, uploaded to her own Instagram account without her consent—was the kind of thing that got around.
“You should be in jail,” Julian called out from behind me.
“Mr. Murphy!” the teacher chastised him.
“Unbelievable. We actually just let a suspected sex offender walk around the school like it’s no big deal,” a girl called out.
Kami looked over at her in silent gratitude. Kami hadn’t deserved what had happened to her. She hadn’t done anything wrong.
“Suspected?” another girl said. “He drugged her and recorded her! How do we know he hasn’t done anything else like that?”
Next to me, Kami was starting to tremble.
“Enough!” the teacher shouted, looking at her.
Just then, Danny stood up. “It wasn’t me!” he shouted loud and clear. He looked pale, almost faint. I wished I could wrap my hands around his neck. I didn’t care about the consequences. That son of a bitch deserved it.
“It was you! Stop lying!” Kami shouted and walked out of the class, ignoring the teacher, who was calling her name.
I followed her. I followed her because I didn’t give a shit, and besides, I was afraid if I stayed there, I’d kill him, and man—I’d really enjoy watching him go down, but I didn’t want to end up in jail on his account.
“Kami, wait!” I called out, walking into the girls’ bathroom behind her.
“I can’t take it anymore!” she cried, leaning against the sink as she broke into tears.
“Babe, please…calm down.” I wrapped my arms around her tightly.
“I can’t.” She was hiccuping and sobbing. “I can’t stop thinking about what he might have done to me. I tell myself it’s just that video, but what do I know! And everyone’s seen me, everyone’s seen my…”
“It’s OK.” I pulled her against my chest. “It’s not like the old days. People don’t think that shit’s funny anymore. You saw how they reacted to Danny. His glory days are over… At least at this school.”
Kami pulled away to dry her face. I ran my fingers across her cheeks to help smooth away the tears. It broke my heart to see her like that.
“I love you,” I said, looking her in the eyes.
She smiled. “I love you too,” she said, taking a deep breath to calm down. “And what we did yesterday…”
“It was incredible.” I finished her words.
“It was.” She got on her tiptoes and kissed me square on the lips. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything before I left, but I knewmy mom would kill me if she didn’t find me in my room in the morning…”
