“You sure?” Wyatt asks, his blue eyes warm and concerned.
I eye the staircase warily and try to tamp down on the fear flooding through my system.
Scenes from that night flicker across my vision.
Austin’s smile. Him offering to help me find my friends. Me following him upstairs. That was my first mistake. He led me into a bedroom he swore he’d seen Kim go into, and I believed him. God, I was so naive.
The moment I realized my friend wasn’t inside the room, that it was his friends in there instead … I should have bolted. But Austin was fast. He didn’t give me time to think beforeclosing the door and leaning against it, intentionally blocking my escape.
All of it comes rushing at me, and suddenly I’m drowning. Hyperventilating where I stand.
“Cecilia?” Wyatt’s voice is laced with concern.
I can’t do this. I can’t be here. My head turns left and then right, my eyes frantically searching for the exit, but the crowd is thick, and my feet are frozen in place.
“Dude, what is going on with your?—“
Someone touches my shoulder. I scream. “Don’t touch me!”
“Whoa. Hey. It’s just me—“ Wyatt’s voice. It’s just Wyatt. But what do I really know about this guy? He’s friends with people in Zeta Pi. This could have all been some elaborate plan to get me here. He could be friends with Austin. What if he brought me here so they could hurt me again? What if Austin put him up to this? To asking me out?
I bring my arms together and curl into myself. If I hold myself tight enough, maybe I can keep myself together. But I can’t — breathe.
“Just Wyatt.” I whisper to myself. Adriana vouched for him. He’s a nice guy. Don’t jump to conclusions. Nothing happened yet. That word—yet. That’s what worries me.
I need to get out of here.
“Cecilia?” He tries again, stepping closer and invading my space.
My heart races, and there is this ringing in my ears. My vision narrows.
No. No. No.
“What is happening right now?” he asks, but I don’t think he’s talking to me.
“Move!” someone else shouts. “Get the fuck out of my way!”
There’s a commotion behind Wyatt, and a few seconds later, Felix is there, pushing his way through the crowd, swearing at people to back up and get out of his way.
My eyes track his progress, a flicker of relief trickling through me. I know him. It’s going to be okay, I tell myself.
With my lips parted, I suck in a shaky breath.
It’s not enough.
“Hey man, we’re sorta dealing with something here …” Wyatt starts.
Felix wedges himself between us and shoves Wyatt hard in the chest. “Back the fuck off!” he roars.
I catch Wyatt’s startled expression over Felix’s shoulder. He doesn’t strike me as the confrontational type—despite being on the football team—but the same can’t be said for his friend Terrance.
“What the hell is your problem?” Terrance snaps and takes two steps forward.
I shrink back.
“You,” Felix challenges. “Why the hell are you two up in her space?” With every word, he pushes forward, putting more space between the two of us while simultaneously forcing thesurrounding people to take several steps back. He’s giving me breathing room and god, am I grateful for it.
“Look man,” Wyatt tries, his tone nothing but reasonable. “I don’t know what you think is happening here, but we were on a date and?—“
