Chapter Eleven
Maisie
I blow out a slow breath as I climb the stairs toward my dorm, my mind replaying the events of the day on repeat. More specifically, the conversation I had with Macallan at the restaurant. I have no idea what the hell came over me or why I said the things I said to Macallan as he sat across from me. All I know is that by the time we exited the restaurant a few short minutes later, the tension between us was so thick I could feel the weight of it like a blanket, overheating my already too-warm skin.
The car ride to my dorm was even worse as I couldn’t seem to get my tongue to unstick from the roof of my mouth long enough to utter a single word. When he pulled up outside my building, I practically jumped out of the car, muttering something about seeing him tomorrow.
My thoughts turn as I approach my door, my inner chastising quickly replaced by the worry of what I might find when I make my way inside.
Pretend like everything is normal, I remind myself, pullingin a deep breath and then blowing it out slowly as I twist the knob and push the door open. I immediately startle at Lana’s presence, having half expected her not to be here.
She’s sitting at her desk, scribbling something in the notebook in front of her, which she quickly abandons as I step inside the room, closing the door behind me.
“Hey.” I give her the closest thing to a smile I can muster.
“You never came home last night,” she states the obvious, a clip to her tone.
“I stayed with Lyric and Kai. My brother laid one on pretty good, so I figured the least I could do was help them out with him.” I drop my bag onto my desk before kicking off my shoes. “How was the rest of your night? I didn’t see you after you took off.”
“I think someone put something in my drink.”
“Oh yeah?” My voice hitches with fake concern.
“So weird. I remember going to the party. I remember talking to a few people. I remember seeing you. But then things started to get weird, and I felt funny. The next thing I knew, I was waking up in my bed.”
“That’s scary.” I’ll play her game if that’s what it takes to placate her for now.
“I know. I’m afraid of what might have happened after I blacked out. Did I seem off to you when you saw me?”
“I actually found you in a room with Joey Franklin. He was pretty messed up.”
“Oh God. We didn’t...” Her eyes widen and the ridiculousness of what she’s trying to pull is laughable, but still, I play along.
“I don’t think so, but he was almost naked.”
“What happened after that?”
“Macallan came to pick up Joey. I guess he texted him atsome point. Word on the street is he had to take him to the hospital. Apparently, he was drugged.”
“That explains a lot.”
“What do you mean?”
“I was interviewed this morning by campus police. Apparently, they were tipped off that Joey and I were together before he was taken to the hospital. They wanted to know if I had anything to do with it.”
“Seriously? How awful. Of course you wouldn’t do that to someone.” The words scrape up my throat like tiny, little shards of glass.
“I know. I told them something similar happened to me.”
“What did they say to that?”
“They offered to have me checked out by a physician, but I assured them I was fine. They said if I remembered anything, to let them know. That was that.” She shrugs. “I wonder if it was the same person who drugged me.”
Either she’s playing it down, or campus police are idiots. Then again, Lana does come across as sweet and innocent. If I hadn’t witnessed her behavior myself, I’d hardly believe it either.
“You were in the same room. It’s entirely possible.”
“But you’re sure nothing happened between us?”
