I stare after Will, but Derek stops him after only two strides.
“William, wait.”
Will turns back to us, awhat nowexpression on his face.
Derek gently takes hold of my elbow and pulls me into his side. “Could I please have Emery’s bag?”
Will clenches his jaw before offering Derek my bag. He turns and starts down the hallway before Derek can even pretend to offer a thank you.
“What are you doing here?” I rasp out as I allow Derek to wrap an arm around my shoulders and take my hand to help me start down the hallway, my anger at him a distant tickle in the back of my mind. Every step is painful, and all I want is to be stationary.
“A little birdie told me you might need some assistance,” Derek replies in a soft, soothing tone that’s barely loud enough for me to hear.
That’s all I get, but I know it’s not all he has. It only takes a few more steps for him to break.
“You were told to rest for a week.”
Tendrils of joy fill my stomach at his concern. I’d grin at the grumbly way he speaks, clearly battling trying to be comforting but also stern.
Fuck, no, wait. I’m not happy that he still cares.
Nope. This shit between us is over.
He. Lied. To. Me.
So, I do the mature thing. I don’t answer. Just continue to use him as a human walking stick.
Derek sighs, his warm breath tickling the side of my face. “Can I at least offer you something for your pain? If you take it now, by the time we get you back to your dorm, you’ll be able to sleep.”
I really, really wish I was fucking strong enough to say no, but the edges of my vision are starting to go hazy, and I really don’t think I’m going to make it back to the dorm, not in this state. I’m not even sure I can open my mouth to reply, and I definitely cannot move my head.
So, I stop. Hopefully he’s smart enough to figure it out from there.
There is a rustling, and I assume it’s him going through his satchel that he usually brings to class, and then there is another quiet demand. “Open.”
I open my mouth and I feel a small something placed on my tongue.
“Close.”
Warmth cups the back of my head, and I ignore the chalky flavor in my mouth as the opening of a bottle is placed at my lips, both the bottle and the hand on the back of my head applying pressure until I tip back and cool water flows into my mouth.
I only manage a few swallows before it’s taken away, the tablet no longer present. More rustling, then the arm around my waist and the hand in mine return.
“Come on, baby girl, let’s get you back to your room.”
I want to scream at him not to call me that. That I’m not his baby girl anymore. He ruined that. But I can’t. I ache everywhere, and all I want to do is lean on him, to trust him to get me back to my dorm safely. To rewind the past three weeks and go back to that first weekend, when we were all safe in our little bubble in the apartment.
But since I can’t do that, I force my feet to shuffle along and pray that it doesn’t take me the rest of the day to get back to the dorm.
Chapter 17
Hudson
Scanning the list of offers for the task I posted earlier today, I select a user with a relatively high review rating and an even higher task completion rating. With a few clicks, I have accepted the offer, and a message thread appears between myself and TJenkins97.
Me:Hi, the package is ready for pickup at your earliest convenience. Please ring the doorbell.
They send me a thumbs-up in return, followed by a clock, then the number fifteen. I stare at my phone screen and shake my head. Gen-Y speak is not something I ever thought I would have to learn as a professor.
