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My head is on a swivel as I walk down the sidewalk.
He was there, I know he was. I could never forget his voice. But I have no clue where “there” actually was. My vision was blurry, and the lights were so bright it whitewashed everything out.
A horn honks behind me, and my eyes widen and hand flies to my chest as I let out a gasp. My head snaps toward the offending noise, and I see it’s just someone honking at the guy in front of him who won’t move fast enough in the lane.
Swallowing, I shake out my hands and take a deep breath.
I need to get to the safety of my room. Close the door and shut the world away. I need time to think, to sort through what happened.
Was this a prank? Some mean joke? Why did I hear my father?
When I get closer to the dorms, I start walking a bit faster toward my room. The minute I burst through the entrance, I am in a full sprint toward the stairs. I run up them, my heart racing with each step I take.
When I stand in front of my door, I unlock it and burst through it, immediately closing it as fast as I can, as if someone is chasing me. Because, for all I know, someone is.
Leaning back against the door, I take a deep breath and close my eyes. I try to steady my heartbeat, calm myself down from the sheer panic running through me.
When I finally have my pounding heart controlled, I head over to my bed and sit down. Addy is probably at studio for a bit before she comes home to get ready for a night out. And I’m going to revel in the quiet.
Leaning back against my pillows, I get myself as comfortable as I can. My mind wanders to what transpired at the frat house. The night with the guys, the kitchen romp with Xayden, and the missing pieces in between.
My mind goes back to the morning I snuck out of the room. When I woke up and needed to leave that mess, that mess that I know was a huge ass mistake.
Slowly, I untangle myself from the arms and human heater that are wrapped around me. I slip out of the bed and quietly turn to see Xayden was the one who had me pulled against him.
Shit. What the hell did I do? I slept with my stepbrother and his friends! I’m one step away from working a pole at the local strip club. Or finding a corner on Las Vegas Boulevard and selling my services.
Fuck, I need to exit quickly. Before any of them wake up.
My clothes are all torn up from last night’s festivities, so I quietly creep into Xayden’s closet, shutting the door softly before turning on the light, then pull out a T-shirt and a pair of shorts. I quickly change before realizing my shoes are probably in Dekker’s room.
Silently I curse, but at least all three of them are passed out on Xayden’s bed. It will make it easier to get in and out.
I turn off the light and open the closet door, praying he keeps his door hinges well lubricated and it doesn’t squeak. Thankfully, it doesn’t.
As fast and as quietly as possibly, I walk past the bed, ambient light providing a path for me to see. I can see the light from the hallway peek through the bottom of the door. I look back at the three of them sleeping and shake my head.
What a mess. I mean, the sex was out of this world, so there’s that. Except holidays are going to be extremely awkward, and I need to make sure my mom never finds out. Like, fuckingever.
Opening the door, I slip out of the room and softly shut it behind me. Letting out a breath, I can feel myself physically relax. I can get back to my dorm and figure out a way out of all this crazy.
Before I can turn, however, a sharp pain is suddenly at my neck. “What the hell?” I whisper. Suddenly, the world around me starts to slow. My mind and my body are not moving at the same speeds. And I am not sure which one is slower.
I reach up to the place where I felt the pain, but nothing is there. Why am I out in the hall? Why does my body feel so heavy?
My arm falls from my neck, and I can feel my knees weaken. At least I think they do. I can’t feel them anymore. In fact, I can’tfeel anything. I open my mouth to let out a scream, but I don’t even know if it’s working.
Something wraps around me, and I start to fade.
My vision tunnels, and everything turns black.
I rub a hand down my face. I know leaving that room was real. But after that? All that happened once I closed that door? I have no fucking clue if it actually happened.
I rub my neck and wince at the memory that I don’t know is true or not.
What I do know is that something happened, and I heard my father.
Rolling over to my side, I keep my eyes on the door. I let out a long breath and then yawn. I need an exit plan. Maybe I can just take a year off. Convince my mother I’m better off heading back to Vegas and finishing school out there.