Page 60 of Defending You

“Cici, it’s okay.”

“It’s not okay. That night… Prom night. It was awful. It was…exactly what I deserved.”

His brows lowered. “What do you mean?”

“It was only that, when you asked, Tucker Benson was listening. He was behind you, and I wanted to go to the prom with him.”

“Which you did, if memory serves.”

She nodded. She had gone with Tucker, the boy she’d crushed on her entire senior year. Captain of the football team, pitcher of the baseball team, and best-looking guy at Shadow Cove High.

He’d been the proverbial Big Man on Campus, compared to skinny, nerdy Asher.

What an idiot she’d been.

“What happened, Cici?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It does matter. Tell me.”

She didn’t want to, didn’t plan to.

Until he added, “I deserve to know, don’t I?”

He did. He deserved to hear the whole awful story.

“I was all dressed up and thought… Well, I thought I looked good.”

“You looked beautiful.” Of course he’d seen her. He’d gone to the prom with another girl.

Now, his words weren’t meant as a compliment so much as agreement, an encouragement for her to hurry and spill it. His patience seemed to be hanging from a very fragile thread.

“It was fine,” she said. “Not great, but, you know. Just a dance, only with fancier outfits. After, Tucker and I were supposed to go to a party, but he decided to take us…somewhere else.”

He’d told her he had a surprise for her. She was excited until he pulled into the parking lot of a cheap motel. He’d rented a room.

She’d tried to be nice, always wanting everyone to like her. That was her problem. One of her problems. She had replayed what happened next a million times.

Tucker walked around to open her door, so she got out, but she didn’t move. “What are we doing here?”

“What do you think?” He wagged his eyebrows.

“I think…I want to go to the party.”

“Come on, baby.” He tugged her hand. “We’ll go after.”

After. As if it was a foregone conclusion what would happen between then andafter.

She told him no.

Somehow, he misunderstood the word or thought he could change her mind. He kissed her, he got handsy. He tried to drag her to the motel room.

She told him to stop. She tried to fight him off.

If not for the couple who pulled up in the parking lot, she didn’t want to think about what would have happened.

“Cici.” Asher’s voice pulled her back. “What did he do?”