Page 93 of I Don't Need Your Protection

“Yep. He keeps to the shadows when he’s not allowed to be in the girls’ dorm. I’m telling you guys, he’s like a ninja.”

Sophie grins. “This sounds like the making of a greatbodyguard romance.”

“Don’t start again,” Raven warns in a playful tone.

A bodyguard romance…?

No, I won’t even entertain those thoughts. Obviously Caleb cares a lot about me and I care about him, too, but we’re not…Anyway, I have Warner.

When I tell my friends I’m not going to let Clarissa push me around and that I still want to be with Warner, they tell me he’d be nuts to choose Clarissa over me. Raven warns me to be careful, but I reassure her I’ll be okay.

“She doesn’t have a hold on Warner,” I say.

My friends hang out with me for a few hours, and then they return to their rooms to finish last-minute homework. When Caleb walks back in, I say, “I told my friends the truth. If you’re mad at me, that’s fine. I just needed to tell them.”

To my shock, he doesn’t seem so surprised. He lowers himself on his chair and says, “I knew you would tell them.”

“You did?”

He shrugs. “You guys seem very tight, almost like sisters. I know you trust them. It was only a matter of time before you felt like you couldn’t lie to them anymore. I gather they know everything now.”

I nod. “Everything.”

“It’s okay. Like I told you many times, I just want you to be happy. I’m glad you found friends who have become your family. They deserved to know the truth. I’m glad they’re not upset.”

“Me, too. Thanks, Caleb.”

He offers me a small smile that I swear makes me feel like I turned into a puddle right at his feet. I return it.

My headache seems to have gotten stronger and all I want to do is crash into bed. I tell Caleb I’m going to take a quick nap and slide under my blanket.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Caleb

Addie has been napping for quite some time now. I noticed she looked a little pale when she went to bed a few hours ago. It’s nearly seven. She missed dinner. I didn’t want to wake her because she went through an ordeal last night. But to sleep for so long?

Something doesn’t feel right.

I stand from my chair and head to her. She’s lying on her back with Ellie at the edge of her bed. Her face is a little red and sweaty.

My hand reaches out to touch her forehead and her cheeks, and my eyes grow large. She’s burning up.

My teeth clench when I realize she must have gotten sick from being out in the cold rain last night. Darn Clarissa and her friends.

There’s no time to think about them right now. I need tofocus on Addie. She moans softly in her sleep, tossing from side to side.

She needs to see the nurse.

“Addie?” I whisper, gently tapping her cheek.

She moans and turns to her side.

“Addie, you’re burning up. I think you have a fever.”

She continues to sleep. If I was able to, I’d carry her to the infirmary, but of course I can’t do that. Addie looks like she has no intention of getting out of bed. But I can’t let her sleep without getting checked out. She could be seriously ill. I have to wake her up.

“Addie.” I gently shake her arm. “We need to get you to the infirmary. I’m sorry, but this is very important. I think you might be sick.”