AllFreeNovel
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Demi frowns. “What?”
“The blue dye in the shower,” I hiss quietly. “It was Alistair.”
Both of my friends’ mouths fall open.
“Alistair Black is the one who hit you with the blue dye?” Giorgiana chokes.
I nod.
“But… That means he was in here. Like, it means he broke into your fucking room.”
Demi pales, looking around as she hugs herself. “That’s fucking creepy.”
“I have to tell you guys something.”
It’s like watching yourself driving toward a cliff, knowing you need to hit the brakes, screaming at yourself to stop, but ignoring your own pleas and driving right over that edge all the same.
I know it’s a lie. I know it’s supremely wrong, and well, well beyond the pale. If Alistair dying me blue was crossing a line, this is vaulting a mile past it.
But fuck him. He just ruined the Hamilton Foundation placement for me.
Demi looks concerned as she moves toward me. “How do you know?”
I shake my head, exhaling slowly. “Because I was here when he broke in.”
It’s the pebble that starts the avalanche. The one little lie that lights the fuse of an atom bomb.
“What?!” Demi blurts.
“You’re joking!” Giorgiana gasps.
I shake my head again, hugging myself. “No joke. I was here, and I was getting changed. He…” I look away. “He saw me, and he tried to…you know.”
Demi looks like she’s going to be sick. “Oh my fucking God, Eloise!”
“I screamed,” I lie, warming to my story. “I think that rattled him, because he told me not to tell anyone and left. I had no idea he’d already put the dye in the shower.”
“Forget the fucking dye!” Giorgiana blurts. “He tried to rape you?”
Fuck.
“No,” I shake my head decisively. “I don’t…it wasn’t like that. He was just, like, creeping on me. Watching me change.”
“Oh my God, that’s seriously fucked up,” Demi chokes. “Jesus, Eloise, have you reported this?”
Oh, shit.
“No, it’s…” I clear my throat. “I just want to forget about it.”
Giorgiana stares at me. “E, you have to report that. I mean what if he does it again, to another girl? What if it’s more than watching her change next time?”
“Guys, please,” I try and backpedal, not confident anymore, wishing I could reverse time by two minutes. Jesus, why the fuck did I lie like this?
“Eloise, I know you’re scared,” Demi says. “But…I mean, I live here, too.”
God, what have I done. She looks terrified.
“I want to respect your fears, but…” She bites her lip. “If you don’t report this, I will. I have to.”
