“Come on, Soph.” I bent down again and pulled her up, letting her slump against my shoulder. “I’ve got you, okay?”
“Leo?” she asked, her words slurred. “What’s…what’s wrong with me?”
“You’re going to be okay, baby,” I mumbled into her ear as I grabbed under her legs and lifted her into my arms. “I’m not letting you go.”
“Have fun,” Harley called after me as I turned for the door.
I spun back around and looked between him and Devon. “We’re done, Devon. And if she is anything other than one hundred precent okay after this, I’ll be knocking on Coach’s door Monday morning with a lot to say.”
Harley snorted. “You really have your knickers in a twist for this girl. Learn to share, buddy.”
“Enough, Harley,” Devon said, looking down at the ground as he put an arm in front of his brother. “Just take her home, Leo.”
I certainly didn’t need his permission, and I wasn’t going to waste any more time with them. Devon and I might have been friendly enough but if he thought I was going to be able to overlook his brother’s behavior and his own complacency in hurting Sophia, he had another thing coming.
I walked quickly across campus to Sophia’s dorm with her passed out against my chest, moaning uncomfortably every few minutes. It was the only sound I heard over the blood rushing in my ears. My muscles should have gotten tired given the length of the walk from Devon’s place to hers, but I felt nothing except my racing pulse and erratic breathing as I moved through a wave of panic.
I kicked on the door to her suite three times in an attempt to knock. Sophia had told me Alyssa was staying in tonight, so I was hoping she was home. I wanted Soph to be in her own bed when she woke up so she wasn’t any more afraid of what happened than she already would be.
“What the hell?” Alyssa groaned as she pulled the door open. She froze when she saw my frantic state and Sophia limp in my arms. “Leo! What happened?”
She stepped back, opening the door to let me in.
“She was roofied.”
“Oh my God,” Alyssa said, putting a hand over her mouth and watching as I made my way to the bathroom. “What can I do?”
I set Sophia down in the corner on the floor of the bathroom and propped her up against the wall. “My dad’s a paramedic. I’m going to call him and do whatever he tells me to do,” I said, palms sweating as I pulled my phone out of my pocket.
I ran a hand through my hair and fought back the stinging in my eyes. I could not fall apart. She needed me to help her, not panic and worry without acting.
“Okay, I’m going to get some water.” Alyssa darted off into the kitchen while I pressed the button to call my dad.
“Hey, what’s up?” my dad asked, sounding happy to hear from me.
“Dad,” I croaked, swallowing the lump in my throat and forcing my voice to steady. “I went to a party on campus and a friend of mine wasroofied. The guy said he gave her Rohypnol.” My voice cracked. “I need you to tell me what to do. Please.”
“Jesus Christ, Leo,” Dad sighed. “Where are you? Are you both safe?”
“Yes. I got her out of there as soon as I noticed something was off. We’re at her dorm. Please just tell me what to do,” I begged.
“Okay. Take a deep breath. If you care about your friend, you need to keep a clear head. Can you do that?” he asked in a calm and commanding tone that I imagined served him well at work.
“Yes,” I said. I had to. I wasn’t leaving her, and I cared more about her than I’d ever cared about anything.
“It’s likely she just needs to sleep it off. Depending on how long ago she ingested it, getting her to throw up might help get it out of her system faster, but the research on that is mixed. I usually induce vomiting because it’s certainly not going to hurt, and if it can help at all, it’s worth it.”
“Okay. And she doesn’t need a hospital?” I asked, taking another deep breath.
He sighed and I imagined he was running his hand over his jaw. “She needs someone to stay with her and monitor her breathing. Keep her from vomiting and aspirating. But no, she doesn’t need a hospital. She needs a lot of fluids—all the water you can get her to drink. That’ll help flush her system. If her pulse drops or her breathing becomes weak, take her to the ER to be safe. It’s possible he gave her more than one dose but it’s unlikely, given most idiots who get their hands on this shit just drop one pill in the drink and call it a day.”
“How do I monitor her pulse?”
“Does she have a smart watch?”
I looked at her wrists. I’d seen her wear one plenty of times, but she wasn’t wearing it now. “Not on her. But she can wear mine.” I started pulling at the strap.
“Okay, check her pulse a few times every hour. If it drops below 60, take her to the hospital.”
