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She hesitated. “Are you going to be okay?”
“Sure,” I said, an automatic response.
She swiveled my stool around, forcing me to face her. “I’m serious, Cynth. Today has been…” She trailed off, shaking her head. “Insane.”
I’d almost willed all conscious thought of Drew and Chelsea away. But here it was again. Cam’s reminder hit like a punch to the throat. My glands thickened, making it hard to swallow. The sour aftertaste of resentment a nauseous sickness churning the pit of my stomach.
What happened wasn’t insane. It was very real, and it happened to women all the time. Insanity would’ve at least freed me of the obligation to deal with the fallout. I wished I could just cop out. Skip to the next chapter.
I wasn’t that lucky.
I was too aware of my thoughts, and what Drew had done to me.
What Chelsea had done…
I closed my eyes, let the music drown out my thoughts.
“Cynth…” Cam’s voice reached out to me. “At least it all went down over spring break. By the time classes resume, everyone will be moved on to the newest scandal.”
Except I would not, could not move on.
Maybe the board would investigate Drew. His wrist slapped for sleeping with not one but two students, and knocking one of them up. But his parents would buy him out of trouble. Prof. Andrew Abbot would be back to teaching in a month’s time. After he married Chelsea, of course, making the whole scandal some romantic tryst.
I would go through my last year as “the other one”. The salacious fling and dirty thing.
I didn’t have enough money to buy
my reputation back.
“Let me get you an Uber.”
I opened my eyes. “All right.”
Cam took my phone and pulled up the app. “Where do you want to go? The apartment or your parents’ house? Honestly?”
The Dock House was much closer to Silver Lake. But our apartment was empty, and would remain so with Cam staying overnight with the bartender.
“I want to go home,” I said.
Cam nodded. She knew where I thought home was. “Ride will be here in twenty minutes.” She stared down the long bar top at Torrance.
I pushed off the stool and latched on to the counter to gain my balance. I hadn’t eaten that day, I realized. “Go ahead. I want to walk down to the dock first. Clear my head. Stare at the stars.”
She made an uncertain face, but she was already inching toward her conquest. “You sure?”
I forced a smile. “Yeah. Go on.”
She left.
I could take it back. Tell my best friend that no, I don’t want to be alone with my thoughts. That it was her idea to stop here and drink away my insane problems.
But she was already gone.
I dragged my fingers through my unruly, humidity-tangled hair, and for a second, I felt eyes on me. A creepy feeling of being watched touched the back of my neck, eliciting cold prickles.
I shivered the eeriness away. I’m distressed. Upset.
And alone.
