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I stopped in the middle of the hall, walked a few steps backward until my ass touched the wall, and then slid down to the floor. My elbows pressed into my knees as I perched my forehead on my arms.Would it ever end? Would Travis ever be safe?
Two pairs of shoes began walking toward me, stopping just inches from the toes of my Chuck Taylors.
“Abby?” a familiar voice finally said. “Are you all right?”
I looked up, into Ricky’s eyes.
Justin stood next to him. His cheek was still purple from Travis’s left hook.
“That depends,” I said.
Justin and Ricky traded glances. “On what?” Justin asked, nervous.
“Where are you guys headed?” I asked.
“To ... To, uh,” Ricky stuttered. “Why?”
I narrowed my eyes, but before I could speak, Justin stiffened. “Are you following us? Why are you following us?”
Ricky snorted, smug. “We caught you. You thought you could sit here in the middle of the hall, and we’d just pass by and not notice? We’re journalists. We noticeeverything.”
I didn’t give away my confusion, I just watched them become more paranoid with every new speculation.
“So I guess Travis knows we write for theStar?” Ricky asked. “He heard we’ve been asking questions?” He swallowed. “What’s he … What’s he going to do?”
I stood up, allowing the tiniest hint of a smile on my face. “You’ll see,” I said, turning slowly before walking away. I pushed through the glass doors and jogged down the steps, inwardly panicking. Of course, I was bluffing.
They were doing a story on Travis. They were heading out to ask more people more questions. If they kept digging, someone might crack.
I touched my jacket pocket, feeling for the car keys. My mind was racing, wondering how to head this off. How to stop Ricky and Justin without implicating Travis and without anything short of blackmail, threats, or bribes. After all, what is the most important thing to college student? The one thing I didn’t have: money.
A deep voice said, “Whoa!” just as I ran head-first into someone’s chest.
“Oh, God, I’m sorry. I—” My stomach instantly sank.
“Hey, Abs. I was hoping I’d run into you. Maybe not so literally.”
“Parker,” I said, accusation in my voice. I took a step to walk around him, but he gently took my arm in his hand.
“C’mon. Don’t be like that.” He released my arm and smiled brightly, as if the last three months hadn’t happened. “Can’t we just ... talk?”
“No.”
“Abby. What do you want me to do? Beg? I’ll do anything to make things right. What about lunch?” I made a face. “Or just coffee. Can we just discuss over coffee?”
“Coffee?” I asked.
He nodded.
I looked over my shoulder to the building I’d left behind. I felt nauseous with just the thought. “You’ll do anything?” I asked, returning my gaze to Parker.
“Name it.”
I swallowed back my bile. I was about to sell my soul to the devil.
“You okay?” he asked, genuine concern on his face.
I looked down to my watch. “Did you just get out of class?”
