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As expected, my question was met with silence.
I no longer felt nauseous, but my arm was beginning to throb in time with my heartbeat. I tried to ignore it. After a long moment Devan asked in a quiet voice, “Well, what do you want to do with her?”
“I’m right here,” I protested, but they all ignored me.
“I’ll drop her at her dorm,” Garrett grumbled, but Micah was quick to protest.
“We can’t just leave her there. We don’t know how deep the cut was. She might need stitches.”
Garrett heaved a sigh. “Well, go up with her and check it out, and you can stitch it if you need to. But be quick.”
My arm was still throbbing, but I cracked my eyes open at that. “What? I’m not letting you stitch me up. Drop me at the infirmary or something. I’ll get it checked out.”
“No,” the answer came from three directions all at once, and I stared around in bafflement.
“What? Why not?”
“I’ll take care of it,” Micah said in what I imagined was intended to be a soothing voice.
“And,” Devan put in carefully from the front, “We’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention any of this to anyone. Even your roommates.”
“What, you mean about the fight?” I asked, my brows lifting. What was wrong with everyone at this school? “I think Drew might remember. Not to mention I’m pretty sure I broke his hand.”
“He won’t say anything,” Garrett said, and while his tone was obviously meant to dissuade any questions, I couldn’t help myself.
“What are you talking about, of course he—”
Devan cut me off with a laugh. “Are you kidding? Drew’s not going to tell anyone you broke his hand. He’s probably going to tell people he broke it fighting a bear or something. All you have to do is be quiet and go along with it.”
That actually seemed fairly likely, and I fell silent, smiling to myself at the thought.
With my arm pulsing in pain, the car ride back to campus seemed like it took twice as long as the trip to the bar. I shifted in my seat, wrapping the tissues tighter around the cut, and caught Garrett’s eyes on me in the rearview mirror. He looked…worried. Worried about me? Or about the altercation with Drew?
After a moment he returned his gaze to the road, but twice more I caught him glancing back at me before finally I closed my eyes, trying to relax against the seat.
Eventually we passed through the front gate, signing ourselves in, before pulling up in front of the doors to Farrington Hall.
Micah helped me stumble out of the car, and Garrett was driving away practically before we got the doors shut.
“Come on, I’ll check your arm,” Micah said, supporting my weight as he led me toward the building. His arm felt solid and reassuring under my own, and I tried hard not to think about the fact that even with all the time we’d spent together, I’d never actually touched him before, and how good it felt despite our circumstances.
“How’re you going to get in?” I asked. “I thought guys weren’t allowed in the girls’ dorms this late.” I didn’t have a clue what time it was, but I was guessing well after midnight.
He chuckled and bypassed the front door, pulling me around the corner to the side of the building. Hidden beneath the creeping ivy was a door, and I watched in silent bemusement as Micah pulled out his wallet and fished out a small metal tool which he fitted into the lock. I wasn’t sure if I should be impressed or horrified at how quickly I heard the click of the lock releasing, but I dutifully took his arm again and let him lead me inside.
The back staircase was around the corner, well away from the RA’s desk, and only seconds later we were outside my room. Micah’s hand supported my elbow as I rooted around in my pocket for the key.
Inside the suite, I followed Micah into the bathroom and sat down on the edge of the tub as he took it upon himself to root through our medicine cabinet. He looked nothing if not out of place. The juxtaposition of his tall, muscular form, ink-covered arms and scarred face in our feminine bathroom—all fluffy pink towels and flowered shower curtain—made me snicker, and he lifted his gaze to eye me in the mirror.
“What?” he asked.
“Nothing. You just look really out of place here.”
He raised an eyebrow. “In a bathroom?”
“No, it’s not…never mind.”
Turning, he crouched at my feet and took my injured arm in his hands. I hissed as he pulled off the wad of tissues.
