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“And then what?”
Inwardly, I groan.There’s more?
“She texted you,” Kellan says.
“No shit.”
“So I texted back saying that you were spending the night with some random guy you met.”
Athelia’s glare turns lethal. “You deserve worse than hell, Kellan Ambrose.”
He nods silently, still staring at the ground.
Sighing, Athelia hits a few buttons on her phone and holds it to her ear. We all stand there, awkwardly watching her while she waits for someone to pick up.
“What the hell did she tell you in the bathroom?” Wes whispers to me.
Athelia snaps her fingers, and we all turn back to her, backs straight.Fuck.Does she really have that good of a hold on us?
“That’s for me to tell.” She looks like she has more to say, but then a muffled, feminine voice comes through her phone. “Hey, Angie. Have you heard from Haven at all this morning? Or last night after, like, ten?”
I watch anxiously as Athelia’s frown deepens. Haven is her best friend. If she’s missing, then Athelia won’t be able to relax until she’s found.
“Okay,” Athelia says tiredly. “Thanks, Ange.”
“No word?” I ask.
Athelia shakes her head. The unease doesn’t leave her face, but she says, “I’m sure she’ll turn up. She’s probably still sleeping or something.”
Kellan blows out a short breath. “Look, I don’t want to rush you. But…”
“You need to tell us what the fuck he did to you,” Wes finishes.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Athelia
I have half a mind to delay this just to piss Wes off more. But my body feels like it’s about to burst. I need to get all this hurt and pain off my chest before it destroys me.
“Professor Kammes has been my advisor since freshman year,” I start off quietly.
“We know that,” Wes says impatiently.
Cal elbows him in the stomach, which shuts him up well enough.
“I also took one of his classes my first semester, and I have him again this semester. After my very first class with him, he emailed me to set up a meeting with me.”
“The day you were wearing the green dress,” Wes mutters.
“What? I—I don’t remember what I was wearing.”
He shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter. Just keep going.”
I want to ask why he remembers what I was wearing on a random day over three years ago, but I don’t press. “Once he had me alone, he threatened me. I was eighteen and scared and didn’t know what else to do, so I…” My eyes slide closed as blood rushes to my cheeks. “You know.”
“Oh my god,” Kellanwhispers.
“I tried to go to his department head, but he told me not to ruin my career by earning a reputation of accusing men of sexual assault. He didn’t believe me for a split second.” The helplessness I felt that day encroaches on my mind, but I shove it away. “It’s exactly what Kammes told me would happen, but I had to try.”
