I'm Right Here

Chapter Eleven

Annie never thought she would be walking in this familiar hallway again. She had once--twice, when she left in the morning.

Camilla was walking close beside her. She wasn't holding her arm or hand or anything. She was close enough to remind Annie that she wasn't alone. As they walked together, their shoulders bumping each other every now and then, and their footsteps can barely be heard.

There was a little too many people on the hallway. Some were smoking, others were just hanging out with their friends. Mostly, it was men who were outside, and more than a few heads turned their way as they passed.

Annie kept her head down, not liking the attention they were getting. Camilla kept walking straight, her head up and eyes ahead. How was she not bothered by those perverted eyes?

"Do you know the place?" Annie asked her finally.

"Apartment 304," she replied not even a glance at Annie. "Dominique told me it was 304."

Annie raised her eyebrows. "You talked to him?"

She swallowed. "I did it for you, you know. I'm furious at Jake for what he did to you, but I'm not that cold hearted to let him face the two of us alone."

"So Dominique is in there as well?"

"Well, Dom loves his friends." Camilla's eyes rolled.

Annie bit her bottom lip to suppress a smile. "You did it for me," she repeated.

Camilla finally turned to her. "You sound so surprised."

She nudged her elbow playfully at Cam's arm. "Thank you." Cam winked at her in response.

Finally, they stopped in front of a faded green door with number 304 screwed on it. Camilla kept her gaze on Annie while she drew in a deep breath. "Do you want to knock, or shall I?"

"I'll do it," Annie replied. She drew in another deep breath, and with shaking hands, she raised it and gently knocked on the door. The muffled voices inside the room stopped, and for a moment, Annie couldn't hear anything else but her own heart beating. She stopped feeling the eyes on her, even Camilla's. She stopped feeling the ground beneath her feet. This is it. This is actually it.

The door opened to reveal Dominique with his brows up. He didn't look so surprised or even confused about what this was all about. His shoulders slightly sagged when his gaze dropped to Camilla.

"Hi," she said coldly and walked straight inside, passing him and intentionally bumping her shoulder against his.

"Hey," Dominique replied in a whisper. He gestured for Annie to come in and she nodded her thanks before coming inside, Dom closing the door gently behind her.

Jake was sitting on his bed with his elbows propped on his knees, and his hands clasped together. He didn't bother to stand up and greet the two girls as they walked in. Instead, he gave Dominique a hard look and he just shrugged in response.

Annie stood beside Camilla, who didn't look bothered by all this, not even the slightest. She wanted to faint. She really wanted to close her eyes and collapse on the floor, hoping all of this was a dream. Where was her sudden confidence from three days ago? She tried replaying her dream in her head over and over again, but it didn't feel so realistic the way it did the first time.

She inhaled and exhaled as quietly as she could, hiding the anxiety she felt. She was thankful when Camilla cleared her throat and broke the silence. "I'm guessing you're wondering why we're"--she gestured to her and Annie--"here today." Cam's eyes not tearing off of Jake.