Sunlight seeped through the curtains, covering my face in warmth as I opened my tired eyelids. Brown curls stuck to my forehead with sweat as my body began to gain its senses back. The sound of birds chirping came from outside, the plum dress had been replaced with a t-shirt and pair of sweatpants, the taste of vomit lingered within my mouth, and my brain felt like it was going to explode from within.
It took a moment to realize where I was, but from the image of Polaroids that hung around the room and the scent of a vanilla candle aided me in the realization that I was back in my dorm. Thank God.
The only thing that I could remember from last night was the image of Wyatt's form over mine, pinning my body beneath him. His once kind eyes filled with nothing but pure malice in its rawest form. From that point on, everything was a blur, drifting in and out of consciousness and eventually ending up back in my dorm.
"Ruth? You feeling okay?" I looked over to see Willow sitting on her bed, folded hands placed between crossed legs.
"I think so" I groaned, trying to sit up from the bed but immediately being hit with a tidal wave of nausea. Rushing towards the bathroom, trying to keep everything inside before reaching the toilet, I felt a sense of relief rush over me the second I emptied my stomach. The cool porcelain contrasting against hot skin felt like heaven as I heaved over the toilet. Willow stood by my side, flushing the toilet with her foot before leaning back against the doorframe.
"What the fuck happened last night?" I asked as I rested my head on the forearm that sat on the toilet seat.
"Wyatt slipped something into your drink. He took you upstairs and tried to- "
I simply groaned in response before Willow could finish her sentence. She explained that she got worried after not seeing me for a while and searched every room, finally finding Wyatt and I. Then proceeding to force him off of me. She told me that she had to get Josh and a bunch of other dudes to get him out of the party and me back to my dorm room. I guess I was completely passed out at that point, feet dragging against the concrete as three dudes carried me back to my dorm room. Willow changed me out of the dress and into something that I could actually breathe in. By the time I woke up, it was already 2 pm.
"The guys took Wyatt to campus security. I haven't heard anything since" Willow tucked a piece of dark brown hair behind her ear before helping me up from the bathroom floor.
Before I could say anything, Willow pulled me into a hug. Tiny arms wrapping around my shaky body as I leaned my head against her shoulder, finally feeling a moment of safety.
"Karma is gonna kick his ass. I promise you that" Willow pulled away, hands resting on my shoulders, piercing green eyes staring straight into mine. I simply swallowed the lump in my throat nodded, taking in a deep breath and pulling her in for another hug.
"C'mon. Let's get something to eat, you just puked out last night's dinner"
September 15, 1998
I had taken Monday off, just to give myself another day to recover and truly make sure I wouldn't see Wyatt in any of my classes. I was told that he's been suspended from campus until further investigation. Even just thinking about being in the same vicinity, breathing the same oxygen as someone so vile made my stomach churn. It was nice knowing that I could go to my classes without even thinking about him. I could finally get back to work.
1:30 pm. My last class, Foundations of Journalism, had finally ended. Today's lecture was nothing but an hour of the professor ranting about how the news had become so unbelievably biased and untrue... all while quoting biased and untrue sources.
I sat in the library, fingers flying across the keyboard as I worked on the homework assignment- a mock article on a subject that you find passion in. Inspiration seeped out of every pore as I explained the importance of journalism in today's society, highlighting topics such as biased news sources, how the internet completely changed how we obtain our information, and much more. Wire-framed glasses barely hung on to my nose as my eyes switched from article to document, fingers barely keeping up with the endless ideas that my mind conjured up. It didn't take long to finish my first draft, submitting the document to the professor and then proceeding to start on my next article.
As I scrolled through my list of possible article ideas, my phone vibrated against the hardwood table. Looking down at the small screen, the ten-digit number didn't look familiar. The phone continued to vibrate, and upon second glance I realized that the area code was from Ohio. Maybe it's home. Before answering the call, I stepped out of the library, face twisted in confusion as I pressed the answer button and held the phone up to my ear.
"Hello?"
"Good afternoon. Am I speaking with Ruth Caldor?"
"This is her"
"Hello, Miss Caldor. This is Dr. Michael Grant. I'm calling regarding your mother, Lana Caldor"
"Is everything okay?" I folded one arm over my chest, tucking my hand beneath my elbow.
Absolutely nothing could prepare me for the sentence that followed.
"Your mother has been diagnosed with Stage 4 brain cancer"
