Solace In The Silence ✓✓

chapter 11

"SO WHAT ARE you going to do?" Lynn's eyes appraised me thoughtfully as she shoved another cherry Twizzler into her mouth.
For the duration of the drive back to Gery's studio apartment, I'd asked myself the same question. Every time I completely drew a blank.

My mind wasn't made up yet when it came to the whole I-more than-likely-had-a-stalker thing, but I was acting strangely calm, all things considered. Then again, maybe it hadn't sunk in yet. It was all so surreal

—Joe's unwelcome visit, the fact that I was now seeking refuge at Jake's friend's house.
I scanned Gery's small but charming apartment, trying to distract myself from answering Lynn's question.

After a few seconds and a deep inhale, I dragged my attention back to her. "I honestly have no clue," I admitted, fiddling with the edge of the placemat on his oak wood table.
Panic flared at that statement, and I gritted my teeth.

I'd been debating whether to go back to Hall Hill, chalk the entire experience up to bad timing. I could tell my parents it just so happened I wasn't cut out for college, after all. If I wasn't in anymore, Joe wouldn't be able to bother me. But my insides twisted up at the thought of him running me out of town when I'd only just got here. I hated the sense of cowardice it dredged to the surface.

"All I know is, I can't go back to my dorm. It's not safe for me there anymore," I continued, feeling an odd lump swell in the back of my throat.

"But I can't just crash here on Gery's couch. I don't want to be a burden. I barely even know him."
lynn chewed the sugary goodness pensively, dropping her gaze low. "You two have more in common than you think," she said after a moment.

"That's why he's been behaving so weird today. His sister—"
We both tensed at the sound of the sliding glass door opening. Gery stepped inside from the patio, lowering his phone and slipping it into the pocket of his khaki shorts. Something was off about his expression, and I immediately went on high alert.

"That was Jake." His eyes nervously darted between Lynn and me.
A twinge of confusion formed as I met and held his stare. He'd called Jake?

"Hate me as much as you want, but I had to tell him," Gery said. "I couldn't sit on my hands, not when it came to something like this."
Frustration swirled in me until it turned into a sharp-edged anger. The one condition I'd had when I'd reluctantly agreed to leave my dorm room and come back here with them was that they wouldn't tell Jake what had happened. They'd both assured me they weren't going to breathe a word to him about it.

So much for that.
I really hadn't wanted Jake to know.
My averseness went further than not wanting him to make a mad dash back to campus, to swoop in and rescue me like I was some damsel in distress. It had more to do with the fact that I was still hurting over the complicated history we shared, and I didn't particularly feel like including him in everything that went on in my life when he was unwilling to do the same.

I didn't care if that made me petty.
"You told Jake?" I recited, my voice barely above a whisper when I spoke.
"Heck yeah," he barked out. "I'm not messing around. This shit is serious. The last time anyone entrusted me with something like this, I stayed quiet. I walked away from it. I won't make that mistake again. Jake needs to know, and you need to call the police.
They should be updated."
Sympathy gathered in Lynn's eyes, although I wasn't exactly sure whom it was directed at anymore. Gery was obviously speaking from personal experience, and given what she had hinted at earlier, it had something to do with his sister.

Lynn's voice pulled me out of my deep, contemplative moment when she said, "In the end, Jake probably would've found out, anyway. Isn't that right, Bess?"

A headache clamped around my temples, a mixture of lack of caffeine and mental exhaustion. "Mmm," I conceded.
She had a point.

If you overlooked the fact that Gery had broken my trust, he'd probably just done me a massive favor. Eventually, one way or another, Jake would have found out. Bad news traveled fast. I knew that better than anyone.