Nineteen

Chapter Thirty-Three

"Are you sure you're okay?" Clark asks after ten minutes of laying in silence.

"I'm fine," I assure him. "I have to go get my cast done tomorrow."

"Do you want me to take you?"

"No, I don't want you to miss anything at school," I say, sitting up.

Bailey knocks at the door before Clark gives him permission to come in. Bailey's parents made sure they had the biggest apartment, and that means private bedrooms.

He paces across the room and sits in a chair positioned at a desk.

"So, are you going to tell me what happened and why that guy says he'll be back to get you?"

I don't know how to answer to the part about Collin, but I tell him everything that happened when I went for a run. His eyes are wide and they look to be a a little watery.

"Oh my god, I can't believe that happened to you. You can't go alone anymore," he stands.

"That's not your decision," I bark at him.

"But it's his?" he throws his hands up, pointing to someone who isn't there, but I know exactly who he's talking about.

I get quiet. "He saved me and then spent the night with me."

Clark and Bailey both look at me and Bailey says, "what?"

I don't say anything. "He spent the night?" Bailey says quiet.

I shake my head.

Nobody says anything for a few minutes until Bailey speaks up to say, "is he why we broke up?"

No, is what I want to say. We broke up because we're different now. But instead, I stay silent.

He gets up and walks out the door. Clark is still laying beside me on the bed as I get up. "Where are you going?" he says.

"Out. I don't want to be here right now." I slip my shoes on and head for the door.

I hear him get up behind me, but before he can catch me I'm out the door and halfway down the hallway.

The air is hot today. My torso is sore and I didn't realize how much moving would irritate it. I walk down the sidewalk heading for my dorm, at the point where else do I go?

When I get to my room I lay down and let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, due to the situation of walking alone once again.

I grab my laptop and e-mail my professors to let them know I'll be missing class tomorrow, even though the work is already complete.

I grab my copy of Pride and Prejudice and read a couple of chapters before falling asleep in the middle of the day.

When I wake up I feel even more tired than I was before I took a nap. My body feels worn and my stomach aches of hunger. I glance at my clock to see it is after 6 o'clock.

I've slept literally half of the day. I stand up and groan at the pain. I grab some clean clothes and walk down the hall to take a shower.

The hot water feels good against my skin. I stand for what feels like forever, and when I get out my fingers are wrinkled from the amount of time I was actually standing.

I pace down the hallway when I notice there's an odd amount of people out of their rooms. They are dressed up and I assume it's for a party tonight, regardless that it's a Sunday night.

I shut the door behind me and finish getting dressed. I dry my hair and throw it into a bun on my head in order to go and get something to eat. I grab my car keys and look at myself one last time in the mirror.

I look like a complete mess. I'm in leggings, a t-shirt, a pair of tennis shoes, and my hair is a disaster. 

My eye is black and my hand is mangled. I'm a walking case.

I open the door anyway and walk down the hall, heading for the stairs.

As I turn the corner I run into someone and my torso lights up with pain. I groan.

"Oh my god, Emory?" he says as he takes in my appearance.

"Hey, Link."