{18+ COMPLETED • COLLEGE ROMANCE}
When a college freshman with a learning disability and a reputation collides with a straight-A, straight-laced girl in the dorm kitchen one night, he sees the darkest parts of himself reflected in her. But the two o...
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B R E N
A knot instantly formed in my stomach.
"And I needed to make sure you didn't freak out afterward," Beau added.
"What about Madie?" I said, my voice sounding distant and hollow to my own ears.
"Well, she's being discharged from the hospital tomorrow—"
"Is it normal for her to have been there this long?" I asked, interrupting him to voice the question that had been bouncing around in my head for the past two weeks.
"I don't know, man. I'm not a doctor. But I know they've been monitoring her because she's had some short term memory loss."
I dropped the wrench that I'd forgotten was still in my hand. It made a loud, clanking noise that reverberated through the garage. I felt it in my toes.
"Why didn't Nessa tell me that? She's been texting me that Madie is fine."
Beau leaned against the hood of my car. "She said that you feel guilty for some reason. And she didn't want to make that worse." He let out a long sigh. "Madie is fine. It has gotten a lot better. Like I said, she's being released. That's the real problem."
I frowned. "Why would that be a problem?"
Beau took a long sip from his bubble tea, and I resisted the urge to smack it out of his hands. "Because she was protected in the hospital," he finally said. "Someone was always with her. Quinton tried to stop by once, but Nessa threw him out. And after that, they wouldn't let him back into the building."
I was reading between the lines of what Beau was saying, and I didn't like it. I didn't like it one bit. "Are you telling me that asshole isn't in jail?"
Beau shook his head, and I jumped to my feet, slamming my fist down on the top of the car. Thankfully it was the uninjured one, although maybe a jolt of pain was what I needed right now. Perhaps it would mask the other feelings. I opened my mouth to spew some more expletives, but Beau cut me off.
"Let me explain, man. This is why I came." He cleared his throat dramatically. "Madie reported the assault. To everyone—the hospital and the police and the university."
I began to pace, not being able to sit still while listening. "Good girl," I muttered, feeling a little proud. I could only imagine how hard that must have been for her.
"But then her parents showed up," Beau said, and the expression on his face told me that wasn't good. "Did you know her parents are friends with Quinton's? I mean, not just friends. Their dads do some business together."
My pacing quickened. "I didn't know that."
"They are. Madie's mom was pissed about the whole thing. I mean, that lady was pissed. I was visiting Madie when her mom showed up, and let me tell you—"
