Страница 35 из 107
Chapter Ten
“Do not fear the hurt in their eyes.
Instead, fear when hurt fades to hollow.
For the difference between
the two is the heart.”
—Oliver Masters
mia.
“I’M SO OVER THIS WEEK,” Bria whined. “Where’s Tyler?”
A full week had passed since the vigil, and I looked around to see both Tyler and Jude missing from the mess hall. Immediately, my thoughts went to Tyler and her safety. “I don’t know,”—I stood up from my chair— “I’ll be right back. I’m going to check her room.”
Bria nodded as Jake commented on a girl all over Liam at another table. As far as I knew, Bria didn’t know about Jake and Liam’s relationship. But that didn’t stop Jake’s inability to control his mouth. Bria’s thoughts were somewhere else and didn’t see much into it, anyway.
I walked through third wing and approached Tyler’s door. Soft cries sounded, and my heart jumped into my throat as I pushed the door open.
My eyes landed on Jude’s bare ass as he thrust into Tyler from behind. “Oh-my-god,” I mumbled as I immediately closed the door. With wide eyes and frozen feet, I stood on the other side of the door, trying to piece together and shut out the image I just witnessed. My hand still glued to the doorknob, Jude swung the door open from the other side and brushed past me.
“Mia, I’m so sorry. You weren’t supposed to see that,” Tyler said out of breath. I turned to face her through the opened door as she slipped a shirt over her head and shoved her legs through pajama pants. “Please, you can’t tell Bria. She’ll kill me.”
Her blonde hair was in as much as a wreck as this situation she put me in. “Why can’t I tell Bria?”
“Because … ” she huffed. “They’re like a thing now.”
“Tyler! Why would you do that to her?”
“I like him, and I haven’t found anyone I’ve liked enough since the … you know … since I was forced. I’m done putting myself on the back burner and letting people walk all over me!”
“I can’t deal with this right now,” I rubbed my temples, “I came to check on you to make sure you were okay. I don’t trust that guy, Ty. You shouldn’t either.”
“He’s good, Mia. You have him all wrong. If you would just get to know him.”
“No, I’m not wrong about this.” How do I tell her that I think it’s him playing harmful pranks on me? Who put glass in my mattress and into my back?
Her blank stare stuck on me. “Say you won’t say anything. At least let me figure this out first. Then, I’ll tell her myself.”
“Fine.” I threw my hands up in the air. “It’s your funeral.”
Unable to face anyone, I decided not to go back to the mess hall and retreated to my dorm instead, spilling my secrets into my only trusted friend—my journal.
Our weekly meeting of Woman Against Sexual Assault was awkward that evening. Tyler, Bria, two new girls, and I sat spaced out on the floor. The new girls helped deflect the big fat elephant in the room—the elephant being Tyler and Bria sitting across from one another and sleeping with the same guy.
My loyalties laid out before me. I glanced over at Bria, her listening intently to the small mouse-like teen with a voice to match, nodding in moments when she was supposed to, completely unaware of what was happening behind her back.
Then there’s Tyler turned blonde-bombshell playboy model after losing a quick ten pounds in a month, gaze sailing back and forth between Bria and me with guilt hovering over her like a raincloud. I nudged my eyes over to Bria, instigating this was the safest place to spill her confession, but she only shook her head with wide eyes.
“ … and now here I am. I know it was so long ago, and I should be over it by now … ” the new girl continued.
Bria interjected, hushing her. “No, that stuff stays with you forever. The important thing is you’re here now.” Bria crawled across the floor and offered the girl a hug.
“What about you? Can I hear your story?” the girl asked.
Bria glanced over at me before settling into a spot beside her. “My story isn’t even mine; it’s Mia’s.” Bria held her hand over her heart. “The wanker who raped me only did it because another bloke wanted to get to her. I was never the objective … only an opportunity for distraction.”
“Thank you, Bria,” I clipped out, not wanting to hear that night all over again. Bria shot me a small smile to comfort me, but I didn’t need comforting. What I needed was Tyler’s confession to be out in the open because I didn’t know how long I could hold on to this one for.
After our session, the girls branched off as Bria and I fell into step back to our wing. My mouth ran without admission, trying to keep the subject away from all things Jude and Tyler, only to talk about safe matters such as being sick of the cafeteria food and craving a taco and a mocha iced coffee when Bria stopped me in my tracks, placing a hand on my arm before we turned a corner. Her black bob grazed her shoulders as she turned her head around to make sure we were alone. “Want to know a secret?”
No. Fuck no. Absolutely not. No. Uh-uh.
“Sure,” I said, my voice vacant and my teeth grinding.
Bria’s lips quirked. “Jerry got me some … ” she pinched her forefinger and thumb together and brought it to her mouth, imitating a blunt.
My eyes bulged. “Jerry, the security guard?”
Bria nodded excitedly, hooking her arm into mine and ushered me forward around the corner. “I’ll let you join me in the woods tomorrow, but only you.” She faced forward but my eyes stayed on her, trusting she wouldn’t lead me into a cement wall.
“How did you get Jerry to get you something like that?”
She shrugged as we stopped in front of her door, “I caught him banging one of the doctors while everyone was at di
“Okay … okay. I got it.” I quickly recovered, but my smile still lingered.
The next morning, I woke with Ethan snoring lightly beside me. I jerked my head out the window to see the sun shining blatantly through, meaning it was past seven. Frantically, I shook him until his eyes sprang open.
“Fuck,” he jumped to his feet, looking around blindly for his clothes scattered across the floor, “bloody hell, Jett.” Black boxers clung around his waist and thighs. Bare-chested and beautiful, I couldn’t help but admire the way his muscles moved under his untouched-by-ink skin. My gaze drifted across his chest, down his abdomen, to the morning wood stretching in his boxers. “Jett!”
I hadn’t noticed he stopped his movements to watch me ogle at him, and Ethan did nothing to hide his huge morning surprise as it stared right back at me. No, instead, he planted two hands over his hipbones and leaned forward. “Jett … ” he said slowly.
I snapped my eyes back to his face. “Wh-wh-why were you naked?”
“Oh, grow up.” Ethan shook his head. “This isn’t naked, and I had to get comfortable.” He pulled a white tee over his head, and the hem draped over his boner like it was no big deal. “I can’t sleep with clothes on.”
To distract myself, I leaned over the edge of the mattress and snatched up his pants before throwing it at him and covering my eyes. “Put that away. You’re going to hurt someone with that thing.”