Page 56 of Betraying Him
I nod silently and stand, ready to rush off to class, but she keeps speaking.God, will this ever end?
“By the way, she asked me last night if she needed to speak to the police about what happened, so I told her what we did. I didn’t go into details, but she knows the gist of it. She was… surprised, to say the least, but I thought you should know so you’re not blindsided if she asks you about it.”
“I—thanks, I think?” I stammer, more confused than I was before this entire interaction, and that’s before I even try to process what she said about Savannah not blaming me for what I did.
“Yes, yes.” She makes a shooing motion. “Better get to class and get those grades. Maybe now you can stop skipping statistics and then making me help you, huh?”
Oops.
Back before I realized how much of a fucking lunatic she is,she once found me skulking around the library and freaking out about failing my class, but what she didn’t know was that I’d not been going because I was trying to avoid Savannah. She ended up helping with my coursework, though I’m sure it was to piss Cole off more than anything, especially since he lost his shit when he found us working together. Now that I think about it, I still owe her a favor for helping me, but like fuck am I going to bring that up.
“You’re not as bad as I thought you were,” I say and head toward the door.
Just as I open it and take a step outside, I hear her chuckle and say, “Nah, I’m worse.”
My brain hurts with so much information and so little coffee, but I can’t keep hiding away anymore. Not from classes, not from Savannah, and not from the truth.
One way or another, I’m going to get to the bottom of whatever the fuck is going on.
FORTY
SAVANNAH
I guessthe amount of times I climbed in and out of Logan’s window over the years came in handy, because that’s exactly how I escaped the cottage.
I knew everyone would argue about me heading back to the dorms, and I honestly wasn’t in the mood to deal with it, so I did what any sane person would do—I waited until I was alone, climbed out the window and ran.
Okay, so maybe not sane, but what other option did I have? I felt like a goddamn zoo exhibit, being stared at as though I’d either bite someone or run away at any moment.
I guess in a way, they were right, because Ididrun.
I just… I need to be alone. I’ve been in that cottage for over a week, taking the time to heal as best as I could, but I need more than to heal physically. I need time to process the fact that sooner or later, Harley’s going to find out the truth—it’s inevitable. I need to process what happened to me and what I did. I need to come to terms with the fact that I killed someone, and instead of calling the cops, they got rid of the body.
Lana, I understand. She’s always been… different, and it stands to reason Cole would go along with anything she would want, but Harley? That’s taking me longer to make sense of.
Why would he implicate himself like that for me? I can’t understand it.
Don’t get me wrong, even though I absolutely shouldn’t be, I am glad things happened the way they did. If they had gone to the police, my father would be the first person they notified, and then it would bemeending up somewhere in an unmarked grave.
So yeah, I’m grateful. Confused and slightly disturbed, but still grateful.
I’m sure my father will realize something went wrong sooner or later, but I’m hoping he just thinks the guy he paid up and left, rather than it having anything to do with me. It’s a solid bet.
I go the long way home, not wanting to walk past the alleyway because I’d much rather continue to be numb to everything than feel it all.
The tension drops from my shoulders as I reach my building and let myself inside, reveling in the feeling of peace that washes over me at the familiar surroundings.
My dorm is the one place on earth that ismine. I don’t have to pretend or walk on eggshells; I can just be me without fear of repercussions.
I head up the stairs, hyper vigilant. This may be my safe space, and I doubt my father would send someone to my dorm since it could leave witnesses, but everything is still raw, and I’m not about to just walk around without paying attention to what’s happening.
I finally get to my floor and open the door to my room, breathing a sigh of relief when I see the familiar surroundings.
I decorated in tones of grays and blacks, modern furniture and artwork, nothing too bright, but making sure the place isn’t dull, either. This is the first place that I’ve ever felt fractionally safe, the first place that felt likemine.
Sure, my father pays for my accommodation, but he’s never beenhere. He’s never even set foot on campus, which is exactly how I like it and hope to God it stays that way.
I take off the jacket I borrowed from Logan’s closet, leaving me in a pair of leggings and a shirt that Lana had insisted I wear, and head toward the bathroom for a shower. Only, when I get farther into the room, I realize I’m not alone.
