Page 26 of Obsessions of the Heart

I furiously looked down and around my clothes, desperate to find any clues as to what had happened. My shoes were off, but other than that, my clothes were fine. I lifted my skirt. My underwear was in the right place, not shoved to the side or put on wrong.

Taking another deep breath, I looked in the mirror. I didn’t think I had been assaulted, but I did think I’d been drugged even though that didn't make sense either. Why would someone drug me but not rape me? Why would they bring me to my dorm? Lay me down on my bed and take off my shoes?

That was impossible.

Then did I make it home myself? I envisioned myself stumbling across campus, but even that felt too far-fetched.

A knock on my door sounded. “Lay? Are you okay?”

Cin’s voice sounded worried, but it also gave me an idea. Yanking the door open, I was met with her hesitant face. I blurted out, “You're good with computers and you are a legacy. Can you hack into the dorm security system to see how I got back to our room?”

She motioned toward her side of the room, expecting me to follow, and I did. “That was one of the first things I thought of.” She lifted the top of her laptop, where a video was already queued up, then pressed play.

We watched together as she sped through an hour's worth of tape in ten minutes. A few girls from the dorm left in party clothes, and some guy was met with a locked door when he tried to follow a woman in. There were a few food delivery people, but that was it. Nothing else.

“How?” Dread filled my bones, causing me to shiver.

“I don't know, Lay.” Cin’s low, soft tone told me she was trying to be respectful of what had happened to me, but I was more focused on the phantom that had put me back into my bed. “To erase you from the tape, it would mean that someone not only got to it live, but also had the tech and knowledge to tamper with the recording.”

Something she said had me remembering something else. She said it had to be caught live, and I had been sensing someone watching me at the most inopportune times. Was this connected, or was my imagination running wild?

No. Something had to have happened. I just didn’t know what, and someone was trying to cover it up.

“Do you want me to walk you to English?” She phrased it as a question, but her tone said this was non-negotiable. “I'm the opposite way, but it would make me feel like you're safe if I get you there and had Elio keep an eye on you.”

With a nod, I accepted her offer, but what I really wanted to do was get that nervous twitchy look out of her eyes. I didn't like to be vulnerable, didn't like to bring people into my business. I wanted all of this to go away, for her to stop looking at me like I was some wounded animal, reminding me that even if I didn't get assaulted, someone had drugged me.

Gripping the counter so hard my knuckles turned white, I admitted my vulnerability. “I was checking to see if I was assaulted.” I glanced at her through the mirror, and her eyes darkened, ready to go to battle. I quickly admitted, “I don’t think I was. None of the signs are present.”

“Do you want to go to the nurse… get a kit done? I'll go with you.” Her eyes lowered to the floor with her soft, hesitant question.

“No.” Her eyes snapped up to mine in confusion, but she didn't know that I had a time in my life when I was on the streets. Shit like this happened every single day—women getting hit, assaulted, or tricked into something they didn't want to do. No. I wasn't going to give this black, fogged-out memory of mine power over me. Even with my heart pounding and fear settling deep in my soul, I wasn’t going to give in.

I was going to move forward. This was not going to break me.

Moving around her, I left the bathroom in haste. “I need to get to English.”

“Layrin,” she called out, and I stopped. “I’m so sor—” I raised my hand and turned to face her.

“Did you drug me?” I spat, anger surging at the prospect of her doing this to me.

Her eyes widened, mouth parting in shock before she shut it down, stood up a little straighter, and responded with a hint of anger, “No. I would never do that to you.”

I stared at her unwavering gaze. Even with all my street smarts, all the instincts and warning bells that I’d had about this place, about her relatives, I didn't get that dangerous feeling from her. For some strange, weird reason, I felt like I could trust her despite my inkling that she was keeping something close to the chest. I always followed my gut.

“Which means you don't have anything to be sorry for.” One side of my mouth tipped up, trying to let her down easy since I’d come at her hard just a second ago. The headache that split open my head earlier was now just a dull sensation, all because of her magical cure.

“Lay…” Her eyes bored into mine as she took a step forward, looking like she was going to say something important.

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

We looked over at her phone that was vibrating on her desk. She took a few steps, looked at it, and clicked the side button to ignore the call before she looked up at me with a smile. “Looks like it's time we get you to class. Don’t want you to be late.”

She turned away to gather her things, which just made me curious as to who was calling her, but I realized she was right when I checked the time. I needed to get going now.

Just like she promised, Cin walked me to class. What I didn't expect was for her to act like a bodyguard, constantly looking around, glaring at people. The chatty Cin I knew was replaced by this rottweiler, ready to pounce.

First, she was the graceful, beautiful rich kid, then the techy brat whose style did not match her background, and now she was this puffed-up bitch ready to fight anyone in our path. It was unexpected, but it was also incredibly sweet and loyal of her.

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