Page 19 of Falling With a Spin

“Thank fucking god you’re awake, here take this. It will help you with your headache.” He hands me the items, but I only take the water, weary of taking the small pills.

Garrett leans against the wall beside me, looking at me with worry in his eyes. I’m not sure what is all going on. Last night was a blur from dancing, drinking, and waking up alone.

“Do you know where Taylor is?” I ask him, taking a sip of the water.

Garrett's only response is a grunt as he pulls out his phone and starts typing away on the screen.

I take another sip of the water and end up downing the whole glass. Is Garrett just going to ignore me?

“I’ll be right back,” he mumbles and then walks out the door.

What the actual fuck is going on here?

I get up to locate where my clothes were from last night. Searching around the room, I try not to pry into the owner's belongings. I come up with no luck and sit back down on the bed. As I anxiously wait for Garrett to come back, I try to filter through my memories of what happened.

I knew I was dancing with Chad, and then he went to get me a drink. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to pull the memory out of me. But the door to the bedroom slowly creaks open, and Garret walks back in with four other people behind him.

My eyes widen, and I scoot back to the far corner of the bed, against the wall, and pull my knees up to my chest. “Can someone tell me what is going on?” I have absolutely no idea where I’m at or who any of these other people are.

Garrett walks towards me to sit at the end of the bed and looks at me with concern.

“This is Justin,” He points to a guy who stands next to the door with arms crossed over his chest. His looks take a striking resemblance to Garrett’s, and my eyes bounce off one another, trying to figure out why. “He is my twin brother.” Garrett chuckles as he sees the light bulb go off in my head. Well, that makes sense. “Next to him is Cole,” a blonde, curly-haired guy who isn’t much taller than Justin waves his hand at me. I fake a smile that I hope isn’t too noticeable. Garrett drags his finger over to where he once stood, “This is Matt,” he is just a few inches taller than me with short blonde hair and blue eyes. My gaze averts from Matts to a familiar guy who stands by the window, and something has his attention as his eyebrows furrow and lips press into a thin line. Just as I was about to look away, his gaze zeroes in on me. “And that would be Hunter.” Garrett finishes introducing everyone.

“Do you remember anything from last night?” I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but Hunter's voice soothes me in a way that makes me feel safe. His well-built arms are crossed against his chest, and he tilts his head to the side, studying my face as concern sweeps over his. He has short black hair that seems to have recently been cut, and he has the brightest blue eyes that I’ve ever seen. He looks hesitant, walking towards me to sit on my left. I turn to look at him, and my breathing hitches. His piercing blue eyes scan my face as if he is trying to see right through me.

“I remember dancing with my boyfriend, Chad. I asked him to go get me a refill, and then everything after that is a blur.”

But when I close my eyes, bits and pieces slowly unfold themselves in my head. I clench my fist, creating half-moons with fingernails, and I try to hold back the sob that's threatening to escape me.

I feel a rough hand land on my back, and I flinch back from the touch as more memories from last night continue to unravel like a ball of yarn.

None of this makes sense. Chad wouldn’t hurt me like that. I thought to myself.

“When Justin and I found you lying down in the hallway,” Garrett’s voice rings through the room, “you were passed out. You were slumped against the wall and wearing torn-up clothes, just sitting there with a blanket that was barely covering your shoulders. We brought you back here to our house to ensure nothing else was going to happen to you.” Garrett responds as he plays with a loose thread from the comforter.

I don’t have to tell them what happened. They saw how I looked. They know what happened, or at least they have an idea, and that makes all of this even worse.

My bottom lip starts to quiver, but I suck in a deep breath to hold it back, just for now.

“Did you tell Taylor?”

Garrett's response is a shake of his head, “She doesn’t know you’re here.”

“Emma, we can take you to the hospital, and you can file a police report. We can help you. My mom is a lawyer, and my dad is a doctor.” Hunter finishes saying, his eyes never leaving my face. He reaches out to grab my hand, but I back away, startled by his sudden action.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” I say, lifting my chin. “I’m fine.” I’m not sure who I’m trying to convince.

I glance to my right towards Garrett, a pleading look in his eyes begging me to take up Hunter's offer. I’ve only had a few interactions with him, both in compromising positions, so we don’t know each other that well. But he can tell that I’ve made up my mind, and there is no changing it.

I shake my head. If I were to do anything, it would just sit forever in an evidence box, and nothing would be done. There are too many girls out there who don’t ever get an answer or the justice they deserve. The system is just as fucked up as the world we live in. I wipe my face from the tears that had been escaping and stand up from the bed.

Except did Chad do this to me?

“Can I borrow your phone to call Taylor?” I hold my hand out towards Garrett, still unsure of where mine is. He hands me his phone, and I mumble a thank you. I press the call button on her contact, and she picks up instantly.

“What do you want, Garrett?” Her voice is laced with annoyance and brings a somewhat smile to my face.

“No, it’s Emma.” The smile drops instantly as to the reason I’m calling her.

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