Page 28 of Tempting Teacher

“Are you in the alley, then?” Christ, that’s right down the street from her building. I wasn’t more than a thousand feet away! I switch directions and run towards Amsterdam Ave. “I’m coming, Summer!”

“Hurry, Xander. I’m scared.” She whimpers. “Don’t hang up.”

“I won’t.” I promise. “I’m almost there. Hold on.”

I turn and bolt down the alley, skidding to a halt when I see her crumpled on the ground up against a wall. I slide down beside her and gather her into my arms, pulling her close. Her body begins to shake as she melts into me, her sobs vibrating against my chest.

“I’ve got you now.” I murmur into her hair, tugging her onto my lap and off the cold cement. “Shhhh, it’s okay.”

I hug her closer to me, rubbing my hand in small circles on her back until she seems calmer. Her head is tucked under my chin, her breathing regulating against the bare skin at the open neckline of my shirt. “How you doing now? Any better?”

She peers up at me, her lashes wet with tears, my jaw clenching when I see the red, swelling of a punch under her eye. I lift my fingers to feather them over her cheek, lifting her face to see where else she may have been hit. “Where else are you hurt?”

“After they hit me, and I fell to the ground, they kicked me in my ribs.” She moves her hand to show me where. I lift her shirt, and can see an imprint of a bruise already forming on her side. I grimace, my teeth gnashing together as I hold back every dark thought running through my head.

“They?” I inquire softly. “Was it more than one person?”

“No, it was just one.” She shakes her head. “But they had on a baseball cap and a hoodie. I couldn’t see what they looked like.”

“It’s okay.” I kiss the top of her head. “You’re safe now.”

“I’m so stupid. I should have never gone through the alley.” She shakes her head under my hold. “I just wanted to get home and eat. I was so hungry. And I wasn’t paying attention because I was talking to you on the phone.”

“All that matters right now is that you’re okay.” I scoff. “Relatively speaking.”

“They took my bag. It has all my stuff.” She pulls back from me, her brow scrunched with worry. “My laptop, my credit card, my I.D.’s. My keys!” Her face becomes a shade of white. “They will know where I live!”

“Can you stand?” I check, and she nods. “Come on, let’s get up then.”

We both rise, her legs shaking under her as we do, so I wrap a hand around her waist to steady her. “I have a friend who’s dating a detective. I’m going to call her and have him help us, okay?”

“Okay.” She replies meekly.

She leans against me, quiet as I call Gabby and explain what’s happened. I end the call a few moments later and update Summer.

“Gabby and Cameron are on their way. We’re lucky, Cameron was just picking up Gabby up from work at the hospital, so they’re close.”

Chapter Fifteen

~Summer~

Twenty minutes later, we’re walking into Xander’s apartment, and I heave out a sigh of relief I didn’t know I was holding. I’m safe.

“Come on.” Xander’s friend Gabby wraps a hand around my shoulder and guides me to the couch. “Let’s get you warm.” She covers me with a blanket that was thrown over the back of the couch, pulling it tight to cocoon me. She lifts my chin, her multi-colored eyes examining my face. “Were you hit anywhere else besides your cheek?”

I nod and explain how I was kicked.

“Let me see.” She offers me a kind smile. “I don’t know if Xander told you, but I’m a nurse. I just want to make sure nothing is cracked or bleeding.”

“Okay.” I unfold the blanket and lift my shirt to expose my side. I’m so thankful I went home and changed into leggings and a sweatshirt after class today. If they had seen what I was wearing earlier, they probably would have assumed I deserved to be mugged. She presses against the raised skin, already bruising along my ribs, and I grimace.

“I know.” She soothes, pressing her hand flat against the wound. Her kind eyes meet mine. “Something similar happened to me, so believe me when I say I understand every single thing you’re feeling right now.”

I nod, tears springing to my eyes again, and whisper that I’m okay.

“You aren’t.” She lowers my shirt and gazes into my eyes. “And that’s alright too. Let yourself feel everything you need to. No one here is going to fault you for that.” She pats my hand. “I don’t believe anything is cracked, but we can certainly bring you to the hospital for an X-ray if you’d like?”

“No.” I shake my head forcefully. “I don’t want that.”

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