Page 67 of Say It Slowly

Ugh.

I drank too much last night. But if the smell of the pillows is any indication, I managed to make my way back to Rush House somehow. I have zero recollectionofexactly how I got here, though.

I sit up and rub my stinging eyes, suddenlyreallythirsty. There’s a glass of water next to the bed, and I gulp it down in seconds. Putting the empty glass down, I blink, and try to remember what happened last night. The crazy thing is, I don’t think I even drank that much. A couple of cinnamon whiskeys,maybe?

Glancing to my right, I see a mess of dark, wavy hair and realize it’s Roman. He’s sitting in a large wing chair that’s been pulled up next to the bed, head back, asleep.

I swallow and try to stifle the panic rising in my chest. What Idoremember from last night is that Roman walked into the party with Jen.

After that…ugh, God, the complete absence of memory is the worst feeling. It feels like the information is hovering at the very edge of my subconscious, but I can’t access it, no matter how hard I try.

I glance around for my phone, but I don’t see it anywhere. Does Roman have it? As quietly as I can, I crawl across the bed, moving toward him, so I can see if it’s in his pocket. But a squeak in the bed frame breaks the silence of the room, and his eyes blink open.

He sits up with a groan, stretching, his muscled chest pulling against the thin fabric of his white cotton shirt. Then he seems to remember where he is, and his relaxed, just-woke-up vibe evaporates.

“Lux.” His voice is husky with sleep. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I slammed into a brick wall at full speed,” I say, clutching my stomach. Every time I move, even half an inch, my abs scream. “And it feels like I’ve done about a million sit-ups.”

“Yeah, you were throwing up quite a bit.”

I push back the embarrassment that suddenly rises. Never in my life have I everbeen that drunk. I shake my head, but even that movement is too much, and pain spreads through my skull. “What happened?”

He sits back, and I can see his throat move as he swallows, like what he’s about to tell me is going to be hard to hear. “You were at a party last night, and you werereallyout of it, so I took you to the emergency room. They ran tests, and…Rohypnol was detected in your bloodstream.”

“Okay,” I say slowly. “What does that mean exactly?”

“It means you were drugged.”

Every muscle in my body tightens, and I clutch the soft blanket that’s covering me. “Drugged? Who would do that?”

“Tyler was seen at the party last night,” he offers matter-of-factly.

I blink, and shake my head, unable or unwilling to believe someone—even Tyler—would purposely drug me. “It must have been an accident—”

Roman climbs onto the bed and reaches out for my hand. I don’t flinch away. “Lux, we have to assume this was intentional.”

What the fuck is happening right now? Things have gottenreallyscary. “So, what can I do?”

“The guys are out looking for Tyler right now. We’re going to handle this shit,” he says, rage dripping from his tone.

I nod slowly, just trying to take this all in. “I just don’t get it,” I say. “Tyler hates meso muchthat he’d drug me?” That just seems so fucking evil, I have a hard time wrapping my head around it.

“Did Tyler say anything to you last night?”

“I don’t remember.”

I shift in the bed, dislodging Roman’s hand from mine, so I can rub my temples, trying to soothe the pain away. I feel so stupid. Every college girl knows not to leave her drink unattended because this shit happens way more than it should. But I have peopleactivelythreatening me. What was I thinking?

Iwasn’tthinking. I was distracted by Roman and Jen, I remember that much from last night.

Roman places his hand on my bare knee, his thumb brushing over my skin. “I’m shocked he was brave enough to try something in such a public place. The entire-fucking-campus knows we’re dating–”

I cut him off. “We’re not dating.”

“Lux.” He sighs. “We are.”

“Ah,” I laugh. “Is that what you told Jen when you left with her last night, that you and I are dating?”

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