Page 7 of In the Air Tonight

Neisy bites his hand, and he slaps her hard across the face.

She screams, but no one can hear her over hundreds of voices and “Empire State of Mind” playing at full volume.

“We need to do something,” I whisper to Sienna.

“We can’t. We’ll get in huge trouble.”

“He’s going to hurt her.”

His hand is between her legs.

I look away. I want to go. I tug at Sienna. “Please. Let’s go.”

“He’ll see us if we move.”

Bile burns my throat.

Neisy begs him not to do what he’s already doing. “Please, I’ve never—” She cries out in pain.

“Shut up,” he says, grunting. “Shut the fuck up and take what you’ve been asking for since the day we met.”

I want to die.

I’ve never experienced anything that would’ve prepared me for this.

Sienna weeps silently next to me, her fingers pressed so tightly into my arm that I’ll have bruises.

If we so much as move, he’ll see us.

Our parents will know we were there. We’ll be grounded for the rest of our lives. We’ll be ruined for spying on the party. For spying on Ryder.

We barely know Neisy.

But we know him. We’ve known him all our lives.

I’m revolted.

After he finishes with a loud groan, he gets up, pulls up his pants and walks away from her, leaving her on the ground sobbing.

“We need to go to her,” I whisper to Sienna.

“We can’t, Blaise.”

“What do you mean? Who cares if we get in trouble?”

“He’s Cam’s brother and Arlo’s best friend. Wecan’t.”

I look at her like I’ve never seen her before.

Neisy is curled into a ball, still lying on the ground, her underwear around her ankles as she sobs.

Sienna pulls me toward the SUV.

“We can’t just leave her there.”

“We don’t even know her,” she says on a hiss.

“Sienna! Who cares if we know her? Herapedher.”

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