Page 13 of The Perfect Love

I want to make new friends and let the playful side of me out again. I’m following her there, so I have my own car and can leave whenever I want to. Rae said this would be like a family dinner, which also made me feel more comfortable. Still, I texted Robbie the address the second I had it. My gut says I’m safe, but I’m still going to be careful, pay attention to my surroundings, and stay away from alcohol.

Not that avoiding alcohol is difficult. I’ve been doing it since I was assaulted.

Before everything happened, I was a party girl. Always down to have a good time. I’ve never liked getting wasted, but getting a little tipsy, dancing with random guys, and maybe hooking up was what I looked forward to. And meeting new people. I always loved that.

The night I was assaulted was different, though. I always used the buddy system, either with my volleyball teammates or my suitemates. But the teammates I went out with that night were both fawning over some hockey player, and they both ditched me to go hook up with himtogether. Which would’ve been fine… if they’d told me. Instead, one minute they were looking out for me, and the next they were gone.

A guy who seemed fun and into me played pool with me, and we had a couple of drinks and kissed, but somewhere along the way, he slipped something into one of my drinks, and now everything about that night is hazy and muddled.

After what he did to me, I wouldn’t leave my dorm for two days or talk to anyone. I was catatonic and finally the RA called my dad. It wasn’t until both he and Robbie were there that I admitted what happened. They took me to the hospital, and I had a sexual assault exam and bloodwork done. They got some DNA, but it didn’t match anyone in the system, and unsurprisingly, my bloodwork showed trace evidence that I was drugged. Which explains why my memory from that night was too blurry to give any defining details of the guy—besides short blond hair and hazel eyes. Without much more to go on, nothing ever came of it.

After all that hell, my dad took me home, and I spent the next few months refusing to do anything but hide in a dark bedroom.

I’m still battling the shame of not fighting for myself sooner. My therapist told me no two people have the same process, and I was handling it the best I could, but that hasn’t stopped my guilt. Or the shame around being the rape cliché. Drunk girl at a party.

Nope.

I am not going there tonight. I refuse to. I’m going to have fun because Rae seems like a fun mix of endearing, sweet, and totally spicy, and if that’s any indication of her friend group, I think we’ll get along great.

As I follow her car into the driveway, my mouth literally drops staring up at the massive house. She said her friend’s dad owns the place. He must be loaded. Becauseholy shit.

I climb out of the car, taking in the huge deck and large windows.

Rae smiles sheepishly as she walks over to me. “If I remind you that eight of us live here and share the space, will it seem less over the top?”

I laugh. “I don’t think that’s possible. I swear I’m only a little jealous.”

“Well, when you see how obnoxious we can be, this big house might suddenly seem small.”

She leads me up the stairs to the deck, but before we get to the front door, someone calls out to her from the driveway. Rae turns and a smile lights up her face as a short blonde hurries up the stairs toward us. She’s got an overstuffed messenger bag on her shoulder with a stethoscope hanging out of it.

Rae introduces the girl as her sister, and my gaze bounces between the blonde with blue eyes—Sarah—and Rae with her chestnut hair and golden hazel eyes.

My surprise must be evident because Sarah says, “Looking for the resemblance?”

Whoops.I laugh. “Kinda.”

“I’m adopted.”

Rae wraps her arm around Sarah. “Yep. We were best friends first, then the universe decided I get to keep her forever.”

That reaffirms my gut feeling about Rae. She’s clearly the type of person who cares deeply for those close to her—and likely people she barely knows at all.

Rae rests her head on Sarah’s shoulder, and Sarah kisses her head. I smile watching the interaction.Family dinner.

“What do you think?” Rae asks. “Ready to meet everyone?”

“Bring it on.”

It sounds like it’s going to be chaotic, but I’m up for the challenge. If anything, I’m too intrigued to leave now.

Rae swings the front door open and my breath catches again as I look around the large open space with shining hardwood floors and a fancy kitchen.

“Damn.”

“It’s pretty awesome,” Sarah says.

“Looks like the party has already started.” Rae leads the way across the room to the sliding doors that open to a large back deck. “Hey.” The second she’s on the deck, everyone stops to look at her. “I brought some fresh blood. This is Chelsea. I work with her at Promise. She just transferred here, so I thought I’d bring her over to meet everyone and hopefully gain some new friends.”

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