Page 69 of Keep Me Safe

I’ve been to almost all of Jared’s friend’s houses, and this isn’t one of them.

“It’s a friend of Jake’s. Now, come on, let’s go get us some drinks,” he says with a mischievous grin.

Stepping into the large barn, we locate a white cooler filled with cans of cheap beer. Jared grabs one and hands another tome. The light hanging from the barn’s loft casts a warm glow onto the people in it. Looking around, I notice that I don’t recognize anyone here.

Great.

“Hey, I’m going to look for Jake real quick. Are you good by yourself for a minute?”

If I were telling the truth, I would say no, but I don’t want to stop him from having a good time tonight. Nodding, I give him a small smile.

“That’s fine, I’ll try to socialize.”

Jared laughs, knowing that won’t happen, and spins around, heading toward the fire. Cracking open my beer, I sit my happy ass down on a hay bale. I’m already wishing I would have stayed home. The anxiety that has been a constant since we got here is heightening by the second. I pull out my phone, reading a text from Noah.

Noah:I’m glad you got there safe.

Before I can even type out a response, another message comes through.

Noah:When will you be home?

Kira:Omg Noah, I just got here!

Noah:I don’t care. Do you want me to come get you?

Laughing, I roll my eyes at his response. Truthfully, I do, but I’m not leaving Jared here by himself so early.

Kira:I’m fine

Kira:What are you doing tonight?

Noah:Sitting on the couch, waiting for you.

I’m about to type out a sassy response when a girl approaches me, her light green eyes wide.

“Hey, do you mind if I sit with you? There’s a guy who won’t leave me alone, and he won’t take the hint. A friend is coming to pick me up, but she’s still about thirty minutes away.”

She looks scared, and her fear strikes me right in the chest. This is feeling too familiar.

“No, of course, come here,” I say, scooting over so she can fit in with me.

She’s young. Too young to be here, and definitely too young to be preyed upon by one of these assholes.

“Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

She hesitates, her eyes puffy, before shaking her head and looking up at me. “I don’t think so,” she answers. My heart sinks.

“Do we need to call someone?” I ask, hoping she understands my question. The police may have failed me, but if that is something she wants to do, I will be right there with her.

She shakes her head, “No, no, it’s fine. I’m fine. I’ll be fine. It didn’t get that far.”

A small wave of relief washes over me. At least he didn’t take that from her.

“It’s my fault anyway. I came here with him,” she says, her eyes trained on the ground.

Grabbing her hand, I meet her eyes. “No. You didn’t ask for this. It wasn’t your fault. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

All I can think about is how similar this is to what happened to me. My heart breaks for her and for my younger self. The fucking audacity of men. Rage simmers up in me, and for a moment, I want to ask her who it was so I can personally teach him a lesson, but I decide against it. Regardless of how much raw emotion there is, I still don’t think I could fight a grown man.

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