Page 725 of Filthy Elites

She giggled her keys, unlocked the door, and pushed it open. Kelsey was just about to call out to Janie to announce her presence when she stopped abruptly, her mouth dropping open. The entire place had been torn apart.

TWENTY-TWO

Saying Goodbye

“Janie! Are you here? Janie!”Kelsey wasn’t sure if she should rush through the house or just call the campus police.

Kelsey scanned the living areas and didn’t see anyone in the living room, dining room, or kitchen. She heard a moan from the back of the apartment and moved faster through the space. She scooped up a tennis racket that was in her pathway. It was not the best weapon, but Gwen had been helping her with her backhand. Kelsey was confident that the strength of her swing would be enough to do some damage if she whacked someone on the head. “Janie!”

Her bedroom door was opened all the way, so Kelsey glanced inside to make sure no one was still in the house. Seeing no one, she moved past her room and continued. Kelsey stopped before her friend’s closed door, listening to see if she could hear any other voices. All she heard was a whimper.

Raising the racket over her head, she cracked the door a few inches to peek inside. Seeing nothing in the dark room, she took a deep breath and pushed it the rest of the way open.

The curtains were shut, only allowing a sliver of light around the edges. Kelsey scanned the room, but only spotted Janie huddled under the covers on her bed. Her best friend’s body was shaking with Janie’s soft sobs.

Kelsey ran to the bed, leaning against the side. “Janie. What happened? Are you okay?”

Janie continued to cry but didn’t answer.

“You’re scaring me. I’m going to open the curtains.” Kelsey moved to the window and pulled the fabric apart. Light flooded the room, illuminating the bed. She returned to her friend and gasped. “Oh my God! Who did this?”

The left side of Janie’s face was swollen and covered with angry purple bruises. The other side was puffy and red with a cut along her jawline. Kelsey placed her hand on Janie’s shoulder and the girl flinched and whimpered. “We need to call the police and get you checked out.”

Janie continued to stare out at the wall next to the bed. “No! Don’t call anyone. Not yet.”

Kelsey pulled the blanket away from Janie’s shoulders. She could see purple finger marks on her upper arm. “Janie, you’re scaring the crap out of me. Please talk to me.”

Janie tried to push up to a sitting position, but she slumped back down. Kelsey gently guided her friend up, trying not to hurt her any more than she already was. “Do your ribs hurt? Does it hurt to breathe? Do you have a headache? Are you dizzy?”

Kelsey brushed hair out of Janie’s face. “Please. Talk to me.”

Janie raised red, tear-filled eyes to Kelsey. “I hurt everywhere.” She was still wearing a light pink sleeveless dress from the night before. The neckline was torn, and it had a few drops of blood down the front of it.

“Do you think anything is broken?”

“I don’t know. It hurts to take a deep breath.”

“Who did this to you?”

Janie focused on her light blue comforter.

“You’re safe now. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you. I promise. No one will hurt you. I’ll be right back.” Kelsey rushed back through the apartment to make sure the front door was locked. She couldn’t believe the mess that was all over the place.

Ducking into the hallway bathroom, she grabbed a small hand towel and wet a washcloth with cold water. She brought both back to Janie. “Here. Let me clean you up while you tell me what happened.”

Janie continued to study the surface of her bed. She jumped and whimpered when a loud boom echoed through the apartment.

“It’s okay. No one is here. That was from outside.”

Janie huddled against her headboard. “He might come back.”

“I’ll call Adrian to come over. He’ll keep watch while we get you cleaned up.”

“I don’t want anyone to see me like this.”

Kelsey wiped the washcloth over Janie’s cheek, being careful not to press too hard. “This is not your fault. Someone did this to you. Adrian would be upset if he knew something happened to you and you didn’t let him help.”

Janie nodded.

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