Page 42 of I Despise You
Chapter 14
IGET A TEXT FROM CHASEjust as I’m about to start working on my homework. I haven’t spoken to him or seen him since our lunch yesterday. He wants me to come to his room so we can study together, and I hesitate before replying.
His room.
I don’t know if I’ll have the strength to go back there. The last thing I need is to get triggered and freak out. And there’s also a chance studying means something else for Chase. What if I agree and it turns out he expects us to have sex?
But there’s also another opportunity I have to consider. It’s daylight, and if I go to his room, I may be able to see more and find some evidence against him. I know it’s unlikely he still has something incriminating in his room. But he may have overlooked something, or he doesn’t care if someone finds something because he knows nothing will happen to him. It’s been a while since Kayla’s death, so I doubt he’d ever suspect I agreed to a study date in his room just to snoop around.
My brain is telling me that agreeing is a terrible idea, especially because Chase’s room is a dangerous place, and I’ll be at his mercy again. But there are people in the hallway. If I scream, someone will hear me.
I feel like my reasoning is stupid, but my fingers are already typing a reply.
Okay.
It’s such a small word, but it instantly makes me nervous. I grab some books and stuff them in my bag. If we’re not going to study, I can at least use one of the heavy books to hit Chase over the head.
I take a deep breath before leaving my room. My insides are still jittery when I knock on Chase’s door.
“Come in,” he says.
My mouth goes dry as I push the door open. My lips part in surprise as I take in the room. Nothing. I feel nothing. And I know why. When I was in Chase’s room last time, it was pitch dark. I couldn’t see much. But now, I can see everything. The bed with dark blue covers, the wooden desk, the chairs. It’s like a completely different room, and I hold onto that thought. It’s not the same place. It’s just not. I’ll be fine.
Chase is lying on his side on the bed, a smile tilting his lips, a book in his hand. His notebooks and the rest of the books are strewn all over the bed, and some are on the floor too.
“What?” He grins when I enter. “Did you expect something else?”
“No.” I guess he saw my surprised face and thinks I’m disappointed he actually called me here to study and not to do something else.
“Come here.” He sits up and pats the bed next to him.
I settle next to him, placing my bag on the bed between us like a barrier. I may be more or less okay being in here with him alone, but I still need something to assure me that he won’t easily hurt me. Chase’s eyebrows lift up as he glances at my bag, but he doesn’t say anything. I pull out my books and we start working on our homework.
Soon, I’m so immersed in work that I barely notice he’s gotten closer to me and my bag has been pushed back until his fingers brush my hand. A surge of electricity runs through me, and my gaze meets his.
He’s looking at me with some emotion in his eyes that I can’t identify.
“Um, I’m hungry.” I pull away from him, lowering my book. If I want to run, I can. I’d get to the door in time. That thought gives me comfort.
“Me too,” he says. “I’ll go grab us something from the cafeteria. What do you say?”
“Yeah, sure.” I nod.
“A sandwich?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay. I’ll be right back.” He goes for the door, and when he’s gone, I look around the room. This is what I’ve been waiting for. This is my chance to see if there’s anything Chase is hiding in here.
I hop to my feet, inspecting every corner. It didn’t occur to me before, but now I’m worried Chase may have cameras in here. I can’t see any no matter how hard I look, so maybe there aren’t any. He wouldn’t want any evidence like that in his room, would he? Not to mention the footage could be stolen, and his privacy would be invaded too.
I pad over to the closet. It’s easy to open it, and I go through the things in it as carefully as possible so Chase won’t figure it out. But there’s nothing interesting, just clothes, school stuff, and sports equipment.
I open a few drawers, and a black shirt catches my attention because it’s sticking out at an odd angle. Every other piece of clothing is neatly folded, but this one isn’t. Why?
I get hold of the shirt and tug it up as gently as possible. A pill container is under it, and my heart skips a beat.
Vanessa said that everyone thinks Kayla overdosed. What if Chase gave her the pills? I study the container, but there are no labels on it. I pop the lid open. Round, white pills. I have no clue what they are, but I’m not familiar with drugs of any kind.
