Page 79 of I Despise You
Chapter 31
IWAIT IN THE HALLWAYto see if Chase will show up. After his father was arrested, he had to stay to give statements and finish some things, and I actually went home for a week because my mom lost her mind when she heard what had happened. I barely managed to convince her to let me go back to school. I haven’t talked to Chase all this time, and I miss him.
But once he appears at the end of the hallway, I lose him from sight in an instant because everyone surrounds him. Most of them are asking questions they shouldn’t be asking. Some are taking photos with their phones. Others are sneering and glaring at him, as if he’s no longer good enough for our school.
After the scandal, his father’s associates and partners pulled out of their projects and contracts, and it turned out Chase’s father didn’t have as much money as he pretended to have. His whole business empire crumbled, leaving only a huge debt. I’m still surprised at how quickly everyone abandoned the sinking ship, but I guess it was to be expected. No one’s afraid of the Campbells anymore.
I try to catch Chase’s gaze, but he doesn’t look my way as he pushes through the crowd. His shoulders are slumped. There are dark circles under his eyes, which are filled with sadness.
I follow him, and the crowd finally disperses when he enters his room and closes the door. I wait for a few moments for everyone to leave, and then I knock on the door. There’s no answer, so I try the door. I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t feel like there’s something really off about Chase.
Since the door is unlocked, I gently push it open. I poke my head inside, but I can’t see him. He must be in the bathroom. I decide to wait for him, but I see the bathroom door is cracked open.
Common sense tells me to stay away and wait like a normal human being, but I can’t help myself and inch closer.
Chase is leaning over the sink. My heart falls when I see a pill container next to his arm. He doesn’t notice me, and I don’t say a word as I watch him. His hand closes around the container and he stares at it for a few long minutes. After popping open the lid, he dumps the pills into the toilet.
I’m so proud of him that fears fill the corners of my eyes. I don’t want to be a creep anymore, so I knock on the door.
“Hey,” I say.
He spins around, his eyes widening, but he relaxes when he sees me, a smile popping out on his lips.
“The doctor who saw me gave me some pills. He didn’t realize I used to be an addict.” He waves the empty container. “I admit, I was tempted for a second.”
“But you’re stronger than that.”
“I guess.” He tosses the container into the trash can. “I didn’t know if you’d want to see me after everything that happened. If you hadn’t come with me—”
“No.” I lift my hand up. “No talk about that. I’m glad everything turned out the way it did. We’re alive. Your father’s in prison, and he’ll stay there.”
His smile fades. “There’s more about my father. It’s going to hit the news tomorrow.”
“More what?”
“More videos. He raped more women. Blackmailed some to stay silent. Threatened others. The cops told me there’s a video of my mom too. They explained how he got to Kayla too. They said he was in the area on business, which I knew because he got to school way too fast, but I had no idea he was at the club. I guess he was looking for his next victim, and he saw Kayla and me. He followed us, and I just went out of the room for some reason and he snuck in. He raped her and killed, and snuck back out before I got there. When I returned, I was too out of it to notice anything and fell asleep. Maybe I thought she left because it was dark and I couldn’t see her because her body was on the floor behind the bed. The reason he messed with the footage from the club was because he was in it.”
“I’m so sorry.” I wrap my arms around him. “I know this is very hard for you, but your father’s going to pay for everything.”
“Yeah. He already had to watch everything he’d been building for years getting destroyed. I can’t say I’m not glad about it.”
“But you’re back at school, right?”
He nods. “The fee has already been paid, so I can stay. I don’t know what I’m going to do next. I never wanted my father’s money anyway, but if he hadn’t stopped me from doing things on my own, I would have something now instead of nothing.”
“Hey, maybe you can talk to the principal. It’s still not too late to get back in the race for the scholarship, especially considering everything that’s happened.” I feel like he needs that scholarship more than me. I’ll figure something out.
“No. That’s yours. You fought for it, and you deserve it. I’ll figure something out. I already messed up and lost the only thing that truly mattered.”
“What’s that?” I cock my head at him.
“You.” His eyes meet mine.
“Maybe you didn’t.” My voice is barely a whisper.
“I know you still want me to be your friend, but I can’t be your friend, Liliana. I love you.”
A soft gasp escapes my throat. I have a decision to make. This one time, I want to listen to my heart.
