Page 39 of This Is War: All's Fair Duet
With my lips trembling, I follow the lit strand of twinkle lights that used to be strung along the ceiling by hooks. It’s now meandering like a glow-in-the dark snake on the floor. “I unplugged those before we left. Why would whoever did this have plugged them in?”
She lets out a shuddering breath, eyeing the mess. “Someone’s a sick fuck.” Her voice is the tiniest bit singsongy, which I’m certain can be attributed to the shock of seeing our home base, our supposed safe haven, in ruins like this.
My gaze slowly finishes making its way around, noting the shredded dance posters before finally landing on our desks. The contents have been dumped out and tossed around like fucking confetti. Our laptops are face down,their hinges snapped.Oh, god.Wetting my lips, I shake my head. “What the actual fuck.”
Wide-eyed, Hazel’s eyes connect with mine. “What do we do?”
My lips twist as I wince. “Call for campus security, maybe? We need to report it.” The more I look, the worse it seems, and the harder my head pounds. My hands grow clammy and my vision tunnels, darkness obscuring the edges. I snap my eyes shut. “And probably an RA. Jaxon or Steph. Whoever is available.”
Pulling her phone from her pocket, she whispers, “I’m on it,” as she looks through the contacts that we’d been required to plug into our phones at the beginning of the school year.
Without thinking, I murmur, “I need Logan.” The second his name leaves my lips, it hits me like a load of bricks all over again—I don’t know where we stand. My eyes prick with tears because no matter what, I will always want Logan. He’s my rock.
23
LOGAN
The presenceof two campus police cars has Levi and me exchanging a curious look. “Ever seen campus police at a dorm before?”
He exhales swiftly. “Just once. When that girl from the first floor was assaulted, they showed up. I guess her roommate called them.”
I nod, pointing toward the stairwell as we enter the building. Somehow the fact that Levi and I are both tired doesn’t matter; we fly up the steps. The moment we come through the door to the stairwell, my brows shoot together.
“Back up, everyone,” the resident advisor whoisn’tmy asshole stepbrother shouts to us from where she stands, blocking the doorway to our wing. “We’re going to need you to stay here for a few minutes more,” Stephanieinstructs. “Those of you who can’t access your rooms, we’re trying our best to get you back in as quickly as possible.”
I press my lips together, giving another look around. Is Jaxon beyond the doorway, too? My brain kicks into high gear, warning bells clanging in my head so loudly I can hardly concentrate.
What the fuck is going on?I spy Azriel, the Hawks’ first baseman, loitering near the head of the hallway. He’s eyeing whatever is happening with interest. Almost immediately, an entire truckload of awful ideas dumps into my head. The possibilities are practically endless, and my imagination has a way of creating the worst scenarios—everything from a drug bust to alcohol poisoning to date rape. Could be practically anything.
One thing is for certain, I won’t feel better until I at least put eyes on Rya, and the fact that I haven’t seen her yet has cold sweat trickling down my back. Fuck knows she’s been avoiding me, upset by my shit-faced actions, but that doesn’t mean my feelings have changed at all. My head swivels, searching for her in the crowd. As seconds pass, one more torturously than the last, I meet Levi’s eyes. “Do you see Rya?”
“No. Not Hazel, either. But don’t they both have late afternoon classes?”
I scan the area. “Yeah, but I’m seeing close to everyoneelse from our wing except them.” I swallow hard, jutting my chin in that direction. “Azriel is over there.”
Levi’s jaw works to the side. “That guy is so…” He shakes his head.
“He’s so what?” My brow arches.
“I dunno.” He runs his tongue over his top lip in this way he has when he’s thinking. “Just kinda odd.”
No matter. Don’t really care how strange Levi thinks he is. I don’t even disagree. I gesture to him. “Maybe he’s seen something. Or knows something.” I wouldn’t say he’s tight with Jaxon, but my stepbrother is one of the few people I’ve noticed Azriel speak to at practice. The weird fucker hadn’t said a single word the entire time we were both in the PT suite together the evening I got locked in. “I’m going over there.” Levi begins to protest, but I leave him behind, pushing my way through the veritable sea of people.
Azriel grunts when he turns and sees my eyes locked on him. He juts his chin toward me, then bobs his head toward the hallway, his gaze lands on something I can’t see until I reach his side.
My stomach flips and drops at the same time my heart jumps into my throat. It’s an unsettling feeling. Rya and Hazel stand huddled together in front of their door. I might vomit.
“Rya!” My throat is thick, my voice hoarse. Her headwhips around at the sound. I start toward her, but Levi grabs me by the elbow, and Azriel catches the other. Rya’s eyes are wild as she stares at me, then back at whatever lies beyond her doorway. The campus police must be inside. Stephanie is with the girls now, but there’s no sign of Jaxon. Probably for the best, because I wouldn’t know how to deal with him if he were here.
Right now—no matter that we haven’t spoken since my drunken idiocy—with every passing second, I feel an intense need to have Rya in my arms so I can remove the haunted look from her face. She’s my girl, and the urge to shield her from whatever’s happened is stronger than anything I’ve ever known. A split second later, I attempt to wrench myself free of my bonds.
“Nope. Just stay here.” Levi gives his head a shake, and I grimace at him. Fucker is strong. A lot of people think soccer players are only capable of running back and forth on a field and kicking at a ball, but I happen to know Levi has some freaky brute strength. His grip bites into my arm as he yanks me back. And on my other side, Azriel is stoic, an unmoving sentinel. His strength is more obvious, and he’s not letting me go anywhere, either.
I scowl, throwing both of them hateful looks I know they don’t deserve. Letting the tension in my muscles ebb, I formulate my next move. When they think I’ve given in,I make a vicious swipe downward with my arms and break free of the hold they have on me, rushing forward.
At the shout from Azriel, Rya spins around, surprise registering on her face at first, then relief. Her arms extend as I reach her, and all at once, she’s in my embrace, long, toned legs wrapping around my midsection. I pivot, my eyes wandering to the open doorway where the campus police are taking photos of the wreckage inside.
I suck in a breath, unsettling astonishment rolling through me. Holding Rya more tightly, I mutter, “What the fuck happened to your room?” I let her ease back, taking a beat as I study her features. “Are you guys okay?”
