Page 101 of Exactly What I Needed
If I skipped out of this concert right now, that would only send red flags up to Sydney, and getting out of this would never be possible. I was trying to figure out if there was any plausible deniability left at this point.
Something tapped my arm, and I blinked, glancing at Elysia as my bottom lip trembled. She gently handed me my phone and gave me a sympathetic smile. “I’m sorry,” she muttered.
I shook my head as the arena suddenly flashed brightly, lights crashing through the darkness. It was over.
Void was gone entirely, the crowd already filtering out of the stadium, and I hadn’t even noticed. I’d been too wrapped up in the all-consuming fear to realize that they’d finished and Asher wasn’t there.
Asher.
My head swung on a swivel as Elysia grabbed my arm and pulled me after Sydney and the rest of the girls. My feet stumbled as I desperately fought for a way out. A way to get with him alone. Sydney knew. I’d known that at some point she would find out, and I was gearing up to face whatever consequences that would bring.
But as we wandered out of the stadium and took a left that led back behind the black curtains lining the stage, it truly hit me. If Danny knew and was willing to expose me, that was something with a fallout that I wasn’t even sure I could get through. That was the explosion that had me ready to vomit.
Everything was blurry as I clenched my fists, blindly following Elysia as the stream of people slid down a makeshift hallway and then were shuffled through a door. Into the back of the actual building that contained the arena. A large room spanned around us, posters littering what space was available, full of the bands and musicians that had performed here. There were several doors, leading in all directions, as we were directed to stand in the middle.
I blinked, fighting back the acid in my throat, desperately pleading that Danny wasn’t here. That something stupid wasn’t going to happen. Not yet. My eyes widened, locking onto that familiar face. He was glaring at me from across the room, and I sucked in a sharp breath of air.
No. Why was he here? At the meet-and-greet portion. It wasn’t like he even liked this band or these guys. And what was worse was that I could see several of my students packed in this room. From all hours of the day, students were here with friends and a couple parents. If he said anything, I was doomed.
There was no coming back.
I dry heaved, closing my eyes as another horrible thought entered my already rank mind. If Asher saw him and couldn’t control himself, that would be the end. It seemed that no matter what happened in this room, there was no happy ending.
Within the next few minutes, my life was about to derail into chaos that I wasn’t prepared for, nor could I predict.
“You okay?” Elysia whispered in my ear.
I shook my head, my eyes darting back to Danny, who remained emotionless as he stared at me. She followed my gaze and gasped quietly.
“Everything will be fine.” She tried to reassure me, but I knew she didn’t even believe herself.
“I think I’m going to be sick.” I spun around. Sydney’s eyes tracked me as I pushed through the crowd, desperate to find an exit and then a bathroom.
“Where are you going?” she called out to me, her glare accusatory.
“Bathroom,” I shouted with fervency and crashed out the back of the small group.
My gaze lifted from the floor, latching onto a security guard I recognized. He’d once been my savior when Asher and I had been bombarded with a crowd of girls before, and he was about to be mine again.
“I need the restroom,” I gasped, clutching my stomach. He tipped his head and then nodded.
“This way.” He quietly opened the door we’d come through and let me slip through.
I followed his back, staring at the black shirt as we passed through another door and into a new hallway. The lights flickered, people who worked here running back and forth. They barely even noticed me as he gestured to a bathroom door.
“Thank you,” I gasped breathlessly and rushed into it. Leaning my back against the door, I let out a shaky breath and then began to cry. No more nausea was churning within me; no, I was overwhelmed and so frightened, I once again felt small and helpless.
And there was no escape because this little bathroom break couldn’t last forever.
But I sorely wished it would. Leaving me alone, to be here without anyone or another sound was the solace I’d been seeking.
Chapter 34
Knuckles rapped against the door, and my eyes shot open. I wasn’t sure how long I’d been in here, seeking refuge away from the impending doom.
“Cosi?” A soft voice shot through the wood. An unexpected voice, and I wiped the tears against the back of my forearm.
Standing upright, I fumbled for the knob in the dark and hesitantly cracked it open. The moment the lock was disengaged, Nova pushed harder, and her face appeared in the blinding light. Ava’s sweet gaze popped up over her shoulder as both of them shoved their way into the bathroom.
