Page 36 of Mark Me

Sasha steps closer, lowering her voice. “We’ll cut to the chase. There’s a video.” Her words drip with urgency. “From Jensen’s party. You’re in it, passed out on a bed while some fight is breaking out around you.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

I feel the sharp edges of reality slicing through the foggy aftermath of the night before.

“Ever, it looks bad,” Cass says, her eyes dark with worry. “The whole campus is buzzing about it. And not in a good way.”

“Shit,” I curse under my breath.

Sasha grabs my arm, her grip firm. “There’s more. It’s Stanley.” Her voice is a hushed whisper, but it might as well be a scream in my ears. “He had a bet going to take your V-card. He’s in the video. Damien is smashing his face in. Look?”

“Stanley?” The name hits like a punch, bile rising in my throat.

Sasha holds her phone up to show me this video, and they’re not wrong. Damien is going to town on Stanley’s face while I’m just lying there comatose with a t-shirt thrown over me. “And everyone has seen this?”

“Pretty much,” Cass murmurs. “Ever, what can we do?”

“Surely, I’d know if he...” I can’t even say it. The idea of him touching me without my consent makes my skin crawl.

The silence from Sasha and Cass is deafening. Their eyes dart away, and it’s all the answer I need.

“Fuck.” My mind races, trying to piece together fragments of last night, but there’s nothing. Just darkness and a void where memories should be.

“I’m going to the infirmary,” I blurt out, my voice shaky but resolute.

“We’ll come with you,” Sasha starts, but I cut her off with a raised hand.

“I have to know for sure. I can’t just sit here freaking out about what might or might not have happened.” The words come out in a rush, and I’m already moving, propelling toward action, toward truth.

“Good idea,” Cass says, nodding firmly. “And you should report it to the Academy, too.”

“Maybe,” I say, not yet ready to think about that part. My mind’s a whirlwind, and I need one thing at a time. “But I want to go alone.”

Their mouths open, protest on the tip of their tongues, but then they close them again. They get it. This is something I have to face by myself.

“Okay, but find a way to get in touch later, okay? So we know you’re okay,” Sasha says, her brows knitting together in concern. “Anything you need, we’re here.”

“Thanks,” I mumble, already halfway to the door. I feel their eyes on my back, heavy with worry, but I don’t look back. I can’t. There’s only forward now, to the infirmary, to the answers I dread and need all at once.

With shaky legs, I cross over the square and onto the campus grounds, each step towards the infirmary tightening the knot in my stomach. The campus is quiet, with only a few students milling around, taking advantage of the little sun traps in the autumn sun. I shiver, realising I walked out without my jacket and in my flip-flops, but this is too important to worry about details. My world has shrunk to a single, terrifying point.

Why didn’t the guys tell me? Did they know about the bet? What actually happened to me last night? Do they even owe me anything? They barely know me.

The questions and possible scenarios flood my mind, making it difficult to breathe.

Winding my way to the far corner where the University Infirmary is located, I shove open the door, the cool silence greeting me despite it being packed out with students with various ailments. The receptionist looks up with a smile. “Can I help you?” she asks.

“Uhm... Yeah. I... uhm...” I manage, hating how my voice wobbles. “You know what? It’s fine. It’s fine,” I blabber in panic and back away.

“Wait!” the receptionist says, launching out of her chair and approaching me quickly. “Don’t go. We can talk in private.”

Blinking rapidly, I nod, feeling like this is happening to someone else. She leads me into a private exam room and closes the door.

“I know that look,” she murmurs, keeping her distance. “Tell me what’s going on.”

I swallow hard, choosing my words like they’re glass shards. “There’s a video from a party last night.” I force the details out, feeling sick. “I was passed out. I thought I was drunk, but then maybe I wondered if I’d been spiked? I need to know if something happened. Please, I’m a virgin; it should be easy to check, right?”

“We can do that. We’ll take care of you and make sure you know for certain. I’ll get Nurse Grace. She will be in shortly. This is a priority. Don’t leave before you’ve seen her, okay, love?”

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