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“I’ll see you soon, Harley, to finish this up.” He stands up from the bed, rising almost to my height but not quite. He grins. “I like the new toy.”
They both walk out casually, and I turn to Silas and Dan.
“Make sure they leave. Alert the campus police that there are two older male non-residents roaming the girls’ dorm and give them physical descriptions.”
They both nod, turning to follow the men.
I slowly face Harley, yet again unsure if I should reach for her or refrain. She doesn’t look at me, just continues to sit like a sad, pretty painting on the wall.
I see the edge of a dark green bag sticking out from under the bed. Reaching down to grab it, I swing it up onto the edge of the mattress. Going through her drawers, I grab everything I see and shove it in. They are surprisingly bare, and I realize she wears a lot of the same shirts and shorts or Kenna’s clothes.
At the sink in her bathroom, it’s easy to tell which side is hers because it’s neat but sparse.
I collect the toothbrush, toothpaste, and a half-open box of tampons in the drawer. The release of tension in my shoulders at seeing them makes me momentarily weak. She’s not pregnant with his baby.
Harley’s gained a little bit of weight in the last month, but she was tiny when I met her. She looks healthier now.
Stepping back in, I see that she’s finally moved, and she’s attempting to pull open the window.
“Do you need help?” I ask quietly.
She doesn’t hear me, still struggling with the window, hands shaking. I reach over her, grasping the frame and easily lifting it up. I stay right behind her, unsure of her intentions.
She reveals a brown cigarette hiding with a lighter inside the crease of the window. I don’t want to see her ruin her health at such a young age, but she must be addicted.
She struggles to light it, a breeze floating in fighting her efforts. I grip her hand, slowly extracting the lighter and blocking the air with my body.
The tip of the cigarette glows orange, and she breathes out a long sigh.
“I know you want to know what’s going on, but I don’t think I’m ready to talk about it all,” she says after a few moments of staring into the darkness.
“You don’t have to tell me anything,” I say quietly.
Someone gasps, and we both turn to see Kenna walking through the broken-down door, her mouth dragging the floor.
“What happened? Oh my gosh, Riley came and got me and said that…” She trails off, stepping closer to us. “Are you okay?” she asks Harley as her eyes narrow with concern, brows pinched together.
Harley nods, taking another drag on the cigarette.
“I’m good.”
She doesn’t elaborate on the splintered door, and Kenna turns back to look at it in disbelief.
I begin to explain, “I had to—”
Harley cuts me off, stubbing out the skunk-smelling object, “We’ll stay with the guys until it gets fixed. Maybe Levi will get his head out of his ass.” She pats Kenna on the shoulder as she walks into the bathroom and closes the door.
Kenna’s eyes are green balloons, and she clearly expects me to give her some kind of explanation of what the hell happened. I wish I knew.
I lower my voice. “Two men came in here, bald and covered in tattoos. Have you seen them before?” I ask her, glancing up at the closed bathroom door.
She shakes her head, fear entering her gaze. “Who were they? You think…you think she’s in danger?” she whispers back.
I grit my teeth, flexing my jaw. “I don’t know, but I don’t think y’all should stay here even if the door does get fixed. Not until she tells one of us what’s going on and we can make sure they won’t be back.”
I breathe out a sigh, rubbing my forehead with my hand. I’ve always known, theoretically, there were lots of evil people in the world. Over the years, our church has contributed funds to halfway houses and assisted various people who came by, asking for help. But those men were a new brand of evil for me. The way Harley huddled in the corner, clearly terrified, has my blood slowly returning to a boiling point.
She walks out of the bathroom with a little blue bag, and I see that her face is brightened up with lipstick, her skin a little smoother.
