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“Campus police. He wants me to come by around lunch.” My fingers graze over her shoulder. I’m drawn to her like a fly to honey.
She looks down at her worn black tennis shoes, chewing on her lip.
“Guess I’ll see you later then,” she murmurs.
I tried to bring it up with her, but she doesn’t seem to want to deal with the officials, concerning what happened at the dorms.
I tilt her chin up with my finger while pulling her toward me with my other hand.
“Save me a seat. I’m sure it won’t take long. He probably just wants to show me some blurry security footage from that night,” I try to reassure her.
I’ll do whatever it takes to protect her, but I’ll be smart about it.
She nods her head, plump pink lips pressing into my mouth. I breathe her in, needing her essence in my lungs. I pull her closer by her shoulders, and she leans into me with her hands on my chest.
She pulls back, attempting a weak smile as she walks away.
33
Harley
My head is swirling.
Adam loves me.
I took Adam’s virginity.
Adam’s family thinks I’m a harlot.
Adam is going to watch the security tapes from when Sev came to see me.
Adam loves me.
I’m a zombie as I mechanically walk to my next class. I sit near the back, not hearing a word of the lecture.
I’m a whore. I defiled the nicest boy I’ve ever met. He doesn’t know I already agreed to let Sev finish the Medusa and go through with the photo shoot. My stomach is churning as my mind flashes with all the memories of my modeling career.
Cold leather, cold hands, needles pricking my skin.
Hours of pain, passing out, waking up, repeat.
The black eyes of Seven always searing into me.
Posing nearly naked in front of a room of people. My body contorting to whatever new seductive pose Victoria or the photographer could dream up. There was never enough skin showing. The scraps of lace and silk and leather would barely conceal my teenage body.
Seven’s eyes still on me. His eyes were always on me, but his hands waited for us to be alone.
I shiver in my seat, deciding impulsively that I have to go now and get it over with.
Adam is good, the best thing to ever happen to me. I feel like a kid at the fair, winning the grand prize, but nobody knows I snuck in without buying a ticket. I’m not giving up my prize.
He can’t see the things that have been done to me. He’d absolutely try to step in because he’s always tried to protect me, but who knows what could happen? Seven is dangerous.
What’s worse is that Adam wouldn’t look at me the same way ever again. He knows I’m not innocent, but if he were to witness even a tiny glimpse of my ugly past, how could he want to touch me again? Would that visual plague his mind, like it does mine?
If I let Seven finish the Medusa and do the photos, I can put it in my past. Maybe my foster sister will meet me there. We were never close, but Jess and I always had a mutual understanding that our lives just sucked. She had her own struggles, but I tried to tell her being ignored by Victoria was a much better fate. I wonder how she’s been doing in the two years since I saw her. After she turned eighteen, she moved out.
My books are stuffed into my torn backpack, and I’m rushing out the door. A few heads pop up to watch me walk by, but I focus my eyes ahead. I can do this, and I’ll be able to put it all behind me for good. Running away was a temporary fix, but it helped me realize how badly I want a different life for myself. A life with Adam, if he forgives me for this.
