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“No,” I assure her quickly. “I just had some work stuff to hand in. It’s all good. But anyway, how are you? How are the rest of the exams treating you?”
We spend the next half hour exchanging exam horror stories. Ana drinks while I settle on just a soda until my stomach calms down. Asher rearranged my guts a little too well. Ana has two exams left and then she’ll be free while I, thankfully, only have one. As we discuss the end of the year, my thoughts turn to helping Ana commit to a summer destination, but we still disagree on where. She wants hot beaches and men, while I want the much cheaper cabin option.
If my parents even let me go back there.
As we talk, a shadow falls over our table and I lift my head. “Hey, can I get another Coke—Meghan?”
Meghan stands at the end of the table, clutching her bag to her side. She looks between me and Ana and flashes a small smile, then she suddenly explodes.
“Emma, I’m so so sorry. I was terrible to you, I said some really horrible things and I’m so sorry. I don’t even know why, I think I was scared that something serious could have happened to you and I wanted to make you be more careful. But also I think I was jealous because of the way your life was going. It doesn’t justify anything and I shouldn’t have judged you at all, it was a horrible thing for me to do and I am truly sorry. I am. You know how religious my parents are and—that’s not an excuse, I don’t mean it that way. I’m so sorry!”
It’s a lot to process in such a short space of time since Meghan doesn’t pause for breath. While I’m still in shock that she’s even here, she suddenly slides into the booth next to me.
“I know an apology isn’t enough, so I went back to the club where you were drugged and almost got into a fight with the manager. But I managed to get the CCTV from the night it happened and I went through hours of footage and found something.”
All my shock at Meghan’s presence melts away and I stare at her phone as she pulls it out, taps the screen and brings up a video.
“Wait—” Ana leans over the table for a better look. “You found who did it?”
“Not exactly,” Meghan says and she hits play.
Speechless, I watch as I stumble onto the screen near the back exit; indeed, someone is with me. Their face is hidden by a black jacket pulled up over their head, but nothing is identifiable about it. It’s black and in the dark frame, the only other thing I can make out is a small blue tag. The figure supports me as I stumble off frame, and then the video switches to a camera outside. In the distance, I watch myself being loaded into a car and my stomach flips.
A sharp chill steals down my arms as I watch, despite the heat of the bar and my heart jumps.
“So … someone was with me.”
“There was no doubt about that,” Ana says as she sits back. “But at least it’s something.”
“They’re taller than you, and strong enough to carry you upright, which…I know is lame but…” Meghan sighs and taps the screen again, uploading the video to our group chat. “I just…I wanted you to see that I’m sorry. And I believe you and I was a complete bitch for judging you when you were the victim. I even…” She pauses and adjusts her glasses. “I overheard Asher and Caspian talking about you. They seem to really care about you and you’re really lucky. I also might have…told them about Gary.”
“Gary?” My eyes widen as my mind still fights to catch up. I haven’t thought about him in months. “Why?”
“Well, Asher made a comment that he wondered if there was a jealous ex may be trying to fuck with you, and Gary was pretty insane.”
“Oh my God.” Ana slaps the table. “That fucker! He wouldn’t, would he? What am I saying, he tried to get the entire campus to call you a slut. Of course he would.”
“I’m really sorry,” Meghan says again, and her face is open and honest.
I can’t find the words, but having her here and hearing those words means a lot. Reaching for her hand, I clasp her gently.
“Thank you.”
Amidst the strange sickness that creeps up from seeing what I looked like that night, there’s another feeling rushing through me. Relief. I didn’t dream up the shadow in my apartment.
There really was someone.
“I know what I need to do.” Grabbing my phone, I push my glass away and stand. “We have to give that video to the police.”
30
EMMA
“So, how did you get home?” Detective Anderson stands in my lounge, his arms crossed over his chest as he stares me down. His partner, Detective Mosse, sits on my couch with one leg crossed over the other. Neither of them looks particularly interested in my story, and the excitement of finally having proof begins to wane.
“That’s what she’s trying to tell you,” Finn says, irritation bleeding into his tone. “She doesn’t remember. But the footage she’s found proves that someone she doesn’t know took her from the club.”
I called Finn after leaving the bar, reasoning that he would be the only one awake at this hour and I didn’t want to face the police alone. Given how none of them had been that concerned when my car had been broken into, my faith was wavering.
