Page 72 of My All American Girl

31

SARAH

Iwoke up disoriented in a strange hotel room. For a moment, I couldn’t remember where I was. Then the headache hit me, a sharp reminder of the previous night’s events. Images of Rolley beaten and bruised flooded my mind. Then I remembered calling Dean.

And of course, how could I forget the sex? My body was still humming after the way he kissed away all my bruises and aches. Being in his arms had been amazing. When I called him, I had no intention of anything happening. It just felt right. He was the one person I thought of when I was at my lowest.

My thoughts drifted back to Rolley. I knew I had to see him. I tried to sit up too quickly, and my head spun.

“Ow,” I groaned and rubbed my head.

Suddenly, Dean was beside me, his hand on my shoulder, gently guiding me back down. “Easy,” he murmured, offering me a bottle of water and some ibuprofen. I took them gratefully, swallowing the pills and gulping down the water.

“What time is it?” I asked.

“Seven,” he answered.

“Seven!” I gasped. “I have to get back!”

Dean handed me a breakfast sandwich and coffee. “Eat,” he said firmly. “You need it.”

“I don’t have time,” I said, suddenly feeling panicked.

“You’re not training today. Everything else can wait. Eat. Drink some water. You’re going to need all of your strength to get through today.”

He was right. Today would determine my future. I had a feeling what I envisioned for my future was going to look a lot different than what it looked like yesterday morning.

I scarfed down the food, feeling slightly more human with each bite. “Thanks,” I mumbled between mouthfuls. “Have you talked with my dad?”

He shook his head. “No. Should I have?”

“Definitely not,” I replied. “I’m sure he’s going to find out soon enough. I’d like to spare myself that drama as long as possible.”

“I’ve already been out,” Dean said, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Submitted a report about what happened last night.”

I nodded, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders. “Okay. I’m sure I’ll have to answer a lot of questions as well.”

“And I checked in on Rolley,” he added, knowing that was my next question. “Kylee was with him. He was awake and in good spirits.”

A sigh of relief escaped me. “Thank God.”

“But.” He stopped.

“What?” I asked. “What’s wrong? Is he okay?”

“He’s fine, but they both wanted to know what I was doing there.”

I searched his eyes, suddenly anxious. “What did you tell them?”

“That I’d heard about what happened and came to make sure nobody got away with it. I don’t know if they believed me, but we have to do some damage control now.”

“Damage control?” I repeated.

“Yeah, me here. You here.”

I looked around the hotel room. “You’re saying I shouldn’t be here.”

“No, you shouldn’t,” he answered quietly. “Neither of us should be.”