Chapter 3

Back at the dorm, Irene started putting on makeup, saying she was heading out later to hit a bar with a senior she'd just met.

In our group chat, Irene dropped a video of herself dancing at the club. She was swaying her slim waist, oozing confidence and glamour.

Cody replied, "You look beautiful. You've got a tight waist, perfect for crop tops."

I stared down at my reflection in the mirror. It had been forever since he'd complimented me.

All he ever did now was tell me I was putting on weight.

Swallowing the sting in my chest, I texted Irene. "Are you back yet?"

Three hours passed. Midnight came and went, but Irene never replied. Any later, and the dorm doors would be locked for the night.

Just as I was about to call her, an emergency SOS alert flashed across my phone screen.

It was Irene. She was in trouble!

My heart leaped into my throat. I threw on clothes, got permission from the dorm manager, and raced to the bar pinned in her location.

The entire trip was a blur of panic and dread.

When I burst into the bar, my eyes searched frantically through the crowd, but there was no sign of her.

I was about to dial the police when a hand grabbed my wrist from behind, accompanied by a foul wave of alcohol.

"Hey cutie, out here all by yourself?" A drunken man leered at me, his eyes shamelessly roaming over my body.

I shoved him back in disgust, but his grip only tightened.

"How about coming with me to a private room for a movie?"

The suffocating smell of tobacco and liquor made me gag. I thrashed around, trying to pull away. "Let go of me, or I'm going to scream!"

He grinned wider, revealing a mouth full of stained, blackened teeth. "Go ahead and scream! Let's see if anyone actually comes to save you!"

The instant his hands made contact with my skin, I screamed in absolute terror, but he immediately slammed a hand over my mouth.

In that second of total hopelessness, only one face rushed into my mind—Cody's.

I pictured him back in high school, dropping from the sky like a hero to protect me when local bullies cornered me at the school gates.

Suddenly, someone yanked me away and pulled me behind his chest. A faint hint of mint drifted over me.

I opened my eyes, desperate with hope, only to see a complete stranger.

He gave the drunk guy a cold, lethal glare, and the latter cursed under his breath before scurrying off.

After stepping in, the stranger walked me all the way back to the dorm gate. "Try not to come to places like that alone again. It's dangerous."

I nodded gratefully, still shaken by what had happened.

With trembling hands, I dialed Cody. "Where are you? Can you please come pick me up? Irene sent an emergency alert, so I ran over to the bar to look for her, and I just—"

A playful giggle rang out through the receiver. It was the "missing" Irene.

"I'm fine, you silly head! I only sent the alert to trick you into coming out to party! If I didn't hit the emergency button, I knew you'd never show up. I know you too well!

"I sent it to Cody too, and he flew over in like ten minutes, faster than a bullet! We're in Room 208 upstairs now. Want to come sing karaoke with us?"

I squeezed the phone tightly, my voice shaking uncontrollably. "Why would you play a joke like that, Irene? Do you have any idea what happened when I came to find you? I was almost—"

Cody snatched the phone, cutting me off. "Alright, it was just a joke. Don't be such a buzzkill. It's ruining the mood. If you don't want to hang out, just go back and sleep."

The line went dead.

I staggered back to my room like a ghost.

My head reeled with images of that disgusting face and the sickening memory of his hands on my skin.

Over and over, I unlocked my phone and pulled up Cody's chat window.

I wanted to tell him that I had been assaulted and that I was terrified.

I wanted him to comfort me like he used to, pulling me into his arms and soothing me in a gentle voice. "Don't be scared. I'm right here."

Instead, a new post from Irene popped up on my feed.

"Studying for finals and watching the sunrise by the beach with Cody! Hope the sunshine brings good luck!"

The photo showed the exact stretch of beach where he had first confessed his love to me.

Cody sat by the rocks, holding a textbook, completely focused on reviewing. Irene was in short shorts, her fair legs draped intimately across his lap.

When I needed him most, he was with someone else.

The fragile illusion I'd been clinging to shattered completely.

I typed a single question mark in the comments, then opened Cody's chat with trembling hands.

"Let's end this, Cody."