Drake was sitting at the table looking through binders Paul gave him. Jace and Noah were watching something on the television, and there was no sight of Jaxson, Remy, and Troy.
Drake looked up and gave me an assessing look. How are you feeling? he asked in my head.
I’ve been better. I answered dryly. I went into the refrigerator to find something to eat.
“Hey, Blake, how are you feeling?” Noah asked tentatively.
“Good,” I answered briefly. I had no intention of letting anything go right now. Petty, I know.
Drake got up and slipped his arms around my waist. I tried not to flinch. I hadn’t even heard him walk up behind me. He went to withdraw, and I hastily grabbed his arms and left them in place. “Please don’t,” I whispered.
He nodded against my head. “Would you like me to make you an omelette or a sandwich?” he asked softly.
I leaned into him and smiled up at him. “An omelette will be amazing. Thank you. How was your meeting with Paul?”
“It was postponed until one. Would you like to go with me?” he asked.
I nodded. “I would like that.” And I meant it. I needed to get out. I needed to not make leaving this apartment a taboo. The sooner I got back on the horse, the better. Then I frowned. “Am I allowed to?”
“Your restrictions have been lifted,” Jace said as he came into the kitchen. “Paul came by and said they found traces of the street drug like rohypnol in your blood sample. Jemmy, Sierra, and Gavin found the corrupted footage of Bradford slipping into the laundry room, and from one of the angles of the cameras, in the hallway, you could clearly see him slip something in your drink. He was lurking in that hallway until he knew Gavin was no longer with you. He also said you may be feeling like you have flu-like symptoms for the next few days. He has excused you from your classes today and tomorrow.”
“I’m fine,” I shrugged as I went to see if there was any coffee left in the pot. I refused to look at him.
“Have you thrown up again? Do you still feel tired? Are you nauseous? Dizzy?” He scrutinized me.
“I said I was fine,” I snapped. Then in a calmer tone I asked Drake. “Do you think Paul will mind if I tag along?”
He gave sympathetic look before he said. “I’m sure he won’t mind.”
The apartment door flew open and Jemmy came in first, followed by Dawn, Sierra, Rachel, and Jaxson.
Jemmy nearly tackled me to the ground as she hugged me. “I swear you have Charlie Brown’s luck sometimes. You never catch a break.” Her voice was full of tears, and she squeezed me to the point I almost couldn’t breathe.
I laughed uneasily. It was no surprise that my ordeal would spread like wildfire. “Who are you telling?” I muttered.
“Come on,” she took my hand. “We’re going to have a girl’s day. We brought a laptop and DVDs.”
“And snacks,” Rachel embraced me next.
“If you want,” Sierra added hesitantly. “We can leave if you want some time to yourself.”
I gave her a small smile. I was really growing to like her the more I got to know her. She was intuitive and had this calming aura about her. It was like she had an old soul that resided in her.
“Well,” I looked over at Drake. “I’m going to a meeting with Drake.”
Drake waved his hand. “You can have a girl?
??s day if you want. It’s just a meeting today and if we move forward, you can come with me then. You girls can use my bed if you want to.”
The idea of watching movies and relaxing sounded like a good decision to me right now. I was trying to escape with Drake, but this was also a viable option.
“Beth has that extra television down at her room. We’ll go grab it. There’s no use watching movies on a small screen,” Jace volunteered. “Or you can watch it in here.”
I shook my head slowly. The idea of closing a bedroom door and away from prying eyes sounded better to me. “We can go in Drake and Troy’s room,” I decided firmly.
“Then it’s set!” Jemmy clapped her hands jovially before she went over to the stove. “Whatcha cooking me brother? I haven’t had lunch yet.”
Jace and Noah left without another word. I assumed they were going to get the television.