“It’s not a problem,” he shouts, yanking me off my feet.
“Winston was hit by an SUV.” I put my hand to my mouth. “Oh Lucas, it wasn’t you?”
He pulls me against him, so his face is in mine. I sense his anger as the hair on the back of my neck sticks up. “Olivia, you don’t need to be involved.”
“Lucas, did you run him down? They said the driver never stopped. Lucas, why didn’t you stop?”
“Olivia, it’s not important. Let's go into the house.”
My knees go weak, and I can’t go into the house. I grip for anything to stop from moving until I’m clutching onto a car mirror. “No, you need to call the police. You have to tell them what you did.”
“No, that man was a bum.” Lucas twists my fingers until I let go of the car. The pain shoots through me as he drags me away. “The police don’t care. They have real criminals to go after, like that rapist you’re hooked on.”
“He’s not a rapist,” I shout. “Don’t change the subject. Lucas, you have to call the police.”
Without warning, he pushes me against another car, knocking the breath out of me, and then drags me into the backyard.
“What are you doing?” I scream, fighting to get him off me with every muscle I have. “Let go of me.”
“I told you, no police.” Lucas tightens his grip until I can hardly move. “So, you’ll stand up forhim, but you’ll shit on me?”
“What are you talking about?” I gasp.
“You’ve been with him.” His voice shakes with anger as he speaks. “I can tell by the way you looked at him, how you went to him.”
I don’t want to cry, and maybe I wouldn’t if he wasn’t hurting me. I can’t feel my fingers as Lucas drags me along, stumbling after him into the dark. “Ouch. You’re hurting me. Let me go.”
He yanks me hard, almost lifting me off the ground. “I treated you right, Olivia, but you can’t see that you should be loyal to me.”
“Elijah is not the problem!” I scream in the dark. “You ran a man down.”
I fall backward onto the ground, and we’re too far away from the house to be seen. Lucas looms over me, an angry shadow in the dark. His hands grab for my legs as he hunches his body over me. I strike out, hitting blindly wherever my fists land.
“You like it rough. Is that what gets you hot?” He grabs my coat and tears at it while I start to holler.
He strikes me across the mouth, and the pain sears through my jaw as I try to scramble away. He keeps grabbing at my clothes as I fight him off. And I give him a fight. I'm not going to make this easy. I kick and bite as he tries to keep me down. I scream again louder. Someone has to hear me.
“This isn’t you, Lucas,” I sob, hoping to reason with him, “It was an accident. People will understand.” I kick at his legs as he traps me underneath him. A panic I’ve never felt rises in my throat as I scream. “Get off me!”
Chapter Eighteen
Elijah
The classroom is silent as they all stare at me as if I were the wickedest person they have ever met. There is no doubt that something bad had happened in their minds, but they weren’t sure what part I played in it.
“I’m going to leave,” I tell Harris as I gather up my stuff. My gaze rests on Olivia’s photo. Her moment was taken, and I hope she’ll get another chance.
Harris places a tentative hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry that happened, but I expect to see you next week in class.”
Nodding, I smile, glad for the reassurance. “Thanks,” I mutter.
I hurry out and send a series of texts to Olivia. She’s with Lucas, and that’s not good. When I was in detention, recognizing the dangerous juveniles was a matter of survival. I especially had to watch my back, considering the crime I was accused of. I learned quickly who was a threat by the evil look in their heartless eyes. Lucas has that look, and he’s with Olivia.
I tap for an Uber as I run toward the school gate. I know where the frat house is, but I stop at Olivia’s apartment first. Amanda looks startled when she sees me standing in the hallway. She only opens the door a few inches, ready to slam it shut if she has to.
Well, at least she opened it. “Olivia isn’t here,” she says.
I nod. “Lucas took her to Gamma House, and she didn’t want to go.”