Pulling myself up off the ground, I dust off my clothes, as the door flies open and Joel looks at me in question. Ignoring him for now, I turn to my savior. “You’ve done more than enough; my friend can take over.” I motion to Joel but keep my eyes focused on the raven-haired girl in front of me. I called her a woman before, but now that I’m really looking at her, I’d say she’s actually around the same age as me. “Thank you again. I’m Summer, by the way.” I offer her my hand to shake.
“Lainey,” she replies and pulls me into a hug. “Are you sure you’re okay? If I hadn’t come, I don’t know what he—”
“I’m fine. I promise,” I quickly say, cutting her off before she alerts Joel to what happened.
Joel walks over to meet us when I finally make eye contact. “Are you going to tell me what’s going on, or do I need to ask Lainey here?”
He knows Lainey. How do I not know her?Now is not the time to worry about that. “Take me home?” I say and give him my best smile and puppy dog eyes. He rolls his eyes in return and turns to move away.Phew,that was close. Much better if he doesn’t know what happened.
“We should call the police.”
Dammit, Lainey.
I shake my head and smile. “They won’t do anything. Never do. I promise I’m fine.” I look over at Joel and cringe as I say the next words. “Plus, he’s gone.”
“Who’s gone, and why the fuck do you need the police?” he yells, but it sounds more panicky than angry.
Lainey cringes beside me. “Shit. I’m sorry. You weren’t going to tell Joel, were you?”
“Nope, but it’s actually not him I’m worried about.” I bite a nail at the thought of Dylan finding out. Lainey looks at me with concern, so I add, “I’m fine. You and your badass moves saved me. That guy will think twice before trying it on anyone again; that’s for sure.”
Lainey smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “Can I get your number? I’d feel better if I could check on you tomorrow, when the adrenaline has worn off.” Her face reddens slightly. She can beat a guy up without batting an eyelid but struggles to make new friends. I already know I’ll love her. We exchange numbers, and she heads inside.
Joel grips my hand and walks me toward his car. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
“Can I stay with you? I don’t want to worry Cory tonight, if she’s still up talking to Nate.”
“Of course. But I’m going to have to give Dyl a heads-up.”
A lump sticks in my throat. He won’t be happy if he learns what happened tonight. “Maybe lie? Tell him I lost my keys.”
“Let’s just focus on getting you home,” he says, and I don’t miss the fact he didn’t answer my question.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Summer
Whenwearrivebackat Joel and Dylan’s, Joel immediately disappears into his room with the phone to his ear, no doubt calling Dylan. I make myself at home, feeling oddly calm, considering. I told Joel the entire story on the way home and could see the concern and pity written all over his face. I didn’t need any of it. Nothing happened. Lainey, who I discovered is a sister of one of the football players, got there before he’d done anything. I’ve experienced much worse. Not that I told either of them that.
Only a few minutes pass before Joel returns and flops onto the couch beside me. “Summer, I don’t know what to say. I can’t even imagine…” he trails off.
“Don’t imagine anything, becausenothinghappened. He tried and failed. End of story.”
“You should talk about it. I’m not saying I’m the right person. In fact, I can guarantee I’m not, but you can’t just pretend it didn’t happen.”
I pull my legs underneath me on the couch and give Joel the eye. Raising an eyebrow, I say, “Why wouldn’t you be the right person? Isn’t this situation exactly what you’re studying for?”
He laughs and shakes his head. “I know you’re trying to distract me. I mean that I think someone already qualified would be more beneficial. You can’t keep this bottled up.”
“I can, and I will,” I say with a smile, hoping to ease his mind. “Plus, it wouldn’t be the first time,” I mumble, but instantly regret it.
“What does that mean?!”
“You said you weren’t the right person to talk to, so can we please just watch a movie or something?” I beg. He agrees without further question and heads into the kitchen, hopefully for snacks.
When he sits back down on the couch, snacks in hand, I pull him into a quick hug. “Thank you,” I whisper before turning back to the TV.
I must fall asleep because the next thing I know, I’m awakened by a crash that resembles a door slamming open.Oh no.