Page 65 of Cheap Shot

Krystal folded her legs under her. “What’s so bad about staying at home?”

I dropped my head. Did I want to get into this? Talking about it with Reid was hard enough. But I was trying to open up and trust them. If I couldn’t share this, then what chance did we have at being real friends?

“They’re really critical. They have some sort of unknown standard that they measure me against, and no matter what I do, I always come up short. Meanwhile, Ethan is the perfect child that can do no wrong. They give him anything and everything, and I’m usually stuck with whatever is left over, whether it’s their love, attention, or money. It’s always been him first. I couldn’t handle living with them again.”

Ella’s brows rose. “That’s really awful.”

“I know how you feel,” Krystal spoke softly. “My older sister is a lawyer, and my brother is a doctor. Two of the few jobs my parents approve of. They don’t understand my major and what I want to do. They think I want to be a makeup artist or sell makeup, which is totally fine, but they don’t understand that being a chemical engineer is something to be proud of. That I’ll be creating the formulas. It’s not something they can easily brag to their friends and family about like my siblings.”

This was the first time she’d ever hinted at anything like this, and my heart went out to her.

“Why did you leave your last school?” Cassie’s voice was full of caution.

This was the one question I hoped to avoid. It was something I didn’t talk about to anyone outside my family and therapist. I could give them the brief version, even just a few of the main points, but just the thought made my throat tighten.

“You don’t have to tell us,” Sadie rushed out.

I nodded, but I was so frustrated. Mostly with myself.

Remaining silent, not telling my story, only gave power to the person who hurt me. I already lost my friends in New York because I couldn’t tell them. Did I want to lose these girls too? They stepped up. They proved they were willing to fight for me and were willing to admit to their mistakes.

It was time for me to give them a chance.

“I had a boyfriend. We met one of the first weeks of school, and I fell for him almost instantly. We were inseparable and had our whole futures planned out. I couldn’t wait to graduate and marry him.”

Ella and Krystal were listening with small smiles, but Sadie watched me with narrowed eyes. She knew this story didn’t have a happy ending.

“I hung out with him and his friends a lot, but his best friend was almost always around. We all got along, and I didn’t mind. We became friends quickly, and he and I would hang out when my boyfriend was at class or busy.” I didn’t want to say their names. I didn’t want them to become real in my mind again. It was easy telling them what happened without getting into too many details.

“There was a party just before finals, like a last chance to get out our energy and craziness before having to buckle down and study.” I closed my eyes as memories washed over me. “I was there with my boyfriend and his best friend. We were going to meet up with the rest of our friends, but for some reason they were late. We got drinks and were hanging out with some people they knew from their dorm when I started getting really tired. I assumed I was just exhausted from all my classes and told my boyfriend I needed to go home. He was busy and wasn’t listening, so I told his friend. He knew the guys that lived at the house, so he told me I could take a nap and come back down when I woke up, or when they were ready to leave. He took me upstairs and found an empty bedroom. I could barely stand. He guided me to the bed and helped me lie down. I closed my eyes, thinking he was going to leave, but he didn’t. He got on top of me.”

One of the girls gasped, and I opened my eyes to find them all staring at me.

“He didn’t,” Ella whispered. Her eyes were glistening.

I felt sick reliving this, but I was done letting the memory control me. Letting their memories control me. I was strong. I was a survivor.

“He did. I tried to stop him. I tried to scream, but it was like my body was separate from my mind. I couldn’t get anything to work the way it was supposed to.”

“He drugged you,” Sadie said.

I nodded. “Then my boyfriend walked in. I thought he was going to help me. I thought he would pull his friend off me and make it stop, but he just left. I passed out after that, and when I woke up, they were gone.”

“Haley.” Cassie scooted closer to me and took my hand in hers. “I’m so sorry. I can’t …”

“Did you report them?” Krystal asked.

I licked my lips and squeezed Cassie’s hand, needing to know someone was there.

“No.”

“Why not?” Sadie asked in barely a whisper.

“Because they left the party and drove back to campus, but they didn’t make it. They were speeding and missed a curve in the road and drove straight into the trees. They died on impact.”

Ella and Krystal gasped, and Sadie shook her head, staring at the floor. Cassie tugged my hand. “You still could have reported them.”

I blinked, realizing tears were in my eyes. “They died heroes. They were on the football team, and even though they were freshmen, the whole college and the surrounding town made it seem like they were celebrities. There were memorials set up and people tying ribbons around trees before I even made it back to my dorm the next day. Even if I did report them, it was my word against two dead guys.”