Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 58871 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 294(@200wpm)___ 235(@250wpm)___ 196(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58871 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 294(@200wpm)___ 235(@250wpm)___ 196(@300wpm)
I wanted to know why she did what she did.
Certainly, it couldn’t be because of me, could it?
“I already planned on talking to her about it,” I admitted, drawing in a deep breath and then letting it out. “She tried to kill herself in high school.”
Desi drew in a deep breath. “What? Callum never said…”
“I never told Callum,” I admitted. “I never wanted anybody to know. Didn’t want that pall hanging over her head if I could help it. But, saying that, I think you need to know. Maybe so you can watch over her.” I paused. “I don’t think that she’d ever do it again. But… just in case.”
Desi’s eyes were shiny with unshed tears as she looked ready to commit murder.
“Who hurt her?” she asked.
I pointed at myself.
“Me.”
I’d hurt her. I’d been the reason for her harming herself. It’d all been because of…
“You weren’t the reason.”
Both of us paused as we looked at Candy where she was standing just inside the storage room door. A door that had been closed for the majority of the time that I’d been in here with Desi.
Fuck.
“Candy…” I started to say.
Her eyes turned to me.
“I’m only going to share this once, because I don’t want to ever have to say it again.” She drew in a shaky breath. “I was raped that night. I’m not going to say what I did was right, but my head had been fucked up. I’d felt really…dirty.” She swallowed hard. “And I acted impulsively and didn’t think through my actions before I committed them. I regret my actions every day. I regret putting my mother and father through that. Even more so, I regret ever giving the boy that hurt me the satisfaction of almost winning.”
Each of her words tore through me like a metal shard. Raped. Dirty. Impulsively.
When she should’ve been with me at the dance, she’d been raped. When I should’ve been watching her back, she was fighting not to be violated.
Nausea boiled in my gut, and I closed my eyes as I tried to breathe through the pain that was rioting through my veins.
“I’m okay now,” she said.
Desi placed her hand on my chest and patted it. “I’ll leave y’all alone for a few minutes. Take care of the front while y’all talk.”
Before either Candy or I could protest, Desi was gone, leaving us in an uncomfortable silence.
“It’s not your fault,” she repeated.
I laughed harshly at that.
“You’re saying that if I had been there, it would’ve still happened?” I wondered.
Honestly, I was surprised that my voice was as clear and strong as it sounded. I felt weak and empty on the inside.
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “What if I would’ve gone to the bathroom in between dances? That was what I was doing. Going to the bathroom. He found me outside the bathroom and pulled me into him. I didn’t have a chance to scream before his hand was covering my mouth.”
The thing was, I knew she was trying to make me feel better. Only, she wasn’t making me feel better at all. She was making me feel worse.
“Who was it?” I asked, trying to force the words past my tight throat.
“I’m sure,” she said softly. “If you took the time to think about it, you’d know.”
And I knew then, without her saying his name, exactly who it was.
“You fought him,” I said.
She nodded. “I did.”
“He went to jail.” I licked my dry lips. “You went to the police. And he was found guilty.”
“He did,” she confirmed.
“He’s still in prison.” I gritted my teeth.
“Yes,” she continued.
“Good,” I hissed.
Her mouth tipped up at the corner. “Very good.”
“If he ever gets out…” I started.
Her smile was broad. “You have my permission to do whatever the hell that you want to him.”
I burst into laughter.
The bad thing was, if he ever got out, I might very well do that.
“Umm,” I heard said from the doorway. “I hate to interrupt, but you have about five people in line, and they’re getting antsy.”
Desi, who’d frozen in the doorway on her way back, cursed and started for the door.
However, Candy held her up with a quick, “I’ll go.”
Then she was gone, leaving Desi and I standing there looking at each other.
“Holy shit,” Desi breathed. “I would’ve never guessed.”
Something dark filled me at her words.
“She hides it well,” I found myself saying.
“She sure does,” Desi replied.
Chapter 8
There is only one reason I’m shaving my legs today. And that’s because I can feel my leg hair through my leggings.
-Candy’s secret thoughts
Candy
“Tell me why we’re here again?” I tried to sound like I was mad, but I wasn’t really accomplishing the impossible feat.
“Because my wife actually said she wanted to go eat, and you know that she’s more comfortable when you’re around to talk to the strange people that inevitably will show up at the table?” Mack said.