Page 112 of If You Dare

She swipes at her tears and sniffles, squeezing my hand tighter. “I know that’s supposed to make me feel better, but it doesn’t.”

I swallow, breath shuddering. “That night, I was watching you and Chloe from the patio. I saw the whole thing. I watched her hit the water, but I didn’t run over until I heard you screaming. If I’d gotten there sooner—”

“No.” Her voice is hard, adamant. “Nothing that happened that night is your fault. None of it, Wes.”

Her words make my bottom lip wobble until I bite down on it. “Then I want you to listen to me, Violet. I don’t want you to go another day feeling guilty either. It wasn’t your fault.” I stand when she buries her face in her hands and starts to cry. I wrap my arms around her and pull her into me. “None of it.”

She’s able to leave the hospital after a few days, and I take her right back to my apartment. The only time I leave her side is to meet with Dean Forrester in his office to tell him everything that happened. He’s already got the gist of it from the police, but he wants my perspective so he can make his determination about the punishment my five teammates deserve.

I point at my neck before showing him a picture of Violet, bruised and battered in her hospital bed. “Whatever punishment you think this deserves.”

The news comes in an email from Coach first.

Five of our players have been suspended from campus. All of them are facing criminal charges.

Finally some fucking justice.

After a couple weeks, Violet’s weaned off the painkillers and her bruises have nearly faded. The doctor said she’s lucky she only sustained bruised ribs and no concussion.

I say Trey’s lucky to be standing. All five of those guys are fucking lucky to be alive.

Aneesa’s been visiting Violet almost daily, bringing her meals and snacks. Like I don’t know how to feed my fucking girlfriend.

I snap at her whenever she knocks and wakes Violet up or overstays her welcome. She snaps right back. I can’t help but respect her for it, and Violet seems to find our bickering amusing.

Aneesa might never forgive me for how I treated Violet. But I’m glad. That means my girl has a good friend looking out for her.

Without Chloe, she needs a friend.

I know it would make my sister happy.

Chapter41

After

Violet

“So you’re officially datingWes now?” Aneesa sits with me on Wes’s couch, Netflix on the TV in front of us and a bowl of popcorn between us. He’s supposedly at the library to give us a girls’ night, but I have a feeling he’s waiting right outside the door in case I need anything.

Beside us sits a tower of library books. Edith has been bringing me a stack every week to keep me busy. Wes told me that she and Aneesa showed up at the rink to scold him for breaking my heart, and when I thanked her for talking sense into him, she told me she’s happy to yell at him anytime.

A grin spreads so wide across my face, it hurts. “He started calling me his girlfriend in the hospital.”

Though I felt like his girl long before that. Maybe since the moment his eyes landed on me.

Aneesa crunches on a handful of popcorn. “I guess he’s demonstrated his worth in the past few weeks by how well he’s been taking care of you. I miss sharing the dorm with you, though.”

“I miss it too. I’m sure I’ll be back next semester. Wes is worried they’re going to stick him with another roommate.”

“He’s Wes Novak. I’m sure if he tells the administration he doesn’t want a roommate for his final semester, they’ll agree to it. Especially given everything you two have been through.”

As much as I love living with Aneesa, I hope she’s right. Staying here with Wes has been heaven, even through recovery. The bad pain days, the nightmares that have me screaming awake in the middle of the night, he’s always right there to wrap his arms around me, pull me against him, and remind me that no one is ever going to lay a finger on me with him around.

“Listen.” Aneesa clasps her hands together on her lap. “I’m sorry I pushed you so much to stay away from Wes. I thought I was protecting you, but that wasn’t my decision to make. I should’ve—”

I hold up my hand to stop her. “If I’ve learned anything, it’s that there’s no point dwelling on what-ifs. You’re an amazing friend, Aneesa. I couldn’t ask for a better one.”

The best friend I’ve had since Chloe. I have a feeling that if they’d ever gotten a chance to meet, the three of us would be inseparable.

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