Page 87 of For the Win

I don’t know if Everly’s still in her room or if she’s gone back out.

I call again, louder.“Hello!Help!I’m stuck in here.”Then I bang on the door.

Still nothing.

My head drops forward.Fuckety fuck.

I sit on the closed toilet seat and slump over.How long am I going to be stuck here?Harrison will come looking for me eventually, won’t he?But how long will it take?

I sigh.

I eye the window at the end of the room.I’m pretty sure it’s next to the patio where everyone is.I jump up and rush over to hammer on the frosted glass.

Nothing.

I let out another expulsion of air.Shit.

I eye the window again.It’s pretty high up.Does it open?I sink my teeth into my bottom lip as I try to see.I climb onto the toilet, which isn’t that close to it, bracing a hand on the wall as I lean over.

It does open.

Okay.I’m pretty strong.If I can get it open, maybe I can pull myself up and get out that way.

Oh my God.Do I really have to do this?Why hasn’t Harrison come looking for me?I plop back down onto the toilet lid again, shaking my head.After a few more minutes, though, I have to try.

I can just barely reach the lever that unlocks the window, then I slide it open.Yay!

I pause, still hoping someone will rescue me.With a sigh, I turn to the wall.I grip the windowsill and hoist myself up, using my feet on the wall.Jeezus.My arm muscles strain.I’m determined to do this, so I grit my teeth and keep working until I’m high enough to rest my boobs on the sill.I pause, panting.

Okay.I got this far.I can do it.

I wriggle myself through the window.Now I’m half hanging out, but I’m headfirst and I don’t want to take a dive into the shrubs beneath me.I peer through bushes and palm trees to see the patio.I can vaguely hear them talking over there.

I really don’t want to make a scene, but...“Help!”I wait, then call again.“Help!Over here!”

A moment later, Harrison’s face appears through the shrubbery.“Arya?What the hell are you doing?”

“I’m locked in the bathroom!Help!”

He starts to thrash through the shrubs toward me.Oh thank God!I’m going to live.

Just as he nears me, I hear the bathroom door open.

“Oh,” I hear Noah say.

I am now painfully aware that my cover-up is scrunched around my waist and my bikini bottom is firmly wedged between my ass cheeks.

Heat flames in my face and I kick my feet in frustration and embarrassment.

“Okay, I got you,” Harrison says calmly, reaching up for me.“Come on.”

“I’ve got her!”Noah calls from behind me.

I close my eyes, mortification scalding my insides.Should I go out or back in?I’d rather face Harrison, I guess, so I push myself through the window and into his arms.I scrape a shin on the windowsill, and the shrubs scratch at my arms, but I’m free.Harrison catches me and holds me, and I bury my face into his neck.

“What the hell happened?”he murmurs.

“The doorknob came off.”I can’t look at him.“I guess I broke it.I couldn’t get it back on and I couldn’t get out.I called for help.”I almost sob.“Nobody heard me.”

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