Page 2 of Love Set Me Free

Barrington University was not Paisley’s comfort zone. She had specifically chosen the most popular HBCU in Ellwood for this reason. She loved her melanin skin and loved people that looked just like her. When Paisley and Janelle had been applying for colleges, they had a bit of an argument about where to go since their dream had always been to go to the same school. Paisley shut that down when she got into Everette Clark University and Janelle didn’t.

As she pushed through this sea of white people she didn’t even want to be around in the first place, she was glad she stoodher ground and went to the college of her dreams. Back on her own campus, she felt right at home. Since they had spent time on Paisley’s campus already, Janelle insisted she and Kydrick come to this party tonight. Neither Paisley nor Kydrick wanted to go, not being into the party scene, but Janelle had a way about her that got them to do what she wanted, so there they were.

Now, she was on a mission to find Kydrick. If anyone could get Janelle to leave this party, it was him. It took her a solid ten minutes to spot him upstairs in a room full of guys playing Just Dance.

“Kyd,” she called out to him. “Kyd!”

It took him a moment to register her voice with all the shouts from the guys in the room and the music turned up to full blast. He turned, his short locs falling over his eyes, and when he smiled at her, Paisley’s heart stuttered.

She, Kydrick, and Paisley met when they were only four years old. Their parents’ decision to get them each into swimming lessons at the local YMCA changed their lives forever in the best way. They met and immediately became a trio. Their parents set up play dates and became fast friends, too. They went to elementary school, middle school, and high school together. Their freshman year in high school was when their dynamic changed. Janelle and Kydrick announced that they liked each other, leaving Paisley to get comfortable as their third wheel. Secretly, that revelation also broke Paisley’s heart for many reasons.

She felt betrayed that neither of them thought to talk to her about their feelings, but she also couldn’t blame them. She never talked to them about hers. Her crush on Kydrick had been fierce, and she couldn’t remember a time it wasn’t there. For the sake of their trio, she kept her feelings at bay, thinking that was the right thing to do. How stupidly wrong and selfless she had been.

“Is that Paisley Pooh?” His voice roared through the crowd, causing some of the guys to glance at her while a deep blush tinted her skin. He walked up to her, dropping his arm around her shoulder and looking down at her.

“Looks like someone is having fun,” she noted.

“You’re not?” His thick brows pulled in, and Paisley knew what he was going to ask before he opened his mouth. That was how well she knew him.

She shook her head. “Your girl is drunk off her ass, and I think it’s time to go.”

Kydrick sighed. “Just when I started having fun.”

He put the red cup he held in his large hand on a nearby foldable table before grabbing her around her shoulders once again.

“Let’s go.”

Relief flooded her. They walked out of the crowded game room and down a short hall when a loud thud and a pained cry rattled the door they were just walking past. They paused and glanced at each other before they heard another thud and a scream.

The hallway was deserted, causing chills to run up Paisley’s spine. Something about this situation felt very unsafe to her, and warning bells sounded off in her head, but before she could say anything to Kydrick, he yanked the door open.

Paisley couldn’t fully see inside the dark room, but she noted two people, a man and a woman, in a struggle. The girl had silvery blonde hair, and when Paisley took a step closer, she noticed she had a busted lip. Her skirt was up around her waist, and she didn’t have any panties on. The guy’s pants were down, and Paisley grimaced at the sight of his pink penis streaked with blood.

Paisley’s heart dropped as she realized what was going on, and Kydrick must have been just as shocked as her because theystood there frozen, giving the guy enough time to pull his pants up.

“What the hell, man?” the guy asked, taking a step toward them.

Paisley ignored him and looked at the girl, taking a tentative step into the room. “Are you okay?”

The girl cowered on the floor, scooting against the bed and crying.

Kydrick grabbed Paisley by the arm, but before he could say anything, the white man swung on him. Paisley yelped, stumbling back out into the hallway as Kydrick and the guy went blow for blow. It was clear to Paisley that the white guy was drunk and maybe on some kind of drugs, but he was holding his own against Kydrick. People came out of the rooms in the hallway, hearing all the noise, and dread filled Paisley as she screamed for them to stop.

“This guy raped my girlfriend!” the white guy shouted as soon as a couple of other guys pried them apart.

“What?” Paisley whispered, her voice completely lost in the uproar. “No… no!”

“What the fuck? Are you insane?” Kydrick yelled, straining against the two guys who held him back.

Everyone took in the scene, and Paisley felt the moment they all realized what was going on. Though they had it very, very wrong. She pushed through the crowd and into the room in time to see the white guy who caused all this get loose and charge at Kydrick again. This time, the white boy had the upper hand because his buddies held down his opponent.

“Kydrick!” Paisley shouted, trying to stop the man from attacking him. “Stop! Let him go!”

“Shut up, bitch!” The white guy stopped his assault on Kydrick and knocked Paisley to the ground.

“Yo, Thomas. Chill, man,” one of the guys holding Kydrick down said.

“The cops are on the way!” someone called from the hallway as Paisley crawled over to Kydrick with tears in her eyes.

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