Page 75 of When You're Home
“Tori, hey, look at me. Can you hear me?” He had put one hand on her face and gently lifted her chin. “Tori, I’ve got Jake on the phone. I’m going to put him on speaker phone now so you can hear him, okay?”
“Baby, what’s going on?”
Another voice had entered the room. When did Jake get here? Tori looked around before glancing back down at the phone Fielding was holding out in front of her. She blinked twice, trying to gain enough clarity to respond to his question. She heard Fielding let out a growl of frustration.
“She can hear you, man, or at least I think she can, but she’s still not talking.”
“Tori, baby, you gotta talk to me. What’s going on? Field said you got a phone call. Is it about your dad?” A pause.
“Is it about school?” Another pause.
“Is it about Lia or Cory or Maddie?”
Maddie, Tori thought to herself. Yes, Maddie. No, no, not Maddie.Rhett.
“Call Rhett,” she croaked out again, desperate for someone to actually hear her, to listen to her. How many times was she going to have to say it before they understood?
“Dude, just text me Wheeler’s number. I’ll call him. I don’t know what else to do for her.”
“Fuck. You know that’s not going to go well, man. Let me call him instead. You’re at the house, right?” Jake confirmed. “I’m at Clinton’s, but I can be there in fifteen minutes, twenty minutes, tops. Keep your phone on you. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Chapter 40
Rhett
Hehadbeenoncampusstudyingforafewhourswhenhedecidedtofinallyheadovertothebusinessbuildingforhisfinal.Hehadhalfanhouruntilgotime,andhewasfeelinggoodabouttheexam.
He only had to sit for two finals this week: one today, then one more tomorrow morning. The rest of his degree requirements were met through his practicum and final project for the semester. It was wild to think that just two tests and eighteen hours stood between him and the end of his college career.
As he stepped into the shadows of the business building, Rhett felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He reached for it absentmindedly, his thoughts still on graduation.
It was Jake. He hit the button on the side of his phone to ignore the call. He’d call him back that night or the following day. He took a few more steps forward before his phone started vibrating again. He knew who it was without looking. The man was relentless. He sent the call to voicemail once again but then opened up his Messages app to shoot him a quick text.
Rhett:About to walk into a final. I’ll call you tonight.
The little dialogue bubble popped up on the screen, indicating he was already replying.
Jake:Call me as soon as you can. It’s Tori.
Rhett stopped in his tracks. He stared at the screen of his phone and reread the message. Jake knew where things stood between him and Tori. His best friend may have a flare for drama, but he wouldn’t mess around with something like this. If he told him to call ASAP, he meant it. He hit Jake’s name on the screen without giving it another thought. There was nothing to think about. His gut told him this couldn’t wait.
The phone only rang once before he answered.
“Bro, I’m so sorry to do this to you right before a final,” he lamented.
Rhett gripped the phone tighter to his ear. “What’s going on, Jake?”
“I don’t know for sure, but something’s up with Tori. Something’s wrong. She’s freaking out.”
“What do you mean she’s freaking out?” he fumed. He made an effort to unclench his jaw.
“I told you I don’t know yet. I’ll be with her in ten minutes. I was at Clinton’s when Fielding called me. She’s with him right now at…”
“Fucking Fielding,” he growled into the phone.
“No, man, I don’t think this is because of Fielding. They were hanging out, and he’s the one that called me to tell me something was wrong. It sounds like she’s having a panic attack. She just keeps saying ‘call Rhett,’ but Fielding couldn’t find your number so he called me.”
He saw red as he thought about Haas with Tori. What had he done to her?
