Page 56 of Semi Sweet
Evan growled and paced the sidewalk before he stopped and glowered at me. “If you burned all your bridges, who are you staying with?”
I cursed internally. I hadn’t expected him to pick up on that. “That’s really none of your business.”
“Oh, but it is.” Evan had that cruel look in his eyes like he had that night he’d tried to light our apartment on fire. “Someone’s filling your head with this garbage. You'd never be able to come to these conclusions yourself. I’d like to know who is coaching you.”
I glared at him, but it was like the fake confidence I wore on the train when the creeps came onto me. On the inside I was freaking out, knowing Sean was taking a huge risk by letting me stay at his place. Even larger now, as it seemed Evan was out looking for me.
“I doubt you went home. You’re too afraid of your father’s disappointment to do that,” he mocked as he continued to try to break me down and make me confess. “People at the store would be stupid to help you. It would be a death sentence. They know they’d get fired and probably never work again.” He smiled at me wickedly. “Plus, you just told me everyone hates you. So who is it? Is it someone who goes here? It has to be.”
“I’m not telling you, so I suggest you go home,” I finally retorted. “It’s over, Evan. I’m not coming back.”
“OH, so it’s that sort of situation.” Evan was so loud I couldn't believe no one had come looking for us. “You’ve got a side piece? You’re screwing someone?”
“No!” I felt myself getting more and more anxious. My fists were so tight I could feel my nails digging into my palms, the knuckles likely turning white.
Now he was starting to jump to conclusions and he was getting closer and closer to me.
“I’m gonna find him,” he vowed. “And when I do, I’m gonna kill him.”
Finally reaching my breaking point, I shoved him away. I had seconds to decide if I should run or use my pepper spray on him. Suddenly, a blue light by the admissions building caught my eye. For my entire college career, I’d walked by the emergency telephone boxes, never thinking I’d have to use them. I guessed there was a first time for everything. I backed towards it so I could keep my eyes on Evan, who studied me with disbelief.
“Really? You’re going to take it there? You are going to get the cops involved?”
I wondered if he was going to finally take me seriously. It only took seven years. I pressed the button on the alarm, a siren starting to wail as the blue light began to pulse.
“This is campus security,” a voice said through an intercom by the button. “Are you in distress?”
Evan glared at me, waiting for what I would say.
“Y...Yes,” I stammered. “Someone has been following me and I feel threatened.”
I wasn’t surprised when Evan ran. I wondered if the family driver had brought him here and was waiting. Would they have been an accessory to a crime if things got out of hand?
Chapter Twenty-Five: I’ve Got Your Back
Alittlewhilelater,Isat in a chair at the campus police station, staring into space. I’d filled out a report and now I was waiting. I was so tense, I felt like I’d snap if someone made any sudden noises or movements.
A buzzer sounded in the distance and the officer on duty monitored who was at the door. “State your name please?”
“Sean Mizuno.”
My body slumped with relief at the sound of his voice.
The officer looked over his shoulder at me. “This isn’t the guy that was bothering you, is it?”
He had the security camera at the entrance on his computer screen. Sean looked on edge, his eyes filled with worry as he waited for them to let him in.
“No,” I answered quietly. “That’s my roommate.”
The officer unlocked the door with the press of a button and made Sean empty his pockets in the vestibule before he was allowed to be with me. He all but raced to me, embracing me so tightly, he lifted me off the floor. All this time, I’d been so careful about touching him. I didn’t think about how comforting it would feel when I finally gave in. I all but melted into him.
“Are you alright? They called me down here.”
I tried to nod but couldn’t. I really wasn’t alright.
“I told them to call you,” I murmured into his shoulder.
“Miss Hale’s ex-fiancé has been spotted loitering around campus for about a week. Multiple students and faculty made mention of it,” the officer explained. “He had a verbal confrontation with her earlier. We were called to the scene when she pressed the emergency panic button closest to her, but he had fled the vicinity by the time we arrived.”
