Page 23 of The One Night Dash
“Briar, are you okay?” I ask, trying to keep my voice calm.
She barks out a laugh. “Oh, I’m good. He’s probably still trying to fish his nuts out of his throat.”
“Did he hurt you?”
“Nope. He cried like a little bitch, all curled in a ball on his dingy-ass floor. Called me a stupid bitch while I was slamming his apartment door behind me.”
“Are you going to report him?” I ask.
“Not much to report. He tried to kiss me, I tried to swerve, he tried harder. I kneed him and bolted. Somehow, it will be my fault.”
“You’re not totally wrong. So many girls in my sorority were assaulted or date raped. Dozens of girls reported incidents like this, and they were always made to feel it was their fault. Some were told they put themselves in the position; others were afraid to talk because they didn’t want their parents to find out they’d gone to a party and drank, let alone been drugged. And others were paid off by rich daddies or freaking frats. But still, if he?—”
“Honestly, it was stupid for me to go there. But, in my defense, his roommate was there and went to his room. Highlighter wouldn’t have gotten away with much, if anything.”
I try to find words to say to give her some sort of comfort or empowerment when she says so sweetly, “Please don’t tell Dash. He’s already threatened to beat up some other guys during the off-season for doing what players do.” She groans. “I’m going to become a crazy cat lady.”
“Hey.” I laugh and hit the video call option. “Answer that.”
“If I see my brother naked, I will never accidentally call you again.”
“Never gonna happen.” I laugh. “He’s not my type.”
She accepts with a smile.
“You are stunning. Of course you are—you come from the same gene pool as Dash freaking Sterling. Do you even have to wear makeup?”
Her bright smile confirms she, in fact, does not. “Um …
I roll my eyes dramatically. “About your request not to tell your brother. My answer is I won’t.”
She looks relieved.
“But you’ve got to promise me you’ll find a group of girls to go out with, to share your location with, to check in during dates even.”
“Phone out during an actual date?” She shakes her head.
“Hell yes, and play by play it so he knows exactly what to do. Like, say,Yes, I’m fine. Yes, I’m safe. No, he’s not a creep. I’ll be back by ten. You have my exact location. Chill.”
“All the girls on the team are coupled up. Every one of them.”
“You need to find a good mix of single and coupled-up friends. Nalani is the only one coupled up in our little sisterhood, but Claudia has a baby, and Sofie is being groomed to take over her family’s media empire. They still know where I am when I go on a date.”
“I want a freaking internship there so bad this summer.” She sighs. “Dash wants me to coach soccer. He won’t even ask.”
“Well,” I smile, “I will?”
“Really?” She beams.
“As long as you stay safe, I sure will. And Sofie’s a hard-ass, always has been, so make sure your grades?—”
“All A’s,” she says proudly. “Perks of being an athlete—mandated study hours, supervised.”
My alarm goes off, and I jump. “Shit.”
“Gotta go to work?”
I nod as I get up and shut the stupid thing off. When I sit back down, Hemingway stretches on my lap.
