Page 116 of Catch
“Can we make this quick because I want to watch the rest of the game?” I explain.
“It won’t take long.”
I nod.
“I’ll be right back,” I say to Jackson.
Hailey heads for the nearest exit, so I follow her and Willow down the hallway toward the locker room.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
Hailey looks at Willow and then back at me.
“We wanted to warn you about Renner.”
My stomach revolts at hearing his name.
“What do you mean?”
“He’s been acting weird and it’s getting worse.”
“Weird how?”
Hailey bites her lower lip.
“He wanted me and Willow to tell you that we’d had a threesome with Ethan recently, and he even offered us money to do it. When we refused, Renner got angry. Like, ballistic yelling and screaming kind of angry.”
Then it hits me.
“Now I know why your name’s familiar.” I snap my fingers and point at Willow. “Renner came up to me at the last hockey game and gave me that threesome story, but I didn’t believe him.”
“I did sleep with Ethan, but that was a while ago,” Willow replies. “Like, last semester. Way, way before you and he got involved.”
I don’t want to hear about it, but it is what it is. I can’t erase Ethan’s past or mine.
“I get it.”
“Anyway,” Hailey continues. “We had to warn you, because Renner scared both of us. I’m still freaked out. He sent me so many angry texts that I had to block him.”
First me, now Hailey. I’ve had it with Renner and his bullshit.
“I’m going to make a formal complaint about Renner’s harassment,” I confirm. “Will you guys be willing to act as witnesses?”
“Yes,” Hailey confirms.
Willow nods.
“Absolutely.”
“If you still have his messages, take screenshots and send them to me. I’ll contact HR as well as campus security and then give you an update on what happens next,” I add. “Let’s exchange numbers so we can stay in touch.”
As we’re swapping numbers, I can hear the roar of the crowd getting louder. I need to get back to Ethan’s game.
“If Renner tries to confront you again, record it,” I add.
“We will,” Willow replies.
“And I’m sorry about, you know, what happened at Renner’s back at the beginning of the semester,” Hailey offers. “I really did think that you guys were over. I feel like a fool for believing him.”
