Page 33 of Dare (Fighting Fate)

She sighed again. “You.”

Okay, that was a surprise. As far as I was aware, people rarely talked about me because I never did anything that was interesting enough to be talked about. “Me? What the hell could anyone be saying about me? I don’t do anything interesting.” Unless it was the fact that I’d broken up with Wyatt. Or . . .

My eyes widened. Unless it had somehow gotten out about the drugging?

Emmy chewed on her lip nervously. “Apparently, someone saw both Zac and Wyatt leaving here in the early hours of the morning a few weeks ago. The rumor going around is that you had a threesome.”

I almost laughed. Like, seriously. Knowing how little I actually got along with Zac, it was almost comical. “That’s funny,” I said, leaning back in my chair.

Sorrow etched her features. “I’m not joking, Jess. This is serious,” she said, but then her eyes widened a little. “Unless it’s true?”

That’s when I really did laugh. “Oh my God, no. I did not sleep with both Wyatt and Zac.”

Her brow creased as she stared at me, then she slowly shook her head. “How can you be so calm? I’d be raving mad if I were you.”

I drew in a deep breath as I watched my roomy across from me. Sometimes I forgot what she’d been through when she was younger. Sexual assault was a serious issue, and I knew I shouldn’t make light of it. I shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess because I know it’s not true. What’s the point in stressing over some load of bullshit small-minded people want to make up?”

She scratched her head. “Okay, I guess you’re right. I just don’t like people talking shit about that kind of thing. But if you’re good, then I’ll try not to worry about it.”

“Thanks, hon. And I’m sorry if that sounded insensitive,” I said softly.

She waved me off. “Don’t be silly. I was just worried about you, but I think you’re right. If people see that neither of us care about the rumors, they’ll start to second-guess their credibility anyway.” Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully as she watched me again. “What was Zac doing here, anyway?”

“Zac,” I said, weighing up whether I should tell her the outright truth, “was apparently here to cry on Wyatt’s shoulder, from what I was told, but that’s not true.”

Emmy stared at me blankly for a long time. It was obvious she was having a hard time processing my words and trying to get them to make sense inside her head. “I’m confused.”

“It’s a long story,” I said. “And you can’t tell anyone because I haven’t decided what to do yet. But the night Zac was here, I was drugged. Nothing happened to me, but Noah said Zac was seen buying that kind of drug, so I’m still trying to work out how I fit in with it all.”

Shaking her head, she held up a hand. “Wait. You were drugged? But you’re okay? No one touched you?” Concern bordering on panic swam in her eyes.

“I’m positive. I was still wearing my jeans when I woke up, and my twenty was still securely in my pants,” I said, trying to reassure her best I could. The last thing I wanted to do was to bring back any bad memories for her. “Zac was here, though. Brad saw him leaving early in the morning, but I was still passed out at the time.”

“Okay,” she said, letting out a shaky breath. “Good. Scary, but good.”

I exhaled with her, nodding my agreement. “Yeah, it’s been a little hard to get my head around. In a way—even though I know nothing happened—I still feel kind of violated. It’s hard to explain. And so confusing. I mean, if Zac was the one to drug me, I just don’t get it. He was here. He had every opportunity.”

Emmy chewed on her lip nervously. “Unless Wyatt stopped him? Maybe he was expecting Wyatt to drop you home and leave?”

Lifting a shoulder, I dropped it again quickly. “It’s one of the possibilities that’s been running through my head. There’s just so many questions I can’t answer. Eli and Austin want me to go to the police, but I’m not sure I’m ready for that yet.”

Running the tip of her finger over her bottom lip, she gave me a defeated smile. “I know what you mean, but if I could go back and tell my thirteen-year-old self anything at all, it would be to go to the police. But I understand where you’re at. It’s not something many people can. It’s a process, and the first part is trying to make sense of it. You feel like you can’t take the next step until you have it straight in your own head. But the one thing I learned along the way is that you’ll never make sense of it. These people are wired differently, and no matter how hard you try, you’ll never be able to see where they’re coming from.” She leaned over and squeezed my hand. “Just think about it, okay? And remember I’m here for you. If you decide you want to go report it, I can come with you. You just have to ask.”

“Thanks, Emmy. And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. I think I was kind of hoping it would all just go away.”

Brushing my concerns away with a swipe of her hand, she shook her head. “Don’t be. But tell me, is the whole drugging thing the reason you broke up with Wyatt?”

I nodded noncommittally. “Kind of yes and no. I think this is why I’m so confused about everything, because something didn’t feel right with Wyatt for a while, and, in a strange kind of way, I feel like this drugging thing has everything to do with it. I just can’t work out what.”

Emmy pressed her lips together. “Well, at least you don’t have to worry about it anymore.”

I nodded my agreement, but I wasn’t entirely sure that was true.

Chapter 22

Eli

Opening the throttle, I pushed my bike harder, giving her just a little clutch as I hit the berm and raced around the corner. Jordan, right on my tail, crept forward, the fucker trying to sneak up on the inside of me. Digging in a little deeper, I pressed upwards, straightening her up to hit the jump head-on before leaning into the landing and drifting around the final corner.

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