Page 43 of Tiebreaker

He sounds amused but also horrified.

"You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to," he says.

I slide down into a lying position on the couch and Toby circles three times at my feet before curling up tight.

"No, I think you needed to know. I'm sorry I made it sound like something it wasn't."

He makes a low noise as surprised

"What wasn't it then?"

"I don't know," I say. "more sustained interaction between the two of us, something like that. I have no idea. He wasn't consenting to have someone who wasn't consenting. It's confusing and I don't even really think of it as raped, just as an accident with something not so great that happened to two people, that happened to be also really good at the same time. But now he's going to hate me."

Vince goes quiet and sighs.

"I'm sorry kiddo," he says.

I'm crying. I don't know when I started but hot tears are dripping into my lap, spluttering on my forearm.

"It's fine," I say, even though it isn't.

He says, "No, it's not."

Damn, he sees right through me. I crumble, my face scrunching up as a whining cry builds in my throat.

"No, it isn't," I agree with him. "And I don't know what to do to fix that."

He pauses, letting me breathe, letting me cry with soft hiccups of noise.

"Princess, if we knew how to fix this kind of situation, nobody would be suffering at all anywhere in the world right now."

I close my eyes and let the cold sensation wash over me. The air in my apartment is cool and soothing. Although if I stay out here longer will I need a blanket or something other than Toby to keep me warm.

"Are you going to apologize to him?" I asked him.

Vince laughs, "Who, Kai? No. He'll be fine." He hesitates.

"Do you want to help him?" He asks.

I pause, "Yeah, I do."

Seventeen

Olivia

I don't hearfrom Kai for a few days or Vince. Instead, I just sit in my apartment and watch TV because my schedule on my phone has been completely cleared. There are no business meetings or anything.

I shoot Kai a text but hear nothing. I don't even know what to say to Vince. Our last conversation was so awkward and painful. I trot down to the common room kitchen because I know there are some really nice frozen berries in the freezer there, the kind I don't have in my fridge.

And when I get back, the air in my apartment is cold. The breeze across my skin makes me shiver and I drop the berries on the kitchen counter. Where is it coming from? That's when I see the curtains fluttering around the balcony door.

I gasp. It's open. “Toby!" I run to it, calling his name.

He's not on the balcony. Well, he is, but he's not standing on the balcony. He's in Everett's arms — Everett, who's standing right next to the railing. Everett, who turns to me, holding my squirming, meowing cat in his arms.

He edges closer to the railing and panic scours me right through the chest. "Don't move another inch," I tell him. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

He smirks at me. "We're enjoying the fresh air," he says, "obviously, and the view. It's beautiful here, isn't it?"

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