I looked right at Phoebe. “I’m going to get a restraining order.”
Her eyes narrowed, but she looked back down to the floor. The resident advisor was right next to her and said to the second cop, “I’ll go with you guys. I can answer some of your questions about Phoebe.”
The humor fled as both seemed to assess the RA for a second time, raking her up and down. It was as if they realized something more was going on. The first one clipped his head in a nod, reaching for his radio. “Sounds good.” He pressed the button, speaking quickly into it. He looked at us. “You want a ride in the squad car or follow behind us?”
We moved as one.
I moved back into Shay at the same time he moved forward, folding me behind him. “We’ll meet you there.”
“I’m coming with you guys.” Casey’s shoulders were rolled back and set in a determined line. Kristina was next to her, and Casey clipped her head to the right. “Her, too. We’re Kennedy’s roommates.”
“Sounds good to me.” The first cop led the way. “See you all at the station.”
The second cop trailed behind, holding on to Phoebe’s arm with our resident advisor behind them.
“Are they arresting that girl?”
Casey snorted. “They should.”
“Come on.” Shay nodded to Linde, guiding me forward with his hand behind my back. “I’ll drop you off—”
“He can ride with us.”
Casey spoke again, and Linde stopped to appraise her. She looked at him. “If you want.”
He narrowed his eyes and then nodded slowly. “Okay. I’ll ride with them.”
Kristina stepped forward, leaning close to me. “Are you okay?”
She genuinely wanted to know, and it was enough.
The tears burst free.
Shay pulled me back into his arms. “Come on. I have you.”
I have you.
I clung to those words and Shay’s hand through the rest of the morning.
After I recounted the entire story to the police officer, we were led into a room. A detective came for a few questions to wrap everything up. It was then that we learned they were aware of Phoebe.
Phoebe had stalked two girls and a guy in high school. All were connected to her brother so a protocol was put in place when she was accepted to Dulane University. She was supposed to have been checked in on twice a day, once by the RA and once by another staff member. If they noticed any changes in behavior, they were to notify her parents.
Phoebe had been fine, but they hadn’t known about her connection to Shay Coleman.
The more I heard, the further my stomach dropped.
I could only shake my head at the end. “I don’t get how she can go to school and live across the hall from me. I mean, it sounds like she’s dangerous.”
“She can be if she isn’t on the right meds.” The detective brought the advisor into our room, and she was answering our questions. She was choosing her words carefully. “She never hurt the other victims, and it’d been a few years since the last incident. I really and truly had no idea her connection to Shay.” She looked at him. “I’m so sorry. If I’d known, I never would’ve let Kennedy move to our floor. You have to believe me. I feel awful that something could’ve happened.”
He glanced to me, worry lines forming around his mouth and bags under his eyes. “Just move into the house. For now, anyway.”
I shared a look with him, but that wasn’t going to be a problem.
“I’m so sorry again, Kennedy.” My RA extended a hand toward me, laying it on the desk.
I ignored it. “Is she going to stay there? Or is she going to get kicked out?”
“Uh . . .” She glanced to Shay before clearing her throat and pulling her hand back to her lap. “She will be removed from campus. Her parents are already on the way. She will be suspended for at least a semester.”
“A semester?” I’d have to see her again?
“I can’t speak for what the administration will do, but—”
Shay added, “Her parents are wealthy.”
A flicker of anger surged in me. I schooled it down, locking away all of my emotions. “What do you mean?” I looked from her to the RA. “They’ll fight it?”
She nodded, a flash of apology in her eyes. “My guess is that they will. They’ve gone to extraordinary lengths to have her attend college as a normal student. I doubt they’ll stop, even with this incident.”
“What if we can prove she came here under false pretenses?”
She and the detective both frowned at him. The detective leaned forward. “What are you talking about?”
He held up his cell. It wasn’t the one he’d been holding in his hand before. “Kennedy did call me, and the call does go in and out, but I recorded it. I heard it. She admitted that she came to this college under the pretense of watching me.”
“How’d you call the other phone?”
“My roommate’s phone. I kept this one on.” He looked to me. “There was no way I was leaving her alone, even on that line.”
The detective took the phone. “That’s helpful. We’ll take this, then?”
He nodded.
She said further, “That recording, as long as it says what you say it says, will come in handy. We’ll see how much weight we can put behind the university expelling her.”
She stood, and it was an unspoken message to the rest of us. We followed behind her toward the front lobby.
Casey, Kristina, and Linde were all waiting.
They weren’t alone.
Sabrina was also there, pale and haggard.
She stood and started to cross to me. “Oh, my gosh, Kennedy—”
I stepped back from her. “Get away.”
Her hands had lifted for a hug, but she jerked to a stop. Her body swayed forward from the abrupt motion, and I watched, waiting. Guilt filled her eyes, darkening them before her hands crossed back in front of her.
“Kennedy.” Her voice was so soft. “I didn’t know.”
“Bullshit.” She had to have. “You should’ve warned me.” I shook my head, feeling . . . I didn’t even know anymore. I turned it all off, but it was still there. Still pressing into my chest, my stomach, flipping all around and reminding me too much of worse memories. “I thought you were so nice, Sabrina. I felt bad for you, and I thought—” I stopped, feeling the tears in my throat. I shoved them down. “I thought if Shay didn’t love you, then what chance did I have with him?”
“Kennedy.” It was just my name, but I still heard the plea from her.
I shook my head again, stepping farther away from her. “No matter what you say, you knew deep down. You might not have known the extent of her crazy, but you knew she was dangerous.”
“I didn’t—”
“You knew in your gut.”
As I said those words, I saw the truth. She did, and she was admitting it to herself. I didn’t care if it was the first time or the last time. She knew, and she stood by and let it happen. As far as I was concerned, that was worse in some ways.
“Maybe.”
“You knew.”
I let my disdain drip from those two words before I left. At this point, I didn’t care who walked behind me.
I was fed up with being attacked. I was fed up with being scared. I was fed up with being a target.
Shay followed behind, calling my name.
I ignored him, walking to his Jeep in a fast clip. I waited, my hand on the handle, and he paused behind me. He stood there, watching me, but I kept staring forward. I saw his gaze in the window. After a second, he went to his side and unlocked the doors.
I opened mine, but looked back.
Kristina, Casey, and Linde were leaving the station, too.
“You okay?” Kristina asked.
I wasn’t. “I’ll be fine.” I forced a smile.
Kristina narrowed her eyes. “You sure?”
Casey snorted. “Well, fuck that. I’m not okay. Can we all stay at the house?”
Linde grinned. “Hell yeah. We’re not going to kick out two chicks, especially hot ones like you ladies.”