Chapter 5: Out of the Dark

After my shower, I grabbed my backpack, my favorite Texans ballcap, and headed downstairs. I needed coffee, pain pills, and breakfast, in that order. My first class wasn’t until 11:00 am and it was only 8:00 so I had time to catch up on email and everything else I ignored yesterday. I made some toast, poured a cup of coffee and sat down at the island with my laptop.

I had to give up and turn my phone off yesterday because it wouldn’t stop ringing. I plugged it in to charge and checked email on my computer. Good gravy ... I had dozens of emails. Well, 136 to be exact. Friends, classmates, professors, reporters ... even the Dean of the college. There were two emails from Stranger, but since the Dean’s was marked “Urgent” I opened that one first.

I felt someone standing next to me and looked up. Fish was reading over my shoulder.

“My condolences on your unfortunate circumstances? What an asshole.”

While I agreed with Fish, I was worried about being called into his office.

“You don’t think I’m in trouble, do you?”

Fish shook his head, “No way. You didn’t do anything wrong. He just wants to be a pompous jackass in person. Condolences ... that asshole makes it sound like you died.”

“Not yet,” I muttered grimly as I started wading through the mess in my inbox. I deliberately saved Stranger for last. That was going to be my reward for cleaning up the mess. Messages from people I didn’t know were glanced at and deleted. Reporters got deleted, too. I was not giving interviews. That took care of the first hundred. People I knew got a short,

“Thanks for your concern. I’m doing well and will be back to our next class.” My professors were nice, expressing concern and detailing where I could find assignments and lecture notes, which I already knew.

I poured a second cup of coffee and finally opened the first email from

Stranger.

I couldn’t help but smile. I loved every word of it. I clicked to his second email and my smile died.

Tess, are you okay? Some of the guys were talking at practice about what Finn did to you and I’m so worried about you. Are you okay? Did he hurt you, Tess?

Just thinking about it makes me want to kill Finn. Seriously, I want to smash his face to a pulp for what he did to you. He’s been kicked off the team and suspended from school.

I want to hold you so much. I need to know you’re okay. This Stranger thing can stop right now if you want. Just say the word and I’ll be there.

I only had a few minutes before I had to leave for my meeting with the

Dean. I hit reply and wrote a quick response.

I’m okay. I’ve looked better, but I’m okay. I don’t have time to write now. I have to go meet with Dean Blake and then I have a class, but

I’ll email again as soon as I can. Don’t worry about me. I’m really okay.

Tess

I hit send and then shoved my computer in my bag. I grabbed my phone, turned it on and rolled my eyes as the text messages and voicemails started flowing in. I shoved it in my pocket and grabbed my hat. With my hair loose and over my shoulders and the brim of my hat pulled down low over my eyes,

I could hopefully hide most of the damage to my face. It was worth a shot anyway. I shrugged into my fleece jacket, grabbed my bag and went to meet the Dean.

An hour later, I was back home. I could feel the steam coming out of my ears as I pulled my hat off and whipped it across the room. Goose jumped as my hat flew past his face and Brie looked at me with surprise.

“What the hell, Tess? What’s wrong?”

“I’m not allowed on campus for a week.”

“What?” Both of them looked at me with shock. “Why not?” Goose asked.

“Some bullshit from the Dean about liability and making sure I’m okay. It’s utter crap. He doesn’t want me to sue the college if someone bumps into me and hurts me. And, I would be too much of a distraction for the other students in class. So, I’m not allowed to attend class until next Monday. I think it’s bullshit. He just doesn’t want anyone to see my face and realize assault happens at his school!” I sat on a stool at the kitchen island and dumped my bag on the floor at my feet.

“But what about your grades? He can’t ban you from school.” Brie was indignant. She knew how important my good grades were to me.

I shook my head, “Yes, he can. He said he talked to all my professors and I won’t be punished or downgraded for my absence this week. They’re all going to make sure I get my assignments and class notes on the lectures via email. I have to go to the campus med center on Monday morning. If they clear me, I can go back to class then, but not before. It’s fucking bullshit!”

I could feel hot tears slip down my face. I wasn’t sad. I was god-damn furious. Why in the hell was I being punished because some drunk asshole couldn’t tell right from wrong?

Brie sat beside me and rubbed my shoulder as I stewed. “Tess, have you emailed your parents? If you tell them the Dean won’t let you attend class, they would do something about it.”

“Yeah, but then I’d have to deal with them, too. They wouldn’t give a shit about what Finn did. They’d just be upset about my missing classes. I’m not emailing them. They can stay in Europe where they belong. I’m fine without them.”

“Okay, since it’s your deal, you get to decide. We’re more your family than they are anyway.”

I reached up and squeezed her hand on my shoulder. “Damn right, Sister. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Brie patted me one more time and went back to her lunch. I made myself a turkey sandwich but even cold cuts were a little too firm for my sore jaw.

I shoved my plate away in disgust after one painful bite. I couldn’t deal with anything else so I grabbed my bag off the floor and stomped to my room, slamming my bedroom door as I stepped inside.

I changed out of my jeans and into my comfy yoga tights. I pulled one of

Eddie’s old hoodies on over my shirt. It was huge on me and Eddie grumbled about hoodie thieves every time I wore it, but it was too small for him so why should he care? It was big, warm, and comfortable which is what I needed right now. I pulled my laptop from my bag and curled up in my bed. I knew I should try to study, but I was still too churned up emotionally to concentrate. Instead, I emailed Stranger.

Don’t assume everyone is always going to think the worst of you. Not everyone is a judgmental asshole.