Catch My Fall (12 page)

The only downside to the night was that Darby texted to say she wasn’t coming home.  I like Brandon and all, but I
thought she was making a mistake by jumping into a relationship with someone else when she was so in love with Trace.

I wished she would come home so I could tell her about Tristan, but then I realized that was probably a bad idea. 
They were very close and with everything that had happened between her and Trace, it might be a sore subject.

I fell asleep debating whether to tell her everything or not.

I woke up in the Nurse’s office at school with several people standing around me, but even when they asked me if I was okay, I didn’t answer. 
I wasn’t okay at all and there was no way to pretend that I was. 

There were hushed whispers as the adults in the room tried to figure out what the hell was wrong with me and what had gone so horribly wrong with Macy.  They were wondering if we were both having bad reactions to some kind of drug, and I went away in my head thinking about how I wished that were true.  At least if it was a reaction to a drug, there would be a chance to be well again.  Whatever happen
ed from here on out, I would always be a mess.  How could I not be?

My mother burst through the door in the Nurse’s office some time later and made a beeline straight for me.  Dropping to her knees on the floor next to the cot I was on, she grabbed my face in her hands and stared into my eyes, frantically trying to figure out what was happening with me.  I wondered what the school had told her when they called but couldn’t find the will to ask. 

“What’s wrong, baby?  What’s happening?  Why did Macy have a breakdown?  Mary is beside herself.   You need to tell me if you took anything.”

Looking around the room I saw that all eyes were on me.  Turning my head back to my mom, I shook my head emphatically.  “We didn’t do drugs.  I need to tell you what happened, need to tell Mary, but I can’t do it in front of them.  Can you take me to the hospital?”

She tried to argue that I was in no condition to go anywhere, but I knew that Macy wouldn’t get the help she needed if I didn’t speak up now.  I heard my mom talking to Macy’s mom, Mary, on the phone, realized she was telling her that we were coming, but I didn’t connect with anything that was said.

Mom tried to get me to speak the entire way to the hospital, but I was incapable of speech.  I huddled in my seat, my body pressed tightly against the door as I prayed that this would all just go away.  I’d give anything to wake up and find out that this was all just a horrible nightmare, a Final Destination type scenario where I had glimpsed the ugliness of the future if I made one bad decision.  Silently I swore to God that if
He would just let me wake up with a do-over, I’d stay so far away from Brady Howard I would never even be in the same zip code as him.  My prayers went unanswered and we reached the hospital without me waking up from the nightmare.

I struggled to remain upright when I saw that we were at the entrance to the psychiatric wing of the hospital, and the guilt was like a tsunami crashing down over me. 
Was it even possible to survive this?  Right then, it didn’t feel like it.  Every step I took on the way into the hospital was a form of torture but somehow I did it.

Mary was a mess when she met us in the hall, and I held onto her while she led us to a waiting room.  The time was coming and there was nothing that I was going to be able to do to delay the inevitable.  My mom and Mary ha
d to be told and I couldn’t put it off for another second.  Screwing my eyes shut tightly I blurted it out in a rush.

“Macy and I ran into Brady at the mall.  A few days later, he texted and invited the two of us over to his house.  When we were there, he and his friend drugged us.  They assaulted me and raped Macy.”

My eyes snapped open at the sound of their gasps and the instantaneous tears that came from both of them.  Before they could ask questions, I continued on and told them the entire story, including the fact that there were photos and that Brady, Chad, or someone they’re friends with created a Facebook group and that everyone we know had seen the pictures. 

Mom was hysterical and Mary was no better, the two of them holding onto me and crying as I explained.  I told Mary that the Facebook group had been the final straw for Macy, and she cried like her heart was being ripped out of her chest.

They cried and cried as they asked the obvious questions: why hadn’t we told anyone?  Why had we gone to Brady’s at all?  I confessed everything, and when I was finished, they both understood why we hadn’t said anything even though they both disagreed with the decision.  The two of them wanted to call the police and I agreed that I would talk to them after Mary told the people treating Macy what they were actually dealing with.

When Mary came back, she and my mother held hands as my mother made the call to the police.  I was almost completely unglued and was feeling so humiliated, but I kept it as together as possible for Macy’s sake.  She need
ed help and the only way to ensure that things went back to anything like normal was to make sure that Brady stopped with the pictures.

Two officers came to the hospital to take my statement, and by the time they arrived my stepfather and Macy’s father were in the waiting room with us.  The police let my mother stay with me while I recounted everything that had happened, but everyone else was sent out of the room. 

Honestly, I think it was worse telling the police than it would have been to tell Neil and Macy’s dad.  Whatever idea I’d had in my head about the reaction from the police wasn’t what happened at all.  As soon as they realized I was talking about Brady Howard, they exchanged looks and started to treat me like I might be making up the story.  Even showing them the Facebook group didn’t change their demeanor.  One of them even went so far as to tell me that what they were looking at seemed as though it was consensual. Where telling my mom and Mary had been traumatizing, telling the police was far, far worse.  They didn’t treat me like a victim; they treated me like a suspect.

The sound of my phone chiming to let me know that
I had a message woke me up.  Leaning across my bed, I picked the phone up off my bedside table as I peeked at my clock to see that it was just before nine-thirty. With a yawn I swiped a finger across my screen, breaking out into a big smile when I saw that the text was from Tristan.

Tristan: I’ve got a bazillion puzzle pieces on my table and they’re calling out to be assembled.  You need to get over here ASAP to help put this thing together.

Me: Pretty sure it’s not a bazillion. 

Tristan: Really? My OCD says there are that many.  You have to come help me put this in order.

Me: I could come over this afternoon, if that’s okay with you.  I need to eat, head to the fitness center to work out and then come back here to shower and get dressed.

My phone started to ring and when I saw that it was Tristan the butterfly feeling in my stomach went wild.  Sliding my finger across the screen I answered the call.

“Is texting too much for your fingers?” I joked.

“Nope, I can go all day, trust me.  I’m calling because I want you to work out with me.  The facilities on campus are pretty weak.  I work out at the gym next to the pool hall we were at that night that girl went loco on me.  I’ve got a guest pass with your name on it and if you pack a bag, you can shower and get dressed in the locker room there.  Wanna go?”

I did, I definitely did, but I was scared too.  I didn’t think Tristan was boyfriend material, but after last night I knew that I felt something for him that was a lot bigger than friendship.

“You aren’t saying anything.  Why aren’t you saying anything?”

He sounded…nervous.  Adorably flipping nervous and my stomach started doing backflips because of it.  There was no going back now—I wanted him in my life. 

“Sorry, I just woke up so my brain is still half-asleep.  What time do you want to meet up at the gym?”

“How about I pick you up at ten o’clock?”

That g
ave me just enough time to get dressed, pack a bag, eat a protein bar and drink a glass of milk, but it would work.

“Sounds good.  I’ll be ready.”

“I’ll be right on time.  See you then.”

Jumping from my bed I ran into the bathroom to brush my teeth, wash my face, brush my hair and throw it up into a bun.  Even though I leave my hair down as much as possible, I can’t do that when I’m working out because sweaty hair in my face is just too nasty.  Rushing back into my room I grabbed a protein bar from the shelving over the microwave and munched it down while I stared into my drawer and tried to decide what to wear.  Seriously, who spends time thinking about what to wear to the gym?  In a stunning turn of events, I D
ID.  After several minutes of going through the drawer like a crazy person, I realized that I really didn’t have any ‘cute’ workout gear.  Grabbing a pair of black yoga pants and one of my sport bra tank tops, I quickly got dressed before throwing on my Nikes and packing a bag of clothes to change into after we worked out.  Looking at myself in the mirror, I let out a groan of frustration.  Why didn’t I have any attractive workout shorts with a matching top? 

After taking a single serve carton of milk from the fridge, I headed out to wait for Tristan.  I figured I’d have to wait for a few minutes but when I got outside he was standing next to his car at the curb in front of my dorm.  I’ve never been one to say that a car can make a guy seem hotter, but in this case, it’s totally true, and it d
idn’t hurt at all that he drives my dream car.  Seeing Tristan behind the wheel of his open-top yellow Jeep is definitely
not
a turn off.  I’d seen the car in his driveway but this was the first time I was driving with him anywhere.

My heart went pitter-pat when he came forward and gave me a quick hug before opening the passenger side door for me.  This
was the first time in my life that a male other than Neil or my Uncle Jesse had opened a car door for me and I was surprised by how touched I was by the gesture.  Tristan Chamberlain was full of all kinds of surprises.

As I went to step into the car I heard Darby calling my name.  Turning on my heel I found her walking hand in hand with Brandon toward us.  She gave me a hug before turning to kiss Tristan’s cheek as he enveloped her in a big hug.

When she stepped away from Tristan she slid her hand right back into Brandon’s and pulled him forward.  “Brandon, this is Tristan.  Tristan, this is my boyfriend, Brandon.”

I couldn’t help it, I gasped.  Darby laughed as she shook her head at me.  “He asked me at dinner last night.  For the first time in my life, I’m
someone’s girlfriend!”

She seemed to be trying too hard to be happy, but I said and did all of the right things that a friend should do in front of other people, high-fiving her and telling them both how great I thought the news
was. Even Brandon seemed less happy about it than he should have, but Darby was
gung-ho to do
it and there was no stopping her. 

After muttering congratulations, Tristan stayed completely silent while Darby and I prattled on.  Once we finished talking we all said goodbye and Tristan helped me into the car as Darby and Brandon walked into our dorm building.

I couldn’t help but wonder if Darby is making a huge mistake with Brandon.  He was definitely a really nice guy, and incredibly good-looking to boot, but I knew that she wasn’t over Trace and making it official with Brandon seemed like a bad decision.

After getting into his seat and buckling in, Tristan put the Jeep into gear and began to drive.  He was silent for a minute before he finally spoke.  “So she’s officially off the market now.  That’s really…weird.  Where did she meet that guy?”

Tracing figure eights on my pant leg I answered, “We went to a party at his frat a few weekends ago and they’ve been seeing each other ever since.”

My answer didn’t please him and I could tell because he went tense all over and his
hands were gripping the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles were white.  “You went to a frat party?”

“Well, yeah.  Is there something wrong with that?”

The silence stretched out before he finally shook his head.  “I guess not since nothing bad happened. But frats can be dangerous places, Mia.  I don’t trust situations like that and I hate to think of you and Darby being there without protection.  I just…
really
fucking don’t like that shit.  I’m surprised that Darby did something so reckless.  She damn well knows better and I’m annoyed.  You could have been hurt.  Promise me that if you go again, you’ll call me.”

I
couldn’t believe how protective he was.  “I know how dangerous frats are, Tristan.  I promise that I stayed sober the entire night and I made sure that Darby and I were safe the entire time.  I’m sure that with her dating Brandon we’re bound to wind up back there at some point, but I know that he’ll take care of us.  Allie was there that night and even she said that Gamma was a good frat full of nice guys.  We were as safe as we could be, I swear.  You don’t have to feel like you need to protect us. I don’t want you to worry.”

He had the car pulled over in seconds and he ran his hands through his hair while he stared at me.  “But I do worry and I can’t stop because it’s just who I am.  Darby’s like a sister to me and you’re… well…
you
.”  Turning to look out the window he blew out a frustrated breath.  “You already mean something, Mia.  I need to know that you’re safe.  If you go back to the frat, please fucking call me and let me know.  I’ll be there.”

I nodded my head like a marionette.  “I’ll call, I promise.”

Turning away from me he looked out the window in silence for a moment.  “I don’t know how to do this and God knows I’ve never wanted to.  I get that Darby went on and on about me being some kind of freak-show Malore, and I know that I earned that name, but I’m not trying to play you or be a fucking idiot.  I’ve never been friends with a girl before and I never wanted to be, either.  Darby doesn’t count because to me, she’s family.  I asked you to be friends because I like you, Mia.  More than I wanted to and certainly more than I should, but I do. The more time we spend together the bigger it gets and I’m not walking away.  I like you a hell of a lot more than I’d like a friend and I think that last night showed that I’m not going to be able to pretend that I don’t.  I want to try… I want to see where this goes.  What do you think about that?”

My heart
was pounding so fast that I swore it was powering the engine.  He liked me! He liked me!  But still….I was scared shitless.  What if I was a complete failure at dating?

“I think I’m scared.  No, I know I am.  I’m… prickly.  I mean… I’m not normal, Tristan.  But… yes.  I like you.”

Cupping my chin in his hand, he gently turned me so that I was looking into his beautiful chocolate eyes, which really wasn’t fair to my heart because it made it beat quadruple time.  “You’re normal, Mia.  Me…not so much.  I think you need me to tread gently, but the truth is, I need that just as much as you do.  Can we take things slow and just see where we end up?”

I want
ed that badly, but I also wanted to make sure that I wasn’t going to feel like an idiot for not asking the most important question.  Summoning up my courage, I asked the one question that would determine whether I was willing to try with him.

“I can do slow, but I can’t be one of many.  I’m not saying that you have to be my boyfriend, it’s clear that neither of us is ready for something like that, but I also don’t want to look like an idiot if you’re going to continue sleeping with randoms like Tiffany.  If that’s what you want to do, I understand and I won’t judge you… but I’m not going down this road if that’s what you’re going to do.”

I wondered if he would be angry that I’d said that, but if anything, he looked sad that I’d had to. 

“I’m not going to be bagging any randoms, Mia.  Whatever this is, I want to try. I want to be good enough for you, and I mean that.  I promise that I won’t do anything to hurt you like that.”

“Then yes.  I want to try, too.  Slowly.”

When he looked at me and smiled, my heart melted all over his dashboard. 
I was dating Tristan Chamberlain. 

Wiggling his eyebrows at me like a goofball he asked, “Can we seal that with a kiss?”

My answer was to meet him halfway, and he held my face gently as he kissed me deeply.  Tristan knows how to kiss, no doubt about that.  I leaned into him as we kissed, and we only separated when a passing car honked their horn and yelled out, “Get a room, losers!”  Pulling apart, we looked at each other and burst out laughing.  When our laughter died down, he pulled the Jeep back into traffic and drove us the rest of the way to his gym.  I smiled like a goofy idiot when he ran around the car and opened the door for me, and then I shivered when he slung his arm across my shoulder and walked me into the gym.

I’d noticed the gym the night that I was at the pool hall, mostly due to its sheer size.  It’s huge, new looking
, and it dominates the left side of the shopping center.  As we entered the building, Tristan guided me to the front desk.  There was an incredibly hot, unbelievably muscular guy behind the desk, and even though I didn’t find myself attracted to him, I was still human and it would be impossible not to notice how handsome he was.  Looking up at us, he raised a hand in greeting. 

“Hey man! You’re not on the schedule today so I assume you’re here to work out.  Since you don’t bring chicks in and you’d cut your junk off before getting all cozy with a girl, I gotta assume this is Darby.”

He smiled at me as he spoke, and I laughed when Tristan started spluttering next to me.  “Ah, no. Dude! No. This isn’t Darby.  This is my…. Uh, this is… Mia.  We’re dating… and I didn’t cut my junk off.  Colin, this is Mia.  Mia, this is Colin.”

Colin’s eyebrows went up so high
I wondered if they were going to stay lodged up near his hairline permanently.  After shaking his head dramatically, Colin’s eyebrows went back to their normal spot on his face.  Sticking out his hand, he shook mine.  “It’s great to meet you, Mia.  I’m sorry I just acted like a total idiot but I thought this one was allergic to anything that smacked of normal.  Not that I’m saying you’re normal… Oh Christ, I am all over the fucking place making an ass out of myself.  Clearly you’re normal; I meant boring…fuck me, I’ll shut up now.”

Laughing out loud, Tristan nodded his head.  “Yeah, you probably should.  You just butchered this introduction beyond belief.  Can you get the waiver form that she needs to sign to use the gym today?”

It only took a few minutes for Colin to find the form and have me sign it, and after that Tristan walked me down to the locker rooms so I could put my stuff into a locker.  I was glad he’d thought ahead and borrowed a lock from the front desk for me, and after putting everything away, I met him back in the hallway.

When he saw me he asked, “What’s your workout of choice?”

“I’m boring—I run or take a spin class.  How about you?”

“I run, use the elliptical or do weights.  Let’s head upstairs to the track and run.”

We took the stairs up to the indoor track and then began walking to warm up.  Looking over at him I asked, “So, you work here?”