Knowing You (The Jade Series #2) (22 page)

“Okay.” He pulls me back down to his chest. “But I really like Christmas so I’m telling you right now that I’ll be dragging you all over the city to see the lights.”

“If that’s what you want to do, then fine.” I act like I don’t care, but secretly I’ve wanted to go to New York City at Christmas since I was a little girl. I used to see the giant tree at Rockefeller Center on TV and always wished I could see it in person. And now that wish might actually come true.

Later that day, Harper returns from California so I hang out in her room while Garret goes to the pool. She gives me all the gossip about her friends in LA, one of whom is now dating an actor on a soap opera. I don’t watch soaps so I have no idea who he is, but Harper claims he’s the hottest guy on daytime TV.

I don’t see Garret again until after dinner. He says his family got back from their trip and that his dad even asked if I had a nice Thanksgiving. I still don’t understand what’s going on there, but I’ve decided not to dwell on it. Like Garret said, I can’t control the future. I just have to live in the here and now.
 

The rest of the week is busier than usual. The professors have all decided to ramp up the number of assignments and quizzes, trying to cram in as much as possible before winter break. I work like crazy trying to finish the homework because I want to be able to go to New York this weekend. I don’t know how Garret’s getting it all done. He has just as much homework as me plus swimming. I barely see him.

On Thursday morning, we have breakfast together to catch up.
 

“I’m leaving for the swim meet around noon and won’t be back until tonight,” Garret says. “I’ll come by your room when I get back.”
 

“Okay, if you’re not too tired.”

“I don’t care if I’m tired. I miss you. I never see you anymore.”

“We see each other as much as we did before Thanksgiving.”

“Maybe. But then I had five whole days with you and I got used to it.” He reaches across the table and takes my hand. “I think I developed a Jade addiction and now I’m going through withdrawal.”

I laugh. “Then you better stop by tonight.”

“It might be kind of late. There’s a storm coming and the coach said it could delay us getting back.”

“Oh, great. Now I’ll worry about you getting in an accident. Thanks a lot, Garret.”

“We won’t get in an accident.” His thumb rubs the top of my hand. “But it’s sweet that you’re worried about it.”

“It’s not sweet.” I take my hand back. “I just don’t want you to die. That’s all.”

My tone is both caring and hostile at the same time, which apparently he finds funny because he starts to laugh then pretends to be serious. “I’ll try not to die. I’ll text you updates along the way.”

“I don’t know how to text. Does that phone you got me do that?”

Now he can’t help but laugh. “Yes. Give it to me. I’ll show you.”

After my cell phone lesson, we go our separate ways. The snow is already falling as I head to class. I wouldn’t have even considered the slick roads if he hadn’t brought it up, but now I’ll be worrying all day.

During lunch, all I can think about is Garret being in a bus on those snow-covered roads. I don’t know why I’m so worried. I grew up in Iowa. We had heavy snowfall all the time and I never worried about Ryan or Frank getting in an accident But it’s different with Garret. Part of me still feels like something bad is looming just around the corner.

After dinner, I work on a paper for English. It’s not due until the last day of the semester but I want to get it done. The cell phone sits next to my laptop and I keep checking for messages but have none. Finally at 9, I get one.

Garret: We left a half hour ago. Had no cell reception in that town. Sorry!

I attempt to text back. I’m really slow. I’m probably the only person my age who has never done this before.

Me: What time do you think you’ll be back?

Garret: I’ll let you know when we get closer. Probably 11.

Two more hours of worrying? Great. I go back to my English paper. I get another text at 10 telling me the roads are getting better and not to worry. I still worry.
 

At 10:30, I see another one pop up, which reads: Be there at 11. Leave your door unlocked. Wait in bed. I’ll meet you there:)

What’s with the smiley face? That’s not at all Garret’s style but maybe he’s making a joke. I change into a long t-shirt to sleep in and get into bed. At 11:10, he’s still not here. I check the phone and notice he sent a text at 11:05 that reads: Back in town. See you soon.

A few minutes later, I hear him open the door.
 

“Finally,” I say. “I didn’t think you’d ever get here.” I turn away, waiting for him to snuggle in behind me. I feel him get into bed, but notice an odd smell. I know it sounds strange, but I know Garret’s smell. Even when he doesn’t have cologne on, I know it’s him. And this is not him.

I bolt up in bed, but a hand covers my mouth and shoves me back down. I feel a heavy body on top of me, covering me so I can’t move. And then I smell the stench of woodsy cologne.
 

“Hey, Ohio. Been waiting up for me?” In the dim light of my room, I see Blake’s face. It’s covered in this horrible, disgusting grin.
 

I try to scream but the sound is muffled by his large hand which is still held tight against my mouth. I feel like I can’t breathe. My heart is beating super fast and the tiny bit of air I can breathe in through my nose isn’t enough.
 

Blake’s arms are so long that’s he’s able to pin both of mine to the bed, while also covering my mouth. And his legs are so big and heavy that as much as I try, I can’t move my lower body.
 

I feel the fabric of his jeans against my bare legs and his flesh touching my inner thigh. His pants are undone and he has nothing underneath them. He begins grinding up against me, with only my thin panties between us.
 

I instantly remember all the self-defense moves Ryan taught me; make bony parts meet soft tissue. He told me that over and over again. I try to get my elbow free but can’t.
 

“Don’t fight it, bitch,” Blake says. “You know you want this.”
 

I try to wiggle my leg free to knee him. It makes him stop grinding for a second, but I still can’t get my leg out from under him. He’s so heavy. I try to bite his hand but he moves it just enough that I can’t get it. I finally just head butt him, which bumps his hand off my mouth long enough for me to scream louder than I’ve ever screamed in my life.

“Jade!” The door bursts open and the light turns on.
 

I feel Blake being yanked off me. Within seconds blood spatters my wall. Garret is beating Blake repeatedly. I’m assuming the blood on my wall is from Blake’s nose but I really don’t know. Blake tries to fight back but Garret is much stronger and a thousand times more angry. He hits him once more and Blake’s head slams into the wall, knocking him unconscious. Blake is covered in blood. His face is a mess and I’m sure every part of his body is bruised.

Garret races over to me. “Jade, are you okay?”

I hear people running down the hall so I hurry over and grab my jeans and a sweatshirt and put them on. My door is still open and I look up to see Jasmine, my RA, standing there, a look of shock and horror on her face as she takes in the bloody scene. Girls from my floor start to gather around her.
 

“He was attacking her, Jaz!” Garret says, seeing her reaction.
 

“I know, Garret. But I have to call it in.” She says it like she feels bad for doing so. Like she thinks telling the police will get Garret in trouble, which doesn’t make sense. Blake’s the one who caused this.
 

Jasmine gets out her phone and goes in the hallway. The other girls follow, whispering to each other.

Garret’s hands and shirt are spattered with blood and his eye is starting to swell where Blake hit him. He puts his arms around me and holds me tighter than he’s ever held me before.
 

“Please tell me you’re okay,” he says quietly. “Tell me he didn’t hurt you.”
 

“I’m okay,” I say, burying my face in his chest.
 

Within minutes, we hear sirens. An ambulance takes Blake away just as the police come into my room. Before I can even explain what happened, an officer comes up to Garret and cuffs his wrists.
 

“Garret Kensington, you’re under arrest for the assault of Blake Edwards, the third. . .”
 

The officer keeps talking as I stand there in complete disbelief. This can’t be happening. This isn’t Garret’s fault. This is Blake’s fault. He caused the whole scene. Garret was just protecting me.
 

“No! You can’t take him!” I scream at the officer. “Why are you doing this? He was helping me!”

“Jade,” Garret says calmly. “It’s okay.”
 

One officer takes him away while the other one stays behind.
 

“I need to fill out a report.” The officer stands there with a clipboard and a pen. “Can you tell me what happened here?”

My mind is racing, thinking about Garret and Blake and wondering how this even happened.
 

The officer is still waiting for me to respond. I hear his voice again. “Miss, I need you to explain what happened.”

“Yes, okay.” I explain the whole scene, from the second Blake entered my room pretending to be Garret. The officer acts like it’s not that big a deal, which makes me so furious I just want to scream at him again.

“So the boy was on top of you but there was no penetration, correct?”

I feel sick just hearing him use that word. And what does he even mean by that question? If there wasn’t penetration, there was no crime?
 

“He held me down against my will,” I explain for the third time. “He was trying to rape me. He would’ve done it if Garret hadn’t walked in. Don’t you get that? Garret was getting him off me.”

“He did more than get him off you. That’s what the charges were for.”

“Who charged him? Nobody even knows about this.”

“Blake’s father knows. Your RA called him right after she called us. He’s over at the hospital now with his son.” The officer looks at me, almost like I should feel sorry for Blake. “That boy was beat up pretty bad. Your friend, Garret, has some serious charges against him. Blake’s father is attorney general for the state of Connecticut. That carries some weight.”

“Yeah, I know,” I say quietly, remembering how the system works. Blake’s dad will use his position to do as much damage as possible to Garret.
 

“If you have anything else to tell me, here’s my card.” He hands it to me, then leaves.

I sit there at my desk unable to move or think. I hear a knock on the door but it opens before I can get there.

“Jade!” Harper races over to me. “I was over at Sean’s. Jasmine called and told me everything. I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

“No. I’m not okay.”

If there was ever going to be a test of our friendship, this is it. Given my history with friends, I’m kind of expecting Harper to tell me that my life is too much of a mess and we can’t be friends anymore. Just like my friends did back in high school after my mom killed herself.
 

But instead, she hugs me. And the emotion that had been hidden by shock and fear comes pouring out. I can’t stop the tears. I can’t even try to hold them back.
 

I feel Harper’s head lift up slightly and hear her gasp as she notices the blood on the wall and the floor. She hugs me tighter.
 

“Let’s go to my room,” she says. “You need to get out of here.”

“Harper, they took him. They took Garret like he was some kind of criminal. He didn’t do anything.”

She glances up again. She can tell by the blood everywhere that he definitely did do something.

“Let’s talk about it in my room, okay?”

I pull away from her. “What are they going to do to him? What do these charges mean? I don’t know anything about the legal system or jail time or how any of that works.”

“His dad will pay the bail and get him out. I’m sure his dad has the best attorneys. Come on. Let’s go.”

“I need to shower. I still smell him on me.”

“Okay, let’s get your stuff.” She picks up my shower caddy while I get some clothes from the drawer.

When I get out of the shower, I go to Harper’s room where Jasmine is waiting. “Jade, have you called anyone yet?”

“No. Why?”

“It’s generally school policy to call the parents if a student is involved in a crime. And, well, your file lists someone named Frank who I know isn’t really your parent so technically I’m not required to call him, but I think you should let him know.”

“So the police are considering this a crime? That officer just acted like Blake wouldn’t get in trouble for this.”

“There aren’t any charges filed against Blake. You’d have to press charges, Jade, and the police said you hadn’t done that yet.”