College Girl (25 page)

Pulling the ski mask over my head,
I watched as a dark form jumped the fence from the adjacent yard and landed in
Alex’s. The second he reached for the awning and started to pull himself up
onto the wooden beam, I rose from where I was sitting, duct tape in hand.
Cutting silently across the yard, I grabbed both his legs and yanked with all
my force. Caught by surprise, he fell like a brick onto the concrete.

“Going somewhere, shithead?” I
whispered in his ear as I ripped off a piece of tape and slapped it over his
mouth.

When he struggled, I shoved a knee
in his groin and flipped him onto his stomach, taping his wrists next.
Searching his pockets, I pulled out the pocket knife, several small baggies
containing various pills and powders, a pack of cigarettes, a lighter, his
wallet, the keys to his Mustang, and a cell phone, which I took the battery out
of.

Lifting him roughly by the elbow,
I pushed him forward, marching him through the side yard. When he started to
struggle, I kicked him in the back of the knee and shoved him through the
well-oiled gate. Unlocking his car, I jammed him into the unmercifully small
backseat and threw the duffle bag into the passenger seat. I shut the door as
quietly as possible and went around to the driver’s side. Getting in, I
released the E-brake and rolled down the driveway before starting the engine.
As I was pulling off of Alex’s street, my passenger tried to sit up, and I
looked in the rearview.

“I haven’t decided whether I’m
going to dump you in the Pacific yet, so I’d stay the fuck down if I were you.”

I drove on side streets for
fifteen minutes until I found a nice, quiet spot to pull off. Getting out, I
wrenched the seat forward and grabbed the asshat in the backseat. With the
duffle bag over my shoulder, I marched him into the empty lot before pushing
him down on his knees.

“I hear you like hurting girls,” I
said conversationally as I pulled the bat out of the duffle bag.

His eyes widened and he thrashed,
trying to get to his feet.

“Oh, you’re worried about this?” I
asked before kicking his legs out from under him.

He landed with a stifled grunt on
the asphalt.

“You don’t have to worry about
this … unless you get anywhere near Alex again in this lifetime. In fact,
mama’s boy, I want you to move out of your parents’ house by the end of next
week, and if I so much as sniff you anywhere near that house again, I
will
bury you. Do you understand me?”

He mumbled something that sounded
remarkably like
fuck you
.

“I want you to think about tonight
the next time you think about breaking into your neighbor’s house.”

I reached into the bag and pulled
out the scissors.

“Snip, snip.”

He flinched, and I smiled as I
started cutting off his T-shirt.
Then his jeans.
I
would have left him with his cheesy bikini briefs, but I decided, fuck
it—why make it easy for him to get home? He started to struggle again,
and I figured I would let him assume the worst.

“That’s right, dickface. This is
what’s gonna happen to you in jail.”

Normally I wouldn’t hammer on a
guy who was bound, gagged, and naked. But then I thought of the bruises on
Alex’s ribcage and my hand tightened into a fist. I knocked him cold. Taking
the bottles of alcohol from the bag, I drained one over him and his clothes
before leaving another for his personal consumption if he felt so inclined when
he woke up. It would be even better if the cops picked him up naked
and
drunk off his ass.

Cutting the tape from his wrists,
I collected everything and jogged back to his car holding the baseball bat. I
should have felt some triumph, but the fact that he had laid a hand on Alex
negated it, because it never should have happened. I drove back in the
douchebag-mobile, parking several blocks from Alex’s neighborhood. I left her
neighbor’s car unlocked with the windshield cracked and the spark plugs
missing.

Jogging back to my car, I gave
Finn a cookie from the box Alex had brought. Looking down at my busted up
knuckles, I laughed. In a few hours, I would be on my way north with her, and
in a twisted fucking way, I owed the naked degenerate I had just left in an
empty lot.

Without him, I would be alone in
bed dreaming of Alex, probably only moments away from waking up in a cold
sweat.

Alex

When the alarm on my phone went
off at four, I groaned. I had just looked at the clock, and it had been
two-thirty. With a jolt, I sat upright in bed.
Ryan
! I hadn’t slept at all last night because I had been thinking
about him. For a second, I thought it had all been a dream, but then I realized
that he really was
here
. Probably
outside in his car—freezing his ass off and bored. And suddenly I felt
like a complete jerk for texting him yesterday, because nothing had happened.
Of course not.
The fucking neighbor had lied about coming
back, and like an idiot, I had believed him. Worse, the only reason he had
managed to get into the house yesterday was because my dumb ass had left the
sliding door unlocked.

Jumping out of bed, I reached for
the clothes I had set out last night and hurried down the hall to the bathroom.
I brushed my teeth and jumped into the shower. Then, before heading downstairs,
I sneaked into Stephie’s room and kissed her on the forehead, leaving her a
little glass figurine of a dolphin that I had gotten during my unsuccessful
attempt to get back to the beach earlier in the week. It had been expensive,
but I knew she’d love it.

I had said my goodbyes to everyone
already. Mom and Stephen thought that I would be gone—with
Rachel—long before they got up. When I got downstairs, I left my bags at
the front door and went to the kitchen to grab a couple of horrible cereal bars
before texting Ryan that I was ready. By the time I put on my jacket and boots
and lugged my bags outside, his car was at the curb. And when I glanced over at
the neighbors’ driveway, the Mustang was gone. I sniffed. Good. He’d probably
been out partying all night.

Pulling the rolling suitcase
toward the curb, I was careful not to trip on the stairs in the dark. A second
later, I heard his car door open, and then Ryan was beside me, taking the
suitcase and my backpack. I followed him to the car and stuck my hand in the open
window to pet Finn. Then Ryan leaned over and opened the door for me. I got in,
and when he got to the driver’s side, I looked over at him and sighed.

“Now I feel like a total idiot for
making you come all the way down here,” I muttered. “That asshole didn’t even
come back last night. I’m sorry. Did you get any sleep?”

He shook his head.

“I had a busy night.”

I frowned.

“Playing
Angry Birds
?” I laughed and handed him a cereal bar. “They’re
gross, but I was going for quick and portable.”

“I have a better idea.”

He turned on the radio and started
the car. I smiled at the song playing.
Get
Lucky
. Funny, that was how I felt right now. Ryan got on the freeway and
exited a couple of ramps later, pulling into the parking lot of an all-night
diner.

“What about Finn?”

Ryan picked up the box of treats
and shook some into his palm before tossing them into the backseat.

“He’ll be fine.”

We walked through the empty
parking lot, and when we got into the restaurant, I looked around. Saturday at
five in the morning didn’t seem to be that popular. The only other people in
the restaurant looked like they hadn’t gone to sleep yet. After the hostess put
us in a booth by the window, I raised an eyebrow.

“So? What did you do with your
busy night?”

Ryan smiled and looked out into
the dark parking lot. Then the server came up, and he ordered a black coffee. I
asked for an orange juice.

“I think it’s better if you don’t
know.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I
demanded.

“Exactly what I said.”

I shook my head in disbelief.

“Oh shit. You didn’t murder my
neighbor and dump his body somewhere, did you?”

“The thought had occurred to me.”

“Ryan!”

“Let’s just say he’s still walking
home, unless the cops picked him up for public indecency.”

“You kidnapped him?” I whispered
frantically.

“Only after he tried crawling
through your bathroom window.”

“Are you serious?”

“Perfectly. You should tell your
parents to keep that window locked.”

I nodded. They had already started
using the alarm more regularly, but a shiver ran through me when I remembered
the small window in the guest bathroom. Thinking of Stephie, my hands clenched.

“When my parents filed the report
for the burglary, the cops told them there was nothing they could do … and I
couldn’t say anything about what happened to me.”

Ryan frowned.

“Why the hell not?”

“Did I tell you what his father
does for a living?”

Ryan shook his head and took a
gulp of coffee.

“I’m not going to like this, am
I?”

“Probably not. He’s a big-time
litigator, so come on. You think they wouldn’t just hire someone to call me a
liar?”

The server came back, and I asked
for the omelet while Ryan ordered a breakfast skillet the size of his head.

“Has anyone ever told you that you
have shit luck?” he asked when the woman left.

“Or really good luck.”

He frowned again.

“How’s that? Getting followed to
the library by Ted Bundy II, running into the worst frat on campus, getting hit
by some dick too busy talking on his cell to stop at the red … living next to a
sociopath whose father sues people for a living? You wouldn’t call that shitty
luck?”

I looked down.

“I met you, didn’t I?”

Ryan was staring at me when I
looked up, but neither of us said anything. The food came, and I pretended to
be fixated on the rubbery omelet. A few minutes later, when the server brought
over the check, I reached for it. It was the least I could do. But Ryan
snatched it from me and shook his head.

“No.”

“Okay, then give me your keys. I’m
going to take Finn out.”

He handed me the keys, and I went
into the bathroom before walking out and releasing Finn from the backseat. I
grabbed some dog cookies and put on his leash, walking him to the edge of the
parking lot. When he sat down in front of me and wagged his tail, I took a
cookie from my pocket.

“You know, I’m going to miss you
when we get back to school, you crotch sniffer,” I whispered as I threw him the
treat.”

My eyes started to well up, and I
turned, looking for Ryan. I jumped about a foot in the air when I saw he was
right behind me.

“Shit! You scared me!”

He stepped forward and took my
face between his hands, wiping the corner of my eye with his thumb before bending
toward me.

“Don’t,” I whispered. “Please.
It’s not going to make it any easier when we get to school and I don’t see you
again.”

But he wouldn’t let go. His mouth
came down on mine, and a spike of pleasure ran through me as he parted my lips.
I wanted to pull away, but it was like I was in a trance. My body wouldn’t let
me stop. I just wanted more. I felt Ryan’s hand drop to the small of my back,
his tongue pushing past my lips as he pulled me all the way against him. The
feel of him pressed against me made me moan, and I gripped the front of his
shirt.

When he pulled back and let me go,
I pressed my fingers to my lips and started walking quickly toward the car.
Fuck. This had been a bad idea.
Such a bad idea.
What
had made me think I could do this? But if he hadn’t come down, and that guy had
come back … I shuddered, not wanting to think about what might have happened
last night. Unlocking the car door, I put the key in the ignition and watched
as Ryan put Finn in the backseat.

He sat down in the driver’s seat a
second later and glanced over at me. Could things get anymore confusing? I
looked out the window as we got onto 405. Ryan turned on the music again, and I
continued to stare out the window, trying to think of something rational to say,
but the only thing that came to mind was:
Pull
over. I want to climb on top of you and ride you like a wild animal.
I
almost laughed at the thought, but I caught myself.

Within a half hour or so of
awkward silence, I started getting really sleepy. I sneaked a look at Ryan, who
obviously hadn’t slept at all, either. He had ordered a coffee to go, and there
were dark circles under his eyes. I stared out the window, trying not to yawn,
and figured I would offer to drive after another hour. The next thing I knew,
someone was shaking me gently.

“Alex …”

I blinked and stretched. I was
comfortable … and horizontal. Slowly I realized that Ryan must have reclined my
seat. Looking to the right, I saw that the car door was open—and he was
staring down at me. When he held out his hand, I took it sleepily.

“Are we at the dorms?” I asked,
rubbing my eyes.

Ryan laughed.

“Sorry, I couldn’t make it that
far on no sleep.”

I got out and stretched my legs,
looking around the parking lot. I smelled—ocean air. Oh shit. We hadn’t
come up 5—that was for sure. Spinning around, I looked across the parking
lot and saw a swanky-looking hotel.

“Where are we?”

“Central Coast.”

“You went up 101?” I gasped
accusingly.

Ryan nodded and laughed again.

“You sound disappointed.”

“Doesn’t 101 take, like, twice as
long as 5?”

“That’s why we’re taking a break
for food and sleep.”

He walked around to the trunk and
took out my bag and his, plus a full grocery bag.

“You went to the store? Where’s
Finn?”

“He’s in the room already. Now, do
you have any more questions before we go up to the room so that I can pass
out?”

I smirked at him.

“You know, I could have driven.”

He gave me a look.

“That’s why you just spent the
past four hours sleeping? Because you were so well rested?”

I shrugged guiltily. I was still tired.
We walked across the parking lot and into the lobby, which was freakishly
opulent. The cost of this place finally dawned on me as I stared down at the
intricately designed floor. This was no budget motel. What the fuck was Ryan
thinking? I stayed silent, but by the time we got to the room and he opened the
door, I was practically hyperventilating. There was an oceanfront
view—and a massive king bed. Finn ran over to me as Ryan set down the
bags in the corner and stripped off his shirt.

“Can you put the groceries in the
refrigerator?” he asked. “I haven’t showered since yesterday morning, so I’m
going to get cleaned up. Then I’m going to crash.”

I bit my lip and nodded as he
disappeared into the bathroom. Then I grabbed the grocery bag and started piling
stuff onto the marble counter and transferring the perishables into the
refrigerator. Vegetables, fresh pasta, a loaf of French bread, herbs, salt,
pepper, garlic, a small bottle of olive oil, tomato sauce, something wrapped in
a brown bag, sparkling water, parmesan, a chocolate pastry of some kind, a
bottle of apple cider, a bottle of wine. Taking out the box of dog cookies,
which had been sitting on top, I gave one to Finn. Then I walked over to the
glass door and went out onto the balcony.

“Whoa.”

The view of the beach below and
the bright blue water stretching into the distance was impressive. It made me
wonder about the hotel that Ryan had booked in San Francisco before the
accident—the hotel where he had been planning to take me to … I shivered.
Feeling the tension between my eyes and the knot in my shoulders, I decided
just to let it all go. I was here, with Ryan. And after this, I would probably
never see him again, so I figured I might as well enjoy it while I could. Finn
came out and sprawled on the floor of the balcony next to me.

“Yeah, it’s kind of perfect, isn’t
it?” I mumbled to the dog.

Finn rolled onto his back, and I
patted his chest. Looking up, I saw Ryan standing on the other side of the
glass with just a towel wrapped low around his hips. He looked … perfect.
Turning around, I faced the view, and the next time I dared to look, he was in the
bed, fast asleep. After a few minutes, I tiptoed inside and looked down at him.
His hair was still damp and he had the slightest frown on his face like he was
contemplating serious things while sleeping. Yawning, I walked over to my bag
and pulled out a pair of little pink shorts and a white T-shirt. I changed
outfits in the bathroom—which was fucking awesome. The shower alone was
nearly the size of my dorm room. Back in the room, I dropped down onto the
couch across from the bed, curled up, and closed my eyes. Bad car sleep hadn’t done
much for me, and I passed out.

When I rolled over, I felt soft
sheets against my skin, and for several seconds I thought I was home. The only
problem was that the sheets were too soft, and the bed was several times larger
than the twin at Mom and Stephen’s. My head jerked to the side, and I saw Ryan
on the other side of the bed, fast asleep. He must have woken up, moved me to
the bed, and then gone back to sleep.

I closed my eyes, and by the time
I woke up again, the sun was lower in the sky, which meant I must have slept
most of the freaking day. Sitting up groggily, I swung my legs over the side of
the bed. It felt like years had passed since the morning. Looking toward the
balcony, I saw Ryan looking out at the view as the sun approached the horizon.

“I didn’t want you to be
uncomfortable,” he said when I walked outside and joined him.

His blond hair was disheveled, and
I caught myself wondering what he had been wearing in bed. Looking down, I
smiled.

“Thanks for moving me. I can’t
believe I didn’t even wake up.”

He pointed toward the view.

“We pretty much killed most of the
day. You want to get out and take a walk before the sun goes down?”

I nodded and followed him back
into the room where he pulled on a shirt as I grabbed my clothes and went into
the bathroom to change. By the time I came out, he was waiting at the door with
Finn on a leash. Walking downstairs, we crossed through the lobby, and I let
myself imagine that we were here on vacation—or on our honeymoon. But I
quickly banished the thought. Outside, there was a path along the resort
overlooking the ocean.