Fallen Crest University
Page 62
“There’s always blowback.” Logan’s jaw firmed. “Haven’t you ever been in a fight before? You wait for the blowback. You don’t search it out. Whatever he’s got going, he’ll be ready for another fight. Trust me on this.”
“The location is top secret. He’s not going to expect anything.” He jerked his head in my direction. “Sam can get the location.”
I sucked in a breath. Oh, shit.
Logan paused, stiffening, and turned to me. He was suddenly thoughtful now. I knew he was remembering whatever spat I’d had with Mason. He asked in a too quiet voice, “And how would Sam get the location so easily?”
“Because of her roommate. She’s Sebastian’s sister.”
Ruby gasped behind him.
Blaze quieted. The sides of his mouth sank down. He looked from her horrified face to my very still one and to Logan’s darkening expression. One last step backward, Blaze muttered under his breath, “Oops.” He disappeared inside Ruby’s room.
She snapped at Kitty and Nina, “Get back to studying!”
Both of them hurried inside, slamming their door behind them.
More doors closed softly, and at the end, it was Logan and me.
He ground out, his eyes flashing in anger, “Mason knows?”
It was Confession Time 2.0. I jerked my head up and down. “Yeah.”
“That’s what your tiff was about?”
“Somewhat.”
He didn’t reply to that but asked, “How long?”
“Mason told me he knew before the break.”
“That was two weeks ago.”
I swallowed over a knot. “I know.”
“How long have you known?”
“Longer than that.”
“How long, Sam?” he clipped out. A vein in his neck twitched.
“A few weeks.” It’d been three before that—one week where I was scared shitless, wondering what the hell I was doing; a second week where I was racked with guilt and shame because I was lying to my family, and they were the only ones I shouldn’t have been lying to; and the third week where I felt like everyone was going to find out. I wouldn’t have been able to make it all worth it. Everything would’ve been for nothing, which was happening right now.
“A few weeks?” he parroted.
I cringed, hearing the same emotion that Mason had masked in the library.
I’d hurt both of them now.
My door opened. I saw it. I didn’t believe it, and it didn’t register at first.
Wait, my roommate is still in the library.
There was only one other person…
I burst into action. Screw this.
Logan was going to see him. There was no way I could’ve gotten him to leave the hallway, and there was no reason to lie anymore.
I shoved past Logan, going for my room. I was almost there when Sebastian’s head cleared the doorway. I cried out, “You were in there again?”
“Again?” I heard from behind me.
Sebastian saw me. His eyes trailed past me and rounded.
That was all I saw before Logan was around me. He grabbed Sebastian’s shirt, hauled him into the hallway, and slammed him against the wall. “Again? You were in Sam’s room before?”
Time slowed. I ground to a halt, and I saw it happening, but I couldn’t stop it. I couldn’t do anything. Someone started screaming, and I might as well have heard a bomb going off.
All the undercurrents of violence, the tension, and everything that had been building over the last month were coming to a head. And it was going to happen in my dorm hallway.
Logan’s face was scrunched up. I glimpsed his eyes. He wasn’t holding back. No matter what Sebastian said, it wouldn’t change a thing. Logan was going to hurt him, one way or another.
But nothing else was spoken anyway.
As soon as Sebastian’s head hit the wall, Logan’s fist was coming up to punch him.
Sebastian saw it. He wore the same look as Logan. Snarling, his nostrils flaring, he brought up an arm to block Logan. He hit Logan with the other hand in a crosscut. Logan’s head snapped back. I was grabbed and jerked out of the way.
Whoever was screaming kept screaming.
I rolled my arm up and around, breaking the hold on me.
The screaming stopped.
I rushed forward. I stopped thinking. Logan couldn’t get hurt, but he must’ve sensed my intention.
He yelled, not looking away from Sebastian, “Get her away from him! Now!” He dodged Sebastian’s hit and landed an uppercut to Sebastian’s rib cage.
The fight was on after that.
I tried getting free and running in, but I couldn’t. Whoever was holding me had a cement-like grasp on me.
Sebastian threw Logan off, going with him against a wall and raining punches to his side and stomach. Logan doubled over, his arms up to block the hits. Sebastian switched, bringing his elbow down on Logan’s head, but Logan feinted, caught Sebastian’s elbow, and slammed him into the other wall. He was on the offense this time. Sebastian went on the defense until they switched again.
It was deathly quiet in the hallway. No one was saying anything. No one was doing anything. Sebastian and Logan kept exchanging punches until we heard a stampede of feet coming up the stairs. We felt them at first, and the crowd looked back.
It was a bunch of Sebastian’s friends. They were coming to help him.
The hold on me disappeared, and Blaze stepped out in front of the guys. His hands were up. “Hey. Whoa, whoa. That’s no longer a fair fight.”
The friends didn’t care. The guy leading their charge took one look at Blaze. An ugly grin appeared, and he knocked Blaze out. He didn’t break his stride. Then they were all on Logan.
“No!” I took off and screamed over my shoulder, “Call the police, Ruby!”
She was glued back against the hallway, her phone clutched in her hands. The blood drained from her face long ago.
I screamed one last time, watching with a sickening feeling, as I saw Logan get picked up and slammed back down on the floor. They started to kick him.
“Ruby!”
Kitty grabbed the phone from Ruby’s hands and punched in the numbers. She yelled at the guys, “I’m calling the cops, you assholes!” She twisted around. “Nina, tape those fuckers.”
Help was coming. I tried telling myself that, but they kept kicking Logan. It wouldn’t come fast enough.
“The location is top secret. He’s not going to expect anything.” He jerked his head in my direction. “Sam can get the location.”
I sucked in a breath. Oh, shit.
Logan paused, stiffening, and turned to me. He was suddenly thoughtful now. I knew he was remembering whatever spat I’d had with Mason. He asked in a too quiet voice, “And how would Sam get the location so easily?”
“Because of her roommate. She’s Sebastian’s sister.”
Ruby gasped behind him.
Blaze quieted. The sides of his mouth sank down. He looked from her horrified face to my very still one and to Logan’s darkening expression. One last step backward, Blaze muttered under his breath, “Oops.” He disappeared inside Ruby’s room.
She snapped at Kitty and Nina, “Get back to studying!”
Both of them hurried inside, slamming their door behind them.
More doors closed softly, and at the end, it was Logan and me.
He ground out, his eyes flashing in anger, “Mason knows?”
It was Confession Time 2.0. I jerked my head up and down. “Yeah.”
“That’s what your tiff was about?”
“Somewhat.”
He didn’t reply to that but asked, “How long?”
“Mason told me he knew before the break.”
“That was two weeks ago.”
I swallowed over a knot. “I know.”
“How long have you known?”
“Longer than that.”
“How long, Sam?” he clipped out. A vein in his neck twitched.
“A few weeks.” It’d been three before that—one week where I was scared shitless, wondering what the hell I was doing; a second week where I was racked with guilt and shame because I was lying to my family, and they were the only ones I shouldn’t have been lying to; and the third week where I felt like everyone was going to find out. I wouldn’t have been able to make it all worth it. Everything would’ve been for nothing, which was happening right now.
“A few weeks?” he parroted.
I cringed, hearing the same emotion that Mason had masked in the library.
I’d hurt both of them now.
My door opened. I saw it. I didn’t believe it, and it didn’t register at first.
Wait, my roommate is still in the library.
There was only one other person…
I burst into action. Screw this.
Logan was going to see him. There was no way I could’ve gotten him to leave the hallway, and there was no reason to lie anymore.
I shoved past Logan, going for my room. I was almost there when Sebastian’s head cleared the doorway. I cried out, “You were in there again?”
“Again?” I heard from behind me.
Sebastian saw me. His eyes trailed past me and rounded.
That was all I saw before Logan was around me. He grabbed Sebastian’s shirt, hauled him into the hallway, and slammed him against the wall. “Again? You were in Sam’s room before?”
Time slowed. I ground to a halt, and I saw it happening, but I couldn’t stop it. I couldn’t do anything. Someone started screaming, and I might as well have heard a bomb going off.
All the undercurrents of violence, the tension, and everything that had been building over the last month were coming to a head. And it was going to happen in my dorm hallway.
Logan’s face was scrunched up. I glimpsed his eyes. He wasn’t holding back. No matter what Sebastian said, it wouldn’t change a thing. Logan was going to hurt him, one way or another.
But nothing else was spoken anyway.
As soon as Sebastian’s head hit the wall, Logan’s fist was coming up to punch him.
Sebastian saw it. He wore the same look as Logan. Snarling, his nostrils flaring, he brought up an arm to block Logan. He hit Logan with the other hand in a crosscut. Logan’s head snapped back. I was grabbed and jerked out of the way.
Whoever was screaming kept screaming.
I rolled my arm up and around, breaking the hold on me.
The screaming stopped.
I rushed forward. I stopped thinking. Logan couldn’t get hurt, but he must’ve sensed my intention.
He yelled, not looking away from Sebastian, “Get her away from him! Now!” He dodged Sebastian’s hit and landed an uppercut to Sebastian’s rib cage.
The fight was on after that.
I tried getting free and running in, but I couldn’t. Whoever was holding me had a cement-like grasp on me.
Sebastian threw Logan off, going with him against a wall and raining punches to his side and stomach. Logan doubled over, his arms up to block the hits. Sebastian switched, bringing his elbow down on Logan’s head, but Logan feinted, caught Sebastian’s elbow, and slammed him into the other wall. He was on the offense this time. Sebastian went on the defense until they switched again.
It was deathly quiet in the hallway. No one was saying anything. No one was doing anything. Sebastian and Logan kept exchanging punches until we heard a stampede of feet coming up the stairs. We felt them at first, and the crowd looked back.
It was a bunch of Sebastian’s friends. They were coming to help him.
The hold on me disappeared, and Blaze stepped out in front of the guys. His hands were up. “Hey. Whoa, whoa. That’s no longer a fair fight.”
The friends didn’t care. The guy leading their charge took one look at Blaze. An ugly grin appeared, and he knocked Blaze out. He didn’t break his stride. Then they were all on Logan.
“No!” I took off and screamed over my shoulder, “Call the police, Ruby!”
She was glued back against the hallway, her phone clutched in her hands. The blood drained from her face long ago.
I screamed one last time, watching with a sickening feeling, as I saw Logan get picked up and slammed back down on the floor. They started to kick him.
“Ruby!”
Kitty grabbed the phone from Ruby’s hands and punched in the numbers. She yelled at the guys, “I’m calling the cops, you assholes!” She twisted around. “Nina, tape those fuckers.”
Help was coming. I tried telling myself that, but they kept kicking Logan. It wouldn’t come fast enough.
