You and Everything After (Falling #2)(78)

She’s so strong.

She’ll be okay.

I convince myself she’ll be okay.





Chapter 25





Cass


The news was spreading all over the campus news sites when we got back to school.

ASSOCIATE FACULTY MEMBER FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST SCHOOL FOR WRONGFUL TERMINATION

I read the story a thousand times. No mention of my name. No mention of his assault either. A few quotes from school administrators, talking points that only circle the story, but never really saying anything. The closest anyone gets to the truth is when one faculty member uses the word accusations. Yes, someone made an accusation—based on an assault. Student reporters don’t dig as deeply as they should. A little legwork would have turned up my police report. But they only worked off of the tip they received, probably from Cotterman’s lawyer. A bigger city, a bigger state—the more the media attention would be. It’s big enough for me as it is.

The plane ride here was just as quiet as the one going. And Paige didn’t try to fix things when we got to campus. She has a big formal to attend, the fruits of her planning. She’s distracting herself with that. And I’m glad.

In the meantime, I’ve come back to a lonely dorm room. Rowe left Nate and Ty’s parents’ house in the middle of the holiday. Her ex-boyfriend—the one who was barely living on life-support—died. Nate’s not talking about it at all, and he’s been completely closed off, spending most of his time at practice and alone with Ty. Ty told me it didn’t go well, that Rowe is extremely upset. I guess Nate knew about it before she did; somehow her parents told Nate first, asking him to keep it a secret until she was done with finals.

They meant well. That’s what everyone keeps saying.

They meant well.

Everyone means well—making decisions for you, taking things out of your control. But meaning well doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do.

I text my friend again, hoping she’ll say she’s coming back, that she isn’t leaving me here alone. I need her. But she doesn’t write back. She’s gone dark. And with two weeks left including finals, I worry that I may never see her again.

“You skipped!” Ty says, busting through my door with a pizza on his lap. I skipped my workout session with him this afternoon, not really feeling the energy.

“I know, I’m sorry. I’m feeling a little zapped today,” I say, not really sure if it’s my body, the stress, or my spirit. Maybe it’s all three.

“Hmmmm, okay, you get one pass. But the next time you lose a whole letter grade,” he says, flipping open the box and pulling a slice out on a napkin. The smell is glorious, and for the first time in days, I think I’m hungry.

“I didn’t realize I was getting a grade for my workouts with you,” I say, holding a slice to my mouth and blowing on it to cool.

“Baby, I’m always evaluating. Always,” he says, winking. Cocky son-of-a-bitch. I love that about him.

“Oh yeah, me too,” I say, handing him a napkin. He has a giant splotch of sauce on his chin. “That’s going to put you at a C, maybe even a C minus.”

“What, a little sauce? Damn, you grade hard,” he says, wiping his chin. “That’s fine though. I like extra credit.”

“I bet you do,” I tease.

Things quickly slid back to natural with Ty. He told me about his visit with Kelly, and I feel terrible about what she found out. I can’t imagine being a young mother, newly married, and having a husband cheat. I think if Ty could find a way to take out both Paul Cotterman and Jared with one shot, and make it look like an accident, he would.

The threat of the lawsuit is wearing on me. It’s there when I wake up in the morning, dangling above my head, threatening to ruin my reputation, yet again. I call my dad every afternoon for an update, and it’s always the same. We’re still talking with his lawyers, trying to find out what leverage he has.

Leverage.

I’ll tell you what kind of leverage he has. He’s a young faculty member, decent looking, and charming with his female students. And if he smells weakness in any form, he goes in after it, for his own pleasure. He uses leverage for evil. And I’d bust his nose again if given the chance.

The latest worry was that he was thinking of pressing charges against me. He has doctor’s reports on his fractured nose. Suing me for breaking his nose. What an ass!

When my phone rings, I hold it and consider putting my dad off. I doubt he has anything new, and I don’t like having these conversations with him in front of Ty. But there’s also a part of me that’s holding on to hope that one of these times, one phone call, my dad will say it’s all over, that the case was dropped. That Paul is gone. That I get to play soccer without worry. That I get to be young, be in love, and just be me—just Cass. That was the plan all along.

I slide to answer, and hold my breath, ready to be debriefed on the Cotterman issue.

“Hey dad,” I say, through a full mouth.

“Ah sorry, pumpkin. Did I call during dinner?” He’s been calling me pet names lately, trying to soften our relationship. My blowup at dinner the night before Thanksgiving did a real number on my parents. My mom must have cried apologies to me a dozen times. My dad deals with things differently, just changing his behavior. What it’s really going to take is time…and lots of it.