Chapter 9

Spencer

“Dude, what is wrong with you?” I asked, half-glaring at Elliot in annoyance.

“Nothing! I was simply expressing my desire to go home,” he huffed, brushing at the invisible lint stuck in his clothes. “Your friends seem very nice,” he said.

“Friend. Singular. I only just met the other girl, and she seems like a stuck-up bitch to me,” I said, scoffing. “Dude, I asked you to come with me so you could practice your people skills, not drive people away.”

“I can’t help it! This place is too loud and too crowded, and I feel like we’re practically in a sardine can! And the music is probably higher than a hundred decibels, I’m afraid that if I stick around for long, I might lose a few brain cells! And my hearing!” he exclaimed. Two girls coming from the back door looked at us like we were crazy and I groaned.

“That’s another thing I asked you to try out. Dumb it down a notch, will you? Not everyone is going to want to talk to you if they need a decoder to understand half the things coming out of your mouth,” I said harshly.

“You’re quite rude tonight, Downing. Perhaps you’ve already had one too much to drink?” he said, cleaning his lenses with the end of his shirt.

I gritted my teeth and made my way back to the living room. I was getting antsy because my decision to bring Elliot was seriously wrecking my job. I thought I could kill two birds with one stone, make an ally out of my roommate, while being able to watch over George at the same time, but I miscalculated on Elliot’s stubbornness. Maybe I shouldn’t have brought him along.

I narrowed my eyes as I searched the crowd for George, spotting her chatting with some guy who handed her a drink. I tried to read their lips, curious to know what they were talking about. She raised the cup to her mouth, slowly lifting the container until the bottom was up in the air as she chugged all of it.

I recognized the guy standing next to her as one of the men with Tyler earlier, the one with the white-colored hair. Ross, I think his name was. I shook my head at how ridiculous he looked. Seriously? White hair? The anime craze must’ve spread through the world, because who in their right mind would dye their hair white?

I saw the guy lean over George and whisper something in her ear, and I tensed up, my fists clenching automatically. Who the fuck did he think he is to be all up in her like that?

My eyes widened as I saw George start to sway in place, and I pushed against the throng of people to get to her. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and her knees buckled. I managed to catch her before she collapsed all over the floor, my hand clutching her shoulders, and her back lying against my chest. Her head turned to the side, and I noticed how flushed her cheeks were. I looked at Ross with a glare and he glared back. I saw the cup George dropped on the floor and I realized something.

“You,” I snarled. “You drugged her, didn’t you?” Ross scoffed.

“Oh, please. The chick couldn’t hold her liquor. You can’t accuse me of anything!” he insisted. He looked over George’s face and smirked. “Besides, that girl was way too easy. I don’t need to waste drugs on a pathetic girl like...”

I handed George over to Elliot, who was right next to me, and in the next moment, I had sent my fist flying straight to Ross’s mouth. He staggered backwards, crashing down on the couple making out on the couch, and making the girl scream. The sound effectively cut the music, and everyone in the party stared at us.

Rebecca came in followed by Tyler, and they saw Ross’s split lip, George’s unconscious state, and the half-crazed look in my eyes.

Rebecca walked over to Elliot and checked on George, while Tyler walked up to me, and Carlos going over to pull Ross upright.

“What happened?” Tyler asked. I turned away from him and pushed Rebecca to the side before taking George into my arms, carrying her bridal style. I turned back towards Tyler, addressing him with a stormy gaze before glaring at Ross.

“Ask your friend,” I hissed at him. I adjusted my grip and carried George out of there, Rebecca and Elliot following after me. The crowd parted like the Red Sea, and I could hear them muttering behind me as I walked out. I didn’t give a damn. My focus was all on this girl in my arms, and how I fucking failed my mission on the first day.

I couldn’t stop my mind from thinking about the consequences that could’ve happened because of my inattention. That son of a bitch could’ve raped her, and it would’ve been my entire fucking fault.

“I’ll go and fetch the school nurse,” Elliot called out. I could tell from the look on his face that he felt a little guilty for what happened, and this was his way of making up for it, so I just nodded. He ran towards the other end of the campus, and I kept walking towards Winston House.

Rebecca led me up the stairs and into their room, and I placed George very gently on her bed. Other than her flushed face and sweaty forehead, she looked fine, but I wasn’t taking any chances. I didn’t know what that son of a bitch had given her, or if there were any lingering side effects, and I cursed myself again for my incompetence.

I felt Rebecca’s hand clamp my shoulder, and I turned my head to the side, looking at her from the corner of my eye. She casted her eyes downwards, her face mirroring the guilty look she probably saw on my face right now, too.

“Listen, I’m at fault, too. I shouldn’t have left her alone to take a stupid phone call, when I knew how clueless she was about it,” Rebecca said.

I bit my lip to keep from agreeing with her, because that would’ve been really shitty of me, and just prayed that Elliot arrived with the nurse soon.

No sooner than that thought, there was a knock on the door. Rebecca opened it, and Elliot came with a middle-aged woman holding a first aid kit. She was followed closely by a tall girl, but I ignored her and focused on George, watching the nurse’s every move like a hawk.

After a few minutes, the nurse told us there was nothing to worry about, and that the effect of the drug was going to wear off in a few hours. She also assured us that she was going to report the incident to the Dean, and the person responsible for giving George the drug was going to be punished severely for his actions. Rebecca continued to ask the nurse some questions while I stayed where I was, kneeling by her bedside.

I took George’s hand and rubbed the smooth skin of the back of her hand lightly.

“I’m so sorry,” I murmured.

“Hey, Spencer?” Elliot called. “I’m going back to our dorms. Will you be staying here for a while?” he asked, and I nodded. “Alright. See you tomorrow,” he said, waving goodbye.

“You can go back to the dorms, Spencer. I can take care of George,” Rebecca said. I opened my mouth to argue when the tall girl I saw earlier blocked my vision.

“She’s absolutely right! Rebecca can take it from here. We don’t allow male students to stay in our dorms this late at night, so I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” she said firmly. I opened my mouth to argue with her, but she held up her hand, indicating she was not having it.

“Who are you again?” I sighed, all of my energy seeping out of my system.

“I’m Cassie, and I’m the Resident Aide here. Look, I assure you that Rebecca and I will look after her, and if you leave your number with me, I promise I will text you as soon as she wakes up,” she assured me.

She gave me her phone, and I keyed in my number before handing it back to her. I stood up off the floor and looked at George’s face one more time, and a thought popped into my head.

I had one more thing to do before I go.