Chapter 10

The phone on the counter kept ringing.

Curious glances from strangers fell on me before quickly looking away.

Sophia had already left.

I looked at myself in the mirror, my whole body soaked as if I had been drenched in water.

Wet strands of hair dripped down.

My eyes were red to the point of bleeding.

The phone rang again, finally breaking through my daze.

Lucy's anxious voice came through: "Olivia where are you We've been looking everywhere and can't find you!"

"I'm in..."

My voice was hoarse to the point of being unrecognizable.

"Second floor... bathroom."

Lucy and the others rushed over when they heard, all startled when they saw me.

The three of them surrounded me, Lucy taking out tissues to wipe the water dripping down my face.

"Olivia, what happened "

My roommate's voice was gentle.

I couldn't say.

Everything got stuck in my throat, tangling into a heavy ball of yarn, sealing my vocal cords and blocking my mouth.

I could only bury myself in Lucy's arms.

The girl's embrace was soft and warm. She hugged me back, gently patting my back.

"It's okay."

"Olivia."

"It's okay."

When I was ten, I was stopped by some older kids and inexplicably pushed to the ground, taking a hard fall.

The ringleader cursed at me with several vulgar words.

When I saw Ethan Parker after school, the floodgates of my pent-up emotions burst open.