Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 77718 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77718 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
“I’m so sorry.” I sniffle, moving back, embarrassed at my public meltdown. “I’m getting your shirt wet.”
“Don’t be sorry. You’ve every right to be upset. I’m fucking furious, and it didn’t even happen to me.”
I’m so lucky to have him as a friend.
“Thank you, Luke, for everything…bringing me here, being there when I need you.” I dry my tearstained face with my hands.
“Ari, this is what sponsors are for…what friends are for. And we’re friends. And trust me when I say that I’ve had worse things on my shirt than tears.”
“Puke?” I say.
He nods, and I laugh through my tears.
“Thank you,” I say again, and this time I’m thanking him for the laugh just right when I needed it.
“Come on,” he says, putting his arm around my shoulders in a friendly gesture. “Let’s get you home, and then we’re going to figure out what we’re going to do about this.”
“Okay,” I say, and we start walking down the hall.
“But there’s one thing you can trust me on. The bastard who did this to you won’t be getting away with it; that’s for sure.”
I see the hulking figure of my dad waiting at the foot of my building steps as Luke pulls the car up.
“My dad,” I say to him.
“Ah.”
“I’ve been ignoring his calls all day. I know you want to talk about our plan of action, but I should talk to him.”
“You should. And, Ari, really talk to him this time.”
I glance over at him, knowing what he’s saying. “I will. And thanks again. I’ll call you later.”
I climb out of his car and walk over to my dad.
My dad’s eyes go to Luke’s car that’s pulling away and then to me. “Who was that?” he asks, suspicion lining his voice.
I sigh. “Luke. My sponsor.”
“Nice car,” he comments.
“Yeah, well, addiction doesn’t discriminate. You wanna come inside?”
I walk past him, and he follows me up to my apartment in silence.
“You want something to drink?” I ask him as he takes a seat on my sofa.
“Coffee.”
I go into my little kitchen and make coffee for us both. Then, I carry them through to the living room.
“Thanks,” he says when I hand him his coffee.
I sit down on the chair, curling my feet under me, and hold my cup in my hands.
“So…” he starts.
“Can I just say something first before you start?”
“Of course.”
“I know you’re pissed and that you probably want to yell at me right now, but can we not?”
His brows draw together. “I’m not going to yell, Ari. I didn’t come here to fight. I just came to check that you’re okay. And to find out what happened.”
“You saw the video.”
“I did.”
“Okay. So, before I talk, I’m asking, do you want the actual truth or the truth that you’ve already decided in your head?” A la Ares style.
“The actual truth.”
“Okay,” I repeat. I blow on the hot liquid and take a sip before speaking again, “So, here it is…I was drugged.”
His face goes ashen, but I don’t stop talking.
“I think I was drugged by a guy called Leo Parsons; he’s a journalist with ASN. We’d met before, and I bumped into him at the auction. We were chatting. He offered to get me a Diet Coke from the bar. Aside from whoever poured my drink, he was the only one with access to it.
“A short while after drinking half of it, I started to feel weird, light-headed, and dizzy. Then, I was struggling to walk, and my speech was slurred. I knew I hadn’t had alcohol, but I didn’t know what was happening to me. I managed to get home in a cab and passed out, not before throwing up all over my floor.” I point to the damp patch on my carpet from where I scrubbed it clean earlier. “I hadn’t had a drop of alcohol.” I stare into my dad’s face, wanting him more than anyone to believe me.
“I’ve just gotten back from the hospital. Luke kindly took me to see his doctor. He tested my blood, and I showed positive for a low level of Rohypnol—the date rape drug.”
His face goes from gray to white. “Were you…”
“No,” I’m quick to reassure him.
He sits forward, putting his coffee on the table. “Are you sure?” His words are careful. “Because I’ve heard stories about that drug, how people are unconscious and don’t know what’s happening to them.”
“Dad…” I put my drink down and move to sit next to him on the sofa. I place my hand on his arm and stare into his face. I’m surprised to see the fear in his eyes. I know he loves me. I’m his kid. He has to. But, until this moment, I didn’t realize how much. “I’m sure. I left the auction as soon as I knew something was wrong. I was mostly aware by the time I made it back to my apartment. I didn’t black out until I got home.”