“Fuck,” Ezra says, rushing for his pants. The sound of banging on doors echoes down the hall.
“What do we do?” I ask as Ozzy tosses me a hoodie.
I pull it over my head and scrounge around for my shorts in the thick mess of sheets. Fully covered, I stand, getting a glimpse of myself in the mirror. My hair is a mess, my lips swollen from a night of kissing. I look at the guys in a panic, but it’s pointless. There’s literally nowhere to hide and they probably already know I’m not in my room. Just being here is a violation of the rules—despite the reason I’m here.
Knuckles rap on the door and my heart pounds. Finn takes my hand and squeezes it, while Ezra walks over to the door and opens it.
“Boys,” Mr. Waller says, striding in the room. He stops short when he sees me standing at the foot of the bed, looking a rumpled, well-fucked mess. He turns his head and shouts out, “Found her!”
A moment later, Shannon and Mr. Baxter appear in the doorway, Shannon’s face a mixture of relief and disappointment. Ezra, Sr. frowns, but doesn’t look surprised.
“I can explain,” Ezra starts, but his dad holds out his hand.
“I’m sure you can, and you’ll have time to do that soon. Right now, we need to talk to Kenley.”
My heart thumps. Getting in trouble isn’t my M.O. Especially not at school.
“What about?” Finn asks, clueless about the night before.
Mr. Waller looks at me. “About Alice Kendrick.”
“Alice?” Ozzy repeats with a frown. I hadn’t had a chance to tell them.
Shannon steps forward. “Kenley, Alice is downstairs with Mrs. Gimple. We need you to come with us.”
I nod, unsure if I should be glad that it’s not just about me being in Ezra’s room, or worried that they know about Alice. I walk toward the door, an actual “walk of shame,” accentuated by the fact I’m barefoot and in pajama shorts.
I pass Waller in the hallway and he says in a low voice, “I knew you were troubled, but attacking another student?” He shakes his head. “Honestly, I’m disappointed.”
I shake my head. “What? I didn’t attack Alice. She attacked me! It’s why I came up here last night—to get away from her.”
His eyes sweep over me. “Alice has bruises. A cut on her head.”
I blink, thinking about the marks on her neck. “T
hose bruises are not from me and you fucking know it.”
He narrows his eyes. “Unfortunately, you have no credibility and I don’t see any sign of you being hurt. What I do see is a girl half-naked in a boy’s room—with three boys, actually.”
“Hey!” Shannon says. I didn’t see her come in the hall. “We’re not here to accuse Kenley. We’re here to figure out what happened.”
“Sometimes the facts present themselves.”
Mr. Baxter, to my surprise, also jumps in. “Now isn’t the time for an interrogation, Brice. Everyone needs to go to your rooms, get dressed, and meet us in the dining room. Kenley, Ms. Hughes will go with you. You can wait in your room until you’re called.”
Wait in the room? It’s New Year’s Eve. I have plans for the day. I’m in charge of setting up the party with Juliette. I clamp down on all of that and say, “I didn’t do anything.”
“You’ll have a chance to tell us your story soon,” he says, holding my eye.
Shannon walks me to the elevator, and we get inside. Trying not to cry, I look at her. “I swear I didn’t hurt Alice. She already had those bruises. The cut on her head? That happened when I pushed her off of me because she got in my bed and shoved her hand down my pants.”
The last sentence came out in a rush, a sob catching in my throat. Shannon looks at me, concern etched in her face. “She assaulted you?”
I nod. “She professed her love to me and admitted some really awful things. I’ve had someone stalking me for months. They’d been breaking into my house and leaving me little things in my bedroom. Messing with me online. Gaslighting the hell out of me. It was her the whole time.”
“Did you ever tell someone? The police? A teacher? Your parents?”
I exhale. “Mr. Baxter knows.”