“Okay. Okay.” She rubs my back. “We’ll figure this out.”
When I get to the room, Alice’s suitcase is still on the end of her bed, but thankfully she isn’t there. I wonder where she is? What lies is she spewing? Is this just another attempt to make me crazy?
I’m about to leave when there’s a knock at the door. I open it and see Mrs. Gimple in the hallway. Her expressions puts me on edge.
“What?”
“After conferring with the other chaperones, it’s been decided that it’s best for you to leave the retreat.”
“I’m getting sent home?” My stomach feels queasy. “But I didn’t do anything. Alice attacked me.”
“I understand you’re making that allegation, and we’re taking it seriously, but,” Mrs. Gimple says. “You were in Ezra’s room, which is against the rules.”
“Because I needed to go somewhere safe.”
“Kenley, you had to pass both our rooms to get to the elevator to go up to the boys' hallway.”
“So,” I say, blinking back tears, “I was assaulted in my room by someone that has been harassing me for months and I’m getting sent home.”
I can tell that doesn’t land well, but she says, “When you put it that way, it’s probably a good thing for your safety.”
“For god’s sake,” I mutter. “They got to you, didn’t they?”
Mrs. Gimple frowns. “Who? What are you talking about?”
“Waller. Chandler.” I narrow my eyes. “Is Baxter in on it, too? Because he knows exactly what’s been going on.”
“Kenley, you’re very upset.” She attempts to touch my shoulder but I jerk away. “Shannon has offered to give you a ride back home using one of the lodge’s vehicles.”
“What about the others. Is Alice going home? Is Ezra?”
“Mr. Baxter is responsible for Ezra, and Alice,” her eyes dart down, “is being handled. We heard your accusations and I’m in contact with Mr. Russell about how to proceed. You worry about you.”
I assume Chandler is the one handling Alice.
What. The. Fuck.
Just when I think this can’t get any more twisted or out of control, it does.
“Fine. Let me get my bag. I don’t want to be here anyway. You’re right. I’m not safe.”
I may have on clothes when I walk through the lobby, but it’s still clear I’m on my second walk of shame for the day. My classmates head into the dining room, looks of confusion and curiosity on their faces. I’m sure the gossip chain has started. I even hear my name whispered and a few glances tossed my way. The boys? I don’t see them anywhere. I suspect Mr. Baxter has them wherever he’s got Ezra—to keep them from making a scene. Shannon meets us at reception, car keys in her hand.
“I’m really sorry about this, Kenley,” Mrs. Gimple says.
“Whatever,” I say, not feeling remotely generous.
Cold air greets us when we step outside and I toss my bag in the back of a white SUV. Shannon gets in the driver’s seat, cranking the engine, then the heat. I lean back against the leather.
“I know this is more complicated than it seems, but I’m with Mrs. Gimple. It may be safer for you not to be here.”
“Yeah,” I say, looking out the window as we drive away. “They may have found a way to shut me up, but at least I’m not dead or missing. I know two other girls that didn’t get that luxury.”
The good news is that I don’t have to explain to my parents why I’m home early. Mrs. Gimple called and told them. The bad news is that they’re pretty horrified that I’d been caught in a boy’s room, Ezra Baxter’s room, of all people. The result is that I spent the remainder of my break grounded, even after everyone returns home from the trip. Oh, and I’m also subjected to a painfully awkward sex talk by my mother and threats to send me to therapy, because this is obviously PTSD from losing Rose.
It’s like Alice can’t stop screwing me over.
The boys attempt to contact me—but I cut them off. I’m not mad, I just don’t need to give my parents any more reason to worry. I close my curtains to not get tempted by Finn through the window. Phone calls are off limits. My phone is no longer my phone. At least, that’s how my dad put it when he locked it in the safe.