The Sophomore (College Years 2)

“Thanks, man,” he says, shoving the bills in his pocket. “I’ll take good care of it for you.”

“Thanks,” I tell him as I dart into the building, running toward the elevators. By the time I’m strolling into the lobby of Evergreen, it is exactly nine o’clock on the dot.

Perfect timing.

My phone is buzzing in my pants’ pocket, but I ignore it, flashing a charming smile at the pretty woman sitting behind the counter.

“Here for my nine a.m. with Rick,” I tell her, sounding way more confident than I feel.

She glances at her computer screen before smiling up at me. “Jackson Rivers?”

“That’s me,” I say with a nod.

“Go ahead and sit down. He’ll be right with you,” she says. Her voice and her smile are flirtatious, and I wink at her in return, making her smile grow.

I mean nothing by it. She doesn’t interest me. I have a pretty girl sitting at home waiting for me, and I’m pretty sure she could be the love of my life.

I practically collapse in the chair the moment the realization hits me.

Yes. I love her. I do. And not just as a friend, though I’ve loved her like that for well over a year. I was just flat out in denial over it, over her. But here I sit, in a total daze, after staying up half the night working on a song that’s all about her. While I have the biggest opportunity of my life waiting to happen in one of those nearby offices, all I can do is think about her.

And wish I was sitting with her right now. Holding her close and telling her I love her, right before I kiss her.

Fuck. I’m such a sap. But only for her.

My phone starts buzzing again and I pull it out of my pocket to see I have a call from Hayden. I answer it, my voice low.

“Thank God you answered. Where are you?” she asks, sounding frantic.

“I’m about to go into a meeting,” I tell her, turning away from the reception desk. “Can I call you back after it’s done?”

She ignores my question. “Are you on campus right now?”

“No, I’m in L.A.” I hesitate for only a moment, my heart sinking as I hear noises in the background. The quickened sounds of her breathing. None of this feels right.

It doesn’t feel good either.

“Jackson, you need to come home. Ellie—she’s been hurt.”

“What?” I practically yell, leaping to my feet. “What do you mean?”

“She’s in the hospital. She’s okay,” Hayden rushes to say before I can interrupt her. “They kept her overnight for observation, but she’s fine.”

“Wait a minute, she was in the hospital overnight? Are you saying something happened to her yesterday? What the hell? And why the fuck didn’t someone call me sooner?” I glance over at the receptionist, who’s watching me with wide eyes. I send her a pleading look and point toward the door, letting her know where I’m going before I exit the offices completely, standing out in the corridor.

Jesus, I’m probably fucking this up with Evergreen, but I don’t really give a damn.

“It all happened so quickly,” Hayden says, and I realize she sounds exhausted. Worried out of her mind. “I got a text from her, asking me to pick her up, and I went there. To the restaurant. I brought Gracie with me, and we found Ellie in her car.”

“What do you mean? Was she in a car accident?”

“Someone—a guy—” She goes silent for a moment and fear seizes my throat. I stop breathing, waiting for her answer. “She was attacked, Jackson.”

“What? Is she okay? Did he—” I close my eyes, pressing my forehead against the wall. My knees are weak. Like, I feel as if I could collapse to the floor. My mind can barely wrap itself around the terrible things that might’ve happened to her.

I can’t even say the words out loud.

“No, no. He didn’t rape her or anything like that. He was really drunk. A pissed-off customer, I guess? That’s what her boss told me. Everything happened so fast, and it became chaotic, really quick, especially after Gracie called 9-1-1. We’ve been sitting in the hospital all night, and I didn’t even think to call you until now. I didn’t even call Tony until an hour ago,” Hayden says. “I’m so sorry.”