When I get to my building I skip the elevator and take the stairs. I’m not sure how Levi and Zeke can take them three at a time and not be winded at all. Maybe Zeke sneaks workouts when I’m not looking. His body sure does look like it.
When I get to my floor I notice people aren’t only glancing my way but they stop talking altogether. They actually freeze in place to openly stare at me. What the hell? I kind of thought we were past this and that people would do their staring, say their shit, then move on when they realize they had to get used to it. Zeke, Levi and I aren’t going anywhere. Well, at least until we want to go somewhere else, but it will always be the three of us together.
It isn’t until I see my door do I stop walking and stare. Painted across it in bright red paint is the word “slut.” On the white door it almost looks like blood. How original. Couldn’t they come up with something a little better than that? I don’t care if they think I’m a slut. If being with Levi and Zeke makes me a slut, then call me a slut. I’m going to keep slutting it up with them until the day I die. But that isn’t what gets me. It’s the pictures. Someone photoshopped my face onto what I could only guess were pictures from a porno. A gangbang porn, clearly, from the ten guys standing around one woman. It looks like they took the time to smear glue all around my face and had it dripping from my mouth in the photos. The photos are meant to be vile. Whoever did this was really out to hurt me.
I rip them down and already feel bad for whoever it is that disrespected me in this way. Zeke and Levi are going to lose their shit. As I reach for another photo I push the door and it cracks open. All the blood drains from my face when I realizing the door wasn’t fully shut or locked. I still haven’t gotten in touch with Erika today.
“Erika!” I yell. I fling open the door and it hits the wall with a loud bang. I want to be as loud as possible in case someone else is still in our room. I let out a sob when I see the room, not only because it’s been destroyed but because Erika’s not in there. I don’t know if I should be happy about that or not. Where the hell is she?
I don’t realize I’m crying until I’m trying to work my phone but the tears are making the screen blurry. I hit the call button. It rings a few times before she finally answers.
“Hey,” she whispers into the phone.
“Tell me you’re okay! Why are you whispering?” I shoot off another question before she can answer the first one.
“Can we talk about this later? I’m kind of…” She trails off for a second. “Are you crying?” she asks. This time her voice is loud and clear. “Where are you? I’m coming. Where are your men?” Now she’s the one firing off the questions. I can hear her getting her stuff together.
I can’t think. All I can feel is relief that she’s okay. She must not know about our room yet. I hear a deep male voice in the background of the call.
“Who’s that?” I ask. “Is that Tank?” I gasp. “Did you spend the night with him?”
“Liv! Stop. Where are you?” she yells. I can hear here moving around again. Is she getting dressed or just getting stuff together?
“Our room,” I sigh. I look back to the mess that was our room. “I’m really sorry,” I tell her. Because of me, all her stuff is destroyed. All she did was be my friend and look what that got her. She’s going to be so upset. Tears spill down my face and I’m a sick to my stomach thinking about all of this.
“Olivia!” I hear a bellow in the hallway. I don’t have to turn around to know who’s there. Hell, they sound like a herd of elephants storming down the hallway. I grab the stupid pictures trying to get rid of them. I don’t know why. They’ll still see the word on the door and the ransacked room. I don’t need to turn around to see their anger. I can feel it radiating off them. My shoulders start to shake as I begin to silently cry. I’m trying so hard not to let a single peep out for anyone else to hear. I feel a hand on each of my shoulders and I’m pulled back into the comfort of their bodies.
Chapter Eight
Levi
“I can’t believe someone would do this to Erika’s stuff,” she cries. Tears wet the front of my shirt. Hearing Livvie weep makes me want to rip someone apart. Preferably the someone or someones who trashed her dorm room and ruined her shit. Zeke shoots a warning glare in my direction, which orders me not to say I want to murder someone and to wait to go charging off until we find the culprit.