"Jayda."

I blink my eyes open to see the figure in front of me. "Katie," I say. My eyes open wider. "Katie, are you okay?" I lift off the couch. I forgot she was here. She sits beside me and pushes her red hair back out of her face.

"I'm fine." She says. Her eyes are bigger, and she is still a little pale, not as pale as yesterday, though.

"Are you sure? Do you remember what happened?!" I urge.

"I don't remember much. I don't remember anything, really."

"Do you remember calling me?" I question.

"I called you?" she raises her eyebrows. I don't know if she's telling the truth; how could she not remember calling me? Was it before she got high or after. Did she call me because Travis was about to do something to her, or did she call because Travis drugged her and was about to do something to her?

"Yes, you called me and asked me to help you... and then I asked you where Travis was at; you said he wasn't at the warehouse." She continues to stare at me, questioning what I am saying.

"I don't remember any of that." She looks around. "How did I get here?"

"Caleb and I came and got you from the warehouse."

"Did Travis come back?" she asks.

"Yeah."

"What did he say? Did he see me?"

"He saw you. He said, don't come back."

"What? Why?!" She raises her voice.

"I don't know. I guess because if you died, he would be in a lot of trouble." I say. "Plus, your underage."

" I turn 18 next month." she snarls.

"And 20," I say back to her. "What would your parents say?"

"What would your parents say?" she throws back at me. "You're seriously not going to try to act like you're just this perfect righteous child. Your parents don't know half of the shit you've gotten into. You've been with him too."

I roll my eyes at her comment. Yeah, but I never slept with him.

She stands up from the couch. "I'm going to call him. I need to talk to him."

"What?!" I stand up also. "Katie, you can't. Why would you want to go back there? I got you out."

"I didn't ask you to do that," she says.

"You did!" My hands fly in the air.

"Well, I don't remember." She runs her hands through her hair.

"Exactly, you don't remember anything. How do you know he didn't drug you himself? You don't know what he did to you or why you were unconscious. Why would you want to go back to him?"

She blows her breath. "What are you talking about? He didn't do anything to me."

"There was a condom in the trash. Did you have sex with him?" I ask. She hesitates; her whole face changes. "You don't remember, do you? You didn't consent to it?"

"You don't know what you're talking about!" she says. She walks over to the door.

I follow behind her, "Where are you going?" I ask and stand in front of the door, blocking the exit.

"I'm going back to him."

I narrow my eyes at her stupidity. Did she not hear what I just said? "After what I just told you?"

"He wouldn't do something like that."

"He raped you!" I shout.

"He did not rape me. I had sex with him willingly. There's no reason he would rape me; I willingly have sex with him." I gag at the thought. "People are in and out of that warehouse all the time. It probably wasn't even his," she says, still defending him.

"You know he doesn't let anybody upstairs. It was his, and you know it. Why are you acting stupid? You're willingly going back to someone knowing there's a 99% chance that he raped you."

"I love him!"

"Maybe being in love and being stupid is the same thing!"

She stares at me without saying anything; then says, "If you don't get out of my way. I'll tell your parents what really happened to your dad's dealership. The Crossland Dealership." she says, suing my greatest regret against me.

How could she know? Travis, he told her. I know he did. My parents can't find out. They can never find out. They'll hate me.

"I thought so."

I move out the way; she opens the door and walks out of the house.

"You were up pretty early this morning. Who were you talking to?" My mother asks me in the car.

"Katie stopped past."

"She did?"

"Yeah, she just left something here Saturday, and she needed it for school." I lie.

"Oh, well, Thursday, I thought maybe we could go to the mall after I pick you up from school. We need clothes for new york!" she squeals, more excited than I am.

"Do we really need more clothes?" I ask her.

"Yes, we're going out of town."

"Exactly nobody knows us there. They haven't seen our old clothes, so how would they know that our old clothes are not new?"

My mother looks at me. A smile is on her face. "I guess you have a point."

"I know I do." I smile back.

"I told your dad, you have the mindset of a lawyer. You get it from me, of course. He's still banking on you being a successful businesswoman." she rolls her eyes. "I say, lawyer or doctor."

I don't respond to her comment. I don't want to do any of those things. I never even thought about becoming any of those things.

Not just because I don't see myself having a future but because none of these things interest me. I don't like medical things. I'm not interested in running a company or having my own company; it seems like too much work. And I'm definitely not cut to be a lawyer.

The system will always be crooked. I know I will never be able to fix it alone. Once our government changes and once judges and jury start convicting people based on factual evidence and not the color of their skin or their status in life, then maybe I'll consider being a lawyer.

Then again, by the time that happens, I'm pretty sure I'll be long gone. Not just me, I'm sure this whole generation will be gone before the world starts to see that equality for everyone is really the only way to restore peace and justice.

...

"So the team is meeting today after school," Liam says.

"Okay."

"Our first competition is one month away,"

"And you guys haven't even started building?" I ask him.

"We had a model, but it kinda blew up," he says.

I laugh and then say, "Blew up?"

"Yes, we wired some stuff wrong, and then it caught on fire." he scratches his eyebrow.

"Wow, I didn't know stem could be so dangerous," Violet says from across the lunch table.

"You say dangerous. I say boring. Can we talk about something else?" James says from beside me. We all laugh at his comment.

"Like what?" I say.

"Like the fact we have yet to find someone to play Catherine!"

"Ashely is really not going to do it?" Violet asks.

"Nope!"

"Wow, I really thought she would've gotten over the whole break up now," Violet says.

"I'm surprised they haven't gotten back together," Liam adds before eating a chip.

James shakes his head. " They usually always do. I wonder why this time was different." Everyone at the table goes quiet. I can't help but feel like James' statement was directed to me.

"So right after school Jayda," Liam says. "Time is of the essence."

"I'll be there," I assure him. I forgot to talk to my parents about it, I'm sure. They wouldn't mind, though. They will be happy to know I'm in a club... a part of a team.

"So, what did you go to the counselor's office for yesterday?" Violet asks.

"Uhhh, she just wanted to talk to me about college and stuff." I shrug my shoulders.

"And? Where are you planning on going?" James asks.

I hate questions, and yet they ask me millions. "I don't know. NYU, maybe." I shrug my shoulders again.

Violet smiles. "NYU! Ambitious. I like it."

"And then you're going to New York this weekend! Is that why you are going?" James asks.

"No, we're going because my parents have a friend down there who's opening an art gallery, and he invited us."

"Well, you have to tour it while you're there," Violet says.

"If we have time," I say. I look over to Liam, "So Liam, whos the first competition against?" I ask, trying to change the subject. I really despise talking about myself.

"I don't know, the list doesn't come out till next week. I'll let you know, though." He responds.

I nod my head and look down at my half-eaten food. Violet, Liam, and James start conversating, making plans for the weekend. Apart of me wishes I didn't have to go to New York. There's no need for me to go. I won't be able to see NYU. I'll probably spend the whole weekend in the hotel, except for Saturday when the gallery opens, but that's not till 7 pm. I know my parents are only taking me because they don't want to leave me alone.

The intercom chimes letting everyone know an announcement is about to be made. "Jayda King, please report to the counselor's suite."

I stand up from the table and grab my trash. "I'll see you guys later," I tell everyone at the table. They all tell me goodbye.

...

I open the door to the suite. My eyes immediately land on the boy sitting in one of the chairs. Ryder. Why would he be in the counselor's suite? I take a seat in the chair, farthest away from him. He looks up at me, and our eyes meet. I expect him to say something, but he doesn't; he looks back at his phone and starts typing.

I am so nervous when I'm around him, especially since he told me hed ruin me. Maybe this is him ruining me. I'm anticipating him to do something, and it's killing me; every time I walk the halls, I'm scared to run into him, I'm afraid to see him. All I think about during school is him. I didn't hit me till now; this is what he wants; he wants me to think about him constantly. He wants me not to be able to get him out of my head.

I'm plucking the rubber band on my wrist, a habit that I haven't done in a while. The sting is familiar but unfamiliar. The sting doesn't feel as numb as it used to. An office door comes open; it's not Ms. Rodriguez's door, though. It's the college counselor, Mr. Simms.

"Here are those papers." He says to Ryder. He gets up from the chair, takes the papers out of his hand, and then walks out the door.

I wonder what those papers were; they had to be something about college. He did get them from the college counselor. I wonder what college he is going to.

I can't picture him in college. He doesn't even come to class; he is always late to school; his grades must be horrible.

Another office door opens. This time it is Ms. Rodriguez's door. "Jayda come on," she says. I grab my thing off the seat beside me and walk into her office.