car. “I think it’s on my desk. I’ll go grab it and be right back, okay?”
Everyone was restless and hungry, but I promised I’d be back ASAP. Stryker offered to come with me, but I figured it was just an excuse to pull over somewhere so we could make out, and everyone was hungry enough as it was.
“I swear, I’ll be right back and then we have aaallll night. Just think about that,” I said, reaching my hand in his pocket and giving him a little squeeze when no one was looking.
“Fine,” he said, his voice rough.
“Be back soon,” I said, waving to everyone. They were all busy starting another round of the Picnic game. I shook my head and walked down the stairs.
***
I was so distracted by my new pink hair and thinking about moving in with Stryker that I almost didn’t see him waiting outside the dorm’s entrance.
“Katie.”
I looked up and there he was, wearing a pressed shirt and expensive jeans, and a serious look I’d never seen before.
“Zack,” I said, as if saying his name would make him disappear, like in a dream.
He didn’t.
I stopped walking with at least twenty feet of space between us.
“What do you want from me? What are you doing here?” I fished in my purse for the pepper spray I’d gotten a while back, just in case of moments like this. I reached for it, but he didn’t move closer to me. My hand brushed the Ziploc bag of Dad’s ashes before I withdrew it.
“I just…shit, I practiced this.”
I crossed my arms, tucking the pepper spray against my palm so he couldn’t see it.
“Zack, you had your chances to say everything. I just want you to leave me alone.” I tried to be stern, but my voice shook a little.
“I know, I know.” He took a step closer, and I took one back.
“I just wanted to tell you that,” he took a deep breath and looked up at me, his eyes clear. “I just wanted to tell you that I’m sorry, and that I’m getting help. I just wanted you to know that.”
Part of me wanted to tell him that was great, but another, larger part wanted to tell him that it was too little, too late. He’d broken anything we had together beyond repair. The only hope I could have for him now was that he wouldn’t do it to any other girls. That was the only hope I could ever have for him anymore.
“Good. Now you can leave me alone,” I said.
“But…” He sort of reached toward me, but didn’t step closer.
I put one hand up to stop him. “Look, you came to say what you needed to say. I’m going to go in the building right now and the next time you see me, it will be in court. Bye, Zack.” He was standing between me and the building, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me. He was never going to stand between me and anything else. Ever.
I started walking and was about to reach for the front door when he planted himself in front of me.
“But you’re not hearing me, babe. I really need you to hear me. What did you do to your hair? And why are you wearing your glasses?” There it was. That word, and the desperation in his eyes. He reached for me, and that was it.
I simultaneously sprayed him and kneed him in the groin.
He screamed and dropped to the ground, and I went for the door as fast as I could, yanking it open and running for the stairs. It was unlikely he was going to follow me, but I wasn’t going to take any chances. My hands shook as I unlocked my door and went for my phone, which was exactly where I thought it would be.
I gave the operator the details as I pushed several boxes of books she’d been packing up in front of the door and sat on them, heart pounding.
The operator told me that the cops were on their way, so I called Stryker.
“I thought you were going straight there and back. What’s taking so long?” He tried to make his tone joking, but I could hear the worried edge in it. We didn’t have twindar, but Stryker always seemed to worry about me when I wasn’t with him. Maybe because of all the death that had been around us lately.
“Zack’s here. I’m okay, though. He tried to touch me, but I pepper sprayed him