You're the Reason - J. Nathan Page 0,56

about me?

My phone rang.

I grabbed it without even checking the number. “Hello?”

“So…ph…ia?”

“Val?”

“I ne…ed y…ou,” she slurred.

I sat up. “Are you drunk?”

“I th…ink some…thing was…in…my dr…ink.”

Alarm bells wailed in my head. I jumped to my feet and shoved my feet into my shoes. “Where are you? I’m coming.”

“Kap…pa Phiiii.”

I stilled. Chase asked me not to go there tonight. “Is Chase there?”

“I…dun…nooo.”

“Ryan?”

“Ya.”

“Can you get to him?”

Silence.

“Val. I’ll be there as fast as I can. Stay on the line.” I threw open my door and ran down the hallway. I made it down the three flights of stairs in record time and flew outside. I held the phone to my ear as I jogged as quickly as I could across the dark campus. I knew I needed to call 9-1-1, but I couldn’t risk hanging up with Val. “Talk to me, Val. Who did this?”

Silence.

“Val?” I nearly screamed.

“He...re.”

I heaved a sigh of relief. “Do not go anywhere with anyone. You scream if anyone tries to get you alone.”

“I th…ink I’m in…. ’s...”

“You cut out, Val. Where are you?”

Silence.

I turned the corner to the main road. I could see Kappa Sigma’s front porch and black shutters, now looking more ominous than ever before. “I’m almost there, honey, stay with me.”

My lungs burned and my knee felt tight as I bolted up the walkway and threw open the front door. Music blared from the speakers on the main floor, pounding as fiercely as my heartbeat. People packed the hallway and rooms. My head whipped from side to side, seeking out Valerie, but I couldn’t find her among all the unfamiliar faces.

I ran to the basement, stopping on the top step and scanning the faces of those who danced on the dance floor. I spotted Tina, but no Val.

I turned and hurried to the main staircase leading up to the second floor. I took two steps at a time and threw open the first closed door on the right, barging in on a couple going at it on the bed. “Oops. Sorry.”

I spun around and hurried across the hall, throwing open that closed door and barging in. The room was empty. I moved to the next room. My hand landed on the doorknob.

“Police!” a voice shouted downstairs.

Screams were accompanied by the shuffling of feet pounding on the floor beneath me. I ignored the noise and twisted the door handle. Locked. I pounded on the door. “Val! Are you in there?”

Nothing.

The noise on the main floor grew louder as people scrambled to exit the house and avoid the police. Ignoring the commotion, I moved to the room across the hall. I turned the handle and it too was locked. I pounded on the door. “Val, if you’re in there, yell!”

I spotted Ryan’s room next door. I hurried to it, twisting the knob and pushing open the door.

I froze. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end and a cold chill rushed up my spine.

Val lay on the bed completely naked with Ryan seated beside her, fully clothed.

“Oh, thank God you’re here,” I said to him as I rushed over and threw a blanket from his chair over Valerie. “Someone drugged her.”

He jumped up. “Oh. Yeah. That’s what I thought.”

The pounding of footsteps on the staircase told me it was just a matter of time before the cops made it to us.

“Do you know who did it?” I asked Ryan as I leaned over Valerie to be sure she was breathing. She was.

“No idea.”

“Did you call 9-1-1?”

“Hands where I can see them!”

Ryan spun around with his hands raised.

“Thank God you’re here,” I said, my eyes cutting toward the door. “She’s been drug—” My words were cut off by the sight of Chase, in a black bulletproof vest, with a gun pointed at Ryan. His eyes were on mine and a thousand thoughts played across his face. Seconds felt like hours before he tore his eyes away from mine and spoke into the walkie on his shoulder. “We need a medic sent to the second floor.” He moved toward Ryan. “Turn around and put your hands behind your back.”

“Fuck you,” Ryan spat.

Chase whipped handcuffs off his belt and twisted Ryan around so his chest hit the wall.

“I can’t believe you’re a fucking cop,” Ryan said.

Chase grabbed Ryan’s wrists behind his back and snapped on the cuffs. “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to do this.”

My eyes shot daggers at Chase. “What are you doing? Valerie was drugged and he helped her.”

He glanced at me over