The Homecoming Benefactor

12 | the truth

"Hey, Francie," Nick said solemnly as I let him into my dorm room. "I feel so bad about last night, I know I should have done more and—"

"It's okay," I interrupted, getting back on my bed. "There's nothing we can do about it, now. I need to tell you something."

Nick nodded and got in the bed next to me. We were sitting across from each other, making a kind of awkward eye contact. I could see the anticipation in his dark brown eyes as he waited for my "something." While there were no fireworks, there was something even better: stability. I felt safe.

"I like you," I said bluntly. "And I feel like I've done basically everything to make you not like me. I took you for granted."

"No," Nick sighed, taking both my hands into his. "I mean, I've had feelings for you for a long time. I'm surprised you never figured it out... but don't feel like you've taken me for granted. I'm a patient person. I knew you'd come around."

"How long?" My blue eyes widened when I realized I could have been leading him on for weeks.

"Since August," he drawled, smiling a bit. "The first day of calculus, I almost asked for your number. You were wearing a sorority t-shirt and a tennis skirt. I thought that if I asked you out that day, you would've thought I was creepy, and it's a good thing I didn't because you were with Graham. I told myself I'd play the long game. You met Bryce right after you broke up with Graham, and I started to worry it would never pay off. Something told me deep down to keep waiting."

I didn't really know how to respond to that at first, so I hesitated before speaking. "Wow, I feel like a really shitty person."

"Don't feel like that," Nick insisted, placing a piece of my hair behind my ear. "I never spoke up. How could you have done anything?"

"I don't know," I muttered, staring out of my bedroom window.

The rain had mostly subsided, but it was still fairly windy outside. Palm trees danced as I walked up to the window. Guilt still consumed me, hitting me like a punch to the chest. I heard the rustling of a plastic bag from behind. When I turned around, Nick had placed a plastic shopping bag on my bed.

"I brought snacks," Nick said cheerfully, dumping an array of candy and chips onto the bed.

I laid down next to him and opened up a box of gummy bears. "You know me so well!"

Nick looked at me intently, like a scientist studying something through a magnifying glass. "I knew you needed it. Whenever you're ready, I'd like to know what exactly happened."

I tossed one last gummy bear in my mouth before responding. "I'm ready."

Starting with the drive after the gala, I described everything in great detail. I talked about how Bryce became so pushy overnight. I talked about the notes, and how they turned from love letters to threats. I talked about the strange men with their phone cameras. Through all of that talking, Nick listened, becoming more concerned with every detail. Retelling the past few days felt like forcing myself to rewatch a horror movie that gave me nightmares. The worst part was, I didn't even know if it was truly over.

"I should have listened to you," I concluded, turning my head toward the wall. "None of this would've happened."

"Look, you said it yourself, we can't do anything anymore." Nick cupped my chin and turned my head back to face him. It was a nice contrast to being strangled the other day. "We need to figure out how to take them down ."

My eyes widened. "Revenge?"

"Well, we've gotta do something," Nick replied. "We just might need some help."

• AUTHOR'S NOTE •
This chapter is on the shorter side, but we are about to get to the parade and homecoming football game, which will be part of a really long chapter. Stay tuned!