The Way We Almost Were ✓

28| you don't deserve her

| Chapter 28 |

| you don't deserve her |

BREE flinched when Claire's fingers traced the sore skin on her arm.

Chase hadn't grabbed her as hard as he probably could have -- but he had still hurt her enough to leave a faint bruising, the dusting of purple visible now that she'd pushed her sleeve past her shoulder. So faint, in fact, that it appeared almost as if the colour ran underneath her skin, rather than being formed over it.

"I'm going to castrate him and then shove it down his own throat," Claire hissed, drawing her hand back and clenching it into a fist.

Bree just shot her a flat look, "nice imagery, Claire," she muttered dryly.

But Claire didn't respond, pressing her lips together into a hard thin line that made her appear so alarmingly similar to Mrs Granger. "That's it," she said under her breath, with a tone of finality. And then she met Bree's eyes, "Mel needs to take it to the college dean. This needs to stop, Bree. Chase needs to be stopped."

"Whoa, wait," Bree took a step back, letting her sleeve fall down her arm and conceal the bruising skin. "What do you mean Mel needs to go to the dean?"

"Exactly what it means!" Claire threw her hands in the air. "That she needs to report this to someone in charge here, at the college. Because Chase and whoever else was involved needs to get kicked out. I mean, that guy is literally walking around with a permit to do as he pleases!"

Bree's lips parted, her eyes blinking repeatedly, the movements in sync with the opening and shutting of her mouth. "But Mel... she's... she isn't..." Bree shook her head, starting off slowly before the gesture turned a bit more vigorous. "Claire, I don't think she would want to... at least, not anytime soon."

"Well, then we'll knock some sense into her," Claire snapped, thinly veiled annoyance simmering behind the green of her eyes. "Doesn't she know that if he got away with putting her through something like that, he can go on doing it to others too? Why would she ever want that when she's been on the receiving end and knows exactly what it feels like?"

"We don't know that," Bree pointed out, keeping her tone leveled. "Maybe people will be more cautious when associating themselves with him, knowing what he's capable of and all that."

"Yeah, I bet that's what Melody thought too," Claire laughed humourlessly. "Remember how this Kenya Shaw person used to date Chase? And then she started accusing him of using the nudes she sent him against her. He was blackmailing her into continuing to have sex with him when she wanted to call things off! He threatened her that no one would believe her because she'd sent those photos to him willingly." Claire breathed hard, sweeping her hair strands away from her flushed face as she dropped down onto the bed. "But that didn't stop Melody from getting involved with Chase, did it? And look at where it has landed her. Kenya Shaw didn't say anything to the necessary authorities, and another girl paid for her silence. Melody Campbell won't say anything either -- and which girl is going to pay for her silence now, Bree? Because I sure as hell am not going to let it be you."