Circles

Chapter Twenty

        Liz bursts into the room and I wake up immediately. “Good mor- oh, my God.” Mike is still asleep in my bed, but the covers are pulled up, so that is all she sees. “Why is he in your bed?” I just stare at her. “What’s going on?” I don’t answer, I just stare. I don’t want to wake Mike up. Liz walks up to the bed and pulls the covers off.

            “Oh, my god,” she whispers. His hand hasn’t moved. “Is he sleeping?” I nod. “Why didn’t you stop him? No, I know why. Oh, Alex. We have got to get you out of here. Thank God Mike is apparently a heavy sleeper. Okay. I am going to slowly take his hand off of you, and then you’re going to get up. Okay?” I nod. “Okay, here goes nothing,” Liz says. She grabs his wrist and slowly starts dragging his hand out from under my waistband.

            “Why are you in my room?” Mike demands.

            Liz swears under her breath. “Get away from her.”

            “Why should I? She didn’t tell me to stop,” he says.

            Yes, I did.

            “What will it take for you to leave her alone?”

            “That is between me and Alex,” he says.

            “Alex, get up. Let’s get out of here,” Liz says to me. I start to sit up and Mike slams a hand across my chest, holding me in place.

            “She can stay here. You can go, though,” Mike grins.

            “She is not staying here,” Liz says.

            “I think she is,” Mike says. “I don’t hear her objecting.”

            “Alex, tell him you want to go,” Liz says. I say nothing. “Alex. Tell him you want to go.”

            “I want to go,” I say quietly.

            Liz folds her arms across her chest. “There. Let her up.”

            Mike gets on his hands and knees, one hand on each side of me as he leans over me, and he kisses me hard.

            “Oh, that is it,” Liz says. She jump on the bed and kicks Mike in the groin. He swears and falls off the bed. “Come on, Alex,” Liz says.

            “You’re going to pay for that, Alex,” Mike yells, his voice strained.

Liz grabs my hand and runs out of the room, dragging me behind her. We walk downstairs and sit at the table where everyone is eating breakfast.

            “Is Sam here?” Liz asks.

            “Backyard,” Patrick says between bites.

            “Thanks. Come on, Alex,” Liz says, pulling me again. We go out the back door and Sam is sitting on the step.

            “Alex needs a new roommate,” Liz says to her.

            “Why’s that?”

            “Mike’s taking advantage of her.”

            “Oh, I don’t think so,” Sam says.

            “Sticking your hand down someone’s pants isn’t taking advantage?” Liz demands. “Getting in someone’s bed because they’re too scared to tell you not to isn’t taking advantage? Holding someone down while you stare at their underwear isn’t taking advantage?”

            “Do you have any proof that Mike has done those things?” Sam asks.

            “Are you freaking kidding me?” Liz shouts in Sam’s face.

            “She can pick a new room in a week like everyone else.”

            “Screw you,” Liz says to Sam as she brings me back inside. “Here, sit down,” she says to me once we’re back inside.

            “I want to go back upstairs,” I say.

            “Fine. Whatever. Go back upstairs. Have fun with Mike.”

            “It’ll be fine,” I say quietly. “I’ll stay in the guest room.”

            “Whatever,” Liz says. She’s mad. Not at me, but at the whole situation.

            I go upstairs to the extra bedroom. After I’m in there for a minute sitting on the bed, Mike comes in.

            “Go away,” I say louder than I’ve spoken since truth or dare.

            “I’m sorry about this morning. That was out of line,” he says.

            “I don’t care,” I say. “I don’t want anything to do with you.”

            “But I really like you,” he says. “I want to make this right.”

            “You can’t.”

            “Can I say something without you freaking out?” he asks.

            I don’t respond.

            “What I was doing yesterday and this morning would have been much more enjoyable for you if you had just relaxed.”

            “I don’t want you doing those things to me,” I say.

            “How do you know? I didn’t even get to the good stuff.”

            “Do you even hear yourself?”

            He laughs. “I’ll make you a deal. I’ll stop doing that stuff to you.”

            “Deal,” I say.

            “If you let me go far enough to show you that I’m right one time. If you still don’t like it, I’ll stop. But I really think we could be great together,” he says, walking towards me.

            “And what if I don’t agree?”

            “Then I’ll simply find another way to convince you. One you might not like as much,” he says quietly, right in my face.

            I don’t have any other option.

            “Fine,” I say. “Deal.”