The Love Hack

Chapter 28

Lexi jumped as soon as she saw herself in the mirror. Her hair was still frizzy, her raccoon eyes were stained with a hint of red, and her disheveled clothes looked as if she was ready to film a spin-off of 'Naked & Afraid'. Except this series would be called 'Slightly Clothed & Afraid Because My Professor Slash Lover is A World Class Criminal Hacker'. Rolls off the tongue.

Her mind was racing as she paced the small bathroom space. Maybe he said Mash instead of Dash. Did he really say, Dash? Or was it Cash? Yet she quickly shook her head. She had heard it loud and clear. Tom said, Dash. A name that his family called him, and a name that the hacker who had threatened her had used. She wondered for a moment if he knew that she knew. By how he had been with her, she reasoned that he likely had no idea she was Bex.

How could Tom be Dash? I just don't get it. Lexi tried detangling her hair with her fingers to buy time to figure out what to do. Tom was waiting for her just outside. While she didn't fully believe he could be the hacker, she had to admit there was some evidence stacked against him. She thought back to his words just moments ago, 'I'm not a good person'.

Lexi gasped quietly and her eyes grew wide. Maybe he does know and this is a way he's getting to me. He knows I'm on to him and he's gotten me to fall in love with him so I don't send him to jail. Lexi shuddered. While she didn't fully believe that, it had made some sense. Why else would he risk everything for a student? Lexi's blood began to boil and her fists clenched. So, that asshole was just using me?

Even as she thought about it, she wondered if that was right. Her emotions continued on the rollercoaster and nausea soon overtook her. She quickly ran to the toilet and vomited into the bowl. A knock at the door soon landed on her ears and made her jump.

"Hannah, are you throwing up? Is everything alright?" Tom's concerned voice boomed through the wooden door.

"Um, uh," Lexi started and quickly wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She frantically looked around trying to figure out what to do as her heart beat rapidly against her chest. I can't stay here! Oh, God, what if the Halloween party was just a ruse? When her eyes landed on the mid-sized window a thought came to her. She sucked in a breath. "Yeah, everything's fine!" she called back out to him and made her way over.

"Let me in. I can help you," Tom said.

"All good. I'll be out in just a minute," she said as she got to the window and used all of her force to try to lift it. Shit, it's stuck. The window had caught about a quarter of the way, still not enough for her to slip through it.

"What's that sound? Are you opening the window?"

Lexi didn't respond and continued to work hard to shimmy the window open. It started budging little by little.

"Alright, I'm concerned. Stand back from the door, I'm coming in." The bathroom door handle began to jiggle.

Shit, shit, shit! A vein bulged from Lexi's forehead as she used every fiber of her being to get the window to open.

"Hannah, can you hear me?" Tom seemed panicked and guilt briefly tugged at Lexi's heart. Yet, she didn't dwell on it for long as she was determined to get as far away from the situation as quickly as possible.

She continued to respond with silence and worked on getting the window open. She knew if she said anything the well of tears she was trying to hold back would unleash. Finally, after a few more budges it glid all the way open and Lexi sent a silent praise of thanks to up above. Sounds of Tom fiddling with the door handle continued as she peered over the windowsill. It was about a nine-foot fall and bushes lined the landing.

"Please tell me you're okay. God, please let her be okay!" Tom's panicked voice continued to ring and Lexi took a deep breath in prepping for the jump. The sound of the door opening prompted Lexi to swing her head back and lock eyes with Tom. Her heart stopped as they both stood there frozen, him at the doorway and her at the edge of jumping out of his window. His eyes widened, and Lexi took another breath in before turning to the dark sky. "Hannah, don't!" he yelled out and Lexi leaped out of the window and tumbled over the bushes below.

"What the fuck are you doing?" was all she could hear from above as she rolled over. Twigs and branches poked at her and she let out grunts as she tried to get herself to stand up. Pain shot through her wrist and ankles, but she knew if she didn't get out of there, she would be putting herself in a lot of danger. Who knew what Tom was capable of?

"Hannah, what are you doing?" he called out from the windowsill. Lexi didn't look up as she moved to stand on her feet. She hobbled toward her car and when she looked back, he was already gone from the window. Shit! He's coming out. She started to run to the front side of the condo, heart pounding in the process, and grabbed her key that was still in her pocket. His front door opened as soon as she got to her car, and he came running out with bare feet.

She swiftly jumped into her car, locked the door, and turned the engine on. Tom sprinted to her side and banged on her window with a wild look in his eyes. "Don't do this, Hannah! Don't run away again!" His voice traveled through the glass and Lexi's hand paused on the gear. A single tear escaped as she turned to him. He was breathing hard and it looked as if he was completely at a loss for what was happening. "Open the door, please?" he said with a look that sent a dagger through her heart.

She quickly shook her head. No! He doesn't get to do this to me! "Go away, Dash!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. "Go find someone else's life to ruin before I call the police and have you arrested for ransomware!"

Tom's eyes widened and he staggered back from Lexi's car. It looked as if she had just punched him in the gut and it told her everything she needed to know. "B-Bex?" was all he managed to say as he placed his hands on the top of his head.

Tears began streaming down Lexi's face, as she shifted the car into reverse and sped out of his driveway. She took one last glance in her mirror before turning onto the road and saw Tom still dumbfounded in the same position she had left him.

Her heart was still pumping hard and she exhaled as she sped onto the main road. She shifted around to find her cell phone and let out a groan when she realized she had left it at his house on his kitchen counter. She vaguely knew the roads in that area and relied on what her dad had always talked about when it came to navigating.

Finally, she was able to find the main highway that led to her house and when she made it home, she let out a sigh of relief and rested her head on the steering wheel. What the hell just happened? She had been so preoccupied with finding her way home that it was just starting to hit her. Tom is Dash. I jumped out of a window. What is happening?

Lexi needed time to think and she knew her family would bombard her with questions once she walked through the door. Yet, there was no way to get to her room, except for the front entrance. She took a deep breath in, wiped her eyes, and made her way into the house.

"Oh my God, Lexi! What happened?" Scarlett screamed out as Lexi reached the entrance.

She knew she was covered in cuts, bruises, leaves, and dirt from the fall but that didn't compare to the state of what she was feeling on the inside.

"Lexi! Are you okay?" her dad asked.

She scanned the room as her parents jumped up from the couch. "I'm fine. It's nothing. I just fell in some bushes," she said as she made her way to the stairs.

Mindy and Cole ran in from the garage, likely hearing Scarlett and Jason's loud voices. "Lexi!" Mindy screamed out.

"I'm fine. And no, I don't want to talk about it." She began marching up the stairs and froze for a moment. She turned to find everyone stunned into silence and waiting for her to continue. "And you'll all be happy to know I ended things with Tom." Before anyone could say another word, Lexi ran up the stairs and swiftly locked herself in her room.

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This chapter was so hard to write because my heart. 😭💔 Thoughts??