Fragments

9.1

9.1

When I walk out the front doors on Sunday, I don't expect to run into Roman. He's waiting for me with his hands in his pockets, looking hot in his usual leather jacket. However what I really don't expect is to find Reesa beside him.

"Hey," she says quietly.

Other students stare as I make my way towards Roman and his cousin. Their eyes watch me as they brush past, heading out for the day.

"Hi. I was just on my way to your apartment."

Roman smiles. "Beat you to it."

"Want to grab coffee?" Reesa asks. She smiles weakly. The bruises from before are gone - or covered expertly with makeup. I wonder what the conversation was like last night between her and Roman.

"Sure."

The coffee shop we walk to isn't one I'm fond of. It's the same place I stood up Trevor's brother at weeks earlier. I wonder if he's still in town. I stare at the ground as we wait in line. He's not going be stalking this place, Piper. And if he were here, so what? You're with Roman.

My hand tickles. I look down to see Roman's pinkie grazing mine, slowly looping ours together until he casually slides his fingers into mine. Suddenly we're holding hands. My cheeks blush.

The three of us slide into a window booth, Roman and I on one side and Reesa on the other. I take a sip of my drink and it burns my tongue. Roman frowns down at his mug.

"What's wrong?" Reesa asks.

"They put cream in mine."

My face scrunches at the thought of drinking bitter coffee. "You like yours black?"

Roman smirks. "Like my soul."

When he leaves to get a new cup, Reesa leans across the brown table, hands clasped together. "I really, really need to apologize," she begins. "You were right about everything. About Nik, the drugs, everything you said was true. And," she looks down at the table, "I confronted him about the drink he made you that night. He so openly admitted to putting a pill in it - it was like he has no sense of right or wrong." She shakes her head in disbelief. "I am so sorry, Piper."

Roman slides back into the booth with a new cup of coffee. "We're going to take him down."

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"Let me finish my coffee first," he says, leaning back into the booth. "Then I'll show you."

The three of us crowd around a payphone a few blocks away.

"It's broken," I declare.

"Pfft." Roman slides past me and slams the phone into the receiver a few times. When he holds it up to my ear, I listen to the dialtone.

"Okay, you're magic." I watch as Roman reaches towards the buttons and pauses. "What?"

He's sheepish. "I forgot change."

I groan. "You want to make an anonymous phone call to the police and you forgot to bring change?"

"Well I had coffee change. And then I had coffee, so."

I did in my pocket and find some coins. One by one they drop into Roman's open hand. "Here."

Roman calls the anonymous tip line for the police station. He begins to relay to full names of Nik and two of his friends who are wanted, thanks to Reesa's inside information. When he starts to give the address of the club, Reesa puts her head in her hands.

"I never should have given him a second look."

I move closer to her and together we huddle against the winter chill. She lets her hands drop and stares at the ground.

"I know the feeling," I admit. "We messed up, Reesa. And we can't undo those mistakes. They're in the past. You know what you can do, though?" I take Reesa's hand and give it a squeeze. She meets my eyes. "You can never give that bastard another thought."