INFINITO E OLTRE

Chapter 34

Without a question, I take it out and place in his palm.

Fiddling with the strap of my bag on one shoulder, I explain, "It is switched off. I was in a hurry so forgot to turn it on." I observe his expression and ask, "Why? Did you call?"

"See for yourself." He turns my phone on, taps on the screen a few times then shows it to me.

My fingers still on the strap.

17 missed calls!

"What happened?" I ask with racing heartbeats, looking from the lit screen to him.

"Shawn happened." He sneers, hold tightening on my phone.

"Evans?" I squint at Rodie, not exactly understanding what he meant by that.

He nods with a locked jaw, eyes hard on me.

I suck in a sharp breath, the memories of that day at his house coming back.

But what has this got to do with him?

"You should not have come today." He sighs after a minute of staring at me and shakes his head, disheveled locks falling over his eyes.

He looks distressed. Worried even.

"Hey, Rodie," I place my hand on his shoulder, "What is wrong?"

"Shawn has been missing for the last months and the day he last came to college, he talked to you."

I frown.

I did not know that.

We did not share many classes together in the first place and he usually bunked them too so for him to not show up in front of me after that incident did not draw my attention much.

Moreover, after what he tried to do with me I thought it was his guilt that was stopping him from facing me.

Guess, I was wrong.

"But I am sure he talked to other people too. So why does that concern me?" I wonder aloud, unable to realize where he is getting with this.

He huffs, "It concerns you because after classes he was seen picking you from your dorms and that was the last time he was seen that day. At all."

I gulp.

"Stacey." Rodie presses, "What actually happened that day?"

I look blankly in his eyes.

How do I tell him what Shawn tried to do? What was about to happen to me but did not because of Alessandro.

How do I explain all this to my best friend without making him feel responsible somehow?

Cause I know he would blame himself for this since that is exactly what I would have done too if he needed me and I were not there. No matter how important of a work I was busy doing.

When your friend needs you, you have to be there. No questions asked.

So I brace myself and lie through my teeth, "We just studied and then I returned."