**THIS IS THE NEW COMPLETED VERSION OF CAMPUS CRUSH. GO TO MY PROFILE TO READ THE OLD VERSION**
BOOK ONE in Campus Series
Casper Niely is a shy bookworm who overcame a childhood of silence and heartbreak.
With college being the next big step in his...
Warning: While there are no depictions of suicide in this chapter, it is briefly mentioned.
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I abruptly sat up, struck with horror. David and I stared at each other, speechless.
I just kissed him! Was I out of my God-forsaken mind?
I wanted to apologize profusely, but I tensed up, too afraid to speak. I shook my head, gaping at him like an idiot. How could I be so stupid? I rushed to stand, moving past him to grab my backpack. I needed to get the hell out of here while holding on to any atom of dignity I had left.
He stood up as well, turning toward me. "Casper, wait—"
"I- I am so sorry, Dr. Larsen. I never meant... I didn't..." My breath got caught in my chest. "I need to go. I'm sorry," I cried, dragging myself out the office. "I'm so sorry."
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I opened the door to my room, aching to hide in it forever. I was still trying to recover, both from what I'd just remembered and from my astronomical stupidity.
Nash was lounging on his bed. Beside him, Lucas propped himself up against a backrest pillow. Jon was on the floor, sitting on a bean bag.
And balanced at the foot of my bed was Ava.
I knew that, before the hypnosis, David mentioned that there was a risk of my recalled memory being pure fantasy, but my gut told me it was real.
Looking at Ava now, I didn't doubt it for a second.
She caused my accident. I spent months in and out of the hospital because of her. I went to therapy because of her. I went mute because of her.
Seeing her again was a trigger in and of itself. My heart sped up as my vision shrunk into a tunnel.
"Hey, Casper!" Jon's cheerful smile was enough to make me forget about Ava for a second.
"Hi, Jon," I murmured, sure that he could barely hear me.
"You okay, Cas? Looks like you've seen a ghost," Nash observed. Things were still tense between us, so I cut him a brief glare.
Lucas noticed, and sat up straighter. "Hi, Casper. I-I can leave if you want me to."
I turned my gaze to him, seeing how close he was positioned to Nash. I thought I'd be jealous, but I only felt queasy.
No, in fact, I felt like I was going to vomit. Literally. My chest heaved and I grimaced, rushing toward my personal trash bin.
"Casper?" Ava stood up in alarm as I knelt down and coughed up today's lunch.
"Oh my god."
I couldn't decipher their voices, even as they all swarmed me in concern. My world was spinning, and the room tilted. I thought that, for sure, I'd fall over and faint, but that never happened. However, I did seem to lose track of time because the next thing I remembered, I was in my bed with Lucas sitting beside me, pressing a damp washcloth on my forehead.
