Serena

T w e n t y-t h r e e

The corners of his lips turn upwards as he gives me a half-smile and he nods his head. He then disappears into my hallway and returns with a blanket he must have seen in the linen closet earlier. "What's that for?" I ask.

Jake chuckles and looks at me slightly confused, "Don't get me wrong Carter, your carpet looks comfy and all but I think I'd rather sleep with a blanket."

Now it's my turn to laugh and I can't help but to roll my eyes, "I meant in my bed you dork."

He looks somewhat shocked for a split second and grins, "Oh." He then slings the blanket over my desk chair and removes his socks and shoes. He leaves his jeans and shirt on which I imagine to be uncomfortable but assume he does it out of respect and slides in next to me.

I inch my way over to him and drape my arm across his stomach, resting my head on his chest. His heartbeat is steady and strong, almost like my own personal lullaby.

We lay in comfortable silence and I take this time to mull over my thoughts while he draws spiral patters on my arm.

Tyler, wherever he is, will undoubtedly come for me again as—unlike before—I have now given him cause. Obviously, something wasn't right in the head with him because sane men do not repeatedly assault girls, go through risky lengths of stalking them or those that are in their lives, and make severe threats of bodily harm all while living a normal college lifestyle. Given this, it makes him extremely dangerous and if I'm honest, I'm terrified. He knows where I live, where I go to school, and will probably do anything to keep me quiet.

Even with the high temperatures of the water, I'm suddenly freezing and begin to shake. Would he go after Tess too? Lee? He saw her there with me tonight and it wouldn't be hard to figure out who she was. Tyler was no longer a personal tragedy I could keep secret, not if he were going to potentially harm my loved ones.

I needed to warn them and put him away for good.

Forming a plan in my head, I remember the clear plastic bag the security guard gave to Jake. "What was in that baggie?" I ask, looking up at him with curious eyes.

He shrugs, "A scrap of fabric someone found. Figured it was suspicious so they bagged it. Do you know if it belonged to him or...?"

At this point, I had completely forgotten about the rag but was thankful someone manage to find it because it would possibly help my case. "Yeah actually. He uh, used it to keep my quiet at first. It might have some DNA on it so that could be helpful."

I feel his muscles stiffen beneath my body and his lips have pressed together. "So you're telling me he shoved that in your mouth?" he asks angrily. I don't respond as my silence is the only answer he needs. "What else did he do to you exactly?"

Sighing, I look away from him and focus on the design on his shirt once again. It's only fair that he'd ask me what happened exactly in the corn field, so I tell him everything from the moment the scare actor took Jake away. From the way he bites the inside of his cheek I can tell that he is obviously not happy. He shakes his head in disgust and looks up at the ceiling, watching my fan's blades spin slowly around.

"What a piece of shit. I knew he was scum to begin with but now?" he asks, scoffing.

"Are you worried that he'll come after you?" I ask curiously. When I mentioned the part about Tyler threatening him, he didn't even seem phased.

He lets out a single small laugh and shakes his head, "Honestly, I wish he would. It'd give me a legit legal excuse to beat the shit out of him."

I imagine the two facing off and try to picture what the outcome would be. Jake is tall, lean, and extremely in shape, and knows how to take a beating considering he plays rugby. He also has been in a few fights at his old school in Florida and apparently put some kid in the hospital. Tyler did play a sport in high school if I remember correctly and he did seem to be somewhat fit. All in all, Jake has a few extra pounds on him and is slightly taller so if it were a fair fight, I'm confident he'd win.