Chapter 28

Delaney

Things have been surprisingly good since the whole Thanksgiving blow-up. However, life has been insanely busy while studying for exams. I can’t believe it’s already December.

With me missing so much of World History, I joined a study group to help myself catch up. Kai offered to pass me, but I turned that down right away. I will not allow him to give me any special treatment just because we’re dating. I want to earn my grade, not have it given to me.

I’ve also gotten to see more of the guys, but only because we all formed our own study group. We meet up at Justin’s dorm room pretty much every night to study for a few hours. That’s when the guys aren't at ball practice or a game.

Logan mentioned he was struggling with his grades, and Justin suggested this group. I’ve been a little iffy because of Stacy, but us being at Justin’s dorm helps a lot because Logan and him are best friends, so it wouldn’t be weird if he was seen there.

Study time’s been filled with nothing but intense sexual energy, stolen glances, and butterflies in my belly.

Winter loves to point out when one of us is staring too long and makes gagging noises; all we do is smile and look away.

We haven't been able to really move forward because our main focus has been studying for exams and then taking the actual exams.

“We’re free!” Winter shouts as we step out of the lecture hall, just finishing our last exam for the semester. “We need to celebrate.”

“I agree.” I’m beyond tired, but all the hard parts are behind us. At least until next semester. “I think my eyes are going to fall out if I have to read one more word. And that's a shame because I like reading. Just not stupid textbooks.”

“How do you think you did?” Winter asks.

“Okay, for the most part, I think. I’m not too happy with World History, but I have no one to blame for that but myself.”

It was stupid of me to miss so many classes because I was too afraid to face everything. And all for no reason because Kai ended up being a fucking godsend about the whole thing. He reacted so well, it fucking melted my heart.

Owen has me worried, and his words did sting a little, but I couldn’t blame him. He was hurt, and I was the one who did it. I hated myself for that, for hurting all of them.

I started my morning runs with Kai again. This time, at places with less people so he can pull me into dark corners and kiss me until I’m a puddle in his arms.

We haven’t had sex again, and I’m not going to lie, I’m pretty sad about it. But he said he wanted to wait until I wasn’t so stressed and life calmed down a bit. That we had the rest of our lives, and he wasn’t in a rush.

I swear this man isn’t real. He’s too damn perfect.

He’s the whole package. Smart, caring, mature. And it doesn't hurt he looks like a damn viking god.

“Girl, I thought my life was complicated.” She smiles over at me. “I mean, it is. My parents hate each other and fight so much that I end up pretty much living at Elijah’s place, but you know. What can a girl do?”

“Winter.” I wrap my arm around her shoulder.

“Nope. No pity for me. How about we go out tonight, get all dressed up, and go to a party?”

“I don’t know.” I think back to that last party. “I don’t make the best choices when I drink.”

“Then don’t drink. One of the fraternities is throwing this massive end-of-the-year party. It’s supposed to be epic.”

“I thought you hated parties?” I remember back to when Elijah said they never go to them and would rather stay at home.

She blushes. “You bring a side out of me that I didn’t know I had. When I’m hanging out with you, I see how you carry yourself, your confidence. You never let your fear be the reason you miss out on things in life. I want to be more like that. Like you.”

“Winter.” My eyes well up. “You're going to make me cry.” I hug her tightly. “I think you're an amazing person. You're funny, fun, kind, and loyal. If anything, I want to be more like you.”

“You stop it right now.” She sniffs.

I laugh. “Alright. Let’s go to that party.”

“Yay!”

“What party?” Owen comes over, Elijah and Logan next to him. A warmness fills my belly. Before, it was a forbidden want, something I scolded myself for feeling. Now, it’s this giddiness that I welcome. “Hey, Jellyfish.” Owen nods, shooting me a sexy grin that makes me swoon. He doesn’t hug or kiss me because we’re not in private, and there are students all around. But I can tell how much he wants me by the look in his eyes.

“Hi.” I smile.

“Hey, Siren.” Logan grins. “How were your exams?”

“Good... I think? You?”

His smile falls. “No clue. All I can do is hope for at least passing grades.” He sighs.

“Next year, we will continue with the study groups and make sure your grades don’t get the chance to fall behind.” He might not be at risk of being kicked off the team anymore, but if he fails this year, it won’t look good for his position on the Florida Bobcats.

“I’d like that.”

My eyes find Elijah. He’s standing next to Winter, the two of them leaning in together, whispering. I frown because Elijah looks pissed. I hope it’s not at me.

“So, what party?” Owen asks again.

“Winter mentioned a party at a fraternity.”

“Oh, Eta Nu Chi. I can confirm they have some wild parties. It’s not just drinking and dancing. They have a massive pool, a bounce house covered in bubbles, other games, and then fireworks at the end of the night.”

“Really?” Winter’s eyes widen. “Laney, we have to go. Please! I’ve never done anything like that before.”

“It does sound fun,” I agree. “We should go.”

“We’ll come too,” Owen says.

“We should invite Justin. You know he’s going to want to come,” Winter says.

I give her a grin. “Yeah, can't leave him out.” I have no idea what's going on between the two of them, but I do know they are at least best friends.

“I can't, sadly,” Elijah says. “I have a previous engagement. But you all have fun. I gotta go. See you, Laney.”

My smile falls as he leaves. “Bye.” I turn to his brothers. “Is he okay?”

Elijah hasn’t really been the same since Thanksgiving.

Owen and Logan watch their brother leave with frowns on their faces before looking at each other. “I think so. But we'll talk to him tomorrow,” Logan says. “As for tonight, I agree with Owen. We’re in. It’s the only partying I’m going to get to do on this break.” But he doesn’t look upset about it at all. He loves spending time with Benny.

For the most part, Stacy hasn’t done anything new to fuck with his life or mine. I’ve been good at avoiding her too, and she hasn’t tried to seek me out. She must be happy enough with how things are going with our deal.

Still, being out in the open with Logan like this has me wondering if someone is watching and will let her know we’re hanging out.

“Okay, so we’re going as a big group. No one leaves the other behind to go off and do wild things,” Winter says, looking at me with a raised brow.

“What?!” I laugh, my cheeks heating the longer she looks at me. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You know what happened last time you went to a party with these guys.” Winter grins, crossing her arms.

“I’m not going to drink. I learned my lesson.” I roll my eyes, but I can see Owen and Logan with smug smirks out of the corner of my eye.

“Hold up. What are you two talking about?” Justin asks, looking between me and Winter as he joins our group. “Is there something I don’t know?” Justin’s wide eyes land on me. “I thought we were best friends. Besties tell each other everything. What don’t I know?” he whines, pushing out his bottom lip in a dramatic pout.

He’s right, we are besties, but talking about sex with Winter seems easy. It’s a little too weird for me to talk about it with Justin. Normally, he knows what's going on because Logan’s told him. I guess he doesn’t know this.

“Don’t ask me. Ask him.” I point to Logan. “I thought you told him everything?” I raise a brow at the dark-hair hottie.

Logan looks a little guilty. “I didn’t say anything about this because it wasn’t my proudest moment.”

“What do you mean?” Panic starts to fill me. Did he regret what we did?

Logan grabs my hand and pulls me away from the others. “How I acted that night, I was out of control. It’s why I don’t drink anymore. It turns me into someone I’m not proud of. Anytime I drink, I let my feelings control my actions.”

“You were pretty tame the weekend of the away game.” I remember him confessing his want for me. Back then, I felt guilty; now, knowing how he feels, it excites me.

“Because I was wasted.” He sighs. “But before it gets to that point, I’m in between the point of tipsy and black-out drunk. Anyway, I’m sorry if I scared you or made you feel like you were taken advantage of.”

My eyes widen. “Wait, do you think that? That you took advantage of me?”

He gives me a pained look. “You were drunk, too. We all were. Knowing you were seeing someone, it filled me with a jealousy I’ve never felt for anyone before. I had this consuming need to have you, to show you what could be yours so you didn’t forget.”

“Logan,” I whisper, taking a step forward. I want to touch him, to hold him. But we’re in public, and even with the Stacy stuff, this school knows we’re stepsiblings. I don’t need people to start spreading gossip. “I wasn’t afraid of you, not even close.” I bite my lower lip. “I liked it. I liked what you guys did.”

“You did?” His brows jump.

I shrug. “When it comes to sex, I’m learning there’s a lot of things I like.”

“Like what?” He gives me a sexy smoldering grin.

“We will save that for another day.” I laugh.

“Fine.” He pouts. “But we will continue this conversation,” he says, voice rumbling.

I shiver, nipples pebbling. “Yes, Daddy.”

His lips part, and I burst out laughing. “Oh, you little brat.”

Running over to Winter, I’m still laughing as I grab her hand and pull her away. “We will see you boys at the party. Bye!”

“Why does Logan look like he wants to eat you up?” Winter asks.

“I have no idea.”

***

“This place is wild.” I laugh as we stand on the front lawn of Eta Nu Chi.

“This must be what heaven looks like,” Winter says in awe.

The guys were not wrong when they were telling us about the kind of things they do around here.

Almost everyone is dressed in some sort of swimwear, music blasting as they play games on the front lawn.

People are throwing water balloons. Others are in the bounce house, and it is, indeed, filled with bubbles.

“I know what I wanna do first.” I turn my head to look at Winter.

“Let’s do it!” she squeals, eyes filled with excitement.

Knowing this party was going to involve a lot of water activities, we just decided to wear our bikinis and some flip-flops.

I did enjoy the nice eye fuck Logan and Owen gave me when they came to pick us up. Logan even punched Justin in the nuts when he made a joke about me dressing up for him. I have a feeling he won’t be putting up with those comments much longer. I think they’re harmless, and I do love it when Logan gets riled up. It’s sexy.

Grabbing Winter’s hand, we take off towards the bounce house. As we run through it, getting covered in bubbles, there's a real, genuine smile on my face. I haven’t felt this carefree and happy in a very long time.

No, life isn’t perfect; it never will be. And yes, there are still a lot of things we don’t know about the future, but in this moment, I’m going to have the time of my life.

And I do.

After Winter and I are done in the bounce house, we’re tired, panting for breath, but laughing our asses off.

The guys are waiting for us, and we end up moving into the house. Everyone but Logan and I end up getting drinks; we stick with soda.

Logan and Justin end up finding their teammates and get lost in conversations about the upcoming national championship game.

Owen ends up meeting up with his hockey team buddies. I haven’t met any of them yet and haven’t even seen him with them, if I’m being honest.

His season has started, and I’ve missed the first few games. I feel bad about it, but I was also avoiding them at all costs.

After Christmas, I plan on going to every single one of them. I’m even going to ask if I can take over taking photos for the hockey team.

Does that make me come off as clingy? Maybe, but I’ve missed too much time getting to know Owen already. I want to see him in his element, get to know who he is. And that starts with the game that’s a big part of his life.

Winter and I don’t mind being ditched because we head out front to participate in a water balloon fight.

These fuckers hit hard, but it just makes Winter and me work harder.

Seeing this girl in warrior mode and listening to her battle cry as she starts pelting water balloons at the baseball team has me gaping at her in awe.

“Damn, Winter.” A guy laughs when we’re done. We don’t win because, hello, these are baseball players, and we never really stood a chance, but we got some good shots in. Mostly Winter. “If girls were allowed on the team, I’d tell Elijah to talk to Coach about getting you on it. That was awesome.”

“Thank you, Griffin.” Winter gives him a beaming smile, proud of herself.

“You know,” I start, my arm slung over her shoulder as we walk back towards the house. “This probably has to be the best party I’ve been to. We need to come to more like this.”

“Agreed.” Winter nods. “Maybe we should join a sorority.”

We look at each other for a moment before bursting out in laughter. “Fuck no,” I wheeze.

“I’d be terrified.” Winter laughs.

“Alright, what do you want to do next?”

“I don’t know. The night is young!” she shouts. “And so are we.”

“How about I go find a bathroom so I can pee, and then we can see what else this place has to offer.”

“Deal.” She nods. “I’ll meet you out back, I wanna swim for a little bit.”

“Oh, swimming. That sounds like fun. Okay, I’ll meet you there.”

Heading back into the house, I weave my way through the crowd and head towards the bathrooms. “Fuck,” I mutter, seeing that the line to the bathroom is insane.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t waste my time,” the girl next in line says. “I’ve been waiting here twenty minutes. Try the basement bathroom. If not there, try the upstairs bathroom.”

“Thanks.” I nod.

“And if anyone asks why you're upstairs,” she says, lowering her voice so only I can hear her. “Tell them Sara said it was okay.”

“Okay...” I say slowly. “Thanks?”

She laughs. “You're Delaney, right?” I nod. “My brother is on the hockey team with Owen. He’s had my back a few times, so I owe him. My boyfriend is also part of the fraternity, and upstairs is off limits during parties for anyone but the brothers and their partners.”

“Oh, okay. Well, thanks. I’ll try the basement first, just to be sure.” I smile before leaving, wondering why she didn’t just go upstairs herself. Oh well.

It takes me a bit to find the basement, but as I head downstairs, I can tell people are partying down here, too, as a different song plays loudly.

“Do you know where the bathroom is?” I shout at someone standing against the wall. The guy nods, pointing down the hall. “Thanks!”

Heading down the hall, I pass a room with its door open. Normally, I wouldn’t bother looking, it’s none of my business, but the guy in the room says something that has me pausing.

“Fuck, Stacy,” he grunts, and I slow to a stop at the mention of her name. “These tits are fucking amazing.”

“Daddy paid for them,” she slurs, sounding like she’s drunk. “That little brat fucking ruined them.”

Brat... she can’t mean Benny?

I backtrack, taking a peek into the room, and wish I didn’t. “They’re perfect for fucking,” the guy says, thrusting up between her tits.

Stacy looks out of it, like a fucking zombie, as this guy fucks her tits. She lays there, eyes vacant, as she stares at the wall.

“Here, baby,” another guy next to her says. “You need another hit.”

My eyes widen as I see him stick a fucking needle into her arm.

She lets out this sexual moan as her eyes roll back, a lazy smirk taking over her face. “Fuck, that’s good.”

I’m stuck here, my feet frozen in disbelief at what I’m seeing. Something tells me to take my phone out and document this.

Thankfully, I put my shorts back on after the bounce house and took my phone back from Logan who was keeping it safe for me.

Heart pounding, I lift up my phone and hit record. I don’t get much, but I do get the guy removing the needle and the rubber band that was around her arm.

I can’t believe she’s using heroin. At least, that’s what it looks like; I don't know much about drugs.

This woman is a fucking fool. She doesn’t deserve Benny.

Abandoning the idea of using the downstairs bathroom, I head back upstairs to use the ones on the top floor. I’m showing this to Logan. Maybe this could help his case with proving she’s an unfit parent.

It’s her week with him, and she’s left him at home to go out to a party and do drugs. How fucking sad is that. God, this woman really is the worst. I hate her.

Slipping under the tape block, I head upstairs. It’s dead up here, I don’t see a single person. That means, thankfully, the bathroom is free. “Fuck yes,” I sigh, slipping into the bathroom.

Once I’m done and no longer feeling like I’m going to burst, I wash my hands and head out into the hall.

Needing a moment to myself, I lean against the wall and close my eyes.

I’m not going to let that bitch ruin my night. If anything, she just made it better by giving me something I can use against her.

“I’m not sure how we’re going to do it, Benny, but we’re gonna get you away from her and with your daddy for good,” I whisper to myself, staring at the home screen on my phone. I smile at the selfie of Benny and me. His face is full of strawberries, and he has the biggest grin on his face as he grips my cheeks with his hands.

Not wanting to leave Winter for too long, I stand up. I’m about to head down the hall when I hear crying.

Frowning, I pause, forcing myself to listen harder over the music.

Another wail sounds from the opposite side of the hallway.

Knowing I can’t leave until I find out where it’s coming from, I head towards the sound. The closer I get, I realize it’s a child crying. Or a baby?

“What the hell?”

At the very last door at the end of the hall, I hear blood-curdling screaming and my heart drops. A rush of adrenaline fills me as I’m quick to open the door.

Never in my deepest, darkest nightmares did I ever think I’d walk into this room and see this.

In the middle of the bed, there’s a little boy sitting there in nothing but a diaper. He’s screaming so loud his face is turning red, tears streaming down his cheeks as snot drips down to his mouth.

My heart fucking shatters, my stomach fills with bile. Because that little boy isn’t just any kid. It’s Benny. I can tell by the wild black curls on his little head.

“Oh my god,” I sob out, running over to the bed. I pick him up and hold him tightly to my chest. “It’s okay, baby boy. It’s alright. I’m here now. Shhh. I got you.”

I’m crying, almost as hard as he is, I can’t help it. I know I should be holding it together, but what the hell is going on? Why is he here, alone in this room?

She really couldn’t have brought him to a fucking party and left him alone in a bedroom to go and get fucking high and have a gang bang!

I’m going to be sick, this can’t be real.

But the screaming little boy in my arms brings me back to reality real fast.

He’s crying so hard he’s gasping for breath, his whole body shaking.

My heart is breaking into a million pieces.

“It’s okay, baby,” I sob, trying to rock him in my trembling arms. “It’s okay. It’s okay.”

It’s not okay. Because he’s also in a diaper that is soaked through, and I can smell poop.

How long has he been here in a soiled diaper?

I can’t just sit here and ask myself questions. I need to get help for him. Who do I call? The cops? Logan?

Oh god. Logan. He’s going to be destroyed. He is going to lose his fucking mind. And I don’t blame him.

The only thing I need to worry about is getting him out of here, away from that sick monster downstairs and to his daddy.

Shifting him to my hip, I wipe my eyes with the back of my hand so I can see the screen. Finding Logan’s number, I call it.

It rings a few times, but no answer. “Fuck!” I shout. It startles Benny, making him cry louder. “Shh, it’s okay, Benny. Laney is here. You’re safe. I won’t let anyone hurt you.” I bounce him as I go to Owen’s name. He picks up on the second ring.

“ Laney? Where are you?”

“Get Logan and meet me out front,” I say in a shaky voice. “Now!”

“What’s wrong? Is that a baby crying?” Owen’s voice fills with concern.

“Please, Owen. Now.”

“Okay.”

I hang up, tuck my phone in my back pocket, and rush out of the room. I don’t take the stairs I came up on, there are too many people at the bottom.

Thankfully, there’s another way down. I take those stairs, and they lead me to a door that opens to the side of the house.

Holding Benny tightly in my arms, I run. I run and run until I’m away from all the people on the other side of the front lawn.

“Shhh,” I try to soothe him. The crying has slowed, but he’s still crying so hard he starts to gag. “I’m so sorry,” I say into his hair as I hold his head against my shoulder. “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.”

My blurry eyes manage to make out two people running towards me.

I see the moment in Logan’s eyes when he realizes who’s in my arms. He runs faster, his face masked with fury.

“I’m so sorry,” I sob out as Logan takes Benny from my arms. “I went upstairs to pee, and I heard crying. I found him in a room.”

“Shhh.” Logan has tears spilling down his cheeks now, too, but he’s doing a better job at keeping it together than I am. “It’s okay, buddy. Daddy is here.” He kisses Benny’s head before looking to me. “Laney, baby, I need you to tell me everything.”

“I’m sorry.” I start to breathe heavily.

“Laney.” Owen cups my face. “Breathe.”

I nod, taking a few deep breaths.

“I found Stacy downstairs. She’s here; she left Benny in that room alone. The door wasn’t even locked. She was getting high in the basement, hooking up with some guys.”

“I’m going to fucking kill her,” he snarls, body vibrating. “She is never getting my son again. I don’t care what I have to do, she will never, and I fucking mean never, see him as long as I fucking live.”

“I’m calling the cops,” Owen says, grabbing his phone.

“I’m sorry.” I wrap my arms around myself. “I’m so sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry about, Laney.” Logan looks at me with devastated eyes. “You didn’t do this, you saved him. You saved my little boy, Laney, and for that, I owe you the fucking world.”

Closing my eyes, I cry hard. I can’t stop. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Seeing Benny like that, I will never be able to get that out of my mind.

“Is he okay?” I ask, opening my eyes.

“He will be. We’re going to have to get him checked out.” Logan lays Benny down on the ground, making him scream.

“I hate to ask this, but please videotape this.” Logan looks at me with broken eyes.

I nod my head and grab my phone, hitting record.

“I need this as proof of what state he was in when he was found.” Logan takes Benny’s diaper off, doing his best to soothe his son.

“Fucking hell,” Owen hisses when we see the mess Benny’s been in. “Here.” Owen hands Logan a bottle of water he snatched from Justin. It’s then that I realize that Winter and Justin are here too. “Oh my god,” Winter sobs, putting a hand to her mouth.

“It’s okay, buddy,” Logan soothes in a cracked voice. “This is going to make it feel so much better.”

He pulls the heavily soiled diaper off Benny and pours the water on his bum. Then he takes his shirt off his back and uses it to wipe him up.

The screams that leave Benny as Logan brushes it over the angry red rash marks have me crumbling to my knees next to Benny.

“Hi, baby.” I brush back his hair. “Daddy just needs to clean you up. It’s okay. It’s okay.”

It’s not okay. Nothing about this is okay.

With my free hand, I continue to record, my hand a shaking mess.

When Logan is done, he takes the shirt Owen hands him and uses it to wrap Benny up in a homemade diaper before scooping him up in his arms.

Logan says nothing as he holds his son, whispering in his ear, eyes closed as he rocks him.

Pressing end on the recording, I hand the phone to Owen.

“The police are on their way,.” Owen informs us, running a hand through his hair. “I’m going to kill her, Logan. I’m going to wrap my fucking hands around her neck and snap it.” He gives me a look before I take one last glance at Benny and Logan.

Then I’m turning around and running back towards the house at full speed.

My legs ache, my lungs scream, but I don’t pay them any mind. I keep going, past the people who have been watching what’s going on, into the house, and straight to the basement.

I’ve never felt such pain in my life. But I’ve never felt this level of rage. Of pure fury. Like I’m not myself. Something inside me snapped as the image of Benny’s screaming little red face plays in my mind on a loop.

An eerie, murderous feeling blankets me, seeping into my veins as I storm down the steps.

Pushing past the people in my way, I head to the room. Stacy is still there, out of it, being fucked by two guys.

Nostrils flaring, chest heaving, I grab the bat that’s up against the desk. I swing, hitting the guy who’s pounding into her on the back.

He lets out a shout as he rolls off her and onto the ground.

“What the fuck!” the guy who was using her mouth to wet his dick demands, jumping off the bed.

I don’t pay them any mind as I get on the bed, crawl on top of her, and start punching.

She’s passed out, drool dripping from her mouth. And I pray in this moment she OD’d. That she’s dead and can never hurt that sweet little baby again.

But I don’t care if she is, I still continue to punch her, fist cracking into her cheek, her mouth, her nose.

“You sick fucking piece of shit!” I scream at the top of my lungs. “You fucking monster. How could you? How could you fucking hurt him? He’s just a baby!”

I’m not sure how long it lasts before I feel arms wrap around me, pulling my heaving body off Stacy.

“It’s me, Laney, it’s me!” I hear Owen’s gruff voice in my ear.

I look at Stacy’s mangled face and fall apart. Owen picks me up and carries me out of the room, the house, and straight to his car.

I don’t say anything, too numb, too drained. I fall asleep in the front seat of his car, praying that the next time I open my eyes, this whole night was just one fucked up nightmare.

I need it to be, I beg it to be. Because this is too fucked up to be reality, too fucking sick and cruel to be real.