Chapter 6 I'm Not the Only One

Derek's POV:

I had brought her onto the motorcycle without even considering where I was headed, but in a situation like this, I figured the emergency room was the only real option.

I kept my speed in check, unsure if she would keep clinging to my T-shirt the whole way.

It seemed smarter to avoid the police; getting pulled over for not wearing a helmet would have been ridiculous, so I wound my way through Manhattan's back roads until I reached Bellevue Hospital.

Upon arrival, I parked right up on the sidewalk outside the emergency room. After all, it really was an emergency.

"You can get off," I said, noticing she was still clutching my T-shirt.

The girl didn't budge, so I gently placed my hand over hers, hoping she would understand she needed to let go.

At my touch, she released her grip right away.

I swung my leg over and got off the motorcycle, realizing she was still sitting stiffly, her head bowed.

"You need to get off and have the doctors look at you," I said softly.

Still, she stayed frozen, her fists clenched tightly inside her sleeves.

I was at a loss for how to convince her. With the helmet's visor down, I couldn't see her face. I had no idea if she was crying, if she was even looking at me.

Stepping closer, I decided to take off her helmet for her. She didn't react at all as I eased it off, and her face came into view again, streaked with tears and lost in anguish. Seeing her like that made my chest ache.

Her messy black hair tumbled back across her face, but her green eyes were visible-shining with tears, fixed on the hospital with unmistakable fear.

Don't tell me she was scared of the hospital?

Sophie's POV:

As I stepped out of the bar where we'd stopped for drinks, I spotted Derek's motorcycle revving up in the distance, a girl sitting behind him-at least, I thought it was a girl.

He really couldn't control himself. But it was obvious how taken he was with that girl and her black hair.

Part of me figured it was for the best; he was nearly twenty-six, and this wasn't the time for him to start fooling around with someone so young.

"Did you lose your dance partner?" Ayden asked as he walked up to me.

"Yes, and it looks like we've lost Derek too," I replied.

We were chatting with a few friends when my phone began to ring. I glanced at the screen. Why was he calling me already?

"Hello, couldn't you seal the deal?" I laughed.

"Now's not the time, Sophie!" he snapped. "Can you meet me at Bellevue?"

"The hospital?" I asked, surprised. "Don't tell me that..."

"Can you come or not?!" Derek exclaimed, clearly irritated.

"Yes, I'm heading out right now. Can you tell me what's going on? You sound furious," I asked, already making my way toward my Mustang.

"Don't bring Ayden. And hurry up!" he ordered before hanging up.

I stared at my phone, a mix of surprise and worry churning inside me; Derek almost never sounded this serious. Something big must have happened.

"You look off, Sophie. Is everything okay?" Ayden asked, trailing behind me.

"Honestly, I have no idea what's going on, but I think Derek's gotten himself into trouble again," I admitted, feeling the tension.

"Where is he?" Ayden asked, now sounding anxious too.

"At the hospital."

"At the hospital? What are you waiting for, let's go!"

"No, he told me not to bring you, and I'm serious-he wasn't joking. I'll let you know as soon as I find out what's going on," I assured him as I slid into the Mustang.

"It's not true, Derek. What stupid thing did you get yourself into this time?"

Marina's POV:

It had been a while since we returned to the bikes, but Alix and the others still hadn't come back.

"Relax, they're probably off somewhere having fun, just like we were," Daniel told me.

"No, Alix isn't that kind of girl," I replied, scanning the crowd for any sign of her.

I pictured Alix sitting in a corner, lost in her sketchbook, barely paying attention to the guy who'd been with her.

I shouldn't have left her with him. She barely spoke to boys, and since she wasn't sociable, he had probably abandoned her in some corner.

I kept brooding, unsure where she had gone, until I finally spotted the guy she'd been with. Letting go of Daniel's hand, I headed toward him and realized Alix was nowhere in sight.

"Where's Alix?" I asked, a mix of surprise and worry creeping into my voice.

"I have no idea. She left a while ago," he replied, heading toward his motorcycle.

Alix leaving on her own didn't sound like her at all. We were on the other side of town, and I doubted she would have taken a taxi.

Anger boiling up, I turned around and grabbed his arm just as he reached for his helmet.

"Alix wouldn't leave without telling me!" I shouted, unable to hide my frustration.

"I'm telling you, she let go of me when I suggested we get a drink. Just call her, then you'll know where she is!" He said as he released me while putting on his helmet.

Pulling out my phone, I quickly dialed Alix's number, but she didn't answer.

"Damn it!" I exclaimed, watching that jerk ride off while I was still left clueless about where Alix had gone.

"You're seriously overreacting," Daniel chimed in. "Your girlfriend's frigid. She probably left, just like he said."

I turned toward Daniel and looked him over. Alix might have been frigid, but she was my best friend, and I was the only one allowed to say that. Without warning, I slapped him and headed for the parking lot, trying Alix's number again.

Derek's POV:

That girl still didn't want to get off my motorcycle. I couldn't force her to go inside, so I had called Sophie for backup. She was dragging herself over now.

I pulled a cigarette from my pocket. I needed a moment to calm down before she arrived, because I knew I would have to deal with her temper on top of everything else.

It was hard to believe the evening had begun so smoothly. If I had just gotten off the motorcycle and talked to him, none of this would have happened.

I ran a hand through my hair and took a long drag from my cigarette just as the Mustang roared into the emergency parking lot, tires screeching across the pavement.

I had better explain before she started assuming things and blowing up. With the way she reacted to everything, I half expected her to grab the girl by the hair and drag her out herself.

"What's the problem?!" she yelled as she stepped out of the Mustang. I walked toward her.

I saw her gaze drift to the motorcycle, and her face tightened with anger.

"Are you messing with me?!" she screamed as she marched toward me.

"Damn it, calm down and let me explain!" I said, gripping her shoulders.

"Explain what?! What are you doing with that girl?! Do you want to end up in jail or what?!" she exclaimed.

"Sophie, shut up and let me explain!" I snapped, trying to get her to calm down.

This time, I had her attention and could finally explain what was really going on. As I told her what happened, Sophie's expression shifted to disgust. I saw the same hatred burning in her eyes that I felt inside me, mixed with sadness and revulsion.

Alix's POV:

I was still sitting on the motorcycle, frozen. I didn't want to get down or step into that hospital and risk having my humiliation begin all over again. I only wanted to go home and wash away the filth clinging to me... And the part of it that felt like it was still within me.

I just wanted to go home, fall asleep, and never wake up.

There was no way anyone else could find out what I had been through.

If I stepped in there, my mother would find out, and she would never recover from what I had endured. She would blame herself for pushing me to go out, even though none of this was her fault or Marina's. It was my fault. I should have been more careful. I should have stayed on guard. I should have bitten him, hit him, pushed him away.

I began crying in anger, and when a hand touched me, I jolted so hard I nearly slipped off the motorcycle, but the hand tightened around my sweater to steady me.

The hand belonged to a mixed‑race girl. When I lifted my face to look at her, I recognized her as the girl who had been near Marina during the race.

"Hi, we saw each other earlier at the race." She tried to smile at me.

I realized the tattooed man had called her to convince me to get down and enter the hospital.

"Derek thought you might feel more comfortable with me when going into the hospital," she said gently.

This woman was the kind of woman I wished I had been. Beautiful and aware of it, but also capable of defending herself. You could see it in her eyes, in the confidence of her voice. Someone like her would never go through what had happened to me.

"My name is Sophie, and yours?" she asked.

"Alix," I muttered.

"Very beautiful name," she said, gently tucking my hair away from my face. "Will you please get off the bike now?"

I couldn't stay on this bike forever, and I knew it. Surely they must have had better things to do than look after a wreck like me.

She still had her hand on my arm, and I finally decided to get down, only to end up collapsing into her arms.

I suddenly jerked back in surprise and stumbled.

"It's normal that you're unable to stand after what you've been through. Your body's nerves haven't calmed down yet," she said, catching me before I fell again.

I let her hold me, hoping I would gather enough strength to leave on my own and call a taxi.

But it hadn't even occurred to me that my bag wasn't with me; I had left it in Marina's car.

"What if we went back for a check-up to make sure you're alright?"

"I will not go back into that hospital," I said as I pulled away from her arms.

"But you need to go for a check-up. Tomorrow will be too late. We must do it to stop that bastard," she insisted.

"It's out of the question!" I screamed hysterically, backing away toward the road. "I don't want anyone to touch me anymore! Leave me alone! Let me die in peace!"

A car suddenly came out of nowhere, and before I even understood what was happening, I felt myself being lifted off the ground and thrown onto the sidewalk.

I opened my eyes. I felt no pain anywhere except in my foot, and Sophie was hovering above me. I realized she wasn't leaning over me, but over the tattooed man who was holding me tightly in his arms.

"Everything is fine, Sophie. I'm fine. Stop looking at me as if I'm about to die," the man said.

I struggled, trying to break free from his hold. When he still didn't release me, I turned my face toward him.

His intense gaze in that moment was both sorrowful and severe.

"If you want to die, do it after the test so we can stop that bastard," he told me coldly. "And another thing, she came because she knows what it feels like to be violated."

I shuddered at his words. She, who seemed so strong, had lived through the same thing I had.

Sophie gave me a gentle smile and extended her hand to help me up.

I took Sophie's hand, unable to bring myself to meet her eyes, and rose to my feet. Without letting go, I walked toward the emergency room doors, holding her hand tightly.