I think about some of the kids I went to school with who got caught up in that world. Most of them didn't make it out unscathed. "Have you talked to the guidance counselor?"
"I've tried, but again – no concrete proof. And Logan is smart enough to clean up his act when he knows someone's watching. It's only when he thinks we're alone that he shows his true colors. That's the scariest part," she whispers.
The water suddenly feels too cold, and I climb out to grab a towel from one of the lounge chairs. "So what are you going to do?"
"I'm thinking about asking Principal Harrison to move him to Mr. Hendricks' class. Different teacher, different dynamic. Maybe Logan won't feel as comfortable pulling his shit with a sixty-year-old man who looks like he could bench press a car."
"That sounds like a good plan."
Allison follows me out of the pool, wrapping herself in her own towel. "I hate that it's come to this, though. I became a teacher because I wanted to make a difference, you know? Help kids learn and grow and become better people. I never thought I'd have to worry about one of my students making me feel unsafe in my own classroom. I guess that's just the world we live in now."
We settle into the lounge chairs, and I reach over to squeeze her hand. "You're still making a difference, Allie. Just because one kid is a creep doesn't negate all the good you're doing with the rest of them."
"I know. It's just frustrating."
We sit in comfortable silence for a few minutes, sipping our drinks and letting the sun dry our skin. Rabbits hop around the back yard, birds fly in and out of the trees. The peaceful scene is such a contrast to the heaviness of our conversation.
"Enough about my drama," Allison says eventually. "How are you doing? Really doing, I mean. After everything that happened..."
The attack. She doesn't need to spell it out – we both know what she's referring to. The night that changed everything, that made me afraid of my own shadow for weeks afterward.
"Better," I say, and I'm surprised to realize I actually mean it. "I finally made it out to the greenhouse today."
Allison sits up straighter. "Dani, that's huge. How did it feel?"
"Terrifying," I admit with a laugh that sounds shakier than I'd like. "I sat in my SUV for probably twenty minutes, just staring at the building. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might burst out of my chest."
"But you went. That's what matters."
"I couldn't get out of the car, though. Every time I reached for the door handle, I'd flash back to that night. The sound of the door opening, the feeling of hands grabbing me..." I trail off, not wanting to relive those memories more than necessary.
"Hey." Allison's voice is gentle but firm. "Baby steps, okay? You drove out there. You faced the place where it happened. That takes incredible courage."
"Devil said the same thing."
"Smart man. Speaking of Devil..." She raises an eyebrow, and I can see the curiosity dancing in her eyes. "Things seem to be going well and heating up between you two again."
Heat floods my cheeks, and I'm grateful for the excuse of the sun to explain away the blush. "We've been... reconnecting." I'd told her about me not being able to be intimate with him.
"Reconnecting? Is that what we're calling it now?"
"Shut up," I laugh, snorting.
"What? I'm just saying, the sexual tension between you two has been thick enough to cut with a knife since the night of the cookout. It was only a matter of time before one of you cracked."
She's not wrong.
"It was complicated," I say, which is the understatement of the century.
"The best things usually are. I'm glad that you two figured it out"
I think about the night Devil took me into our house. The way he held me, made me feel safe in a way I hadn't felt since before the attack. And then later, when talking turned to touching, and touching turned to...
"We slept together," I blurt out, then immediately want to take it back. But it's too late – the words are out there, hanging in the air between us.
Allison grins like the cat who caught the canary. "I knew it. How was it?"
"Allison..."
