Soon she found herself in a laundry room making out with him. He reeked of pot and stale beer, and her eyes kept going to the dirty laundry piled in the basket on top of the dryer. She pulled away.
“What’s wrong?” Eric slurred.
“Nothing, but this isn’t how I—”
He grabbed her by the arms, pushing her against the wall. He jammed his tongue into her mouth. With one hand, he managed to hold both of her wrists above her head. With the other hand, he started groping her breasts.
“Stop,” Maggie said, yanking back.
But he didn’t. He kept her arms pinned. The fingers of his large hand squeezed her wrists together, both arms against the wall. It hurt and she was scared. And his other hand managed to slide down, unbutton her pants. Panic enveloped her.
She looked him in the eyes. They were nothing like earlier at the Center.
They were dark.
Wolfish.
“I said, stop!”
Another wave of terror coursed through her. Of all the horror stories her father had warned her about—exaggerated fears of a man who couldn’t bear another loss—here she was. He would be so disappointed in her. And she was in herself.
But there was one positive that had derived from all of Dad’s fears: he’d made sure his children were prepared if they ever encountered a monster. Self-defense classes, role-playing, emergency planning.
Maggie steeled herself. “Slow down,” she said, softer. “I’ll let you, but what’s the rush? Take off your shirt.”
He released her arms, yanked his hand from the waistband of her pants, then clumsily tugged off his shirt and threw it on the floor. Unexpectedly, he unbuttoned his pants and they dropped to the floor around his ankles.
“Touch it,” he said. His rank breath wafted over her.
Maggie tried to remain calm. She put her hands on the balls of his muscular shoulders now. She stared seductively into his eyes, trying not to show the panic in hers. “If that’s what you want.” She drew back slightly like she was going to lower to her knees, and Eric’s body shuddered.
She squeezed his shoulders tightly, using them as an anchor as she rammed her knee into his balls.
Eric doubled over and howled. Maggie pushed him hard. With his pants still around his ankles, he toppled to the laundry room floor.
He started yelling at her as she heaved open the door and ran.
CHAPTER 13
In the car ride home, tears spilled from Maggie’s eyes. She felt emotionally hungover, adrenaline ripping through her. Anger at Eric. At herself for being such a fool.
“Talk to me,” Harper said. She was in the back seat with Maggie. One of Harper’s friends Maggie didn’t know was driving.
Maggie wiped her eyes. Her chest convulsed in a flutter of tight breaths.
“What did he do?” Harper said. “I swear to God, I’ll—”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“That motherfucker.”
“It’s okay. I’m okay. I just want to go home.”
“You’re not gonna stay over?”
“I just want to go home.”
Harper told the girl driving where to go. They made their way down the suburban roads, Maggie staring out at nothing, tuning out Harper ranting about Eric. Finally they pulled up to Maggie’s house.
“Text me later,” Harper said as Maggie unbuckled her seat belt.
“Can you tell I’ve been crying?” Maggie asked, worried her dad would ask questions if he was awake.
Harper wiped Maggie’s eye with her thumb. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault,” Maggie said, slipping out of the car. “It’s mine,” she added quietly to herself.
She unlocked the front door, surprised that the lights in the entryway and down the hall in the kitchen were still burning bright. It was late. Dad was usually in bed by now, and he was a stickler about saving electricity.
She thought of just heading up to bed. But if he was awake, he’d wonder why she was home and not staying over at Harper’s. She tried to look composed as she walked quietly down the hallway.
That’s when she saw her father on the kitchen floor.
CHAPTER 14
“Dad! Oh my god!” Maggie ran over to her father. He was out cold, a pool of vomit on the kitchen floor near his head.
She crouched down and shook his shoulders, fumbling for her phone to call 9-1-1.
But her dad jerked awake. He sat up quickly. His pupils were dilated, and he seemed off balance.
“Dad, what happened?” Maggie said in between ragged breaths. “Are you okay?”