She shrugged. “I guess he was in a shitty mood.”
“Hey.” Alex caught her arm and stopped her hard in the middle of the hall. His eyes searched her face. Suddenly, Ava couldn’t fight it anymore. Tears sprang to her eyes, her lower lip trembling. She started to turn away from him, but he touched her elbow.
“Hey,” he said softly, giving her a sympathetic look. “You want to get out of here?”
She hesitated. She wasn’t sure she was in the mood to hang out with anyone. Then again, the thought of staying on campus—where she risked bumping into Granger, or worse, Detective Peters—sent a roiling wave of nausea through her. She wiped her tears impatiently away. “Okay,” she said. “Let’s go.”
They took Alex’s car. Ava stared out the window as they passed posh boutiques and pedestrians under bright-colored umbrellas. Alex turned the radio up a little as the Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun” came over the air, singing along under his breath as they drove across Lake Washington and into the city. He was adorably off-key.
Finally, the two of them arrived at the Washington Park Arboretum. Alex unfurled an oversize blue-and-green plaid umbrella as he slammed the car door behind him, coming around to hold it over Ava’s head as she stepped out into the rain. She inhaled deeply—the air smelled like soil and fir trees.
“I haven’t been here since I was a kid,” Ava said, looking around. “But I always loved it.”
“I thought it would cheer you up,” Alex said softly.
He bought two tickets, and they went into the park. Ava’s breath caught in her throat. Seattle didn’t get many fall colors—the rain kept everything green and lush through most of the year—but here a shock of gold and red leaves fluttered overhead like flames. A peaceful stream wove its way through mossy boulders, murmuring softly in the rain. They made their way down the stone pathway, the only people in the park. The only people in the world, Ava thought, her eyes flickering toward Alex.
“So you’re letting Granger get to you,” he said. “I can totally tell.”
Ava ducked her head. “He was in a jerky mood. Maybe he didn’t have enough girls fawning over him this morning.”
Alex shook his head, a disgusted look on his face. “I don’t get why so many girls have a crush on him. He seems like a sleaze.” He frowned. “It seemed like you guys were getting along, though. Like, he used to praise you for everything. What ever happened with that paper you were going to rewrite?”
Ava looked away. She should have known Alex wouldn’t forget about this. She shrugged. “He wouldn’t let me rewrite after all.”
“Ava.” Alex’s voice was stern. “I know you. You’re acting really weird right now. Something’s going on, right? Please tell me. Whatever it is, I’ll understand.”
Ava felt her cheeks redden. This really wasn’t fair to Alex. Maybe she needed to come clean. Well, sort of clean, anyway. “He kind of . . . hit on me, okay?” she blurted.
Alex’s face flashed with anger. “When?”
She shook her head, humiliated. “I went to see him another time. At his house.” She lowered her eyes. “It was for the paper—or so I thought. Really, it was all a setup.”
Alex pulled her into a hug, tracing small circles on her back. “I’m so sorry, Ava. But you need to go to the police. You know that, right? He’ll get fired.”
“I tried, actually.”
Alex pulled away and looked at her in shock. “You did?”
Ava felt so guilty. Usually, she and Alex told each other everything. “A few days ago. They didn’t believe me.”
“Why not?”
Ava shrugged, searching for an answer that would make sense. “Because I’m just a pretty girl making stuff up. Or maybe they’d heard the rumors, too.” She laughed awkwardly.
“That’s not funny.” Alex paced around. “God. That’s so messed up. Remember how I said I had something to tell you about him? Well, I’ve seen girls go to his house. A lot of them. College age. Maybe even our age. And now, with him hitting on you . . . it’s even worse. He needs to be punished.”
“Wait.” Ava stared at him. “You saw girls our age go into his house? Are you sure?”
Alex nodded. “Positive.”
She gripped his hand. “Maybe you could go to the police.”
Alex shrugged. “I’m not sure how that would look after you went and they didn’t believe you. They’d probably think that I was just trying to stick up for you or something. It’s not like I have solid proof.”
“Right,” Ava said despondently, lowering her shoulders.
“But I can watch him, if you want,” Alex said gently. “This guy needs to be stopped. What he’s doing is so wrong.”
“Thank you.” Ava peeked at him. “So you’re not mad?”
“At you?” Alex shook his head. “Ava, I love you.”