Chapter 2

The call connected, and I tried my best to stay calm, clearly stating the situation: I was being stalked and harassed by an unknown male, who knew a disturbing amount of my private information, had allegedly broken into my home, and was currently downstairs at my dorm.

The dispatcher took down the information and said they would send officers.

The ten-odd minutes waiting for the police felt like an eternity.

I didn't dare look downstairs again. I triple-locked the door and sat behind it, hugging my knees.

My phone screen lit up.

It was a message from Landon.

[Sweetheart, the police will be here soon. Do you need me to help you remember what to tell them?]

How could he know that?!

[For example, you can tell them we're just having a lovers' quarrel, and I'm trying to cheer you up. ^_^]

[Or, tell them you have mild delusions and memory impairment, that you often forget our relationship, and even call the police on me.] Do you need me to provide past medical records? I just Photoshopped them; they're fresh off the press.

Attached was an image: a template of an electronic diagnostic report! The patient's name was mine! Diagnosis: intermittent memory loss and delusional attachment!

I felt my vision blacken with fury, my typing hand shaking. [What the hell do you want?!]

[It's simple. Sweetheart, come downstairs, and come home with me.]

Home? Which home? What insane nonsense was this lunatic talking about?!

Just then, the faint wail of a police siren reached me from downstairs.

Like grabbing a lifeline, I scrambled up and rushed to the balcony.

A police car had indeed arrived, pulling up to the dorm entrance.

Two officers got out and were talking to the dorm supervisor and Landon.

Landon had his back to me, so I couldn't see his expression, but he seemed very cooperative, even offering the late-night snack he was holding to the officers.

I held my breath, eagerly anticipating the police arresting this pervert.

However, a few minutes later, the officers actually patted Landon's shoulder, then turned and walked away!

They left?!

I was dumbfounded.

The next second, my phone rang. It was an unknown number.

My hand trembled as I answered.

"Is this Skylar?" It was the voice of one of the officers. "We've looked into the situation. The student downstairs, Landon, he showed us some... um... rather intimate photos of you two, and a gift you allegedly gave him. He says you're just having a little disagreement..."

"That's fake! It's all fake! I don't know him at all! He's stalking me! Harassing me!" I cried out desperately.

The officer's tone was a little awkward. "Skylar, we can't really get involved in relationship disputes. And Landon was very cooperative, and he promised he wouldn't do anything drastic. Look... why don't you two just talk it out? You're both college students..."

Communicate, my ass!

I slammed the phone down, despair instantly engulfing me.

Even the police couldn't do anything about him? Just how thoroughly had he prepared his 'evidence'?!

Downstairs, Landon looked up at my window again.

He pulled out his phone.

My SnapChat immediately pinged.

[Sweetheart, can you come down now?]

[Or would you rather I come up to you? I know your dorm room number. ^_^]

5

I stared at the message, frozen solid.

He knew my dorm room number?

Our university dorms were quite strict; guys weren't allowed into the girls' building!