Crushed (Rushed #2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

"Shit. Can't you let that go? I didn't hit you. Okay? I didn't even see you."
    I took a deep breath. "Yeah, too bad for you. Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, right?"
    "Morgan—"
    The instructor walked in just then, along with a bunch of last-minute stragglers.  
    "Class! Everyone take a seat. We're on a tight schedule. I'm Dr. Smith. But you can call me Larry."
    He was pale, stale, and middle-aged. I thought, Oh boy, this is going to be fun.
    Every one of the twenty or so seats was full. Great, a full crowd. Of mostly guys. There were only two other girls. Mercifully, I didn't recognize anyone but Dakota.
    Larry shut the door. "Nothing I like better than having a bully pulpit before a full house!" He grinned devilishly.
    It was dead silent.
    "Lighten up, people! This isn't torture. This is more like mildly boring punishment. It's irritating having to miss a night of drinking and partying, isn't it?" He reached into the bag he carried, pulled out a sheaf of papers, and handed the stack to the guy next to him. "Take one. Pass them around. Confidentiality agreements. Non-disclosures. Signing them is optional."  
    That wicked grin of Larry's deepened. "Participating in class without signing one is strictly prohibited. You're all ordered by courts to be here. Most of you are in college. You figure out what that means." He laughed.  
    "'In order to build the trust necessary to be honest about personal behaviors and experiences, participants must honor the confidentiality of all in attendance.'  
    "That's right out of the instructor's handbook. And absolutely true and essential. What goes on here stays here. If I, or the courts, get wind that any of you has violated the trust of another participant, any agreement you made for leniency and continuance will be voided. And you'll be at the mercy of the prosecutor and the courts.
    "The university may seem large, but the community is actually very small. Don't push your luck." He handed around a box of cheap pens. Then he passed out workbooks like we were elementary school kids.
    I signed the stupid confidentiality form with a flourish, realizing that it could be my salvation. If I was brave enough to take it. Or got the right opportunity.
    Larry collected the signed forms and stuffed them in his bag. "'The mission of the Alcohol and Drug Information School, ADIS, is to promote public safety by reducing the number of injuries and fatalities due to driving under the influence of alcohol and other drugs.' That's a quote from the website.
    "I'm here to teach you effective decision-making skills, with the goal of reducing recidivism. My job is to provide you with accurate information about alcohol and other drugs to assist you in making changes to your high-risk substance use behavior." Larry paused. "So much for the official part of my speech. Now for a pretest. You have ten minutes to complete it. Log in on your laptop or phone with the password you were issued when you registered…"
    A stupid pretest. Just what I needed. As I logged in and began taking it, it met my meager expectations. Lame. I glanced over at Dakota, wondering how he was answering the questions.
    He was deep in thought. But when he caught me looking at him, he turned his back on me and covered his phone like I was trying to cheat off him. As if.
    Question number one—have you ever blacked out after drinking too much?
    No. I only went to sleep in an alley. Not the same thing.
    Too bad it was only a yes-or-no question. No elaborating. This wasn't an essay test. I rocked at those.

    Dakota
    Morgan was trying to see my answers. The snoopy bitch. I turned my back on her. Morgan didn't have a hard-earned rep as the bitchiest of the Double Deltsies for nothing. She had a heart as hard as diamonds. Yeah, according to the scintillating materials science class I'd taken, diamonds were still the hardest substance on earth. The rock hounds hadn't met Morgan. She put diamonds to shame.
    But nothing shamed