Ava pulls back with a curious expression. Ava is beautiful in a sweet girl next door way, a complete contrast to Lucky who is more the vixen next door with a knack to get naughty with a set of sharp knives. I’ve never met anyone with a mischievous streak so wide and dangerous.
“What’s up, sis?” Lawson gives me a quick high five. He’s a b-ball boy, thus the general increase in brain cells in comparison to his pig-headed, pigskin prone stepbrother, Knox. Ava’s boyfriend, Grant, is the king of the court as well, and both Lawson and Grant have that frat boy smile, those laughing eyes. As handsome as they are, I’ve only got eyes for my man. I give the crowd a quick look-see for the man in question and come up empty once again. Where the hell is Justin? Just as I’m about to whip out my phone and solve this mystery, Knox steps into view and sheds a devil-may-care grin my way.
I crouch into Lawson as if needing protection and Knox scowls. “The Mustangs lost their quarterback, and he can’t seem to find his way home.”
Knox steps in. “I’m a linebacker, sweetie.”
“Whatever. This link licker just asked to buy me dinner!”
“What?” His eyes grow double in size, and he actually looks affronted by the idea. “I did no such thing,” he growls as if feeding me were the last thing on his perverted list.
Lucky and Ava get waylaid a moment by Gwen, our house mother—read upcoming senior who wields a mean riding crop when the doors to this madhouse are closed to the public. And likewise, both Lawson and Grant get swallowed by the crowd a moment, leaving me with my new spare appendage and his never-ending pursuit to ruin my evening.
My phone goes off, and I’m filled with relief. Finally! I glance down, and just as fast as my adrenaline surged with glee, it dissipates. It’s just a text from my sweet little sister, Harley. Harley is about to start her senior year of high school, and I adore her to little pink heart-shaped pieces even if she is a pistol. She’s hanging out with Henry, our older brother for the summer, and I can’t help but smile when I think of the two of them.
How’s this? What’s a moth’s best quality? (Wait for it.) It can’t help but look on the bright side!
I text right back. Cute. Tell Henry I said hi.
Henry is twenty-seven and suffers from cystic fibrosis. He announced to Harley and me last Christmas that his goal in life is to make people happy, thus his newfound mission to write a book full of corny jokes. Henry already does the rounds at the children’s hospital, trying to brighten the day of those poor ailing kids. He used to dress as a clown and pass out balloons, until clowns essentially became the bane of everyone’s existence and the hospital suggested he ditch the rainbow-colored wig or they’d have him arrested. His breathing is so bad he can’t hold down regular employment, so the fact Harley is spending every day with him warms me. Of course, I’ll visit when I can. Hollow Meadows is less than an hour away from Hollow Brook. Plus, Mom’s house is always stocked with the best food money can buy, and good food is something I’ve been short on during my time here at Whitney Briggs University.
I spin around in hopes to secure an ounce of privacy in this crowded room and text the hell out of Justin.
Knox jumps in front of me like a jack-in-the box, and I have a mild heart attack—although I don’t know why. Judging by his fervor to never leave my side, I should expect to find him popping up from the water when I lift the toilet seat. A vision of that dirty grin of his appearing between my legs makes me gasp.
“That’s it. I’m calling the police!” I tap into my phone and hit Send on about a dozen spastic text messages to Justin.
“If you’re really dragging the authorities into this, you’re nuts.” He grunts as if I’ve just fed his cat to the incinerator. I happen to know he has a cat because all of the girls melted last week when he mentioned his cat was the sole reason he chose off-campus housing.
A huff of laughter gets caught in my throat as I plot my getaway. “You’re the one that’s nuts around here. And would you please stop flirting with me?” I vaguely remember meeting his steady girlfriend a few weeks back. If it’s one thing I cannot stand in this world, it’s a cheat.
He chokes a moment as if my words actually had the power to kill him. “I’m not flirting, honey.”
I hike up in his face. “And don’t call me honey!” I try to ditch past him, but he blocks my path.
“Listen”—those dark brows of his narrow into a perfectly straight hedge over his eyes—“I haven’t exactly been hanging out with you all night for my health.”
“God, if you’re going to give me some lame reason why I should follow you in the back and gift you a blowjob, you’re barking up the wrong vagina. I couldn’t care less about the fact you’re about to die of blue balls. I happen to have a boyfriend, and we are very much in love.” I shuck and he jives, and we end up coming this close to gifting one another a kiss. Holy hell. I freeze a moment and squeeze my eyes shut, and when I open them, my worst nightmare is still standing before me like a cinder block wall that encompasses all things obnoxious.
“Your boyfriend is the exact reason I want to talk to you,” he says it deadpan as if it were the solid truth.
My heart gives an audible thump as it works its way to my throat. I’m not a person who is easily caught off guard, but Knox and that flat dead stare, the seriousness of his tone makes me wonder how Justin could have possibly sponsored this sober moment—then it hits me.
“Well, you can get lost. He’s not joining the team. He has better things to do all week than don a pair of cleats and chase pigskin across the field.”
“Ha!” He barks out a loathsome laugh that runs my anxiety through it like a cheese grater. “Dude”—he winces—“nobody’s gonna tap him for the team. You don’t have to worry about that.”
I give a spastic glance around for my favorite man in question. “Does this have something to do with the fact he’s rushing Beta house? All week I’ve begged him to sign up for the pre-rush festivities. More than I want Justin in Beta house, I want him to be friends with Lawson and Grant. Once the three of them become a chummy trio, Lucky, Ava, and I will turn our little friend-fest into a hexagon of love. One you’re not invited to.”
“Hex sounds about right.” He averts his eyes a moment.
“Would you stop accosting me and acting like you’re doing me a favor?” I try to push past him, but he catches me by the waist. The crowd doubles in size, and the rush of bodies forces our hips to conjoin. Knox Toberman is tall, viciously handsome, and the size of his chest alone is the girth of an automobile, but those eyes… They have a talent of pinning a girl down before any other perverted part of his body has the chance to penetrate the scene. My heart knocks against my chest like a prison riot, and my lips open on their own as if expecting something in return.
Knox leans in slow as if he’s about to plant one on me, and everything in me freezes. Those eyes, that face—as perfect as he might be, he’s not the one for me, and God knows I won’t let him turn me into the one thing I abhor, a cheater.
“I am doing you a favor, Harper.” His voice is low and strong, rattling through my chest and demanding my boobs to vibrate along with it.
“What kind of a favor could you possibly be doing me?” I slide his hands off my waist, and they take the opportunity to drip down my hips like honey before he holds his guilty mitts in the air. Figures. I’m sure he enjoyed the ride. I still feel his warmth against my flesh like a ghost.
“Look”—he winces as if whatever came next were painful for him. “I predict you and your boyfriend won’t be together too much longer.”
A breath catches in my throat. “The audacity! You predict?” As incredulous as I am, I have half a mind to laugh. I’ve never heard a more ridiculous pick-up line. “So, you’re not only a cheat in cleats, but you’re a perverted prognosticator now too? And about as genuine as that rat they pull from the cage on Groundhog Day!”
His mouth opens and closes. Knox glances to the side as if I’ve finally depleted him.
>
“That’s right!” I poke my finger into his rock-solid chest. “I’m comparing you to vermin!” I give another quick dart to the heart. “No, I will not go out with you. No, I will not kneel in the closet and play seven minutes in hell with your penis. And no, I will not spend another minute subjecting myself to the twisted logic that spews from your mouth!” I spin on my heels and smack right into Lucky’s chest.
“Are you good with a roommate?” She twitches her head toward Gwen standing behind her. Ava and Lucky were fortunate enough to score a room together in the house, and I was that much luckier to score a room of my very own.
“Uh—I—I…” Oh, hell no. Can this night please get better?
“She said yes!” Lucky barks over her shoulder.
“I said yes? In what language—pirate-ease?” This entire night is turning out to be a mindfuck.
She spins back into me with a panicked look in her eyes. “Sorry.” Her lips contort with the apology. “They threatened to separate Ava and me, and, well, she’s sort of like my security blanket at this point. It’s basically sorority Tetris, and you sort of ended up with another brick in your room—the new girl.”
“Not a problem.” So much for having the room all to my lonesome. Easy come, easy go. I give a quick glance over my shoulder and find Knox Dumb as a Box of Rocks chatting it up with Lawson and Grant. I spot Rush there, Lucky’s big brother, and Eli Gates, his buddy too. The entire lot of them breaks out into a laugh, and Rush is quick to give Knox a friendly high five. “No, no, no,” I quietly moan. They’re caving. They’re accepting him into the fold, and soon he’ll be an unwanted accessory.
“Oh, please don’t change your mind. I promise you’ll love her.” Lucky dips on her knees a moment.
“Yes, to the roommate. No, to the fact Knox Toberman is infiltrating the ranks of my social circle and becoming an obnoxious regular fixture.”
“What?” Her bubbling laughter explodes right in my face and feels like treason. “He’s Lawson’s stepbrother. That boy is a fixture. He’s not going anywhere. Besides, Knox is a sweetheart, and he’s not hard on the eyes. I don’t see the problem.”
“The problem is, he’s harnessed the power of an entire infestation of gnats, and I can’t breathe without inhaling his bullshit.”
Ava pops up with a look of worry. “What’s going on? If you really don’t want the new girl, I’ll be the last person to twist your arm.”
Lucky gives an impish grin. “It’s not the girl. It’s the guy. Knox Toberman to be exact.”
“He is a looker.” Ava shrugs as if stating the obvious. “But if memory serves correct, you’re both leashed to a plus one at the moment.” She bumps her shoulder to mine. “But, hey, if you’re looking for an upgrade.”
“Upgrade?” I squawk so loud. Never in my life has my relationship come under more scrutiny in a single hellish night.
Lawson steps between us a moment and offers Lucky a kiss to the lips. “Headed to the little boys’ room. Be back in a sec.”
Lucky melts upon his departure. “Little boys’ room.” She giggles. Traditionally, Lucky isn’t a giggler, but Lawson has the power to reduce her to a puddle of hormones whenever he’s around.
Ava waves her hands wildly, desperate to get my attention. “I’m teasing! I swear I am. Justin is—” She looks to Lucky for help.
“Great,” Lucky finishes for her with all the enthusiasm of a dental drilling.
“Look, I get it. The two of you just need to get to know him better. To know him is to love him. And he’s a looker too.” I frown over at Ava for even suggesting I might be gawking at the beefcake that is Knox Toberman. “Besides, Knox has a girlfriend. She’s usually dripping all over him. Figures. The one second she takes her eyes off him, he’s off trying to shuck someone else’s corn.” I scowl over at him a moment. “Hey? Did I just liken myself to a vegetable?”
Lucky grunts at the thought. “You’re no vegetable, and Knox is no cheat. It’s that skank he’s leashed himself to that’s been hitting on Lawson.”
Ava and I gasp so loud it sounds as if the universe just unzipped.
“No,” I say as if I’ve just stumbled upon the juiciest bit of gossip. Then just as my giddiness hits its zenith, my heart plummets for the guy. I shake the thought away. “Anyway, I think they’re both cheats. It sounds like he was wrong. It’s not my relationship that’s coming to an end soon. It’s his.”
Lawson struts by us on the way to the male centric version of our social circle, and soon the entire lot of them is headed this way. If my life were a musical, this is the part where I would lead the girls into a song of torment while tossing out criminal threats of violence toward Knox himself.
Lawson grimaces at me a moment. “You guys better come along too.” He whispers something into Lucky’s ear and she sees red.
“Holy shit.” She grips me by the arm, and our small crowd jostles an entire sea of red Solos until we come upon a dark corridor that leads behind the kitchen. Lawson shoves his finger to his lips before yanking Knox from the tangle of bodies. Lucky gives me a shove right along with him and the lights switch on.
Then I see it.
Holy shit is right.
My heart stops. The world sways unnaturally beneath my feet as I struggle to catch my breath. A hard roll of nausea bounces through me as I try not to lose my dinner.
Slow to break from their embrace are Justin and a blonde skinny bitch, both of their faces smeared with her bright red lipstick like a couple of demonic clowns.
A Mack truck could run me over and I would never feel it.
Here I am looking into the eyes of my new ex-boyfriend.
Justin Cramer—my Justin—is a cheat.
Knox
“Janelle?” A sharp pain spears straight through my skull at the sight of this fucker with his arms still wrapped around my girlfriend, his face red with lipstick, but I’m about to turn it into blood for him.
Without giving it another thought, I pluck the asshole off her and start pummeling his face in. A pair of arms comes up from behind and does their best to snatch me off him, but I’m not budging. I’ve never been so determined to kill anyone in my life.
“Who the fuck do you think you are accosting my girlfriend like that?” I get a few good hits to his eye, and I can feel it swelling beneath my hand.
“Knox!” Lawson barks in my ear as he struggles to get a grip on my arms. “Get the hell off him!”
“Call the police!” I shout over my shoulder. “Get Jen to the side and make sure she’s okay!”
The dude shoves his palm under my chin, and I nearly bite my tongue off. A burst of my own blood is disappointingly the first of the evening.
A body launches me to the wall, and it takes a second for me to see that it’s Rush who has my face smashed against the wood paneling.
“Shit.” He spins me around and gives me a solid shove to the chest. “You nearly killed that kid!”
“That kid had Jen pinned in the closet against her will!” I bark back and the small crowd around me stills.
“Justin?” Harper drops to her knees as the dude struggles to rise up on his elbows.
“Justin?” I stagger forward enough to get a better look at the douchebag, and sure enough, I recognize that fucked-up look on his preppy face. “Shit.” My gaze drifts slowly to Janelle as the air grows thick and heavy like a bad dream.
Her face is smeared with crimson as if someone shoved her head into a cherry pie. It looks horrifically violent, nothing anyone would voluntarily do to themselves, and it’s only then I notice her blouse is unbuttoned down the front, the outline of her bra underneath. And just as I’m about to comfort her from the horrors she’s just experienced, she glances to him with a look of genuine concern.
“Dude”—Lawson does his best to pull me to the side, but I prove unmovable—“I tried to warn you.”
My mind races with all the possibilities, but it’s when my eyes lock with hers that I know. Janelle backs up and gives a ha
lfhearted effort to wipe the junk off her face. But she doesn’t say a word—she doesn’t say the only word I want to hear, sorry.
It looks like the only sorry one around here is me.
I shoot past the bodies and get as far as the stairwell before pausing.
“Crap.” I pinch my eyes with my fingers as hard as I can before turning around and heading back. I hit the corridor in time to spot Jen helping Justin limp through the crowd and shake my head, stunned as shit.
Lawson and Grant head over and I hold a hand up. I can’t even face the dudes. Instead, I delve deeper into the hall where the girls huddle around Harper.
“Hey.” I latch onto her eyes and make her hold my gaze. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry.”
“Sorry?” Her eyes are red as road maps, her lips and face bloated from the tears already soaking her cheeks. “Please. I bet you knew what they were up to the entire time. Why else would you have told me my relationship was doomed five minutes until touchdown?”
I’m not quite sure I get the football reference she’s trying to invoke, but I get it. She feels like shit. I should know. So do I.
“I did know he was cheating on you.” There. I should have probably told her exactly that an hour ago instead of bashing my head against the wall. “I just didn’t know with whom.” I turn around and head for the door.
Lawson and Grant come up on either side of me, whispering something that sounds as grim as a eulogy, but I can’t make it out. I don’t have it in me to listen. The crowded room gives way to balmy night air as I walk at a steady pace down the street. It takes a good half a block for me to even notice that Rushford Knight is walking alongside me. I’ve known Rush a while now. He’s sort of a permanent fixture whenever Lawson is around. He doesn’t say anything, though, just keeps pace and his nose to the wind. And I can appreciate it. It’s about the only damn thing I can appreciate right about now.
I hit the house and nod over to him before heading inside and bolting the door behind me.