Allie was struggling, trying to get up.
I tried to kick out one of her hands so she couldn’t use both of them to push herself back up.
“You bitch!”
“You’re the one who came at me first.”
Her head twisted to the side, but I held it down, locking my elbow in place. “Don’t fuck with me.”
“What the hell?” Skylar shoved in and began pushing at my shoulders. “Get off her.”
I was resisting until I felt the fight leave Allie and then I stood back. Skylar got between me and Allie, her eyes wide and bulging out. Zoe was crying in the corner, and Skylar frowned at her before her jaw hardened.
Allie was getting up. She was okay, still glaring at me.
Skylar let out a ragged breath. “What happened?” She turned to me. “These are mine and Zoe’s friends. They’ve been over here multiple times and have never gotten into a physical fight. I know them. I don’t know you.”
I felt people behind me.
Ignoring them, I said, “Your friend was a colossal bitch to me. Like I’m going to take her taunting me, insinuating that I have an eating disorder.” I leaned around her, saying to Allie, “I hope to God you don’t actually know someone who does have an eating disorder. You don’t mess with that shit and for your knowledge, I don’t have one but fuck you for trying to shame me.”
Skylar’s attitude changed drastically at hearing me.
She whipped around to Allie, her mouth almost falling down. “Is she serious? You did that?”
Allie took a step back, running a hand through her hair, but she raised her chin up. “What? Like she doesn’t have one–”
Skylar began yelling, “You can’t do that.”
“Oh, come on–”
“MY LITTLE SISTER HAS AN EATING DISORDER!” Skylar was visibly shaking.
Zoe stopped crying and moved in, touching Skylar’s arm. “Baby,” she said in a soft tone, moving even closer, her body touching Skylar’s.
At the touch, Skylar’s eyes closed and she drew in a sharp breath. When she opened them again, she hissed, “I agree with my roommate. Fuck you, Allie. Fuck you. You have no idea the torture that goes with fighting an eating disorder.”
Allie quieted. “Katie has one?”
It was clearly the wrong thing to say to Skylar because she drew in another breath. “Get out.”
“She–”
“I’ll deal with my roommate, but right now, get out before I put hands on you. You don’t mess with eating disorders. You just don’t do that.”
Skylar started to turn toward me, but I already had my hands up. “I’ll leave. You don’t have to kick me out–”
“Stay,” her voice was low and guttural. “We can talk later when things are calmer.” She pushed through the guys, going down the hallway.
Zoe remained behind, looking from me to Allie, then to the kitchen before hurrying after Skylar.
There was a moment of quiet before Wade moved in. “Okay. Time for you to go.” He was talking to Allie, who looked ready for round two, but she clamped her mouth shut and went back to the dining room. A moment later, she reappeared with her backpack on and started toward me.
Hands touched me, moving me to the side. I was shuffled back as Miles and Gavin both stood between me and her. Just as both girls got to the front door, it opened. They fell back a step as a group of guys came in.
“Hey.” The first guy, AJ Atwater from the hockey team, had a wide smile. It fell as he took in the girls’ expressions and scanned the rest of the room. The music from the video game was still playing in the background, but everyone was either frozen or standing still. “Uh, what’s going on?”
He was followed by Marcus Keys.
Wes Barclay.
A fourth guy came last.
It was Cruz.
6
MARA
Pizza/study night turned into pizza/study/video game night.
After everyone settled down, I returned to the table and was studying with Gavin and Miles on either side of me. They’d not left my side the whole night, and the rest of the guys took notice. The girls too, because more girls had come. At this point, it was a free-for-all of who was connected to who. Then again, that’s how most parties were. We had football players, mostly still playing FIFA in the living room. Wade knew some guys who turned out to be from the wrestling team. The hockey guys were in the kitchen, eating, because they had their practice number three for the day. Those guys were ravenous.
Skylar and Zoe came back out. Zoe, to finish the pizzas, and Skylar, to have a good time. I heard her laughter from the dining room, but she’d not come in yet. I stayed put for the most part except to venture out a few times when I needed a refill. I’d started to get hungry, but I saw a girl hanging over Cruz and promptly lost my appetite. It shouldn’t bother me if he was flirting with another girl, but the rules were that while we had our agreement, if he was going to sleep with someone else, then he and I were not going to keep doing what we were doing.
It was close to midnight, and half the group had left. The guys seemed like they were getting a second wind, but the rum was working in me and I needed to either nap or eat. Either way, I was hitting a wall with the studying and closed my book.
Miles glanced over. “Finally.”
I grinned at him.
He held out a closed fist to me. “Gotta hand it to you. Studying and drinking as much as you did, you’re a college rockstar.”
An abrupt laugh left me as I met his fist with my own, before standing up. “I’m going to bed.”
Gavin leaned back in his chair. “That an invite, Little Daniels?”
I turned to him. “Stop talking to Zeke Allen about me.”
He only laughed. “We have a budding bromance. Kindred souls, him and me. Speaking of, some of the guys and I are thinking about doing a road trip to Cain. You want to go with us? See your buddy?”
I snorted. “Apparently, you’ve not talked enough about me to him. He and I do not have a visiting sort of friendship.”
“What kind of friendship do you have?”
“A reluctant one,” I threw over my shoulder before stepping into the kitchen.
The pizza had been moved to the table and island inside. The hockey guys were crammed around the table. The girls next to them. I could feel Cruz’s gaze but avoided it because I didn’t want any more attention. I’d had enough for the night.
“Your reputation precedes you, Daniels.”
Going past everyone to the door, I glanced back at Atwater. He was grinning widely at me, and he wiggled his eyebrows. “Everyone knows about Burford, but now you took down a junior?” He whistled under his breath. “No one’s going to sleep on you.”
I sent him a sharp look.
He startled, jerking up as if realizing what he just said. “I mean, you know what I mean. The girls won’t mess with you anymore.”
Allie was a junior. Lovely.
“Just getting my bearings here,” I murmured before scanning the room. Skylar and Zoe were there, leaning against the fridge. Martin was with them, a shoulder propped up against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. There was a girl with them too. All were watching me.
A wave of shame rose in me because I could hear again Allie’s screech.