揃e right back,?I say after we finish a hand of poker. I get up from the table, saying hey to a few people on the way to the bathroom. I抳e barely got my pants unzipped when Cybil slips inside and shuts the door.
She giggles. 揙h, you really had to pee.?
揧eah, at least turn around. Spare a guy a little dignity.?
She does but keeps giggling. 揑 heard a lot of people turned up at Sigma tonight.?
揟he only place I抦 going after this is my bed. Maybe McCallum抯 bed.?I am beat.
揅ome with me,?she whines. 揂 quick stop at Sigma, and then you can crash at my place.?
I move to the sink to wash my hands.
揇o you like my dress? It抯 new.?She pushes in front of me, so she抯 wedged between me and the vanity. It抯 red and has a zipper down the front. She pulls said zipper down slowly until it's past her bra.
It抯 a sexy dress, and Cybil has a banging body. Hooking up with her is always great, but a flash of a different red dress on a different girl stops me.
揢hhh?another night. I think I抦 done for.?
揝tupid hockey season,?she says, and shakes her head. 揟ext me if you change your mind.?
She leaves me alone in the bathroom. I lock the door and then pull up the last email from Daisy. She抯 fucking hot, and I can抰 stop being aware of it.
She didn抰 email again to congratulate me on the victory tonight, and I don抰 know why I keep expecting one to show up. I start to email her but stop myself. We抮e not friends. She抯 my lab partner, and she抯 into Liam.
I wrap my fingers around my phone and bring it up to my forehead with a groan.
What the fuck am I doing?
9
DAISY
My laptop is open in front of me, and I navigate from the English assignment I should be working on to my email. Jordan Thatcher抯 name taunts me, but I don抰 dare click on it again.
We haven抰 talked since Friday night, but the humiliation is just as fresh two days later.
A dull ache presses behind my eyes, and I lean forward, head in hands.
揧ou looked at your email again, didn抰 you??Violet asks from across the table.
揢gh.?I sit tall and take a long gulp of my energy drink. It isn抰 helping. Neither is the soft laughter from Violet that follows.
揟here should be a law against using your phone when drinking.?
揑t was not that bad.?She smirks. 揧ou sent a couple of sexy photos.?
A new flush creeps up my neck and my stomach rolls. Stupid technology. I groan and squeeze my eyes closed.
揟ame, sexy photos. It isn抰 like you were naked,?she says.
I know she抯 trying to help, but every word jabs into my confidence, deflating it a little more.
揅an we just study in silence??
揝ure. Yeah.?She presses her lips together and sits back in the chair across from me. The grin on her face has been the same every time we抳e talked about?shudder. I can抰 even say it.
揑 have to say one more thing.?Violet clasps her hands together on the table. We抮e at the library studying, or I抦 attempting to with little help from Violet. 揧ou were having fun Friday night. More fun than I抳e seen you have in, maybe ever. Chalk it up to that. He抯 probably already forgotten about the photos. I mean, we抮e talking about Jordan Thatcher. He has no shortage of girls at his beck and call. Honestly, that抯 probably the least sexy photo he got from a girl all weekend.?
That should make me feel better, but it doesn抰。
揑 just can抰 believe I have to face him in class.?
I look at my cousin for another dose of encouragement. Instead, her gaze is stuck behind me, eyes wide. 揧ou might have to face him a little sooner than that.?
揥hat??
I swivel around and spot him as he reaches the top of the stairs. He抯 alone, backpack over one shoulder, hat backward, Powerade in hand. He scans the second floor until he spots whoever he抯 looking for and juts his chin.
I follow his trek to a table with three other guys, including Liam.
揇id you know Liam was here??she asks.
揘o.?My Liam senses are all out of whack. Stupid emails. Oh my god, did Liam see the pictures? I don抰 know why it didn抰 occur to me until now, but of course, Jordan would show him. I bet they had a good laugh. Oh man, I抦 going to have to drop out of physics. Maybe out of Valley U completely.
揥e should go.?I close my laptop and shove it into my bag.
揘o. Running away is admitting you抮e embarrassed.?
揑 am.?
She doesn抰 budge. 揚lus, there抯 a better chance of them seeing you if you get up and walk around.?
That keeps me planted in my seat. I take one last covert glance at their table. Liam sits forward, smiling and nodding. Jordan leans back with a pencil behind one ear, staring at his phone. His phone. Double groan.
I have never concentrated harder on being invisible. I hunch over my laptop and focus on American literature. Every noise, every shadow behind me, sets me on edge, but I don抰 turn back around.
揙kay, they抮e leaving,?Violet says sometime later.
I slink down farther in the chair.
揂nd they抮e walking, walking, almost to the stairs,?Violet provides the play-by-play. 揙h, they抮e stopping to talk to someone.?
揋uy or girl.?
揋irl. Pretty. Really pretty.?
Of course, she is.
揙kay. I think she抯 moving along. They抮e walking again.?
My heart is racing, and I want to look so bad.
揙h.?Violet抯 voice squeaks, and she looks down at the table. 揑 think you抳e been spotted.?
揥hat?!?
揙h my god. Uhh?act natural.?
揤iolet.?My blood turns to ice. 揚lease tell me they抮e not coming over here.?
She keeps her lips closed as she mumbles, 揝orry. Can抰。？
揇aisy??Liam抯 voice comes from behind me.
I turn slowly, shooting Violet a panicked look before I do.
揌i!?I fake surprise as I look from Liam to Jordan, then back at Liam. 揥hat are you guys doing here??
揝tudying,?Liam responds for the both of them.
揜ight.?Duh.
揥e have a killer Geotech test this week.?His gaze moves past me to Violet.
I wave in her direction. 揟his is my cousin, Violet.?
Liam takes two steps forward and extends a hand. 揕iam. Nice to meet you.?
揕ikewise.?
Her ability to play it cool is impressive. Then again, a year ago, she was partying with guys like Liam and Jordan.
揕iam and Jordan are my lab partners in physics.?
Jordan smiles and tips his head in greeting. 揧ou must be the design major.?
揧eah. That抯 right.?
Oh, the mortification. My ears burn, and I抦 certain my face is bright red.
揑 saw some of your stuff. It抯 good.?Jordan wears a smile that抯 neither mocking nor fake.
揊ashion design, huh??Liam asks. 揥hat kind of stuff do you design??
Jordan holds my gaze until I can抰 take it anymore. He didn抰 tell Liam. I抦 both relieved and surprised.
揂ll kinds of stuff,?Violet says. 揃ut dresses are my favorite.?
Liam抯 phone lights up in his hand.
揟hat抯 my mom,?he says, backing away. He looks at Jordan. 揑抣l catch you back at the dorm.?
Jordan nods, and Liam waves at Violet and me. 揋ood to see you both.?
揃ye,?Violet and I say at the same time.
He hurries off, putting the phone to his ear as he reaches the stairs.
Jordan lingers, and when I turn my gaze back to him, he抯 watching me.
揕ooks like he抯 in a better mood,?I say.
揟he wins were good for him.?
揧eah, it seems like it.?
Violet leans forward and points to an empty chair.
Shaking my head, I can抰 get the words, I抦 sure he has places to be, out of my mouth before he抯 pulling out the chair and dropping his big, intimidating frame into it.