It’s Grant. I’m headed to see Razor Reef. You in?
I duck my phone under the table and text right back.Isn’t that the one where they all get eaten by sharks?
He pings back.Ha-ha! Good one!But I think you’re supposed to preface that with the words SPOILER ALERT. ;)
Me –Sorry. I’m at the Black Bear. Huge mixer. Mandatory. Why aren’t you here?
Second thought, I’m pretty happy with the fact Grant is nowhere in the vicinity. I don’t think I could stand to be in the same room and not be within a foot of him.
Enjoy the movie!I shoot the text off before he has a chance to reply.Can’t wait to hear all about it. And I totally made that stuff up about the sharks. Maybe.
Grant doesn’t miss a beat.What just happened? Let me guess. Rush hijacked your phone.
“Hey”—Owen slides a fry my way, and I look to see the food has already arrived—“how about you glance up and have a real conversation? I’ve got like five minutes with you. I’d love to know what’s new in your life.”
Piper averts her eyes at the prospect. “Maybe you should text her?”
“Very funny.” I dip my phone into my purse in an effort to speed this dinner disaster along so I can go and watch people feed themselves to the sharks the way it should be. “So, what are we doing about Aubree next weekend? You’ll be in New York. Too bad I don’t have my own car or I’d visit her.” I can hardly contain my smile. Owen would rather die than lend me his monster truck, not that I’d want to drive that tank on the interstate.
Lucky laughs through her next cheesy bite. “I can’t wait for this vehicular miracle to happen.”
“I can take you to see Aubree.” Jet nods my way, and for some reason, seeing his arm slipped over Daisy’s shoulder warms me. I want that with Grant. Sitting in the open and not a single person trying to slit his throat in the process—now that would be a miracle.
A thought comes to me. If I’m already spending Thanksgiving with Grant, who’s to say we can’t turn this into a weekend? The entire school will be empty. We’ll have the run of the place, or more to the point, his place and mine.
“I think I’ll pass, but thank you.” I look to Owen with as much pure sisterly intent as possible. “I’m not really comfortable going without you. We can go the following weekend. I think Mom and Dad will still be on their cruise. I know Aubree would appreciate it.”
“For sure.”
Dinner slogs by, and before we know it, Jet and Daisy hit the poolroom with Lucky to hang out with their friends, Scarlett and Rex.
Piper scoots to the edge of her seat. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to use the little girl’s room.” She takes off before I can threaten to join her. Right about now, I’ll take any excuse to bolt out that door. I glance to the exit and judge the sprinting distance.
Owen is busy looking at me with his chin pinned to his chest. “Who is he, and when do I get to meet him?”
Grant
It’s either watchinghuman-hungry sharks with bad CGI for two hours or the Black Bear. On an ordinary night it wouldn’t even be a toss-up, but this isn’t an ordinary night, and Ava isn’t an ordinary girl. For some reason, she’s not answering my texts, and as much as I’d rather light my balls on fire than run into Bryson or Owen, I’d sacrifice both my balls and suffer through a few third-degree burns to make sure Ava is all right.
“Mandatory mixer,” I mutter under my breath as I make my way inside. I let my frat leader, Eli, know I wouldn’t make it. He knows how I feel about the Black Bear. Eli was one of the first people I told about Steph. He was the one who encouraged Rush and me to join the frat. Lawson was already in it, so it didn’t seem like a bad idea at the time, and, seeing where it led, I’m damn glad about it, too. Now that I know this event is mandatory, I would never want to pull Ava away. I know the sorority is important to Ava. I want Ava to have everything she deems important to her. And selfishly, I want Ava because she’s important to me. So the Black Bear and all of its negative energy can suck my big, fat dick. I’m here for my girl tonight. Somehow thinking about my dick getting some action and Ava in the same stream of thought gets me heated in all the wrong places.
An image of Ava on her knees before me, my hands digging into her hair sends a guttural groan spearing from me as I step on in.
It’s loud, noisy as fuck, and suddenly the only thing I want to do is kidnap Ava and hightail it back to the trails. Rumor has it they hold a hell of a view on a night like tonight. Who am I kidding? The only view I want to stare at is Ava’s watery blue eyes.
Bodies bump and grind against me as I try to navigate toward the bar. The air is thick with laughter just a decibel below the music, and for the life of me, I can’t hear myself think, let alone spot anyone I know. Jet and his buddies usually hang out toward the back, but at the moment, I don’t see them either. The dance floor is flooded with bodies bobbing up and down in sync with the music. I spot an entire gaggle of Kappa girls, Ava’s buddy Harper being one of them. But the rest of the crowd melts into a tangle of limbs. The murky lighting makes it hard to distinguish where one person ends and the other begins.
A hand comes up over my shoulder, and I stiffen for a moment. It’s a dude, judging by the grip, and my stomach tenses, dreading to find Bryson or Owen staring back at me. But it’s neither of those fools. It’s Jet.
“Hey, I didn’t see you.” I slap him five and pull him in. “What’s up?”
“Just shooting some pool out back with my buddies. You want anything?” He motions to the bar, and I’m quick to turn him down.
“Nope. My girlfriend is floating around here somewhere. I was hoping to find her and take off. This isn’t really my thing.”
“Girlfriend, huh?” He mock socks me in the gut, and I flinch. “Good for you. It looks like things are coming together for you after all. I’m sure she’s a good girl.”
“Sorority girl,” I add as if that gave Ava some sort of credence. The truth is, I’m still stuck on the fact I just referred to her as my girlfriend. Technically, she’s a girl and sheismy friend, but the way our mouths have been getting right to business whenever we’re together defies both of those aforementioned titles. My body buzzes with a slight high. Hell, I’ve got a girlfriend. A goofy grin takes over as I continue to stalk the premises for her. “She’s great. I can’t wait for you to meet her.”
