I glance past him to find my sister wavingspastically.
Rex nods to someone at the bar. “Why don’t you head over to Trix while Scarlett and I say a quick hello to Cade andPiper?”
The three of us break way, and no sooner do I get to Trixie’s table than she latches onto me as if it’s my last night on theplanet.
“My poor big bro,” Trix groans into myarmpit.
“Easy, girl. I got kicked out of here not long ago for holding a girllikethat.”
“You’re sick.” Trix pulls me into the seat next to hers. “What the hell was that display of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation everyone is talking about? Rumor has it, you made out with the girl whose boyfriend snagged Jen. What’sthedeal?”
“The deal is—” I glance to Rex and Scarlett who have taken a temporary seat at the bar with their friends. I gave them the sanitized version, something a little lower than the truth, but with Trix I can feel that entire conversation I had with Harper this afternoon ready to vomit up, and so I do just that. I tell her all about the so-called arrangement we’ve bound ourselves to for the summer, about the big dramatic breakup for all to see just before the semester getsgoing.
“Oh, shit.” Her chin slides down her arm as she nearly crashes her head onto the table. Trix has always had a flair for the dramatic. “So, you think you’re going to accost this girl whenever your psycho exes are around in hopes to turn them into a dynamite factory? You’re not thinking straight. The Knox I know is levelheaded, calm, and not at all interested in something as petty as revenge.” She leans in and inspects me with those eyes that are a mirror to mine. “Wait a minute. You said this girl was a good kisser—a detail I found disgusting a moment ago now offers a clue into why you’re so quick to stick your tongue down this girl’sthroat.”
“You’re the disgusting one.” I pull up my menu and she slaps it down with her hand. “What do you want me to say, Trix? That I’m losing my mind for some girl I’ve essentially just met? Because I’m not.” My stomach boils in its own acids. “We happen to be in the same boat, no thanks to our exes, and she’s nice. It pisses me off that she’s hurting just as much asIam.”
Her face contorts into something short of disbelief. “So, you’re justfriends?”
“I swear to you she’s been friend-zoned. Nothing serious is going to happen between the two of us. I won’t let it.” My dick ticks to life as if protesting the idea. It’s just responding to the id. Rex taught me all about the id back when he was taking a psychology class. The id does whatever it can to get what it wants, but not in this case. My apologies to my dick because it’s not getting anywhere near HarperShelton.
Trixie leans in with that all-knowing, smug-as-hell smile growing onherface.
“What?” I give an annoyed glance to the band who just walked on stage to the cheering delight of just about every coedinhere.
“I’m just memorizing the moment my brother had the nerve to lie tomyface.”
“Crap.” A dull laugh pumps from me. “Didn’thappen.”
“Aww!” Trixie marvels at me a moment. “Then I just witnessed the time my brother had the nerve to lie to himself.” She takes the menu and knocks me over the head with it. “You like this girl. You’ll see I’m right. Ialwaysam.”
Rex and Scarlett take their seats at the table and the waitress comes over to take our orders, but I’ve suddenly lost myappetite.
I can count on one hand how many times Trixie’s womanly intuition has been wrong and still have five fingersleftover.
I suppose there’s always afirsttime.
Harper walks into the bar and my center of gravity pulls in her direction. It takes everything I’ve got to remain seated in my chair. She spots me and our eyes lock, sending a heated spark from her to me, and the crowd between us disappears for a moment. She gives a little wave and heads to the corner where Ava and Lucky waitforher.
Trixie leans in and knocks her leg hard into mine as if she were looking to breakabone.
“Still think I’mwrong?”
I don’t answer. I do the only thing I can do—change the subject. We talk all night about everything under the sun except for anything remotely to do withmylife.
But all the while I see Harper, feel the weight of that kiss we shared. And on occasion, I steal a few glances to the corner ofthebar.
Trixie’s notright.
Shecan’tbe.
Breaking intoFortKnox
Harper
After two nightsof dodging my bunk, otherwise known as the skyscraper from hell, I try my damnedest to take a shower, only to find each and every bathroom locked and stocked with a line full of girls outside. What the hell? Is this really going to be my life for the next few years? And what about my morning run? I haven’t partaken since I moved in, only because I live in fear of walking around all day smelling like an onion. I’m starting to think maybe life wasn’t so bad back at Cutler Tower with my crappy roommate who thought her feet were as tasty as a bag of chips. I mean, really? At least then I had the freedom to fill my bladder without the fear of never being able to empty it. We had bathrooms in our own dorms forPete’ssake!
I head to Ava and Lucky’s room to start up a good old-fashioned bitch-fest, but they’re already gone for the day. Figures. I check my phone and there’s a cheery text from Ava letting me know the boys took them to the beach. I stare at the wordsthe boysan unnaturally long period of time. I thought I had a boy in my life I could do fun things with like go to the beach, get laid on a Friday night, and maybe even catch a movie with, but to hear Justin preach it, we hardly knew one another. And sadly, that might be the one thing he was rightabout.
