Still, an unsettling feeling sits in my stomach that the message was for me. That could just be from the hangover, though.
Maybe if I eat more burgers and fries …
I stuff my mouth with greasy goodness as I sit with my legs crisscrossed on the bed. My laptop is open in front of me, and I’m supposed to be working on some research for an assignment, but my head is complicating the task.
Ping.
The sound of an incoming message scares the ever-loving crap out of me. Once I’ve got my heart rate settled down, I check the message.
Gothic Prince: You’re welcome. Glad you’re feeling better. Do you think you’ll feel better enough to meet me out by the track at five o’clock tomorrow morning?
I cringe at the idea of getting up that early, yet he’s been kind enough to help me out, so I can force my lazy ass to get out of bed to meet him.
Me: Yep, I’ll be there.
Gothic Prince: Good. I’ll see you then.
I set the phone down and decide to take a powernap, knowing I’ll need it to work through my hangover.
Right as my eyelids lower, a door slams, and then I hear Lily growl, “I can’t believe this. Why does he do this to me? Why? Why? Why?”
I consider pretending I’m not in my room—it’s not like I’m an expert at dealing with problems. Hell, I can’t even handle my own on most days. Lily has been nice to me, though, and guilt trickles through me, enough that I drag my butt out into the living room area.
When I walk in, Lily is pacing the length of the room, muttering incoherently under her breath.
“Are you okay?” I ask carefully.
She furiously shakes her head. “No, I’m not. And you want to know why?” Her nostrils flare as she looks at me. “Because of my dumbass brother. He’s such a liar. I know it was him. I knowit was.” She begins pacing again, with her arms crossed, and she keeps shaking her head.
“Which brother are you talking about?” I dare ask as I make my way further into the room.
“The one who always does this shit … No, that’s a lie. Finn sometimes does it, but River is always doing this.Always,” she emphasizes.
I sink onto the armrest of a chair and watch her pace. “Can I ask what he did?”
She slips a scrunchie out of her hair, letting her hair fall down, before gathering it back up into a ponytail again. “Well, I went to my yoga class today, thinking it would be a great day. In fact, I worked hard to convince myself it would be. But then I get there and this bitch, Amy Fellingford, asked me what it felt like to have no one want me here. When I asked what the hell she was talking about, she told me that, last night, she saw that someone painted the words, ‘You shouldn’t have come here’ on our door. I couldn’t figure out what the hell she was talking about since there was no paint on the door when I got back last night. Then I had to endure Amy’s smirk as she showed me a photo she took of our door last night and, sure enough, there it was.” She’s bouncing with restlessness as she continues to walk.
“I know River saw it and had it cleaned up before I could see it. This is so typical of him. He always does this and, sure, I like that he’s trying to take care of me, but not telling me stuff doesn’t help.” She slams to a halt. “It worsens things because it allows people like Amy to blindside me.”
“Um …” I start, hoping to God she doesn’t blame me for what I’m about to tell her. “I was actually with River last night when he found out our door had been painted with that message. I was pretty drunk, so I didn’t know he had it cleaned up until this morning. I’m sorry I didn’t mention anything—I honestly didn’t think about it. But I also thought—and still kind of wonder—ifthe message was for me. Unless this Amy girl put it there … I mean, do you know if she did?”
Lily slumps into the chair across from mine. “I doubt she did. She’s more of a spread-rumors sort of girl than someone who would take the time to vandalize. I think she just saw it there, knew it was my dorm, and used it against me, because that’s what she does.” Her eyes darken with rage as she curls her hands into fists. “But River shouldn’t have just cleaned it off. He should’ve warned me.”
“Probably,” I don’t entirely agree, but I don’t disagree, either. I have no siblings, so I’m clueless how these types of things work. “But I think he was just trying to protect you. And I think he was also helping me out, too, in a way.”
Her gaze lifts to mine. “I still can’t believe he brought you back to the dorm last night. River isn’t usually like that.”
“Like how?” I wonder. “Nice? I thought you said he was.”
“I did, but I also said he was selective with his niceness.” She assesses me. “Did you ever ask him for tips on the track team?”
“I did. And he offered to help me train.”
Her brows elevate as she absorbs this. “You really must’ve made an impression on him when he hit you with his car if he just offered to train you.” The corners of her lips quirk into a ghost of a smile.
Well, at least she’s calmed down.
“Maybe it was the impression I left in the front of his car,” I joke with a shrug.
