She sputters a laugh. “Did that really happen?”
I laugh with her. “Nah, I was just messing with you.” I wish I could tell her the truth about how River and I first met, but River started this lie, and I think he needs to be the one to tell her the truth.
I think I might talk to him about it because I hate lying to Lily.
She dabs the tears of laughter from her eyes with her fingertips. “Thanks. I really needed that.” She stretches out her legs then stands up. “Do you want to go get some ice cream from the cafeteria? It might help with your hangover.”
“Sure, but how did you know I’m still hungover?”
“Because you still look like you are.”
“It’s that obvious, huh?”
“Yeah, but that’s okay. Like half the people here look that way right now. Finn included.”
I rise to my feet. “Rumor on the street says he likes to party pretty hard.”
“He does.” She wanders across the room and picks up a bag from off the floor. “I think it’s his way of coping with the divorce and Noah’s betrayal.” She scoops up a wallet that’s fallen from the bag and drops it inside. “And River became even more guarded and controlled than he already was.”
I start to head back toward my room to grab my wallet. “What about you?”
She slips the strap of her bag over her shoulder. “What about me?”
I stop in the doorway. “How do you cope?”
She flicks a piece of lint off the front of her shirt. “I didn’t have to since Noah was never really my friend.”
I rotate to face her. “But your parents still got divorced.”
She dithers. “I know, but they never had a great marriage, anyway.”
“Mine, neither,” I divulge, surprising the hell out of myself.
When I first decided to attend the academy, I made a promise to myself to not tell anyone much about my northside life.
“That sucks,” she says. “Has it always been that way?”
I nod. “What about yours?”
“Yep. It makes me wonder if I’ve ever seen a healthy relationship in my life.”
“Agreed.” I hold up a finger. “Let me grab my wallet, and then we can pick up this conversation on our way to get some ice cream.”
I step into my room and grab my wallet, fully knowing I should be resting, but I feel like Lily and I could have friend potential, and it would be nice to have a friend here. Well, besides River and Finn, if that’s even what we are. Truthfully, I have no idea what Finn and River want from me.
That thought fills up too much of my thoughts as Lily and I wander toward the cafeteria. It’s midday, sunlight trickles through the many windows lining the hallway, and the air smells sweet, like freshly baked cake. A light chatter filters through the space as people head to and from class.
Fewer people are staring at me at this point, but a few glances are being cast my way.
“So”—an arm lands on my shoulders, and a step later, Finn squeezes between Lily and me, putting an arm on her shoulders, as well—“I heard a rumor about you.” He directs his attention to me.
His eyes are bloodshot, just like mine, and dark circles reside under them. His hair is perfectly done, though, and he’s sporting a nice pair of black pants and a dark blue shirt.
“I’m sure you’ve heard a lot of rumors about me,” I quip, noting how good he smells, and then I immediately mentally kick my ass for noticing that.
“Okay, I might have, but the one I’m talking about came from my lovely, overly grumpy brother, who told me that you were hungover because of the game we played last night.” He removes his arm from Lily but keeps the other around my shoulders. “And for that, I’m sorry. I guess I just assumed since you kickedass at beer pong, you had a high drinking tolerance. I should’ve asked if you were okay with drinking that much.”
I give a dismissive wave of my hand. “I’m fine. You didn’t force me to do anything, dude. I chose to play. I just thought you guys were actually playing beer pong.”
