A poundingon my dorm room door woke me up at midnight. I looked over and saw Jane’s bed was empty. She must have lost her key. I got out of bed and walked to the door, but it wasn’t Jane.
“Are you Lily Spaulding?” a girl who seemed vaguely familiar asked me. I was pretty sure she lived in Creyts, but I knew she didn’t live on this floor.
“Yes.”
“Oh, thank God. You’re like the fourth room I’ve tried. There’s a guy out front says he needs to talk to you. He didn’t know your room number, just that he thought you lived on the third floor, but said it was important.”
So, not Lucas. Lucas absolutely knew my room number, having spent last night here with me, as well as all those lovely stolen hours when I didn’t have class and Andy was in school. Plus he would have texted me that he was downstairs.
“Says his name is Stick. Listen, if you don’t want to—”
“No, I want to see him. Thanks for finding me.”
She shrugged. “Guy gave me twenty bucks. Easy twenty bucks.”
“Thanks again,” I said as I left her to throw on a hoodie, yoga pants, and some shoes. I grabbed my phone and keys and quickly made my way down the stairs, texting Lucas as I did.
Did you send Stick over here?
No answer, but he could be asleep and have his phone on vibrate.
I had visions of Stick standing out front holding up a drunken Jane that he’d pulled out of yet another club.
Shit. The one Saturday night when I stayed home to study. That was what I got for studying on a Saturday night when I should have been out partying with Jane and Syd.
But he was alone, no Jane in sight. He was leaning on the pillar as Lucas always did, but straightened, and walked toward me when he saw me.
“What’s going on?” The look on his face caused a chill to run down my spine. “What’s happened?”
“Let’s go up to your room,” he said, looking around, motioning to the students that were returning to the dorm. He wanted privacy to tell me what he needed to say.
“Is he okay? Is he hurt?”
Stick shook his head, taking my arm and leading us back inside, using my ID to swipe us in. “He’s fine. I mean, he’s not hurt or anything. Physically he’s fine.”
We got to the elevator, but a couple of girls got in with us so we didn’t say anything.
During the ride up and the walk down the hallway, I had this crazy thought that maybe Lucas had sent Stick to break up with me. He had been acting weird last night, pulling away from me at the restaurant.
But then he’d told me he loved me.
And sending Stick to dump me would be the most monumental dick move ever. Lucas had promised—no more dick moves.
When we got to my room, my hands were shaking and I turned on Stick as soon as the door had closed. “What? What is it?”
“Lucas is in jail, and I need you to come and stay with Andy while I get it worked out.”
I walked to the desk and sat in the chair. Placing my shaking hands on my knees, I took a deep breath. “Oxy? Was it Oxy somehow?”
Stick looked at me like I was crazy. “No. No way. He’s totally clean.”
“Well, he’s not exactly ‘clean’ if he’s in jail, is he?” I almost didn’t recognize my own voice.
“No. He was busted for stealing a car.” He ducked his head.
“Yeah, you better duck your head, asshole,” Jane said from the doorway. I hadn’t even noticed her coming in. “So Lily’s guy is in the pokey. Why do I think this all circles back to you?” Jane said to Stick as she shut the door and came into the room. She was dressed in casual jeans, not club wear. I didn’t know where she’d been, but she wasn’t at all tipsy. She came over to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. “You okay, Lil?”
I nodded. “How often…when does…”
