“Yeah, he paid for our coffees,” I admitted with an awkward smile.
Sven pursed his lips and exchanged a long look with Ursa. “Everyone wants to check out the pretty new girl, hmm?”
“Everyone, indeed.” Ursa nodded. “I heard Brodie Keller sat with you in Economics of Crime yesterday, too.”
Nina’s jaw dropped. “You didn’t tell me that! Eve, what the hell? How am I meant to give you all the relevant goss when I don’t know what you need to know?”
Sven let out a low whistle. “Popular girly, right here. And unlike both Connor and Andrew, Brodie is single.”
Ursa scoffed. “Is that what you call what he is? Single?”
It didn’t take a genius to guess. “Brodie’s a bit of a manwhore? Shocker. I know this will sound really weak, but I’m not here to meet guys and I have zero desire to sleep withanyoneI’ve met so far.”
Except maybe Ethan. Definitely Ethan. Shit, if he kissed like that when he was surprised, what could he do when he was putting in effort?
Nina’s grin was smug, but she didn’t bring up my kiss incident in front of her friends. Thank fuck for that. Sooner or later, I needed to set the record straight…without then admitting I’d kissed a teacher. Shit. It’d be easier to just kiss Connor.
7
EVELYN
Over the rest of my second week, I settled into classes, finding that while the course load was intense here, it wasn’t much harder than what I’d experienced at my old college. The students, on the other hand, were so vastly different that at times I felt like I’d stumbled into a foreign world.
Despite that, I noticed how a new tension held the campus in its thrall. There was something brewing between the various very-important factions here, I was sure of it.
“What the hell is going on?” I murmured to Nina as we waited in the dining hall line. Thursday’s lunch was fresh wood-fired pizzas which was both slow and popular. There were more students in the dining hall than I’d ever seen, and the daggers being glared around were forceful.
Nina arched a brow as she grabbed a side salad. “Rumor has it, Connor made a pass at Laura.”
I blinked a couple of times. “Andrew’s girlfriend? Why would he do that?”
“Probably just to piss Andrew off.” Nina shrugged. “Connor doesn’t really need a reason to go after other guys’ girlfriends.He could have been bored. Or maybe it was too cloudy. I don’t know. But Laura apparently tried to make Andrew jealous, and it’s turned into a thing.”
Huh. Okay, yeah, I could see how that would create tension. Most of the college seemed to be either Team Andrew or Team Connor. The only people I’d encountered who didn’t show a clear bias were Brodie Keller…and the maintenance guy. Even Nina had made her allegiance known—she was Team Andrew purely because Connor scared her a little.
I peered over my shoulder to where Andrew’s group of friends sat, having already received their pizzas. Laura was positively glowing under all the attention, but Andrew scowled. His fucked-off expression directed rightat me. What the hell?
“Uh…are you sure that’s all that’s going on?” I asked nervously, my gaze tracking around the room until I found Connor. Thankfully, he was engaged in a broody conversation with his heavily tattooed friend, Hawk.
Nina shrugged. “Nope, not sure. But that’s all I’ve heard about, and I have really sharp ears, you know?”
I chuckled, turning back to the pizza line. “Yeah I know. Queen of Meadowridge gossip. Did you ever hear who caused the chemistry lab explosion?”
She nodded. “Yup, it was Haze. Totally un-shocking, and apparently Dean Attworth can’t decide on a suitable punishment because nothing like this has ever happened before, and he can’t send Haze off campus. Like at all. It’s a safety thing.”
This wasallnews to me. “Okay, hold up. Who is Haze and why can’t he leave campus?”
“Um, something to do with him being wanted by a couple of European countries on espionage allegations or some crap? I dunno, it’s probably just hearsay and rumor but he’s super mysterious so it’s plausible.” Nina dropped that information socasually, then got to the front of the line and placed her pizza order.
I waited my turn, then right as I started to order…all hell broke loose.
The tension that had been holding the school hostage all week exploded into a mass of students inside the cafeteria. Nina and I were five tables away from the initial chaos, so I couldn’t immediately see who was involved, but I already had my suspicion—which was confirmed when she dragged me closer to the action.
“Shouldn’t we be running the other way?” I gasped as Connor slammed his fist into Andrew’s face, the pair center of the ruckus, between the tables.
But they weren’t not the only ones.
At least half a dozen other guys were shouting and shoving, fists flying so fast that I couldn’t keep up with who was smacking who in the face. The noise grew louder and louder as more students circled the group laying bets.
