“Lacey, how can I help you?” I try to brighten my voice, but I have to swallow against the bile, and while the voices are quiet now, I don’t think they were when she arrived, because Darren, who’s a step behind her, is livid.
“I came to see if you wanted to go for dinner while the guys are at practice.” She eyes the door, then turns to her boyfriend. “Babe, you’ll be late, won’t you?”
His eyes go wide, telling me he heard whatever they said after I zoned out, and in no way wants to leave me alone with them. Which makes me glad I missed it.
“I’m sure my captain won’t mind,” he says pointedly, so she sighs and rolls her eyes, but the hand on his chest is a warning. Which is a bit funny, because she’s like six inches shorter, and maybe half as wide as him.
“We have three choices, Sav. You and I can go for dinner and pretend we didn’t hear that, or we can go in there, get what you need, then have you come room with me. I’m on the second floor in a double with Chloe, who doesn’t want her parents to know, but she lives off campus with her girlfriend. Not that I’m there all the time, if you want space, but I could be if you’d prefer cheesy movies and puzzle nights with me.”
Darren, who’s room I assume she spends most of her time in, doesn’t argue with her offer. In fact, he looks like he approves.
“What’s my third option?”
“I let him loose. Personally, I don’t recommend that one, because he’s hella protective on his own, then he’s also very loyal to Noah, like blood brothers level, and while that would usually help rein him in, right now I’m worried they won’t take my credit card for bail.”
“Noah and I, we’re not…” I don’t know what he’s telling people, but while I walked away, he pulled the plug.
“I gathered, from the storm cloud that’s been following him around, but I play the long game.”
“It’s fine, you really don’t have to?—”
“You need to be safe in your own room, Savannah. I had a feeling you wouldn’t want to go to your RA, but that’s an option too, or the house on Ivy, because putting you both in a room together would probably speed things up, but?—”
“It’s just the pictures.” I sigh. “I was hiding out at home, so everything I need is still in my car, but they mentioned my family pictures, and I don’t feel comfortable leaving them here.”
“Savannah, you’re back!” Anna opens the door, all smiles, and I assume she heard our conversation as well as we heard hers.
“Just to grab some things.” I hate confrontation, so I am very okay with ignoring the elephant in the room, but my wannabe saviors are not.
“Darren Steele.” One of the guys’ eyes go wide. While the others are either wearing Dallas’ jersey from when he was a Wolf, or the new stuff with the Coyotes, this guy’s in a Mavericks jersey, which is the team that drafted Darren. He was looking completely bored with the conversation, but not anymore. “Great game yesterday.”
“They lost,” another guy points out, for which Anna elbows him in the stomach, clearly worried Darren is volatile.
“But this guy stopped nearly every shot they threw at him.”
I knew they lost, but I didn’t know how guilty I felt about it until Lacey squeezes my arm.
“What are you doing here?” The hockey fan looks around at the three of us, then to my roommate, to see if she can fill in the blanks, but she pops her shoulder.
“I came to check on my friend, because though I’d like to think the world is made up of decent human beings, apparently there are still assholes who see an awesome woman who is smart and beautiful and bakes the best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever tasted – sorry babe – and decide to tear her down because they’re jealous her brothers are famous.”
Anna swallows, but the guy who is holding my family photo doesn’t break eye contact, even if I can see the beads of sweat on his temple.
“You guys aren’t assholes like that, right?” Lacey asks, grabbing the frame from the guy, and unpinning the other ones from the wall. I’d completely forgotten about it, but the folder with all my plotting notes, including Noah’s diagrams, is open on my desk, which I don’t think I did, so I quickly stuff it in my bag. And, because I can’t stand to leave it behind, I take the succulent Noah gave me from the bedside table.
“Of course not.” My roommate looks guilty as hell, but I think she’s trying to apologize with her eyes, as if now’s the time to be subtle. As if she thinks she can pretend her friends crossed the line and she wasn’t an instigator. “When are you coming back?”
“I don’t know.” I was just going to humor Lacey, maybe go for another home cooked meal, but I had full intentions of being back here tomorrow night. Now I don’t think I can ever come back.
“You know you could have told me, right? Finding out from a girl in my stats class made me feel like shit.” She doesn’t sound reproachful so much as defending her earlier conversation.
There are a lot of people who could make me feel very guilty for not telling them. People who bothered to get to know me, to ask about my family, questions that I evaded. Anna is not one of them. She never asked. Never shared either, because she put her headphones on the second I walked in. The only thing she did was suggest I find somewhere else to be when she had study groups, and this weekend. Which I’m now wondering if it was to be nice, or to sell my stuff on eBay.
“I really couldn’t have,” I argue. “I think that conversation we overheard was way shittier than however you found out.” I’m so tired of everyone walking all over me because I never stand up for myself. “If you or your friends touch any more of my stuff, I’m pressing charges.”
Anna looks shocked, but Lacey seems impressed, and I focus on that.
“Ready to go, Savannah?” Darren asks as Lacey loops her arm through mine and leads me out.
