“Like Izzy said, he’d have to actually be home and pay attention to anything outside his work in order to know what’s happening right under his nose. Besides, I’m positive he’s stuck his dick in plenty of people he shouldn’t have since he and Kait got together, so it’s not like she’s doing anything he hasn’t.”
“True. But it’s still weird. My family is so boring compared to yours.”
“Boring, or normal?” I ask with a wry grin.
“Both. We’re way more normal than yours, but notthatnormal.” He taps his fingers on the cover of his textbook. “I thought Kait broke up with Michael after Thanksgiving?”
“She did, but they got back together just before Christmas.”
He winces. “You told me that, didn’t you? And you also told me that’s one of the reasons you came back to school early, because she was taking him with her and the kids to see her family and you didn’t want to be stuck in the house with your father.”
“Yes and yes.”
“Sorry.” He shoots me an apologetic look. “I swear I was listening. I’ve just got a lot going on and forgot for a second.”
“It’s fine,” I tell him. “I know how your brain works.”
“Thank fuck,” he says with a grin. “Because most days I have no clue what’s going on up there.”
“Flash drive?” I ask, holding out my hand for it.
West gives it to me, and I quickly stick it in the side of my laptop and transfer the files with my notes and my paper over to it. When that’s done, I eject it and toss it to him.
He catches it and tucks it away in his pocket. “Thanks for bailing me out. Again.”
“It’s fine. Just remember what I said. Iwillmurder you if you get my ass in trouble for plagiarism.” I give him a pointed look. “And I only have two friends, so I really can’t afford to be killing one of them off.”
He grins. “Deal.”
“What did you want to do tonight?” I ask. “Still thinking of hitting that party at McLellan House?”
His smile drops off his face.
“What?” I ask, already dreading whatever he’s about to say.
“I kinda told McKenna we’d hang out tonight,” he says sheepishly. “She’s been really stressed out with school and wedding planning, and she said she needs a night in to relax and asked if she could come over.” He gives me a pleading look. “I’m sorry. I totally forgot about the party and our plans to make plans when I was talking to her, then it was too late to take it back, and I’m the worst friend ever.”
“You’re not,” I say, my voice tight. “But it would be nice if you could at least remember to tell me when you cancel our plans. And it would be nice if we could actually hang out and not just spend a few hours studying every few weeks.”
He winces again. “I know, and I really am sorry. I’m just… You know how she gets.”
“Yeah. I do.” Picking up my pen, I spin it around my fingers a few times. “But whatever. It’s fine.”
“I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”
I nod, but this isn’t the first time he’s said that recently, and I’m sure it won’t be the last.
20
DAMON
The sensationof being watched settles over me as I walk down the dark path, but there’s something about it that’s different.
I can’t quite explain it, but it feels wrong. It’s not the familiar presence I’ve gotten used to. It’s colder, almost sinister, and a shiver of real unease ripples through me.
Quickening my steps, I glance around. A couple of the lights over the path I’m on have burned out, so it’s even darker than it usually is, and more of that unease fills me as I shove my hands in my jacket pockets and pick up the pace.
This part of campus tends to be quiet since it’s not near any of the dorms and is mostly just open space with a few administrative buildings dotting the area. It’s also right at the edge of campus, and for the first time in weeks, knowing that the woods are only a few hundred feet away is making me nervous.
