"Okay." He kisses me again. "I'm going to go find Nolan…and then I want to take you to bed."
He walks off without waiting for an answer.
"Saige, I'm so sorry," Kira says. "I froze up; I was just so shocked. I should have said something."
I'm not entirely sure that's what happened—that's not how it looked from where I stood, but I decide not to call her out on it. "Yeah, so, I hate Elias because he and his friends relentlessly bullied me in our small town for two years. I just didn't expect it to follow me into adulthood."
"It seems like he's sorry, though," she says.
"He's not sorry; he's up to something." And if he's willing to pretend to be nice to me in public, I'm terrified to find out what it is.
"Hey…Saige."
I turn and find myself face-to-face with Blythe. "Are you okay? Your eye looks a lot better."
"Oh…yeah. Once I got all the dirt and gravel out of it, it wasn't that bad. She saw me fall in the street," I add for a confused Kira.
"You've really had the first week from hell," Kira says.
I laugh a little. "You have no fucking idea."
"Are you with Dax, then?" Blythe asks.
"No, not really."
"Are you with Nolan, too?"
"What? No…why would you think that?"
"You know they share women, right?" Blythe asks.
"What do you mean?"
But I'm pretty sure I know exactly what she means. And she would probably know—she's clearly been hanging around them for a while.
"It's true," the girl at Blythe's side says. "There's this girl I used to hang out with—she's spending the semester abroad—but over the summer, she told me this story abouthow she was hooking up with Dax, and he brought Nolan in, too."
"Bullshit," Kira says. "The creepy guy who doesn't like to be touched?"
"Yep. She said he kept his clothes on the entire time, and Dax told her she wasn't allowed to touch him at all. Neither of them talked to her again afterward."
"Yeah, I heard the same thing from another friend of mine. I just thought I should let you know…in case you didn't," Blythe says. "I mean, to each their own, but if it were me, I would want someone to tell me. I'm sure you've probably known him for a while, but…Dax isn't exactly the nicest guy."
That's pretty rich coming from a girl who's sleeping with Elias. I narrow my eyes a little before fixing my face.
Because she's right, isn't she? I have known him for a while, and I know better than anyone that Dax isn't a nice guy. I just…keep forgetting. "Yeah, I know who he is."
"Okay, well…have a good night, Saige."
"Thanks," I say to her back as she walks away.
"There's no way he fucks fully clothed," Kira scoffs, taking a swig of her beer. "I mean, that'd put him in the same category as snake guy for me. What do you think he's got under his clothes that's such a fucking secret?"
"I don't know. Maybe he just has sensory issues."
But I'm not looking at her. I'm watching Dax and Nolan across the room, leaning into each other while they speak. Dax touches his hip before walking away, featherlight and just barely with his fingertips.
Then, he weaves through the crowded room back to me, taking my hand in his. "What's wrong with you, huh?" he asks as he studies my face. "I miss your smile."
