Taller than most women but still over a head shorter than I am, the lady glares up at me.
Even though my hackles rise, I approve of her tenacity and bravery as she stands up for her friend.
“Penelope’s ring flew off her finger.I promised to keep it safe until tomorrow,” I say.
She stiffens.Several other ladies join her, and for a moment, I can’t help but feel like an oversized bull in a china shop.One wrong move and I’ll break too many delicate things.
“You did what?”the woman hisses.
Like an idiot, I open my mouth and repeat myself.
“Her ring—”
“You took her ring?!She never takes that off, not even during class,” a different woman exclaims.
Confusion worms through me.
“Class?Why would she need to take it off during class?”I ask.
“Self-defense class.That’s where we all know each other from.She always spins the gem toward her palm so she doesn’t hurt anyone instead of taking it off,” the lady who approached me first fumes.
“Who did you say you were again?And how do you know our friend?”asks the other woman.
“My name is Sebastian Sterling.I’ve known Penelope for a long time.We went to school together.”
“You went to Columbia University, too?”
My brain short-circuits, and for an extended moment, I stare at the group without knowing what to say.
Samuel never told me Penelope was attending the same college as us.I knew when she graduated high school since her parents invited us back for a celebration, but I had too many projects underway to drop everything and visit.She graduated only three years after we did, so she took an accelerated route and somehow squeezed four years of study into three, and with grades so excellent she earned a full scholarship to her dream university.
I never thought to ask which college, but Samuel certainly would have met up with his sister if she were at the same campus as us, right?They may have had a horrible case of sibling rivalry, but I never once doubted their love for each other.Their family was always tight knit.
As an only child raised by my mom and nana, I marveled over their family dynamics.They could be so vicious one second, then join together and create an unbreakable unit the next.
I envied them.Still do.
How did Penelope attend Columbia University without me knowing?
In my third year of college—which is when she would have started college—I’d already started building my dream business while working a part-time job and studying for my bachelor’s degree, but I was also very active on campus.I attended every seminar and pep rally as I grew my web of influence.
I couldn’t have missed her.Maybe this woman is mistaken.
It doesn’t matter.I’ll do my own research and get to the bottom of it.
“I met Penelope long before college.Her brother and I have been friends since middle school,” I say.
The ladies shift and look at each other as though gauging each other’s reactions.
“So you’re picking on her like a big brother?”The tall woman shakes her head as she continues.“Do you really think you have that right?She’s never mentioned you.When was the last time you saw her?”
I can’t reveal the truth without looking like a complete asshole.
Which I am.
“It’s been a few years,” I say with a lame shrug.
She props her hands on her hips and glares at me.“You chose the wrong thing to tease her about.I don’t know why it’s important to her, but she’s worn that ring—and only that ring—ever since I met her six years ago.”
