“What the fuck?” I ask. “Couldn’t she be charged with assault?”
“Uh, why isn’t she in jail?” Cynthia questions.
“Her parents are rich. They’re connected. A small town, Northern Ontario. She was nearly untouchable.”
“Nearly?” I press. Again, I think of Will and Jackson.
“That’s what she was suspended for. But clearly… here she is.” Karter throws out her hand.
“And why, exactly, did she choke Marissa with the bear spray?” Cynthia asks.
Karter rolls her eyes, then rakes her fingers through her silky, green hair. “She started dating a guy Tasia had been pining after. And no, they weren’t friends. Marissa did nothing wrong.”
“Why areyoustill friends with her?” I ask bluntly. That type of person could be dangerous. I once had a thing of bear spray in my glovebox just in case, but I left it there through last winter so it froze, and the can malfunctioned. It had been in a Ziploc bag and should’ve been fine, but when I got in my car, I started coughing to the point I almost threw up. The plastic bag didn’t matter. When the can leaked, it affected me even through the bag and the closed glovebox. Bear spray is serious.
Karter sighs heavily. “I mean, we’re not besties or anything. But I’m in her orbit, since we went to the same school. Better to be friends with her than not.”
“Hard disagree,” I say, rolling my eyes. “Cut bitches like that off.” I start to regret not shovingherout of the private room at Slyth’s. Why did I leave in the first place?
“Neve is right,” Cynthia says. “Next thing you know, she turns on you for nothing, and you’re getting choked out.”
I laugh, but Karter doesn’t.
She takes another drink, then her gaze fixes on the wall. “I mean, she’s not all bad. When she’s good, she’s really good.”
“What could possibly atone for killer bear spray?” Cyn asks.
Karter lifts one shoulder in a shrug and she has a faraway look in her eye. “When my Nana passed, she brought me flowers, came and saw me every day for like two weeks.”
Me and Cyn exchange a glance. It doesn’t seem to detract from her off-the-wall behavior, but I see why Karter has a soft spot for her. Maybe Tasia has experienced a loss too, and she knows what it’s like to grieve. Especially away from home. But neither Cynthia nor I say anything.
For about two seconds.
Then Cyn’s next question is aimed at me.
“So, Neve, knowingalllllthat, are you going to tell us what happened with you and the two sexiest boys on campus in that tiny room?”
“First of all, aren’t you hooking up with someone? Shouldn’thebe your sexiest? I saw him at Slyth’s. That man isfine.”
“He might be, but I can still see,” Cynthia says, her brows jumping. “I cansee.”She stretches out the word and it makes me laugh. “So…” She shoos at me with her hand.
Karter seems to be awake from her reverie about Tasia, and she’s looking at me too as my roommate keeps talking. “Tell us what happened. This is a safe space, Neve.”
I lift my middle finger with a smile I try to bite back, then take another drink. My head is dizzy, my thoughts sluggish, but Idoneed to tell someone or I’m going to lose my mind.
“Just a fair warning, if either of you judge me, I’ll never speak to you again.” Then I snap my fingers in Karter’s general direction, but not in her face, because that’s rude. “And please, for the love of bear spray, donottell Tasia what went down, okay? I don’t want to break her fingers if she gasses me.”
Karter puts her hand on her heart like she’s taking an oath. “I vow it.”
I snort a laugh, then I spill everything that happened in that room between Faust and Sylvan and me, minus a few key details like the words they said and how good it felt. But I tell them how I said Faust’s name, and how it pissed off Sylvan. I leave out the slapping; I don’t know just how kinky their sex lives are and even as I’m drunkenly confessing, I know I probably shouldn’t.
“Holy shit,” Karter whispers.
“But you’re telling me that blond asshole had another girl on his lap right after he put his fingers inside you?” Cyn’s brown eyes flash and she looks pissed, her lips pressed into a line, her brows pulled together. “Please tell me you are never touching him again.”
“Yeah, but did you not hear her?” Karter says before I can reply. “She played with both of them, Sylvan gave her an orgasm, and she said Faust’s name. It kind of makes up for it.”
My face is too hot. I fan at it and mutter, “I’m still in the room, y’all.”
