I stop shaking the bottle, my eyes narrowing on him. “Not since earlier today. Why?”
The way his expression shifts has my spine stiffening.
“Wren said she saw her a little bit ago,” he says carefully.
“At the student center?”
I’m confused why it seems like that’s something I should be concerned about.
“Uh, no. Outside of the athletics office,” he says. “Wren was there for her internship. She said she saw Brinley leaving. Came out of one of the offices fast, like she was trying not to be seen.”
My grip tightens. “She say anything else?”
Talon hesitates. “She had been crying. Guess she looked pretty upset.”
I set my drink down and pull out my phone. She had told me she was going to the student center.
Did she ever make it?
Why would she lie to me about where she was going?
She hasn’t told me about her father, so I guess coming out and telling me wouldn’t make sense either.
Me: How are you doing? You get your assignments done?
I try not to let on that I’m worried about her, given we were together only a few hours ago. The message updates to delivered, and I stare at the screen, hoping it’ll update to read soon.
When nothing comes, I tell myself I’m being unreasonable. Maybe she’s driving back to the farm, or maybe she’s in the shower.
Or maybe she just needs space after what happened.
I hit the Call button, and it rings and rings before going to voicemail.
I don’t bother leaving one.
Talon glances over at me again. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah,” I say, already dialing her again.
He raises a brow. “You calling her?”
I nod. It rings longer this time and goes to voicemail again.
I don’t care how it looks. I don’t care if she thinks I’m hovering. Knowing she left the athletics facility in tears doesn’t sit right with me.
Brinley might deflect. She might pretend she’s fine, but she wouldn’t dodge my calls.
Our last conversation replays in my head. Her forced smile, the way she avoided my eyes, and how fast she grabbed her bags when she said she was going to the student center.
My phone buzzes in my hand.
Brinley: Sorry. Got called in. One of the new girls didn’t show. I’m at the bar.
“Is that her?” Talon asks.
“I guess she’s at Broken Saddle.”
Talon frowns. “You think maybe it wasn’t her Wren saw?”
