“I-I don’t know what happened,” I answer truthfully until some man approaches, swaying on his feet.
“Ma’am. I’m so sorry. Please let me help you,” the stranger states, but the sweet lady intervenes.
“You’ve done enough, Reginald. Why don’t you go sober up and leave the poor girl alone,” she spits, narrowing her eyes at the big man.
“Yes, Mrs. Mercer. My apologies,” he states then turns and walks back up the stairs. My eyes widen at the name, and I look at Misti who wears the same expression.
“Are you sure I can’t get you some help?” she asks, and I shake my head.
“No, Ma’am. I think I will be okay,” I reply, and she nods.
“Call me Cynthia, dear. What is your name?” she asks with a smile.
“I’m Rowyn,” I answer, then the whistle blows and someone starts yelling.
“Mom, mom, Mooooomm!!” Grayson yells from the fence. Her head whips around towards him and she narrows her eyes.
“Grayson Nathaniel Mercer. You mind your manners,” she scolds, and we bust out laughing as we walk past them. His eyes slam to mine, and I smirk, knowing I can get away with it. His mom is not one to play with and I love that about her. At least now I know his weakness. I roll my eyes when he growls at me, but Mama Cynthia grabs the face of his helmet, scolding him in front of everyone, but I don’t get to watch the rest because Misti is pulling me along and away from the scene.
“Damn you. I wanted to watch Grayson get his ass handed to him,” I whine, and she laughs.
“I’m sorry I’m doing it for your own good. You do know you’re going to get his wrath for that right?” she says, but I hope she’s wrong. I’m not sure who's worse, Grayson or Kade, at this point. Their brutality is completely different, but I really just want to stay off their radar as much as I possibly can.
“Ugh, I need a drink,” I state, and she giggles.
“Well, come on. Put some pep in your step. We got a bonfire to get ready for,” she cheers as we walk back towards the school.
An hour later, we’re walking down the wooded path behind campus that apparently leads us to a clearing that looks over a cliff. Misti nudges me, and I jump.
“Are you afraid of the dark?” she asks, and I shake my head.
“I’m not, I was just thinking and you caught me off guard is all,” I answer, and she takes a deep breath.
“I have something to ask you, but I need you to promise me that you won’t get mad,” she pleads,and my eyes widen.What could she possibly ask me that would make me mad?So I nod, but she stops short, grabbing both of my hands. “I’m serious. I don’t want you to ever get mad at me for being a concerned friend or a nosey bitch,” she says, giggling at the last bit.
“I promise, I won’t get mad, now spill it,” I say, squeezing her hand.
“So I heard a few things. One of them involves you and Kade in the chem closet, and the other is about Elliot,” she states, and I roll my eyes and huff.
“Well, first, tell me what you heard and I’ll tell you if it’s true or not, and second, don’t be afraid to ask me things. I’m not a forthcoming person but I wouldn’t lie to you,” I tell her truthfully, and she takes a deep breath, not letting go of my hands.
“I know just a few hours ago you admitted to being a virgin, but rumor has it that you let Kade…” She trails off, stepping closer to me. “You let Kade …” She trails off again, looking around us.
“Girl, spit it out! What did I let Kade do?”
“You let him fuck you in the ass,” she whispers, and I laugh—full belly, bent over laughing.
“Absolutely not. Who ever told you that is a fucking idiot. Not a chance in hell. Next question,” I state, and she laughs.
“Okay, good. Umm… Elliot. Rumor has it you fucked him before even arriving, and now you’re pregnant and you’re begging him for his attention, and that he came to our dorm last night to pay you off,” she states, and I laugh again.
“Jesus, wherever you’re getting your info from is terribly wrong. Now, I will say, he did come to our dorm last night, but he brought me soup and meds. That’s it,” I answer, and she nods.
“Okay, good. Because these hands are rated E for everyone and I was ready to throw down over this shit. I hate gossip and I wasn’t going to let rumors spread, especially if they weren’t true. But wait, were you sick?” She laughs at first, then turns serious, and I grab her, wrapping my arms around her.
“I fucking love you. Thank you for asking and not assuming. You really are a great friend,” I tell her as a smile spreads across her face.
“Thank you. That means alot. I didn’t have many friends back home, but that’s a story for another night. Let’s go get fucked up,” she says, and I nod. I’m thankful that she didn’t push for more information and I was able to smoothly divert the conversation elsewhere.
