by JB Salsbury
“Stop looking so sad,” Kaipo says close to my ear. “You’re the one who wanted it this way.”
I blush as he not only calls me out on the direction of my thoughts, but I’m surprised by the guilt that weighs heavy in my chest. Kaipo’s right, I have no right to feel jealous when I pushed him into her arms myself.
He turns me to face him and with one hand on my hip he takes my other hand and holds it to his rock-hard chest. He purposefully maneuvers me so my back is toward Loren so that I can’t torture myself with the visual of him with my cousin. I wondered if tonight would be a complete disaster and if I’d have been better off attending the formal alone, but I’m grateful to have Kaipo here with me.
The next song is also a slower tempo, this one by Adele, so we extend our dance.
“Where’d you learn to dance like this?” I ask as he expertly twirls me around the wood floor.
“My mom. She insists on making each of her boys dance with her on her birthday.”
“That’s a fun tradition. And useful.”
I’m grateful he doesn’t ask where I learned to dance. I was the only Thunderbird who had to be forced into etiquette lessons.
Kaipo smiles over my head and I hear a deep male voice say, “I’m cutting in.”
Loren.
“I figured you might.” Kaipo winks at me, backs away and the moment he does Loren wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me into his torso. I weave my fingers together at the back of his neck and feel a surge of warm fuzzies that he’s holding me tighter and closer than he did Riley.
“Where’s your date,” I say and try to look around his big body to see if she’s glaring at me from a distance.
“Had to run off. Sorority business.”
“This is risky,” I whisper. I catch a few stink-eyes aimed our way from sorority sisters in the vicinity. Although, they kind of always look like that.
“I don’t care.” His eyelids get heavy and his lips tilt up in a contented, lazy smile. “I don’t think I’ll make it until eight o’clock anyway.”
My feet freeze, and he does, too, so that now we’re standing still on the dance floor. “What do you mean?”
“When Riley comes back I’m going to pull her aside and have our talk.” His gaze drops to my lips. “I want to kiss you so badly right now it’s physically painful.”
“I think they call that blue balls.”
He throws his head back and bursts out laughing, guaranteeing we get seen by just about everyone.
“Shhh,” I say through my own laughter. “Everyone is looking at us.”
“Good. I hope they take a long hard look because they’re going to be seeing a lot more of us together after tonight—why do you look terrified?”
Do I? “You don’t understand the wrath of the sisterhood. On one hand I get to be with you.” I keep my voice down so as not to be heard by anyone dancing nearby. “But the sisters are loyal to Riley and they’ll see me as a traitor or—here she comes.” I step back and out of Loren’s arms just as Riley spots us. I shift on my feet and can’t find a good place to put my hands so I lock them together behind me.
“Bexy, you’re the best for keeping my date occupied while I had to go inside and take care of some…unfortunate business.” She cuddles up next to Loren who takes a noticeable step away from her. She frowns at him and the act sends a streak of unease down my spine. “We’re finally at the highlight of the night.” She swings her attention back in my direction.
I do a mental run through of tonight’s itinerary. The caterers are serving cheesecake and we have the DJ until eight so… what am I missing. “What highlight?”
“Hello? The Eta Pi tradition?” She releases Loren to wrap her arm around my shoulders.
The move paralyzes me with fear for two reasons. One, Riley doesn’t usually touch me, at all. Two, there’s only one Eta Pi tradition that I know of and it’s strictly for sister’s only. Matter of fact, we’re sworn to absolute secrecy when we take the Eta Pi pledge.
Lily scampers to Riley and hands her the DJ’s microphone and the music comes to an abrupt stop.
“I hope you’re all having a nice evening,” Riley says into the mic, garnering the cheers of everyone in attendance. She tightens her hold over my shoulders. “You’re all in for a real treat tonight. We at Eta Pi are going to share one of our long held traditions.” The sorority sister’s all look a little confused, their dates, however, look eager. “As Eta Pi President, I consider it an honor to share with you all the creed we sisters live by.” Her hand squeezes my shoulder painfully. “Bex is going to recite the creed for you all now.” Her gaze slides to mine and she hands me the mic. “I hope you can remember it.” Her eyes turn cold. “It seems some parts might be easy to forget.”
“Someone else can do it.” I wave over Meegan, Becky, Renee, all of them recede deeper into the crowd rather than jump to my aid. I expected as much.
“Go on, Bex.” Riley backs away leaving me alone in the middle of the dance floor.
I swallow hard, wet my lips and tell myself she can’t possibly pull off what we do during rush week. Surely this is just a plug for the sorority, a way to shine a spotlight on her leadership greatness. I clear my throat and meet Loren’s eyes. His jaw is tense and his shoulders seem to have swelled. Kaipo stands next to him looking confused and protective.
“Sisterhood is loyalty and commitment to serving others.” I clear the shakiness from my voice. “Sisterhood is leading by example, with compassion and grace. Sisterhood is honesty, transparency, and unselfish drive. Confidence tempered with humility is…” I stare at the faces around me, some looking on apologetically and others with a kind of fascination.
“Have you forgotten the final bit?” Riley says from behind me.
“No.”
“Say it then.”
“…is the spirit of a true…” I suck in a breath. “Eta Pi sister.”
The first whipped cream pie comes from my back and slams me in the face. I’m blinded to see where the rest come from, but I feel them knock me in the head. One after another I try to protect my face, but the whipped cream fills my ears and, and drips down my shoulders. Blinded, confused and humiliated, I don’t know what’s happening until I hear the muffled sound of over one hundred of my peers as they explode in hoots, hollers and laughter and only then do I feel the kiss of a breeze against my panties. Someone flipped my dress up.
I struggle to protect myself against the incoming pies while simultaneously pushing at my skirt when suddenly I’m off my feet. His strong grip is unmistakable and I bury my cream and crust covered face into his throat as the first wave of sobs rip through me. “Please, get me out of here.”
Loren growls a string of violent curse words. “Grab the keys from the valet and I’ll meet you at my truck.” I assume he’s speaking to Kaipo and then we’re moving.
His heavy footfalls are soundless against the concrete and grass as he carries me off the patio and through the lawn to the parking lot. My tears manage to clear out my eyes a little but I don’t dare look anywhere but at his neck as he weaves through cars.
The tweet of a key fob blares and the sound of dress shoes jogging on asphalt gets louder just before Kaipo says, “I’ll get the door.”
Loren slides into the passenger seat of his truck with me in his arms and Kaipo gets behind the wheel. The uncontrollable sobs continue and he rubs my back soothingly, reassuring me that we’re gone, and tells me I never have to go back there again.
If it were only that easy.
Kaipo stays quiet, but a simmering rage rolls off of him.
I sit up a little and look down at the mess I made on Loren’s shirt and silk tie. “I’m so sorry about your clothes.”
He rips at his necktie to slip it off and then uses it to dab at my whipped cream tears. “I don’t give a fuck about my clothes.” He sounds angry and looks angrier, but his touch is gentle and his eyes warm.
The truck comes to a halt outside Loren and Kaipo’s house
. Loren pops open the door and I move to crawl out, but he locks his arms around me again and carries me from the car to the front door.
“I can walk.”
“I know you can.” He sniffs and holds me tighter. “I’m just having a hard time letting you go.”
I wiggle out of his hold and put my feet on the front porch sending a sheet of whipped cream and crust to the ground. I’m about to apologize and tell him I’ll clean it up when he wraps his massive arm around my lower back and ushers me inside. I try to keep hold of the mess on my body so it doesn’t spread to his floors while he guides me up the stairs to the bathroom.
He sits me on the toilet seat and kneels in front of me. Kaipo hands him a wet washcloth and he wipes my face, meticulously dabs at my eyes, nose, and mouth. “This shit needs to be reported.” He folds the washcloth and starts back at my hairline. “You’re shaking,” he whispers with a mix of anger and sadness.
“Just put her in the shower, cuz.” Kaipo grabs the handle to close the door.
Loren only nods, his jaw tight, and his eyes even tighter. “Stand up, babe.”
“You don’t have to do this.”
He blows out a breath and shakes his head. “Stand up.”
I stand and am grateful to give him my back so he can’t see the embarrassment flaming on my face as he unzips my dress and it drops to the floor. He kneels behind me to unbuckle the straps on my heels and he slips one off, then the other, and sets it all aside. Back on his feet he unhooks my strapless bra and adds it to the pile of soiled clothes. I hear the shower turn on, followed by the squeak of the fixtures as he searches for the perfect temperature. When he turns me to face him, I cover my breasts with my arms. But he’s not looking at my body, his eyes are on mine.
“Clean up. I’ll wait for you in the hallway.”
He doesn’t give me a chance to protest, just leaves me alone to wash away the humiliation.
Chapter Fourteen
Loren
When I walk out of the bathroom Kaipo isn’t alone. Rowan, Carey, Emery and Spider are all huddled around him and by the looks on their faces they’ve been brought up to speed on what happened at the sorority house.
“Is she okay?” Rowan asks, with Carey behind her, his arm draped across her collarbone.
“No, she’s a fucking mess.” I run my hands through my hair and wince as it sticks to the drying sweet cream. “They can’t get away with this.”
“She needs to report that shit,” Carey says. “And stay the fuck away from those bitches.”
“There’s always cyanide.”
We all stare at Emery who looks like a proper private school girl in her polo shirt, pleated shorts, and headband.
She shrugs. “Put it in a protein shake, tell Riley it’s the latest fad in weight loss, she won’t want to try it alone so she’ll get the others to do it with her. Proven cult behavior. The cops will think they did it on purpose, a suicide pact. Problem solved.”
Spider smiles proudly at his wife while the rest of us stare on, horrified by her suggestion. “I love it when you talk mass suicide. But I think they’re looking for something a little less…permanent. Maybe also something legal.”
“Oh. Well, it’s an option if your other avenues don’t pan out.” Her expression lacks emotion and I get a cold chill when I think about what Emery is capable of.
“Alright, Norma Bates, that’s enough,” Kaipo smiles fondly at Emery. “You’re making Loren nervous.”
The shower turns off and I resist the urge to run into the bathroom and drape a towel around her and bring her back into my arms. Oh shit, what’s she going to put on? I dart into my room and grab a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, then knock on the bathroom door. “Bex, I have some clothes for you.”
The door clicks, and she cracks it open only far enough for me to slip the clothes through. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” The door closes before I can see too much of her bare shoulders and face.
“I’ll go make some tea,” Rowan says and heads to the kitchen.
“I’ll come with you, I’m starving.” Kaipo follows her. “They served nothing but bird food at that party.”
The bathroom door clicks open and Bex steps out. Her hair seems longer heavy with water, and she shakes at her curls as she steps into the hallway. Emery gets to her before I do and the relief on Bex’s face at seeing her friend chips away at a little of my worry.
“I heard what happened,” Emery says and squints and tilts her head to study Bex. “Did they do that?”
I push Bex’s hair off her shoulder to study her cheek where a quickly forming bruise colors her skin.
“I’ll grab an ice pack,” Spider says.
“Some of those pies came in pretty hard.” Bex brushes her fingertips across her cheekbone and winces.
“Do you hurt anywhere else?” I hope she knows the hostility in my voice isn’t aimed at her.
She turns her face and motions to a spot near her temple where there’s another bruise forming.
Emery turns her head slowly until her pale blue eyes meet mine. “My idea looking any better now?”
“Hey,” Rowan says as she clears the last step to the landing while balancing a teacup in one hand, an ice pack in the other, and a bottle of pain reliever under her arm. “I brought up some supplies.”
The girls move as one unit into my bedroom and Rowan places her supplies on my bedside table so that she can hug her hurting friend. I stand in the doorway watching Rowan and Emery fuss over Bex. Convinced she’s in good hands for the time being, I excuse myself to the bathroom to get cleaned up.
Whatever calm I had begun to feel is erased when I step into the bathroom and see Bex’s clothes, even her shoes, shoved into the bathroom trashcan. As if even cleaning them wouldn’t be enough to cleanse the memory she’ll have every time she spots her dress and shoes in her closet. I make a note to run her things out to the big garbage can outside as soon as I finish with my shower. If she never wants to see them again, I’ll make it happen.
Bex
Up until I met Rowan and Emery, I saw female friendships in the way I had experienced them—shallow, self-serving, one-sided things. As I sit here sipping peppermint tea and accepting two pain reliever pills from Emery while Rowan holds an ice pack to my head, I understand the true meaning of sisterhood. And it’s nothing like what I experienced in Eta Pi or in my own family.
“Are you going to quit?” Emery asks and then takes my empty teacup from me to set on the side table.
“I wish it were that easy. There’s a whole process involved, and I know this sounds awful,” I say, barely able to think it much less put the thought to words, “I’ll be dishonoring my family.”
Rowan frowns looking equally confused and mortified. “This isn’t the fifth century Han dynasty.”
“Who?” Emery says.
Rowan shakes her head. “It’s a Mulan reference. Never mind. All I’m saying is screw your family. You have to do what’s best for you.”
I laugh, but the sound is quick and sad. “When I’m not disappointing my family, my life is much easier.”
“At your expense?” Emery’s unshakable eye contact has me blinking away and staring into my lap. “How’d that work out for you tonight? Giving up Loren to Riley so she wouldn’t get her feelings hurt before the formal, and look how that ended.”
“Emery, stop,” Rowan whispers.
I shake my head. “No, she’s right. I did this to myself.”
“I wouldn’t go that far, but I think it’s time to do what’s best for you first. Your family is responsible for dealing with their feelings in a mature way that should never include cream pies and flipping up skirts.”
I groan and drop back to the bed throwing an arm over my eyes. “I can’t believe how many people saw that. There will be a dozen cell phone videos online by midnight.”
The bathroom door in the hallway opens and I hurry and sit up, some weird part of me not wanting Loren to see me mak
ing myself too comfortable on his bed. He walks into the room wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. His wet hair drips and I watch the waterfall down his cut pectorals to form rivers in the valleys of his abs. He doesn’t pay us much attention, giving us his back while he fishes clothes from his dresser.
Rowan places a gentle hand to my chin and presses my mouth closed. “We should go and let you get some sleep.”
“Sleep,” Emery says. “Right.”
They both say goodnight and Loren thanks them for keeping me company. They close the door behind them and he turns to me, concern written all over his handsome face. “You okay?”
I swallow hard and try desperately to keep my eyes above his neck. “Much better, yes.”
He leans back against his dresser, crosses his legs at the ankle with what looks like athletic shorts balled up in one hand. “Are you in any pain?”
I chuckle. “Only the emotional kind.”
He nods toward my face. “That bruise is really coming up.”
“Great.” I cover it with my hand. “Guess I’ll have to cancel all those modeling jobs I have lined up this week.”
His eyebrows pinch together and he studies me for a few silent seconds before he grips his towel as if he’s about to take it off. Right in front of me! He turns around and tosses his towel, giving me his gloriously bare and perfect backside. I’ve never seen an ass so round. I bet I could set my teacup on that booty. He slips on his shorts and hangs his towel on a hook at the back of the door.
“Are you hungry or anything?” He looks over his shoulder while reaching into his closet for something. I’m praying he’s not looking for a shirt.
I swallow thickly, feeling a definite hunger that has nothing to do with food. “No.”
He pulls out a small, black, men’s toiletry kit and brings it over to the bed where he sits next to me. His massive weight makes the bed dip, and I fall into the hole he’s made, effectively pressing against him. He hands me a new toothbrush and a travel sized toothpaste.
