by Doyle, Dawn
“I guess I should quit putting it off and just go do my laundry,” I mumbled, looking at the magenta, overflowing basket sitting on my bed.
Daria sat down and smoothed her hand over the pink covers, the tiny silver flecks glittering in the sunlight coming through the small window. “I think you should.” She looked me up and down, and then I did, too. “You’re kinda desperate, Kai.”
God, she was right. The black leggings and gray sweater I’d worn in the library were my last acceptable outfit for use in public. My blue cut-offs and faded orange tank—that looked more like a baggy, tie-dyed surfer top and needed to see the bottom of a trash can—were the only things I had left that were clean. Strictly indoor use, and not to be witnessed by anyone in case of damage to eyesight. Yeah, they were that old and worn out.
“I suppose I should go,” I sighed, my shoulders sagging. “Do you need anything putting in? I can do it with mine.” I picked up my basket and rested it against my hip.
“That’s nice of you, babe, but I’m good.”
“Wanna keep me company?” I raised my brows expectantly.
She shook her head while crossing her hands quickly in front of her. “No can do, my buxom buddy, my handsome beau is on his way to whisk me off into the sunset.” She held her arms out as though in some kind of Shakespearian play. “He hath delivered the promise to feast upon the hearty burger and fries, with milk chocolatey goodness as a mighty addition.”
My brows furrowed in confusion. “Huh?”
Daria deadpanned. “We’re going out for burgers, fries, and a chocolate shake.” After rolling her eyes, she added, “Two-for-one’s at Riley’s burger bar. He’s picking me up in about”—she checked her watch—“five minutes.” Riley’s was our favorite diner, and a weekly treat for me.
“Oh.” My chin dropped a little before I caught my action, trying hard to hide my disappointment from my best friend. “It was just a thought. Well, I better get to this before they grow feet and walk out.” I headed out of my room behind Daria.
“Kai,” she said, pausing by the door. “I’ll be out late tonight, babe, but not too late to watch a movie together, if you want to.”
“Yeah, that’d be great, but don’t feel you have to cut your night short for me.”
Daria beamed and hugged me to her side. “You’re the best.”
“Go.” I ushered her out the door, and followed her out. “Have a great time.”
Although I sometimes felt sorry for myself for being alone most nights, especially when the emptiness of the apartment led to excessive thoughts to run rampant through my head, I was deliriously happy for Daria and Cash. I was just envious that they were still besotted with each other, trusted each other, and were one hundred percent committed to their relationship. And as my phone began to ring, the name of my recent ex flashing on the screen, which sent my mood taking a nose-dive, I doubted I’d see that for myself any time soon.
“What, Anton?” I snapped after I tapped the answer icon. “What could you possibly want?”
“You,” he said firmly. “I want you back. I need you, Veeny.”
God, I hated the nickname he refused to stop calling me. It was bad enough he only used my surname, but to shorten it to ‘Veeny’ was more like an insult.
“I don’t want you, and I don’t understand why you can’t just accept that,” I almost yelled, causing some heads to turn in my direction as I headed down to the basement. I slammed my basket down on the nearest empty washer. “You’re a cheating asshole, a manipulator, a liar, and a user. I’ll never get back together with you, do you understand?”
“Ouch, Veeny,” he replied.
I pictured him saying those words. His hand would be on his chest, his brows furrowing, his dark brown eyes feigning sadness and his lips turning down. He was a bullshitter of the worst kind, and I was stupid enough to think he was safe, that dating him would be simple, but I was so fucking wrong.
“Fuck off, Anton.”
“Baby, I love you. Please, just give me another chance.”
Those three words he’d never said to me until the day I’d caught him cheating on me. He didn’t love me; I didn’t love him in the slightest, so to throw those words around just to fool me into believing he hadn’t been caught with his dick in a girl that wasn’t me, was ridiculous.
“Does Eleanor know you’re still calling me?” I snapped.
Anton huffed an indignant breath. “She’s not important,” he snapped. “I made a mistake with her, and I’m only with her until you come back to me. As soon as you agree to be mine again, she’s gone, I promise.”
“Oh, dear God,” I whispered. I pinched the bridge of my nose between my finger and thumb, and squeezed my lids shut to tame the painful frustration building in my skull. I blew out a long breath. “Anton, the only thing I want from you, is my stuff back.”
“And I said you’re more than welcome to pick it up whenever you’re free, Veeny. Just let me know, and I’ll meet you at my dorm.”
Fucker didn’t let up at all. “It’s my stuff, asshole. Withholding is the same as theft.”
“Nuh, uh, baby. I’ve offered many times to give it back. I’d just feel better if you picked it up yourself, ya know? Peace of mind and all that.”
“Just leave it with Daria,” I growled.
Anton sighed. “Sorry, no can do—you need to collect it. It’d give us a chance to talk, too, to work through this tough time.” His nasally tone irritated the fuck out of me, and I wanted to reach through the phone and rip his damn nose off his face. When we’d first broken up, he’d hounded me for weeks until Cash had told him to back off. This was just another way to harass the shit out of me.
“Tough time? Do you hear yourself? There’s no time, Anton. We were over months ago, so give me back my stuff, then leave me the hell alone!” I bellowed, my shoulders bunched and my back tense.
God, I’m so violent today.
I checked the date and, sure enough, the reason stuck out right in my face. Bitchy, moody, definitely scrappy, and needing to devour a tub of mint-choc-chip ice cream while watching Pitch Perfect.
My mouth opened and closed like a fish as I tried to think of a reply, something that would get him to give up my possessions, but I didn’t have one. Nothing I could say would make him hand over my stuff, not even a threat of the police.
I fucking hate that prick.
Instead of saying another word, I hung up and pocketed my phone, ignoring the tone as he rang again and again, then the incessant beeps as I received a string of text messages.
“You can go on silent,” I snapped, clicking the button on the side of my phone as the text count rapidly increased. “Now, laundry.”
Fuck my life.
***
I watched the beginning to Pitch Perfect, the opening scene bringing back memories of my first day of college. Dragging along possessions in a suitcase, hauling boxes up the stairs to the dorm and wondering who the hell you’re sharing a room with for the first year. Also, meeting the rest of the Freshmen as they’re going through the same ordeal as everyone else, and being handed guides and campus schedules as we walked around in a complete daze.
If only I’d had a cute guy stop in front of me in a cab, singing, his fabulous voice mixing perfectly with the track playing on the radio. Yeah, that would’ve been just as fictional as the movie. If that had happened, maybe I wouldn’t be in a slump after dating disasters that ended just as awkward as they’d started. Well, apart from Anton who’d pursued me for a few weeks until I’d agreed to a date. He was a sensible choice, or so I’d thought.
Looks could be deceiving, and they definitely were with him. Not the typical drop-dead-gorgeous, but casually handsome with a neat appearance. My brothers, even though they’d never met Anton, loved him. And why wouldn’t they? He wasn’t a sports player of any kind, and that’s what they approved of. Until he cheated on me.
I’d kept those details to myself, and blamed tight schedules and differing hobbi
es and interests that made us grow apart. His hobby happened to be between the legs of other girls. Mine was… Boring, or so I was told.
I spooned another helping of mint ice-cream into my mouth, moaning around the extra chocolate chips I’d conveniently mixed in. “This is so good,” I moaned, digging my spoon back into the gooey, melting mess in the bowl. I jumped, my heart speeding up when loud knock came from the front door, interrupting my self-pity party and sugary consumption combination. “Go away.” I loaded up another helping, when the knock sounded again.
I huffed out a breath, my head falling back as I closed my eyes to calm myself. I dropped my spoon into the bowl with a thunk, then placed it on the glass coffee table next to me. I threw back my purple afghan blanket, and got up under great protest. My heart rate had declined a little, but the anticipation of facing the cocksucker who’d humiliated me had my adrenaline spiking.
A new low, even for you.
“If that’s Anton, I’ll kill him,” I ground out, louder than necessary. Whoever was on the other side of the door hadn’t used the buzzer for me to open the main entrance to the building, but that wasn’t unusual. It was easy to catch the door. You just had to wait for somebody with access to arrive or leave. “Get ready, asshole, you’ve just disturbed the beast.”
There was nobody on the other side that was visible through the peephole, so I pressed my ear to the door.
No sound at all.
I flicked the lock, grabbed the silver doorknob, and yanked the door open, my loose, speckled white and gray T-shirt billowing with the gust of wind I brought with it. Nobody was there, and there was no sign of anyone when I looked up and down the hallway of our floor.
“Dick,” I whispered, and stepped back. It was then I glanced down and spotted a black gift bag with a silver bow on the front.
It was light, the contents hidden by silver tissue paper, but with a small white envelope tucked in. My name was on the front in neat writing that I didn’t recognize.
Once the door was closed and locked, I headed over to our small white dining table, and pulled out a matching curved chair to sit down and inspect the contents.
I opened the card first and saw the same writing as on the front.
‘Hey, I wanted to say sorry. I pushed a little too far and saw you were riled more than usual. I remembered the date and figured it was that time.
Again, sorry.
M.D.
P.S. I hope the candy is the one you got last time.’
My mouth hung open, and a growing discomfort from not blinking had begun to take over, but I continued to stare in shock.
In my hands were a box of tampons, and four large bars of chocolate. There was also something else in the bottom of the bag, and when I put down the candy to look, my hand flew over my mouth. I didn’t know whether to curse or cry at the small red ball inside the clear tub that resembled a medicine bottle.
Emergency Clown Nose.
This was a joke—it had to be. I was in synch with Willow, for fuck’s sake! Of course he’d know I was PMSing like a bitch. And the clown nose? Just another thing to annoy me with. He thought he was so slick, making fun of me, adding the ridiculous gag gift, buying me the same candy he knew I’d grabbed on impulse. Well, he wasn’t fooling anyone. Maddoc Dass thrived on irritating the hell out of me, and he’d gone all out to do so in my safe space.
But, if that was the case, why did my heart feel like this was something else entirely?
Don’t go there, Kai, not even in your dreams.
I took the small red ball out of the container, and squeezed, opening it up, and placed it on my nose. I caught my reflection in the mirror, and against my better judgment, I found myself smiling.
Damn you, Maddoc.
Chapter 6
Maddoc
“Out of curiosity, where would we find said asshole of the year?” I asked, casually shoveling fries into my mouth even though I was fucking raging inside. Cash had just repeated what he’d overheard a few days ago—the same day I’d stopped by—and while Kaia’s business wasn’t any of mine, I couldn’t leave it alone. Anton, the fucker, needed to learn to back the fuck off.
I hadn’t seen Kaia since, but from what Daria had told Cash, Kaia had treated my gift like I was fucking with her. It was partly true, but I felt like a jerk when I saw how upset she was.
Cash shrugged. “Don’t know, to be honest. The guy’s a ghost most of the time, but his dorm’s on the east side of campus.” He eyed me, his lids narrowing as his head cocked to the side. “Why are you so interested in Anton?”
Yeah, I wasn’t gonna spill for him. I knew Cash had figured something was up with me, but I did what I always did—deny, deny, deny. It’d worked well enough for me in the past, and it was gonna have to continue if I wanted to keep my head and limbs attached to my body. I preferred it that way; we were a complete set and it’d be a shame to break up the band.
Yeah, I’m definitely screwed up in the head.
Cash shrugged. “Kaia’s been trying to get her shit back for months, but he won’t give it to her. Dar told me that he’s trying to get her back.”
“And you think she’ll go?” My stomach twisted as I waited for Cash to finish the overly large bite of his burger, my foot tapping on the floor as my impatience grew.
He shook his head. “Fuck, no. Anton’s a prick, Maddoc. He screwed around behind her back, and when she caught him, he tried to shrug it off like it was nothing. Guy’s a creep.”
My mouth turned down while I nodded as though I was mulling it over, but I wasn’t. I wanted to break him in two for hurting her. If a guy hurt Willow like that, his face would meet my foot in spectacular fashion, with a few extra greetings from my fists. I cringed just thinking about her in that situation. “Hmm.”
“What’s up?”
I leaned forward on my crossed arms, our heads moving toward each other. “Get the rest of that to go. We’ve got shit to handle.”
***
There was nothing special about the place, just cream-colored walls and dark-green linoleum flooring. The strip lights overhead made it look like a hospital corridor rather than a residential block for students, although it didn’t smell like disinfectant. Cleanliness wasn’t a friend here. Our locker room smelled way better, even after a game.
“This is it,” Jonah said, pointing to the number six on a plain white door. “Connie said she saw him enter the block an hour ago.”
I tipped my head side-to side, squeezed and released my fists, then shook them out. “Are you ready, boys?” I asked, turning to face the guys.
Bobby nodded. “Oh, yeah.” He rolled his shoulders in anticipation.
“I wonder if he’s a crier?” Channing asked with a chuckle. “I hope so. That shit’s hilarious.”
Jonah snorted. “Man, they think they’re all that until faced with somebody bigger than them.”
Standing in front with my buddies behind me, I raised my fist and hammered on the door. “And there’s five somebody’s right here.”
The door opened and the second the snake’s eyes landed on us, they bulged. “Hey, g-guys. What a-are you d-doing here?” he stammered, running his wiry fingers through his light-brown hair. “Do you have the r-right p-place?”
God, I wanted to throw down right there. I had the urge to wrap my hands around his neck until his dark, beady fucking eyes popped out of his thick skull.
“Yeah, we do,” I replied. I pressed my hand on his shoulder and pushed him out of the way with no effort at all. “We came to have a little chat, Anton.”
The guys followed me in and I stopped in the center, turning around to scan the room. The dorms were better than most colleges. Instead of just a bedroom, these had a mini-living room, a shared bathroom, and separate bedrooms for the roommates. The compact space was tidy enough, save for a couple of empty beer bottles on a low, oval coffee table that sat in front of a tired looking sofa, the dark-brown leather was cracked and aged, showing the discolored areas on the sea
ts and armrests from overuse.
The room was silent as all eyes were on me while I walked to the window, gently pushing the blue drapes to look outside.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Channing asked, and I spun around to see Anton holding a phone in his hand. “Who are you about to call?”
“You tap that screen again, and I’ll throw you through the fucking window,” I said, jabbing my finger toward Anton.
The shit-head paled more than before, his pallid skin making his eyes look darker than ever, and little beads of sweat began sliding down the sides of his temples.
“Just tell me what you want,” he begged, lifting his shaking hands.
I strolled over to him like I had all the time in the world. Stooping down to his height, I stared right in his face, making sure he knew this wasn’t a fucking game. “I want,” I drew out, “the stuff that doesn’t belong to you.”
He took a step back, the sound of his bare feet shuffling on the navy carpet. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he rushed out.
“Damn it, Maddoc, can we get this over with?” Bobby asked, throwing his hands up. “He looks like he’s gonna shit himself any second, and I’ve just eaten. I don’t wanna be barfing right now.”
I beamed, but it didn’t touch my eyes. “Sure, Bobby, let’s get this show on the road.”
The guys split up and began searching through the shelf unit next to the TV, pulling books out and checking inside the storage boxes on the bottom shelf.
I leaned against the wall next to the window, watching the destruction before my eyes. I surveyed my friends, the enjoyment on their happy faces giving me goosebumps.
Now, this is fun.
“Hey, these are Kaia’s,” Cash said, coming out of one of the rooms on the other side of the dorm. He held up a pair of earrings with tiny stars hanging down.
“Give me those!” Anton called out, rushing toward Cash, but Cash held them up. “They don’t belong to you.”
