by Ruby Vincent
“Sawyer is in the fraternity?”
He nodded. “I can’t be certain it’s the same Sawyer they were talking about, but it’s not that common a name.”
I pressed my fingers into my temples, trying to make sense of what he was telling me.
“Did you talk to him?” I asked. “Sawyer.”
Ezra blew out a breath. “I tried. I asked if he had a girlfriend named Teagan and he said he wasn’t dating anyone. I asked if he knew any Teagan, and again, no. I finally asked if he was going somewhere—leaving the house or the school. The guy looked at me like I was nuts and walked off.”
“Maybe they were talking about a different guy.”
“But talking about what?” he pressed. “What did it mean that he would be gone soon? And what the hell happened to Teagan?”
“Okay, just hold on, baby.” I cupped his cheek, gently stroking his cheekbone. “We don’t know that anything happened. There are a lot of sisters in Zeta Rho Sigma. Leighton could have forgotten her. Let me ask the other girls who were manning the booth that day where she is.”
I felt him untense beneath my palm. “You’re right. Of course, you’re right. This is why I came to you.” He pulled my hand away and kissed it. “But you were there today. Did you see her?”
I shook my head. “But she could have been in class, out with friends, on a date, who knows. What those guys said could mean so many things,” I continued. “After Evergreen, we’re hardwired to think there’s a dark meaning behind every twitch and wink. Let’s not jump to conclusions.”
He laughed mirthlessly. “You have a point. This is Somerset, not Evergreen. There is an explanation and Teagan and the right Sawyer will give it to us.”
“That’s right.” I stood and pulled him up with me. “Now, let’s go downstairs, eat, and get started on our homework. I’ve got an entire charter to memorize by Wednesday.”
A ghost of a smile crossed his lips. “They’re making you do that too?”
“Yep. It’s going to be a long night.”
Chapter Four
Valentina
It wasn’t a long night. It was a long three weeks.
I thought reading the Sally handbook five times in two days was tough. Who was I kidding? That was nothing compared to four classes, daily homework, taking care of Adam, weekly lunches with Blair, four boyfriends, and bonding activities.
“Let’s go, ladies! Pick it up!”
Sweat dripped down my back and soaked the band of my shorts. I sucked in hard, desperate breaths that burned my lungs.
“How much... farther?” I wheezed.
Sofia stumbled along next to me. Dark, reddish strands stuck to her damp forehead. Her face flushed a deep cherry red that concerned me.
“We’re not even c-close,” she said. “We have a whole mile left!”
I almost threw myself on the ground right then.
Sofia and I stupidly signed up for morning runs to knock out a half hour of bonding. It seemed like such a perfect idea at the time. We didn’t have early morning classes, getting in shape would do us good, and it’d be a great time to chat and get to know everyone.
What fucking fools we were.
No one told us the morning run was a proper, full-out sprint around the campus with the hounds of hell—I mean, Reagan and Patricia—at our backs shouting at us to pick up the pace every time we fell behind. The sisters also forgot to mention we had to run three miles.
Sofia and I wanted to quit a mile into our first run, but Leighton made it clear quitting would not reflect favorably in our points.
“Are you the type of women who back out of your commitments?” she said to us. “Because women like that don’t embody what we stand for.”
“Just give it time,” Sofia called to me. “We’ll get used to it.”
“Sof, I cannot deal with your positivity right now. I’m literally dying,” I shrieked.
Palmer laughed—or I think she laughed. She could have been gasping for air.
“One more mile, Val. Mai,” she said. “We can do it.”
By some miracle, we did do it. Our group of thirteen crossed the quad and huffed the last few feet to our finish line, the fountain’s rim. Sofia and the other five pledges collapsed on the rim, sucking in deep lungfuls of air.
I didn’t stop.
I hit the rim, climbed up, and tipped over the edge. Blessedly cool water enveloped me to shouts and exclamations. Three blissful seconds of peace awaited me at the basin of the pool. I enjoyed every bit of it until a strong grip on my arms pulled me up.
Leighton deposited me on the rim. “Stop messing around, Val, and do your cooldown exercises.”
“Yes, Madame President,” I mumbled.
She winked and moved on to Blair. I rubbed the place where she grabbed me when her back was turned.
“Wow, that girl is strong.”
Sofia, the only one who heard, hip-checked me. “You’re telling me. I went to the gym with her last week and you should see what she bench-presses. Don’t let her size fool you.”
Sofia and I did our cooldown under Reagan’s watchful gaze. When she was satisfied, we were released.
“I wish Teagan’s replacement was as nice as she was.”
“Teagan wasn’t replaced,” Sofia reminded me. “She moved back home because her mom was sick. Something I completely understand. Still, it must have been a relief to Ezra. From the way he described the conversation, it sounded creepy.”
“It did. I'm glad there was a reasonable explanation.”
After my talk with Ezra, I asked the Sallys who had manned the booth that day what happened to Teagan and they explained that she went home. They even showed me Teagan's Facebook page and the photo of her curled up in a hospital bed with her mom. Leighton not knowing her also had a simple explanation.
Teagan Kainer was actually Elizabeth Teagan Kainer and Leighton never got close enough to the sophomore to remember she went by her middle name. And after three weeks passed and Sawyer was still kicking around the Sam house, Ezra accepted that he overreacted.
“Do you mind if I shower in your dorm?”
“You don’t have to ask,” she replied.
The two of us went back to her place, cleaned up, and then headed out to class. Our day was far from over.
Fall had Somerset in its grip. The wind shook loose colorful leaves like raindrops. I put out my hand, letting them fall on my palm.
“Sof, can I say something?”
“What’s up?”
I chewed my lip, hesitating. She’s your best friend. If you can’t talk to her, who can you talk to?
“Pledging the Sallys is nothing like I expected,” I rushed out. “All this running, pop-up questions on the charter, and Blair taking the macarons off my plate and replacing them with cucumber sandwiches.”
“Ugh. Did you talk to her about that?”
“Twice. Both times she said we’re close now and friends don’t let friends cheat.”
“Cheat at what?”
“The diet I didn’t know I was on.”
Sofia clapped her hand over her mouth, but not quick enough.
“Don’t laugh at me,” I cried. “I can’t shake the gremlin loose. She’s so determined to become a Sally, she is making everyone be her friend by any means necessary. She got my number somehow and she texts me random trivia about her life. Palmer said she showed up at her dorm the other day for a surprise shopping trip.”
Sofia was full-blown laughing now.
“It’s because you’re obviously impervious to her charms, so she’s working harder,” she said. “This is better than having an enemy, though, right?”
“I haven’t decided yet.”
Linking our arms, she drew me in and rested her head on my shoulder. “As for the other stuff, this isn’t what I expected either. It feels like we have five classes instead of four. I’ve started running at night to get more practice in and I read the charter every night to make sure it’s fresh. It’s why I can’t w
ait for the Close Enough party next weekend. We’re overdue for some fun.”
I laughed. “The Close Enough party. Seriously, who thought of that?”
“No clue, but I’m all for Halloween a month early.”
Halloween a month early meant I had to source five costumes, a sitter, and spare time to decorate the Sally house. All the same, I was excited. Next weekend, the Sallys and Sams were throwing a joint party for all who could come. Just from hearing Leighton talk about it, I knew it would be epic.
The Sallys would have real food, dance music, and drinking games. The Sams were buying the candy, playing rap and EDM, and providing a pool. People would flow from house to house as they pleased, decked out in costumes.
Together we walked through the student union for the building right behind, Classroom Building One. As we climbed the steps, I noticed someone waiting for us.
Logan held up his treats. “Hey, Sofia. Hope you’re hungry.”
“Oooh. What did you get me?”
“Cinnamon twists and an Irish crème latte.”
Logan and Sofia had taken up this game over the last few weeks. It started with her buying a dozen donuts and sharing them with us, and ever since, they’d taken turns bringing each other treats.
“And nothing for me,” I said as Sofia nibbled on a twist.
Logan laughed. “Do you recall two weeks ago when I gave you a cupcake and the giant you were with threatened to squeeze my head like a pimple?”
“Maverick didn’t say a word,” I protested.
He leveled two fingers at his face. “It was all in the eyes, Val. He didn’t have to say a word. Half of your boyfriends are twice my size, and the other half glare at me like they can take me anyway.”
Laughter bubbled out of me. “They are not that bad.”
“They are that bad.” Logan sidled up to me, made a show of looking around, and dropped his voice. “But I got you a muffin anyway. Tell no one.”
This close I breathed in his musky scent. He slipped the little package into my hand like we were doing a drug deal.
I shook my head at him as he walked off with Sofia. He was incredibly goofy, bordering on dorky, but he made Sofia laugh. There was also the fact that he was hot.
Sofia’s giggles floated over their heads and filled the hall.
She wasn’t ready for a relationship just yet. When she was, I had an inkling a date with Logan wouldn’t be far behind.
The three of us grabbed our usual seats up close and personal to Professor Bude. I listened to snippets of Logan and Sofia’s conversation as I got out my notes.
“How is your dad doing?”
“He’s feeling a lot better,” she replied. “Dad and Mom have been taking walks around the property to keep him moving. Mom says it’s great spending time just the two of them and talking about something other than work.”
“It’s awesome you and your mom are getting closer.”
She groaned. “Yesterday Mom told me she can’t wait until his heart is healthy enough for sex because she has needs. We have reached too close.”
The two of them cracked up.
“All right, front row,” Bude spoke up. “Settle down or share the joke.”
Sofia and Logan fell silent.
“Hmm. For some reason, no one picks the latter option,” he said. “I’m starting to think it’s because I’m the butt of the joke.”
Now we did laugh at him. Bude was a good guy and a great professor. I was grateful three times a week that I chose his class and not the taskmaster that Ezra had to pick to fit into his schedule.
After an hour dissecting story structure and how it applied to classic literature, the three of us packed up our things and left.
We stepped outside to fresh air and beaming sunlight. In unison, we turned our heads up to the sun like worshipping sunflowers.
“Want to go back to my dorm, Val?” asked Sofia. “We have an hour to kill and I’d rather do it on my couch in front of the television.”
“Yes to that.”
“May I join you guys?” Logan asked.
“Sure.” Sofia bumped into him. “As a thank you for the twists, I’ll let you in my cookie stash.”
I sucked my lips between my teeth and bit down hard. Grinning like a loon would embarrass them both. I’d keep it inside how cute I thought the two of them were.
“Yo, Logan.”
We turned as a guy in a leather jacket and ripped jeans jogged up the steps. He looked straight at me and threw me a nod like we were old friends.
“Shawn,” Logan said. “What’s up? Make it home okay last night?”
Shawn smirked. It looked good on him. So did the worn clothes and beat-up sneakers. Between the piercings, tattoo poking out of his shirt, and the up-to-no-good glint in his eye, he was firmly on the hot side.
“I made it to a home last night, but it wasn’t mine,” he said in a slight accent I couldn’t place. He grabbed Logan’s hand without waiting for him to put it up and thumped their chests together. “Introduce me to these lovely ladies.”
“This is Valentina and Sofia.”
“Sofia.” He turned the name over in his mouth, seeing how it tasted. “I danced to a song about you last night, Sofia. Sofia.” Shawn threw his head back. “So-fi-a-a-a-ah!”
I edged away. Was this guy for real?
Shawn stopped singing and flashed her a grin. “I bet that song was made for you.”
“You mean the song by Alvaro Soler where Sofia broke his heart and he’s singing about being better off without her?”
That wiped the smile off his face. “Is that what the guy’s saying? Damn. Why does he sound so happy about it?”
Logan rolled his eyes. “It might have helped your flirting attempt if you had looked up the English translation to that song.”
Shawn’s grin came back like it had never left. “I know that for next time.” He tipped an imaginary cap to us. “Have a good day, ladies. I’ve got to get to class. See you, Logan.”
“Nice guy,” I said after the door closed on him.
“He is,” Logan said. “Shawn is in my astronomy study group. He got me a B on the last test. He's a smart guy.”
“Shall we go?” Sofia asked.
“Let’s do it.”
We took the party to Sofia’s room. Logan whistled as his eyes swept over the space.
“Um, yeah. This is way nicer than my dorm.”
“You should see her bedroom at home,” I piped up.
“That would be cool.”
Eyes huge, Sofia mouthed something to me behind his back. Probably that she was going to kill me.
I hid a smile as I flipped over on the couch and left them to talk.
EZRA
“Mom?”
I wandered through the hall, calling for the woman who birthed me.
We need an intercom system in this place. Better than me shouting all over the house for her.
I reached her bedroom and peeked inside. The room was immaculate as always. The bed made, the nightstand organized, clothes tucked away in the closet, and her awards lined up on the mantle. The only thing that could be termed as cluttered was her picture wall. Dozens upon dozens of photos covered the wall that shared her television. Photos of her through the years. Photos of me and Brian. Photos of the people she’d met, interviewed, written about, or exposed. The life of Amelia Lennox was on that wall.
“Mom?”
No one answered.
I pulled out my phone and dialed Cora. She could always be relied upon to answer on the first ring. Today was no different.
“Ezra, what’s wrong, dear?”
“I can’t find Mom and I’m looking at her phone on the nightstand. Have you seen her?”
“She’s down here, love. In the breakfast nook.”
Ducking inside, I grabbed Mom’s phone and then went back the way I came. “You’re the best, Cora. If I wasn’t taken, I’d run away with you.”
She harrumphed. “You’d run into two hundr
ed pounds of my husband if you tried, cheeky boy. Now, come and get your mother. You have to leave soon.”
I wound through the halls of my home, collecting memories along the way. The hardwood floor that bore my tiny footprints as I learned to walk. The living room where Mom gave me elocution lessons. The jungle gym out back that Jaxson, Maverick, Ryder, and I climbed on and pushed each other off of.
It’s amazing we didn’t break our necks.
I ran my fingers along the molding. I used to picture raising my kid in this house and giving them all the same memories. Who knew I’d end up in the home Ryder never invited us to, the four of us together with Valentina? Any version of the future with her in it was vastly better than the ones I'd imagined.
Mom and Cora looked up from their tasks when I walked into the kitchen. Cora waved with her steak knife.
“There you are, sweetie,” said Mom. She shut her laptop and pushed it away. “Ready to go? I got the three of us a reservation at Bianchi’s.”
“My favorite,” I replied. “But I still don’t understand why was I summoned for lunch.”
“Do I need a reason to take my favorite boys out to lunch?”
“You have a reason for everything, Mother.”
Laughing, she swatted my arm. “Don’t be fresh. I’m not nearly so calculating.”
I wisely didn’t reply to that and handed her the phone.
“Thank you, Ezra. Can you go and find your brother too? We have to leave soon so you’ll make it back in time for class.”
“On it.”
I jogged out of the kitchen and veered left, away from Mom’s and my former quarters and toward the guest room. With Cora having her own little house in the back, Brian pretty much had this part of the house to himself.
Brian’s door was closed but not locked. I inched it open, peering through the crack. The shower running told me where he was.
“Brian.” I went up and pounded on the door. “Hurry up, man. We’ll miss our reservations.”
“We... need reservations,” he called through the wood. “Burger King...”
