One of the freshman football players loiters outside on the front porch, manning the door. Guess we know who drew the short straw this evening. He straightens to his full height as his drunk gaze crawls over Sydney. She’s got the girls out on full display this evening, and this guy has definitely taken notice. I recognize him but don’t remember his name. Barely is he able to rip his gaze away from my bestie long enough to glance at me. Sydney has that effect on the male sex. After three years of friendship, I’m used to it.
Before I can interrupt his intense perusal, a deep voice shatters the moment.
“Let them in, Sausage. Don’t you recognize Coach’s daughter?”
Sausage?
That’s an odd nickname. Let’s hope that’s all it is. If not, it’s a bummer of a first name.
My gaze slices to the tall, dark-haired football player. At the sound of Brayden’s voice, Sydney stiffens. If I weren’t standing so close to her, I would have probably missed the reaction.
“Hi, Bray,” I say with a wave.
He gives me a chin lift in greeting before his attention deviates to my roommate. A sexy smile lifts his lips as he takes his sweet damn time eyeing her up and down. “Looking good, Sydney.”
It's a well-known fact around campus that Brayden is a huge flirt. And Sydney can be just as friendly. Her normal reaction to a guy checking her out is to turn up the wattage of her charm. So, you can imagine my surprise when she does the opposite and bares her teeth before growling like a feral animal.
What the hell?
She only reinforces the depth of her disdain when she adds in a none too polite tone, “Bite me, Kendricks.”
His smile turns into more of a full-blown smirk. “Is that an invitation, sweetheart? I think we both know that I’d like to do more than bite.” He takes his gaze off her long enough to glance around. “Where’s the boyfriend?”
“He’ll be here shortly,” she snaps. “Now go away.”
My wide gaze bounces between them as I try to figure out what’s going on. There’s a strange combustible energy sizzling in the air. It’s practically choking me alive.
Sydney and Brayden know each other. But not that well. Certainly not well enough for Sydney to want to rip his throat out. Which is exactly how she looks at the moment.
He ignores the last comment and focuses on the first. “That’s too bad.”
With a snort, she attempts to push past him. But Brayden has other ideas. Before Sydney is able to make a clean getaway, he grabs her upper arm and drags her close. Then he whispers something in her ear. There’s no way to hear what’s being said. My brows shoot up when Sydney rips her arm away, practically hisses, and leaves him in her dust. Amusement lights up his face as if that’s exactly the reaction he was going for.
As tempted as I am to give Brayden the third degree, there’s no time. I don’t want to lose Sydney in this crowd. I send him a quizzical look before hurrying after my friend. It takes approximately thirty seconds to catch up to her. She finally slows her pace when I tug on her arm.
“What was that all about?” I shout over the music.
Tension vibrates off her in heavy suffocating waves. She jerks her shoulders before attempting to smooth out her features. It’s not a battle she’s going to win. “Umm, what are you talking about?”
A chuckle of disbelief slides from my lips as I jerk my thumb toward the front door, and the guy she couldn’t get away from fast enough. “What’s the deal with Brayden? Is there a problem?”
“Not really,” she grunts, pressing her lips into a tight line.
“Not really?”
A beat of silence passes before she grumbles, “It’s nothing.” She huffs and glances away. “We have a class together, and we’ve been partnered up for a project.” Another scowl moves across her pretty features. “Do you have any idea what a conceited jackass the guy is?”
Ummm...no? I shake my head.
Her brows jerk up. “Really? I can’t stand him.”
Brayden is many things, but I never thought he was an arrogant jerk. Is he a player? Guilty as charged. But there’s a lot of them at Western. That being said, he’s always struck me as a nice guy. One who likes to sleep around. The last time I checked, that wasn’t a crime. It’s more or less something to be wary of.
I tilt my head, searching her gaze carefully in the darkness. She definitely has a burr up her ass. Although I’m not sure what it is. “Did something happen between you two?”
Guilt flickers across her face before it vanishes, making me wonder if I glimpsed it in the first place. “Of course not.”
“Hmmm.” Strangely enough, I don’t believe her. But then again, Sydney has never lied to me. She’s always been an open book about what’s going on in her life. Sometimes a little too open.
Before I can come at her with anymore questions, she points toward the living room. “I think I see your man.”
Rowan!
A fresh burst of nerves explodes inside me and, just like that, I forget all about the weird interaction with Brayden. This is it. It’s do or die time. I follow behind her as she blazes a trail through clumps of people before grinding to an abrupt halt. Unprepared for the sudden stop, I slam into Sydney’s back. She stumbles forward a couple of steps before swinging around.
There’s a grimness to her expression that catches me off guard. “Let’s detour to the kitchen and grab a couple of drinks first.”
“What?” Confusion spirals through me at the abrupt change in plans. “I thought you spotted Rowan.”
Her gaze darts around before flitting toward me again. “Drinks first, then we’ll find him.”
Sydney has always been something of a wildcard, but this behavior doesn’t quite fit the pattern. The unease I’d felt earlier this evening slams back into me full force.
“What’s going on?” I try to peek around her, but she quickly shifts to block my line of sight.
What the hell?
“Trust me, all right?” Her voice rises. “Let’s grab a drink instead.”
Wait a minute...is Sydney trying to prevent me from seeing something in the living room?
Why would she do that?
Only one reason comes to mind. I need to see if my suspicions are correct. I fake a move to the left. When she attempts to sidestep me, I lunge to the right. The moment Sydney is no longer shielding my view, my gaze lands on him.
Or maybe I should say them.
All of the oxygen gets sucked from the room as paralysis sets in. My feet freeze to the floor, rendering me incapable of movement.
A tentative hand lands on my shoulder. “Demi—”
I blink away the shock and wait for the image to shimmer and disappear as if it’s a figment of my imagination, but it remains solid. My heartbeat thunders in my ears, drowning out the loud music as I try to make sense of the scene unfolding in front of me. There’s no mistaking Annica. Her body is pressed against Rowan. Her head is tipped back, a cascade of auburn-colored hair falling down her back as she grins up at him.
What bothers me most is the way he’s smiling at her. His arm is wrapped loosely around her body. He’s certainly not making any attempt to push her away. In fact, he looks to be enjoying the attention.
I don’t understand.
It feels like my lungs will burst when he glances over, and our gazes collide. I expect the easygoing smile he always flashes at me to cross his expression. Something that will tell me I’ve jumped to the wrong conclusion, and this isn’t what it looks like. But his face never transforms. It remains strangely devoid of emotion.
“You need to talk to him and figure out what the hell he’s doing with that viper.” Anger bleeds through every whipped-out word.
A gurgle of laughter rises in my throat.
Talk to him?
There’s no way in hell I’m going to stomp over there and get into a wicked fight with a captive audience watching. Especially when the girl he’s with is none other than my nemesis. He’s well aware of the probl
ems we’ve had. Clearly, there’s nothing for us to talk about. The fact that he’s staring at me, making no attempt to untangle himself from her, speaks volumes.
Decision made, I straighten my shoulders and spin around before stalking toward the front door. The beginning of this relationship caught me by surprise and turned my world upside down.
It seems like the end, unfortunately, has done very much the same.
37
Rowan
As soon as Demi disappears through the crowd, I push Annica away. I’ve never felt so sick to my stomach. Every instinct is screaming at me to run after the only girl I’ve ever cared about and apologize for causing her even an ounce of pain.
That had never been my intention.
All right, so maybe it was.
What’s become clear over the last couple of days is that I needed a clean break from Demi. If our relationship had lingered even for a day or two, there was the distinct possibility I wouldn’t have been able to go through with the breakup. I couldn’t allow that to happen. There’s no way I could permit Demi to get sucked into my bullshit. I’d assumed that once my father had been sent to prison, I would be free of him, but that hasn’t turned out to be the case. He’ll continue to suck off me like a leech, and nothing short of death will ever get rid of him. He soils and destroys everything he comes in contact with. I only have to look at my mom to see the truth of that. I don’t want him anywhere near Demi.
In the end, cutting her loose was the only way to protect her. No matter how much pain it causes me. She might not realize it right now, but I’m doing her a massive favor.
“Hey,” Annica stares up at me with lust-filled eyes, “I thought we were going to hookup.”
Thankfully, she has no idea Demi saw us together. I’m sure this girl would only use it as another way to inflict pain on her teammate. “Sorry, not tonight.”
Or, more than likely, ever.
Her smile turns seductive. As if she’s used to getting what she wants from the opposite sex. “Are you sure about that?” When she reaches out to trail her fingers over my chest, she’s yanked away.
“Ow,” the redhead howls as Sydney buries one hand in her hair, dragging her back a few steps. “Get off me!”
The blonde gives her a vicious shake. “Someone needs to put you in your place, and if Demi won’t do it, then I sure as hell will!”
Annica winces, her lips twisting into a snarl as she tries to free herself. “Let me go, you crazy bitch!”
“You have no idea how crazy I can be, but you’re about to find out! You should know better. You mess with my girl, you mess with me!”
As I consider jumping between them, arms wrap around Sydney from behind. The blonde struggles, attempting to fight her way free. Annica screams again as her head is jerked one way and then another. Brayden whispers something in Sydney’s ear before her body goes limp, and she reluctantly releases the other girl.
“You fucking psycho!” With a glare, Annica lurches a few steps before righting herself. One hand goes to the back of her head to gingerly rub at the spot. “I think you pulled some of my hair out!” Her lips curl. “You’re as talentless as your stupid friend!”
The insult renews Sydney’s fight. It’s like a light switch being flipped as she tries to break free from the tight grip Brayden has on her wiggling body.
“Get the hell out of here,” Brayden barks to Annica, “before I let her loose. I doubt that’s something you want to happen.”
Annica’s eyes widen before narrowing. Without another word, she swings away, shoving through the crowd. If she’s got any brains whatsoever, she’ll leave the party. My gaze slides to Sydney with renewed appreciation. That girl is definitely a fighter. I’m not going to lie, I’m kind of frightened.
I glance at Brayden who still has Sydney held captive in his arms.
“You can let go now,” she growls, attempting another escape.
“You sure about that, killer?” Brayden asks with a grin. He doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to turn her loose. A moment later, Sydney drives her elbow into his ribs, and he releases her with a grunt. “Fine,” he chuckles, “have it your way.”
Sydney takes a moment to straighten her clothes before turning and shooting him a withering glare. I’m almost surprised when his balls don’t shrivel up and fall off his body. Then she swings around.
Sparks of fury flash in her green eyes as she advances, shoving the palms of her hands against my chest. “What the hell were you doing with that viper? Actually, a better question would be—what the hell are you doing with any girl?”
Brayden’s brows jerk up as something hardens in his eyes. “Were you fucking around on Coach’s daughter?”
I glower at my wide receiver. Like I need shit from him? He needs to stay the hell out of my business. “I wasn’t fucking around on anybody.”
“That’s not the way it looked to me. And more importantly,” Sydney snaps, “that’s not how it appeared to Demi.”
I jerk my shoulders and attempt to lock down all the turbulent emotions fighting to break free under the surface. “It doesn’t matter what it looked like. I did what needed to be done.”
She plants her fists on her hips before tilting her head. “And why exactly did you need to hurt her?”
I drag a hand through my hair and shoot Brayden a pleading look. I shouldn’t have to explain myself to Demi’s friend. When Bray cocks a brow as if also waiting for an answer, I realize that he won’t be any help whatsoever.
Fucker.
“It wasn’t going to work out in the long run. Better to pull the plug now than down the road when we’re both invested.”
Disgust fills Sydney’s expression as her upper lip curls. “I can’t believe how wrong I was about you.” She jabs a finger into my chest. “Congratulations, you’re no better than that asshat Justin.”
The comparison stings. As much as I want to reveal the reason it was necessary to cut Demi loose, the truth stays trapped behind my teeth where it belongs.
When I remain silent, she stalks away without another word to either of us.
I stare after her retreating figure for a long moment, torn between ending this charade and letting it die a long slow death. I knew this would be painful, but I never imagined it would hurt this much. It’s almost as if I’ve severed a limb. I get the feeling that the phantom pain will stay with me for the rest of my life.
When Brayden clears his throat, my gaze jerks to him.
“I’ve known you for more than three years, and my guess is that you’ve always had a thing for that girl.” He searches my eyes as if he’s able to inspect everything I’m hiding inside. “I’m not sure why you purposefully jacked up this relationship, but I sure as hell hope for your sake you made the right decision.”
Yeah...that makes two of us.
38
Demi
Dad and I sit quietly at the kitchen table as I use my fork to pick at the chicken divine casserole he whipped up for dinner. It’s something Mom used to make before the divorce, and it’s comforting as hell. Right now, I need as much solace as possible.
After five full minutes of silence, Dad clears his throat, “So...anything new going on?”
As soon as the question erupts from his mouth, he winces. I pause with my fork mid-air, my widened gaze cutting to his. “Sorry,” he mumbles, “I meant anything else besides that.”
My utensil falls back to my plate with a clatter. As much as I want to eat, I can’t. My appetite has pulled a vanishing act. My belly has been in knots since Saturday night. Out of all the girls I could have found Rowan with, it had to be her.
Annica.
Ugh.
Honestly, this is the kind of behavior I’ve come to expect from her. The girl has turned out to be a real supervillain. I’m sure she’s hunkered down in her lair somewhere, rubbing her hands together and chuckling malevolently at my expense.
But Rowan?
Not in a million years did I imagine he was capab
le of inflicting this kind of damage. It makes me wonder if our entire relationship was a lie. Or maybe a game. How do you treat someone you supposedly care about with such cruelty? Someone you claim to have wanted for years?
It doesn’t make sense.
For the first day or so, I’d held out hope that Rowan would show up at my door and demand I give him a chance to explain his side of the story. That never happened. As hurtful as it is, his silence speaks volumes that can’t be ignored.
The second slap in the face was when he walked into stats Monday morning. He didn’t even glance in my direction, but he must have sensed my presence. For the first time since school began in August, he chose to sit as far from me as humanly possible. The girls in the class were thrilled and immediately swarmed him. A few actually sent triumphant looks at me.
If those telltale signs hadn’t been enough of a tip-off, Rowan bailing on Wednesday night dinner with Dad was the final blow. I’d thought maybe...
Maybe he would show up, and we could finally talk. Or, at the very least, he could explain how we ended up at this place. Maybe we’ve moved past the point of trying to pick up the shattered pieces and glue them back together, but we could at least part ways as friends. That would be the mature thing to do considering he’s practically family.
Instead, he chickened out at the last minute and gave Dad some random bullshit story.
For the first time in more than three years, my father and I are dining alone for our weekly dinner. I don’t think Rowan has missed one since freshman year. There were so many times when I wished he would stop coming around, and now that he has, I’m eaten alive by sorrow and grief.
How stupid am I for thinking we’d found something special?
After Justin, I should have known better than to get involved with another athlete. One would have thought I’d learned my lesson, but apparently not.
“Demi?” I blink out of those thoughts, before refocusing on my father. “Yeah?”
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