I huffed a laugh. “I guess I really played the part well, then.”
“Brody is not smart. The fact that anyone believed he was just shows how much you sucked at being him.” Sophia’s words were laced with humor, but her face was solemn for reasons I couldn’t figure out.
“You stayed in touch with Carter,” Aniyah pointed out, distracting me from staring at Sophia’s annoyingly gorgeous face.
“No, he didn’t,” Carter answered. “I stayed in touch with him.” He smiled at me. “I’m hard to get rid of.”
“Well, so are we, now that we know where to find you.” Aniyah managed to make a promise of friendship sound menacing, and I felt something loosen inside of me and settle into place at how fiercely she seemed to want to be my friend.
“I’m good with that,” I replied, my voice rough.
She nodded once, and that was that.
“Can we come back to the part where you impersonated a student for a semester and almost no one knew?” Xander said. “Because that may just beat my library story.”
Carter visibly shuddered. “Why you gotta ruin a perfectly good time by mentioning the library?”
“Nothing will ever beat the story of you burning down the school’s library,” Aniyah scolded. “Stop trying to lessen your survivor’s guilt with false comparisons.”
“The only guilt I have is that that librarian didn’t throw herself on the stacks in sacrifice to the reference gods.”
“So many books lost,” Toby lamented sadly.
As I looked around at this pack of misfits I’d only met because of a lie, I realized it had been a long time since anything had felt this real.
Chapter Ten
D R E W
“I’d like to let all of you know that I did it.”
Pausing my arm as I lifted the spoonful of Raisin Bran to my mouth, I looked up to see Brody grinning ear to ear, his arms high and wide in the air like he was officiating a football game and had just decided a field goal was good.
I looked around the apartment I knew was empty except for me and now Brody.
“Who’s all of you, and what did you do?”
Brody lowered his arms and looked down the hall. “Sophia, get out here!”
“She’s in class.”
I’m not sure why, but he seemed surprised by her whereabouts.
“Hmm,” he said, seeming to contemplate something. “I guess I’ll have to tell her later, then.”
I lifted my eyebrows as I waited for whatever news he was so excited to share.
“I got a job,” he said so slowly that I knew I was supposed to seem more impressed than I actually was.
Still, he’d gotten a job to help me, which was pretty freakin’ awesome.
“Congratulations, man! That didn’t take long.”
“Thanks.” He took a seat across from me at the small table. “I can’t wait to tell Soph. She’ll never believe it.”
“I think she just likes bustin’ your balls. I’m sure she doesn’t actually think you’re incapable of getting a job.”
“I’m not,” he confirmed with a proud smile.
“So where is it?”
“Marco’s. You’re lookin’ at their new delivery boy. I start tonight.”
“Nice.” I finished my cereal and hopped over to the sink to rinse my bowl before putting it in the dishwasher. “That’ll give you a little freedom since you won’t be stuck in the same place when you’re working. After being hospitalized for a month and now basically confined to a one-bedroom apartment—no offense—I definitely know what it feels like to go stir-crazy when you’re in one place for too long.”
“That’s what I figured. Plus, I’m hoping we get some free food out of the deal.”
“For sure. I didn’t really plan on eating cereal for lunch, but it’s one of the only things I can make easily on crutches. I thought there was some lasagna left over from what Sophia made yesterday, but I didn’t see any.”
I opened the door to the fridge again to double-check.
“Oh, um, I ate that this morning. Sorry.”
Shutting the door, I turned around and worked my way across the small kitchen, using the countertops for support because it was easier than using crutches if I was only going a few feet.
“You ate lasagna for breakfast? Who are you? Garfield?”
Brody laughed. “I guess that’d make you Odie, then.” Before I could say anything, he added, “Or maybe Sophia’s Odie, because she’s the idiot.”
“You guys are horrible to each other,” I said on a laugh. “Have you ever gotten along?”
Brody seemed to think hard about his answer as he headed into the kitchen. He pulled out the peanut butter, jelly, and bread. I thought I saw him open his mouth a few times like he was about to tell me about a time he remembered, but he never actually shared anything.
“Not really” was his only answer.
Though I suspected much of his interaction with Sophia that I’d witnessed hadn’t had much malice on either side.
“So you wanna come with me tonight?” Brody asked through a bite of his sandwich.
“Come where?” I wasn’t exactly in any shape to be doing anything. I couldn’t even bathe myself.
“My first delivery shift. They told me I could come in for two hours tonight just to get a feel for things.”
His eyes lit up like he was inviting me to go on a ride-along in an undercover police car and not asking me if I wanted to sit shotgun while he brought wings to college kids.
How could I say no?
“Sure. I guess. It’ll be fun,” I told him. Which wasn’t exactly a lie since I hadn’t done much of anything except drown in my own self-pity for the better part of the last two months.
My answer made Brody look even more excited. “Sweet. We’ll leave a few minutes before five.”
“When’s your shift start?”
“Five,” he said, like the question was a ridiculous one.
“I’ll take some time to get down the stairs and into your car. I don’t wanna make you late for your first day. Figured you’d wanna get there a little early to make a good impression.”
“Oh, yeah. Good point. Ten of, then?”
I tried to suppress my amusement. I couldn’t help but think that the impossible feat wasn’t Brody getting a job. It was keeping it.
S O P H I A
My day had been filled with classes. Even though they were interesting to me because they were part of my marketing major curriculum, they were practically back to back, which left me with no break for lunch.
I’d eaten a small box of raisins for breakfast when I’d walked across campus to my ten o’clock class, but I hadn’t had anything since.
By the time I got to the sorority house, I was starving. I grabbed a bag of thin pretzels to munch on while we waited for the food we’d ordered.
It was the first time since winter break that most of the girls were in the house at the same time, and even though this month’s meeting had been more of a formality or tradition than it had been a necessity, I was thankful for it. It felt good to relax, listen to some of the girls’ stories about their boyfriends, and just talk about meaningless gossip.
“I think Xavier’s gonna propose soon,” Gina said, though she sounded more frightened than excited.
The room was filled with Reallys? and Seriouslys? as we all were no doubt trying to wrap our brains around the frat boy proposing. He was nice enough, from what I knew of him, but he didn’t exactly scream commitment.
“What makes you think that?” Aamee asked.
“I was going through his things before break,” she said, like that was totally normal and acceptable, “and I saw a small box from a nice jewelry store. I didn’t open it because I wanted my gifts to be a surprise—”
Emma’s eyes softened, most likely in sympathy for Xavier’s breach of privacy. “So why were you snooping, then?”
“I wasn’t sure what he’d gotten me or even if he’d gotten me a
nything. We’ve only been together since September. I wanted to know what I should get him.”
“And that decision was based on what he got you?” Emma asked.
“Exactly. But then when he gave me my gifts, none of them were jewelry. Just some shirts and leggings. I mean, I like them, but I bought him an Apple Watch. Not exactly the same price point.”
“Asshole,” Aamee said, causing Gina’s head to snap back like she’d been hit. “Not you, him,” she clarified.
“He’s an asshole because he’s gonna propose?” Gina asked, pulling both legs onto the couch so she could curl up at the end.
“No. He’s an asshole because the jewelry wasn’t for you.” Aamee’d said it like the statement was an obvious one, even though she seemed to be the only one who’d thought of it. “He probably has some girl back home he’s stringing along so he has a steady piece when he’s home on breaks.”
“Or maybe it was for his mom or something,” I offered quickly.
“Yeah, maybe.” Gina didn’t sound too convinced. She looked around at the rest of us, which caused all of us to look around at each other in response. The room was eerily quiet until Gina finally spoke again. “Which one of you can I trust to be my shovel buddy?”
“What are you talking about?”
“God, are you gonna make me say it out loud? What if Siri’s listening?”
“Huh?” I was getting even more confused, and by the looks of the rest of the group, so was everyone else.
Gina practically groaned before whispering, “Like someone who can help me bury his body if something were to happen to it.”
“I’m in,” Aamee said without hesitation.
Looking at her phone, Emma raised her hand until finally Gina realized she wasn’t going to speak until she was called on.
“Yes, Emma?”
“That’s not what a shovel buddy is. According to Urban Dictionary, a shovel buddy is ‘A close friend who, in the event of your death, will remove any and all embarrassing personal items from your home you do not wish family to see, i.e. pornography, sex toys, or drug paraphernalia.’ It also says you should alert us with a loud horn.” Emma looked up from her phone to see everyone’s eyes fixed on her. “Some guy named Steve Morrison from a radio show called Preston & Steve wrote it, so I’m not sure how accurate it is.”
“Well,” Gina said casually, “I may need one of those too.”
The group erupted in laughter, and when we finally calmed down a bit, Gina said, “Seriously though. I can’t let my dad see what’s in my nightstand.”
The doorbell interrupted our second bout of laughter, and I rose first because I was still starving. “I’ll get it,” I said, grabbing the cash from the table near the door.
I was so focused on the pizzas in the delivery boy’s hand, it took me until I handed him the money to notice Brody was the one I’d handed it to.
“What are you doing here?”
“Uh, delivering pizzas.”
“I mean why?”
The smile he’d had already broadened. “I got a job. You proud of me?”
“We’ll see if you keep it.”
“I will,” he said. “Oh, and thanks for the tip.”
As he walked down our front steps and toward his car, I thought about chasing him down and yanking the tip from his hands. But then I remembered the reason he’d gotten the job to begin with.
And that reason was currently reclined back in the passenger’s seat with a hand covering his gorgeous face.
Aamee grabbed two of the pizzas from me and set them down on the coffee table. I closed the door and leaned against it before setting the other two on top of the pizzas Aamee had just put down.
“Who was that?” Bethany asked. “He was cute.”
“The delivery guy. I’ll grab some plates and napkins,” I said, wanting to get away from the girls and any further questions.
“Do you know him?” someone else asked.
“Yeah, it definitely seemed like you knew him,” another voice said.
“I don’t. Not really.” I set the napkins and plates down next to the pizzas when I returned to the living room.
“Yes, you do,” Aamee practically sang.
Speaking of shovels, I wished I had one so I could hit her over the head with it. Instead, I just glared at her, my eyes hopefully warning her to keep her mouth shut.
“She has a class with him.” Aamee smiled sweetly at me.
“Right. Yeah, but I don’t really know much about him.”
“What’s his name?” Bethany asked.
“Br…Brian.” I’d known not to say Brody, but for some reason, my mind couldn’t think of a name that began with any other sound.
“With an i or a y?”
“Does it matter?”
“Of course,” some of the other girls agreed.
“A y is way hotter,” Emma added.
“I’m pretty sure it’s an i. Sorry,” I said with a shrug.
Some disappointed Ohs carried through the room, but the general consensus seemed to be that the spelling didn’t make him any less hot. It just didn’t make him hotter than he already was. The entire conversation would’ve made me lose my appetite if I hadn’t been so famished.
The irony wasn’t lost on me that people thought my pretend brother was hot last semester and then those same people, along with much of the campus, thought I was sleeping with him. And now they were discussing at length the things they wanted to do to my real brother all while thinking he was someone I barely knew.
I almost spit out my water when Bethany asked me if I had any intention of “pursuing” him. It made me feel awkward in a new way. And I was familiar with awkward.
“No. Definitely not,” I assured her. “Go for it.”
I didn’t think Bethany was Brody’s type—not that I knew if he even had a type—but I figured if she wanted to go out with him, I wasn’t going to stop her. Brody could definitely do worse than Bethany.
“Actually,” Aamee said, “I think Brian and I kind of connected the first time we met. But I’ll let you know if it doesn’t work out.” She smiled at Bethany, but the gesture was more of a warning than a comfort.
Fucking Aamee.
Chapter Eleven
S O P H I A
“How do you think you did on the test?”
It took me longer than it should have to realize the voice was directed at me. It wasn’t until I looked up from putting my laptop and notebook in my bag that I noticed a guy two seats down staring at me expectantly. His eyes were almost a turquoise, and it made me wonder if they changed color depending on the environment like some sort of genetic mood ring.
There was a bit of scruff around his jaw, and he rubbed a hand over it. It wasn’t enough that I thought it was there intentionally—more like he just hadn’t bothered to shave in the last twenty-four hours or so. I wasn’t sure exactly why I was analyzing his hygiene habits, but I was. His dark hair was shaved close on the sides and styled neatly to the side with a hard part.
I couldn’t deny he was good-looking. Very, actually. He was handsome in a traditional sense—strong jaw, broad chest, and muscular with just enough meat on his bones to make me think his physique was more due to natural selection and an active lifestyle than hours spent at the gym.
When he smiled at me, looking amused, I noticed a small gap between two of his teeth—the first hint of a flaw that somehow only made him more adorable.
Under normal circumstances I would’ve noticed him before now, especially because he’d most likely been sitting near me since the beginning of the semester. But my mind had been preoccupied with all things Drew…
Will he be okay? What more can I do to help him? Will we ever be even close to what we were before my world came crashing in?
It seemed extreme to think of it that way, but I couldn’t help it. One minute, Drew and I were…something, and the next we were nothing at all.
And the more I thought about the past few weeks, the
more I realized that his health struggle had been a distraction—probably to both of us. It allowed us to have a purpose that included the other without having to actually focus on what had happened between us.
“The test?” the cute guy said with a small laugh.
“Oh, yeah, sorry. I don’t know.” I pushed some hair away from my face. “I studied, but I feel like econ isn’t really in my wheelhouse.”
He adjusted his bag on his shoulder. “That’s how I feel about most subjects.” He let out a self-deprecating laugh. “I’m Justin, by the way. I think we’ve had a few classes together the last year or so.”
“Oh yeah, I think you’re right,” I told him, though I had no idea if that was true.
Justin kind of stood there, seeming unsure of what to say. I was surprised at how shy he seemed, but I wasn’t sure why I would assume that a good-looking guy wouldn’t be reserved. Maybe I’d become used to Drew’s confidence and his casual attitude under pressure. He was so easygoing but had ambition and passion for things that mattered.
Except for me.
“So I guess I’ll see you Wednesday?” I tried to sound upbeat, but Justin seemed to take it for what it was: a dismissal disguised as a polite see you later.
I was unfocused for the rest of the day, and by the time I’d gone through my last class of the day and walked back to Brody’s apartment, my mind was a tornado of questions and emotions.
Talking to Justin hadn’t made me realize my feelings for Drew. They’d always been there and would most likely be there for the foreseeable future. But Justin had caused me to examine my current living arrangement.
I was rooming with my brother, who I despised half the time, and my ex-whatever-he-was because I told myself he needed me when the truth was he most likely didn’t.
The longer I “helped” Drew, the longer it would take me to get over him. So while my living with him probably made his life easier, the ugly truth was that it would make mine harder. And if there was one person I had to look out for, it was myself.
Truth or Dare You (The Love Game Book 2) Page 8
