Still Jaded
Page 57
It was decided, so I waited with Denton breathing down my back as the girl went inside. It wasn't long before she found the back door and unlocked it for everyone else. When they started going inside, I followed behind. I didn't care what the other girls were doing. I wanted to see Grace's room. Carolina pointed it out in the hallway. It was in a back corner. It could've been easily overlooked. It was fitting to how Grace was as a person, easily overlooked and in the corner.
Entering the room, I stopped in awe. I'd never been in her room before. I'd never even been in her home before. There were pictures everywhere. Her brother, whom I'd forgotten about, smiled back at me from poses in his graduation gown. He was with girls, his buddies, and their family. She framed a few of the two of them by her bed. The other pictures were of me, Bryce, Corrigan. One was tucked in the corner of her mirror. It was her and me, just the two of us. I remembered the night it was taken. One of Grace's friends had a bonfire. I hadn't wanted to go. Neither had Corrigan or Bryce, but we all went. It was the week before we left for Spain.
"You look happy in those pictures," Denton noted.
I turned, hearing an inflection in his tone. Something flashed in his eyes before he covered it up and gestured to the picture. "It's hard to believe that you'd been stalked by that guy and everything. In all the pictures, you look happy."
I traced one of the pictures and smiled to myself. "Yeah. I was…"
"Do you miss him?"
"Marcus?!" I whirled to him.
Denton smirked and pointed to the photograph. "Bryce. Do you miss him?"
I realized that I'd been holding a picture of the two of us. "I do."
"You still love him?"
"I haven't—" I cut myself off and swallowed back the pain. But I couldn't hide from the truth any longer. So I whispered to myself, for myself, "I never stopped."
Denton stepped close and took the picture from my hand. "What about Corrigan? You two seem close."
My eyes snapped to his. My heart started pumping. "What are you doing?"
Denton wore a rueful expression. "What's going on with you two? He's been staying with you this whole time, right?"
"Are you seriously asking me if I'm with Corrigan? You don't think I'm going to date you, do you?" I narrowed my eyes and waited for his reaction. It came, but he masked it and turned away. Again. My eyes didn't move from his tense shoulders or how he stood tall and rigid. Then I pressed, "Why are you here tonight? What do you really want from me?"
He didn't move. He didn't say a word for awhile. Then he sighed as his shoulders hunched down. "What's the right answer? What answer do you want to hear? Because I don't think you want to hear the truth."
He told me everything in that answer.
A knot formed in my stomach, and I wrung out, "Most people are smart. They stay away from me. You should be smart, Denton. Smarter."
His eyes clung to mine, searching for a deeper meaning in my answer, but there wasn't any. I meant what I said. He should've stayed away. Those who get too close ended up hurt.
Then we heard a girl shriek in the background, "They're here!"
Chaos erupted. Girls were running everywhere. They were yelling, throwing things. Then it was silent for a minute. Denton and I stared at each other. I knew my breaths weren't coming easy and wondered if he had the same problem.
Then Leah poked her head in the room. "You might want to get out there. It's going to get ugly."
Nobody needed to ask me twice.
I followed behind, aware of how Denton paused in the room as if he wasn't going to follow, but he did a second later. Reluctantly.
When I reached the living room, I saw why Leah had squeaked. Cadence stood inside the front doorway with her girls spread out over the front lawn. Carolina squared off against her, folded her arms, and looked irritated at their interruption.
Narrowing my eyes, I watched Carolina closely. The girl was good. She appeared cool and confident as she looked down her nose at whoever was in front of her. When I looked at Cadence, I saw it was working. She was seething.
Then Cadence saw me and exploded. "You did this! You turned them against us."
"Right. This was all me. I orchestrated an entire sorority house against yours. I had nothing to do with the rivalry that's been going for how long?" My sarcasm was thick.
"She didn't do a damn thing and you know it." Carolina stepped in. She lifted her chin and managed to look down her nose at the girl even more. Her eyes sparked, but her voice was calm. "You caught us. Call the cops if you'd like, but don't forget what your house did to ours a year ago."
"That was sheep," Cadence sputtered.
"What about Sarah? We have it on tape." Carolina bared her teeth. She looked capable of anything, like she could murder someone and brush her teeth while standing over the dead body.
Cadence paled.
"You don't have that on tape. You're bluffing." One of the other girls stepped forward. Grace jerked as she brushed past her.
Carolina turned her gaze on her. "Try me."
Cadence grabbed the girl's arm. "Trista, don't. Let me handle this."
She glared back at her leader. "You aren't doing anything. She's totally lying and you know it. There's no way she could have…" She trailed off when she saw something in Cadence's eyes. "Oh god no. Tell me they don't."
Carolina interjected, "The room you set up to humiliate Sarah was a sex room. The fraternity had video recording the entire thing. We got the tape, sweetheart." She drawled the last word. It ran off her tongue, like honey melting in the mouth.
I was impressed.
Grace twitched, and my eyes zoomed in on her. She gulped with her eyes skirting between all the girls. That's when I stepped forward. "Don't piss your pants, Grace."
Cadence and the other one snapped their gazes to me. So did Carolina, who held up her hand. "Sheldon. Don't."
I knew I was supposed to fall in line. She was deemed the spokesperson, but not for me. No one spoke for me. I wasn't one of her sorority girls. I was there for one person and one person only.
She was in my cross hairs.
With my eyes narrowed, I baited her, "Come on, Grace. What are you going to do?"
Confusion flashed in her eyes so I clarified, "Are you going to hide behind them? You told me off last time. Do it again. Gain some more respect. Come on, Grace."
Entering the room, I stopped in awe. I'd never been in her room before. I'd never even been in her home before. There were pictures everywhere. Her brother, whom I'd forgotten about, smiled back at me from poses in his graduation gown. He was with girls, his buddies, and their family. She framed a few of the two of them by her bed. The other pictures were of me, Bryce, Corrigan. One was tucked in the corner of her mirror. It was her and me, just the two of us. I remembered the night it was taken. One of Grace's friends had a bonfire. I hadn't wanted to go. Neither had Corrigan or Bryce, but we all went. It was the week before we left for Spain.
"You look happy in those pictures," Denton noted.
I turned, hearing an inflection in his tone. Something flashed in his eyes before he covered it up and gestured to the picture. "It's hard to believe that you'd been stalked by that guy and everything. In all the pictures, you look happy."
I traced one of the pictures and smiled to myself. "Yeah. I was…"
"Do you miss him?"
"Marcus?!" I whirled to him.
Denton smirked and pointed to the photograph. "Bryce. Do you miss him?"
I realized that I'd been holding a picture of the two of us. "I do."
"You still love him?"
"I haven't—" I cut myself off and swallowed back the pain. But I couldn't hide from the truth any longer. So I whispered to myself, for myself, "I never stopped."
Denton stepped close and took the picture from my hand. "What about Corrigan? You two seem close."
My eyes snapped to his. My heart started pumping. "What are you doing?"
Denton wore a rueful expression. "What's going on with you two? He's been staying with you this whole time, right?"
"Are you seriously asking me if I'm with Corrigan? You don't think I'm going to date you, do you?" I narrowed my eyes and waited for his reaction. It came, but he masked it and turned away. Again. My eyes didn't move from his tense shoulders or how he stood tall and rigid. Then I pressed, "Why are you here tonight? What do you really want from me?"
He didn't move. He didn't say a word for awhile. Then he sighed as his shoulders hunched down. "What's the right answer? What answer do you want to hear? Because I don't think you want to hear the truth."
He told me everything in that answer.
A knot formed in my stomach, and I wrung out, "Most people are smart. They stay away from me. You should be smart, Denton. Smarter."
His eyes clung to mine, searching for a deeper meaning in my answer, but there wasn't any. I meant what I said. He should've stayed away. Those who get too close ended up hurt.
Then we heard a girl shriek in the background, "They're here!"
Chaos erupted. Girls were running everywhere. They were yelling, throwing things. Then it was silent for a minute. Denton and I stared at each other. I knew my breaths weren't coming easy and wondered if he had the same problem.
Then Leah poked her head in the room. "You might want to get out there. It's going to get ugly."
Nobody needed to ask me twice.
I followed behind, aware of how Denton paused in the room as if he wasn't going to follow, but he did a second later. Reluctantly.
When I reached the living room, I saw why Leah had squeaked. Cadence stood inside the front doorway with her girls spread out over the front lawn. Carolina squared off against her, folded her arms, and looked irritated at their interruption.
Narrowing my eyes, I watched Carolina closely. The girl was good. She appeared cool and confident as she looked down her nose at whoever was in front of her. When I looked at Cadence, I saw it was working. She was seething.
Then Cadence saw me and exploded. "You did this! You turned them against us."
"Right. This was all me. I orchestrated an entire sorority house against yours. I had nothing to do with the rivalry that's been going for how long?" My sarcasm was thick.
"She didn't do a damn thing and you know it." Carolina stepped in. She lifted her chin and managed to look down her nose at the girl even more. Her eyes sparked, but her voice was calm. "You caught us. Call the cops if you'd like, but don't forget what your house did to ours a year ago."
"That was sheep," Cadence sputtered.
"What about Sarah? We have it on tape." Carolina bared her teeth. She looked capable of anything, like she could murder someone and brush her teeth while standing over the dead body.
Cadence paled.
"You don't have that on tape. You're bluffing." One of the other girls stepped forward. Grace jerked as she brushed past her.
Carolina turned her gaze on her. "Try me."
Cadence grabbed the girl's arm. "Trista, don't. Let me handle this."
She glared back at her leader. "You aren't doing anything. She's totally lying and you know it. There's no way she could have…" She trailed off when she saw something in Cadence's eyes. "Oh god no. Tell me they don't."
Carolina interjected, "The room you set up to humiliate Sarah was a sex room. The fraternity had video recording the entire thing. We got the tape, sweetheart." She drawled the last word. It ran off her tongue, like honey melting in the mouth.
I was impressed.
Grace twitched, and my eyes zoomed in on her. She gulped with her eyes skirting between all the girls. That's when I stepped forward. "Don't piss your pants, Grace."
Cadence and the other one snapped their gazes to me. So did Carolina, who held up her hand. "Sheldon. Don't."
I knew I was supposed to fall in line. She was deemed the spokesperson, but not for me. No one spoke for me. I wasn't one of her sorority girls. I was there for one person and one person only.
She was in my cross hairs.
With my eyes narrowed, I baited her, "Come on, Grace. What are you going to do?"
Confusion flashed in her eyes so I clarified, "Are you going to hide behind them? You told me off last time. Do it again. Gain some more respect. Come on, Grace."
