“You’re damn right, I wouldn’t. Who wants to live in Pennsylvania, anyway?” I tease, nudging him with my shoulder.
At that he laughs. “Hell if I know. I got out of there as soon as I turned eighteen.”
“My point, exactly.” I smile, grabbing a blueberry muffin and dropping it onto my tray. We move through the line quickly and grab a small table by the window facing the fountain and library. Taking a bite of my muffin, I try to keep up my smile and focus on eating. Clinton is like a big brother to me and I know he’s worried. The least I can do is try to convince him he doesn’t need to be.
“So, how are you?” He asks, building a sandwich with the bacon, eggs, and toast on his plate. “I’m still kind of pissed that we haven’t hung out since Rush week.”
“I know, I suck and I’m sorry. But I’m good. Counting down the days to Spring Break. You?”
Clinton narrows his eyes. “Cut the shit, Sky. I know what happened Friday night, everyone on Greek row is talking about it. So are you going to tell me how you are for real or am I going to have to tickle it out of you?”
I smile, shaking my head. “Please don’t tickle me. Didn’t you learn your lesson last year, Bear?” Clinton has a thing for finding my weak spots and tickling information out of me. Last year, though, he didn’t stop in time and I ended up peeing myself. It was hilarious since it was just the two of us, but he’s laid off the tickle-method since.
We both laugh, but he takes a bite of his sandwich, waiting for me to talk. I sigh, picking at my muffin. “Bear, honestly, I’m okay. I’m not good and I’m not bad, I’m just okay. That’s all I can really say right now. I love you and I know you’re here for me, but I just really don’t want to talk about it. I got involved in something I never should have agreed to and now I’m paying for it. It’s my fault, so it would be stupid to ask for sympathy from anyone. Even you.”
Clinton offers a small smile. “I’m sorry, Sky. I don’t know what you got yourself into, but I know you don’t look like someone who just blew off a guy after using him to get back at an ex. You look like someone who was on the other end of the break up, actually.”
I shrug. “Well, there’s a lot behind the situation that nobody knows.”
“You like him, don’t you? All that shit about Adam was bull crap. I know you and you were over Adam the week after you broke things off.”
My chest feels heavy and I cross my arms, tucking them into my chest for protection and warmth. “Yeah, I do like him. But it doesn’t matter because Ex is into him and they have a past. And now they’re talking, which was what she wanted from the start. So, whatever, my part is done I guess.”
Clinton lifts a brow. “So you were playing him for your Big? Shit, I should have known. No one has a better poker face than you.”
I laugh, shaking my head. “Yeah, well, my poker face pretty much goes to shit when I’m around him. I’m pretty sure he knows I fed him a lie, but he doesn’t know the truth so he won’t call me out completely. But then again, he moved on to her pretty quickly, so maybe that was his plan all along, too.”
Clinton chews his food while digesting that little tidbit and I take a sip of my orange juice. After a moment, he looks up at me again. “I don’t think it’s like that. I mean, I don’t know the kid, but I saw him at the auction and the bonfire. He put himself out there for you and, to me, it seemed like he didn’t give two fucks about what anyone else thought. Including Erin. I think he’s just trying to get to you by talking to her now. Does he know you know about their past?”
I nod.
“Well,” he continues, wiping his mouth with a napkin. “Then this is probably his way of calling you on your bluff. You said you wanted Adam all along and maybe he knows that’s bullshit so he’s pulling the oldest trick in the book to see if you get jealous.”
I hadn’t thought of that, but it does make sense. Kip isn’t the kind of guy to take crap from anyone and it probably pissed him off that I claimed feelings for Adam when clearly I was into him. Maybe he is bluffing now.
“You might be onto something, Bear.”
He smiles. “I mean, I am a genius. You should know that by now.” I return his smile and take another small bite of my muffin. It’s not the most nutritional breakfast, but anything is better than nothing right now.
“So what about you? Anything new going on?”
Clinton shrugs. “Not really. We’re almost off probation, so I’m looking forward to that. Do you know how shitty it is to be in a fraternity that can’t drink or party? We’re going crazy trying to figure out new ways to sneak booze into the house.”
I laugh. “Yeah, I can’t imagine Stanksy or Baldwin going more than twenty-four hours without a beer.”
“Stansky is moody when he’s not drunk. It’s like living with a girl on her never-ending period.”
“Ha! That must be an entertaining spectacle. Well, at least Spring Break isn’t too far away. You’ll be off probation by then.”
“Yeah, I’m fucking stoked. I am pretty annoyed that Alpha Sig and DBG are going on the same cruise as us now, though.”
I choke on my juice. “What? They are?”
Clinton nods. “Yeah. Fucking lame, right? Whatever, it’ll just be a bigger party, I guess. I just hope there’s not too many fights. You know how my brothers are when we get in a room with another frat.”
I roll my eyes. “God, do I. Should we start taking bets on how many fights will break out now?”
“I’m calling six.”
“Oh no, I’m thinking at least double digits. I’ll say thirteen.”
“Wow, what faith you have in us, Sky,” he says, shaking his head and finishing the rest of his coffee. I smile, but my stomach falls at the realization that Kip will be on the same cruise as me for an entire week. I’ll most likely be with Erin at least eighty percent of the time, and that means I’ll be seeing him just as often. I swallow hard, willing my breaths to stay even.
“You okay?” Clinton asks.
I nod. “Yeah, fine.” Putting on my most convincing smile, we stand and walk our trays to the trash. “Thanks for asking me to meet this morning, Bear. I’ve missed you.”
“You know I had to check on my baby sister,” he says, smiling. Just like Cassie is my Little, Bear thinks of me as his. We aren’t related, but we might as well be. Now I feel even worse for not hanging out with him all semester until now. “Just stay away from pledges and maybe we can hang out more. I couldn’t have you cramping my style before.”
I punch him in the shoulder and wrap my scarf tighter around my neck as we file back out into the cold. “Trust me, I’m staying away from boys for a while.”
A loud laugh escapes his throat. “Good luck with that. I have a feeling you and Nerd Boy aren’t done causing drama in Greek world just yet.”
Tucking my hands into my pockets, I laugh, too, but the possible truth in his statement makes me shiver. “What’s college without a little drama?”
Six minutes before class starts, Kip walks in the classroom. My hands that were freezing just minutes ago outside are sweating now and I rub them on my jeans, wondering if I should avoid eye contact or act normal. Whatever I should do, it doesn’t matter because I can’t look away from him. He’s dressed in dark jeans and a gray pea coat over a white collared shirt. So simple, yet so enticing. And of course, he’s wearing his freaking glasses. Why those damn specks have such power over me, I’ll never understand.
When he spots me, he gives a lazy smile and my stomach tightens as he walks toward me. I shift in my chair as he sits down in the seat beside me just like he’s done every class since the beginning of the semester. He shrugs his messenger bag off his shoulder and I realize he’s holding two cups of coffee. He hands one to me before stripping off his jacket, which distracts me more than I care to admit.
I hate this.