Chapter Twenty-Four
The shower in the adjoining bathroom ran, and I wanted nothing more than to join him in that steaming, hot bliss, but I had something I needed to do first. It was early. The sun had only been up for an hour or two. Neither of us had gotten much sleep. Not for lack of trying, but like Kenna, I couldn’t get my brain to shut down.
Tonight was Brock’s last night before he went home. His parents were flying in tomorrow evening. It was difficult to tell how he felt about their arrival. He seemed indifferent.
I would miss him. Having him here the last week had been comforting. The whole house would feel his loss, I was sure.
I was grateful to have another night with him, because last night wasn’t how I wanted to end his stay here. I needed a do-over, a chance to give him a proper send-off worthy of remembering.
Like every morning, I checked my phone. The pictures of Carter buckass naked and tied up like the pig he was were already circulating online, including a video of him weeping and begging. Not a particularly good look for the tough football player.
By the time I arrived at school Monday morning, it was all anyone talked about. Campus security taped off the area in an attempt to keep the students at bay, but it didn’t deter anyone from snapping a million pics. The entire thing was documented from the moment a staff member found him to when he was cut free and wrapped in a blanket. There were even photos of him being escorted into the ambulance to be checked out at the hospital.
Kenna bumped my shoulder, drawing my eyes away from the football field. She arrived with Grayson this morning. It seemed as if the buddy system was back in place, not that it ever stopped, but the guys were more alert. “We are fucking legends,” she whooped, tossing her hair.
I shushed her. I didn’t want it to be public knowledge that Kenna and I were the responsible parties. She might want the notoriety, but I was good staying deep in the shadows. “I’m not so sure about that,” I retorted. “No one knows it was us. And let's keep it that way.” No one except for Carter and the Elite. I hadn’t even told Mads. Not yet.
“Maybe they should know,” Kenna said, her eyes bright for someone who barely got any sleep. It had to be makeup that gave her that refreshed glow, when I looked like the zombie sister who just dug herself out of the grave.
Grayson fussed with his hair, a pointless task with the wind we were having today. “Not unless you want to get arrested,” he warned.
“You don’t want to do that,” Brock echoed in his not-so-nice scary voice. “If you jeopardize Josie in any way, I will stop you.”
Kenna rolled her eyes. “God, chill, Hulk. Implicating Josie would implicate me. Besides, we can’t be sure that Carter won’t press charges on us anyway.”
I hadn’t thought that far ahead. The aftermath of what Kenna and I had done was becoming a reality this morning. Would I spend the rest of the school day glancing at the door for the cops to show up and read me my rights?
“He won’t,” Brock assured quietly as we crossed onto the sidewalk.
“And how do you know that?” I asked, as two guys who were talking took a step back, moving out of our way.
Brock stayed close to my side, opening the school door for me to pass through. “It would bring a shitstorm down upon him. He doesn’t want the heat, not when he has so much to hide.”
True. Not to mention, Steven would be furious about having to pick Carter up from the police station. He might try and pull in some favors, but this shit had already spread like an STD.
Brock and I split up from Grayson and Kenna. We had classes in different sections of the school, and I needed to grab something from my locker first. Mads intersected our path. She hooked her arm through mine. “I’m stealing your girlfriend. It’s an emergency.” She looked freaked out, not the reaction I would have expected from seeing the shit about Carter. “Quick, courtyard, now,” she whispered-hissed into my ear. “I have something to tell you.” She pulled me through the halls.
We only had like ten minutes before our first class started. Not a lot of time to catch up, but I got the impression that whatever was on Mads’s mind, she was bursting to get it off her chest. “I have something to tell you too.”
She shoved open the courtyard doors. “Okay, but me first.” Brock followed through behind us, frowning. Mads whirled. “Oh, no. Not you.” She put a finger onto his chest to halt him.
Brock arched a brow but said nothing else, just leaned against the stone wall where he could keep me in his line of vision.
“What happened? Are you okay?” She had me worried.
“Just the worst thing possible,” she replied, giving a trio of sophomore girls who were sitting on our bench the death glare. “Scram,” she snapped at them, and they obeyed, quickly jumping to their feet.
What was up with her? A million scenarios ran through my mind, but not the one that came out of her mouth. I should have guessed though.
“I slept with Micah,” she blurted, plopping her ass onto the hard surface of the bench.
I’d sensed it was only a matter of time until Micah wore her down. His charm was irresistible, and they had chemistry. All that snarky bickering was just a cover-up for unspoken sexual tension. “Did you just say that you had sex with Micah?” I asked, slowly lowering myself down beside her.
She dropped her head into her hands. “It’s that stupid fucking smirk. One minute we were talking about you, and the next his lips were attached to mine.”
What about all the stuff in between kissing and fucking? That just happened too? Not that I cared one way or the other. I just wanted my friend happy, even if it meant that the person they’re happy with was Micah. “What were you doing with Micah on Sunday? How the fuck does my name lead to you guys having sex?” I asked, confused by the whole situation.
“That’s not important. I tried to be reasonable, to talk myself out of making another fucking mistake, but it was like the only time I could breathe was when he was kissing me.”