CODY
“Bruh, there’s some shit brewing between your girl and Susie.”
“What do you mean?” Chad dropped down on the couch next to me, where I’d been sitting daydreaming about my girl. My heart has been full ever since I left her, and I have this weird feeling of lightness like you get when something monumental, something life-changing, has just happened to you.
I thought when I got the scholarship and a chance at playing the game to follow my dream that that feeling couldn’t be beaten, but tonight she knocked it out the park. Apart from the day I got the news about my dad finally getting some help, tonight has got to be up there with the best of my life, and the good thing is that it was all new.
This was nothing like the little flings I had as a kid when of course, I thought I was in love with every girl who got close. There’s nothing cute and flighty about the way I feel. It’s strong, bold, and like a fire about to blaze, and I can’t wait to see where it takes us. Lisa, my Lisa, damn.
“What’re you saying now?”
“After you guys left, there was a bit of a buzz going around. I’m not sure, but I think your girl set tonight up to get back at Susie or something.”
“Why do you say that? What does her joining the sorority have to do with Susie?”
“It’s like this, she never had any interest before, but once she found out Susie was a member, she changed her mind.”
“And you know this how?”
“I overheard her girls talking when they didn’t know I was there.”
Lisa? Nah, my little innocent isn’t the type, and besides, she doesn’t know anything about Susie; I’ve gone out of my way to keep a distance between those two and never even mentioned Susie in her presence. I have noticed a difference in her lately, but I don’t think it has anything to do with Susie or does it?
“What else did they say?”
“Not much once they noticed me, but the gist is that your girl is out for blood.”
“Did they say why?”
“Didn’t get that far, but I’m guessing she heard something.”
“I bet!” Now it all made sense, the sudden change, the rumors that she’s been asking around about Susie. And the fact that it all started the day after Steve’s first watch. I glared across the room where he was stuffing his face with my shit. I’m going to wring his damn neck the first chance I get. Not because he’d most likely blabbed, but because he didn’t tell me after the fact. But what the hell did she hear, and what exactly is she up to?
SUSIE
“What the hell is this?”
“Didn’t you say you needed to know everything about her? This is the latest.” I looked down at what looked like a report of some sort.
“I told you to find out everything about her, not give me a blow-by-blow of her every move here.”
“I thought you’d be interested to know that Cody confessed his love to Lisa the night of the party.”
“Who told you that?” I looked back down at the paper and read through the jumble of words.
“In order to find out about her, you told me to get close to her friends, right? Well, that’s who told me. And look.” She held out her hand to show me the new Clic Clac on her wrist, “she sent me this as a thank you for inviting them. She’s got class and style.”
If we weren’t in a room full of people, I’d have smashed her face in. “It’s probably fake.”
“I don’t think so; it came with the necessary papers.” She turned her hand this way and that to admire the luxury bracelet. “What else did her friends say?”
“Not much, just that they’re both very excited and can’t keep their hands off each other. I guess that’s why they left the party early that night.”
Why does she seem so excited to tell me this, to rub it in my face? I can’t concentrate on reeling her in and focus on this new development at the same time. Why does it feel like everything is happening at once? Like I’m losing my grip on the things I once held fast?
My hand shook as I reached for my bag to get one of my pills to calm me down. Nothing good ever comes from me flying off the handle. I still have the memory of Cody hovering around that girl like a protective mate in my head that has been plaguing me all weekend, not to mention the way everyone seemed to accept them as a couple.
I felt rage build up again and swallowed the pill dry. My nerves have been getting worse lately, and my ability to calm them isn’t what it used to be. I haven’t seen Cody since that night or even heard a word about him. As for her, Lisa, she too has been missing, which leads me to think they’ve been together all weekend.