“If she lives here with us we have to make her totally comfortable,” Hunter went on. “And that means no hitting on her. No sleeping with her. Nothing.”
“What if she hits on me?” I joked. But of course I was only half joking.
“NO bullshit,” Hunter warned sternly. As President of our fraternity, I knew he was used to being obeyed. I wondered how long it would last now that we were disbanded. “I mean it,” he went on. “If she decides to stay — which she might not — she’s completely off limits. Even more so than before.”
Colin and I looked at each other. Eventually we shrugged.
“Fine,” he said at last. “Platonic only. We’re all agreed?”
Hunter nodded. I nodded. Colin put his hand forward, palm down.
“Swear it with me,” he said. “We’re making a pact.”
“Pact,” said Hunter. He put out his hand.
“Pact,” said Colin.
I rubbed my chin. Winced.
“Brandon?”
My head was spinning. I could live with this girl. I could be good around this girl. But there’s no way I wasn’t flirting with this girl.
They didn’t have to know that, though.
“Alright,” I sighed finally. Reluctantly I thrust my hand forward and placed it over theirs. It was big enough to dwarf them both.
“Pact.”
Ten
CLAUDIA
Going back to the house was surreal. Like being at a stranger’s house. Like sneaking in, or breaking and entering.
It shouldn’t have felt that way. After all, it’d been less than 24 hours since I’d tearfully agreed to move out. Hell, I could go back on the promise if I really wanted to. Tell Garrett and his skeevy fiance to go fuck themselves.
No. You know that’s not the answer.
I entered slowly, calling out to make sure no one was home. Garrett’s car was gone, but I wasn’t sure about Chastity. As I moved from room to room, I felt like a catburglar. An interloper… in my own damned house.
All the more to reason to leave, the little voice in my head said. And the voice was right. This place hadn’t felt like my home in a long time.
I gathered my clothes first, stuffing most of my outfits into an over-sized bag. I took some shoes, a few coats, and anything personal. I grabbed my laptop from my office, and one or two trinkets from my little desk there. Then I hit the bathroom for my essentials.
I froze in the doorway. My stuff was gone.
Everything… from my toothbrush, to my flat iron, to my shampoo and conditioner in the shower stall — all of it was utterly gone. In its place were Chastity’s things; everything looking somewhat like my stuff but totally different. She’d moved in immediately. Taken my place. Garrett had let her sweep me off the bathroom counter and into the garbage — or wherever my stuff went — in less than a single day.
I wanted to cry.
Clenching my jaw, I got angry instead. I threw open the drawers, which only contained more of her stuff. Finally, at the very bottom, I located my makeup case. I took the small victory, noticing that she’d even swiped a few of my eyeliners and mascaras… shit, even my lip gloss.
Gross.
As I left the room my gaze shot back to the sink again. I could grab the hot pink handle of Chastity’s toothbrush. Scrub the fucking toilet with it. I could do Garrett’s too, get double the fun out of it.
In the end though I only walked away, taking the high road. Cleaning the toilet with that bitch’s too