Campus Hottie (Campus)

I shake my head. It’s not a surprise to find him outfitted like this. The guy has always hated dressing up. Even for Halloween. Which, I’m not going to lie, is just plain weird. Who doesn’t like Halloween costumes? This isn’t the first time he’s thrown on one of his jerseys and passed it off as appropriate attire.

Me, on the other hand?

I love dressing up—we’re talking full-on hair and makeup—and getting into character. It’s fun. And incredibly freeing. It allows you to step into someone else’s shoes even for a couple of hours and lose yourself in make believe.

Madison nudges my shoulder. “I see you’ve found your man.”

I roll my eyes.

Carson Roberts is not my man. More like one of my keepers. He enjoys playing the part of protective older brother, which is completely unnecessary. Brayden already enjoys making life difficult for me in the guy department. Anyone who has ever shown the slightest bit of interest gets run off before anything can actually happen.

I wasn’t joking when I’d said I should have chosen a different university. One far away from here. Maybe a place like New York. Even thinking about the possibility has my heart flip flopping in my chest. After Dad died, there was no way I could moved so far away from Mom or Brayden. At least, not at eighteen years old.

That’s my plan after graduation.

I blink and refocus my attention on Carson as a sexy devil saunters over and runs her fingers along his broad chest. That’s all it takes for jealousy to ignite in the pit of my belly. After all these years, you would think I’d be used to girls hanging all over him and seeking out his attention. It’s been happening since we were in middle school, and yet, it never gets easier to watch.

If I had any brains whatsoever, I’d turn away and stop inflicting further damage on myself. Instead, I stay fixated on them. Even though I’m too far away to hear what’s being said, the conversation must be scintillating by the way she throws her head back and laughs, continuing to paw at him the entire time.

Everything I’ve eaten today threatens to revolt. Unable to stomach any more, I force my gaze away, only to realize that my friends have disappeared from sight. I push forward, searching for them in the crowd. With about twenty fraternity members living here, the house is massive. It takes time to fight my way into the dining room where people have congregated on a makeshift dance floor. I stand on my tiptoes and crane my neck, looking for Kari, Madison, and Sierra but don’t see them anywhere.

My name gets shouted before someone grabs hold of my arm. I swing around, only to find Batman with a huge grin lighting up his partially concealed face.

“Hey!” My gaze slides over him, taking in all the intricate details of his costume. “You look fantastic!”

“Damn, you knew it was me?” Mike asks.

“It’s not like I haven’t seen you dressed up a bunch of times.”

Mike and I go back to first semester of freshman year when we met in theater class, and we’ve been fast friends ever since. This year, we’ve both been cast in the university’s production of Heathers: The Musical. There have been a lot of long nights running lines, but it’s been a blast. The show opens in less than two weeks. We both have larger roles than the previous year when we were lowly freshmen.

“True enough.” Mike glances around. “Where’s the crew? Please tell me you didn’t show up by yourself.”

“Nope, they’re around here somewhere. Probably went to the kitchen for liquid refreshments. They’ll be back soon.” Thankfully I can always hang out with Mike until they turn up again.

He throws an arm over my shoulder and tugs me close. “Guess it’s just you and me, Harley.”

I give him a bright smile and attempt to shove Carson from my mind. “Yup.”

It’s not as simple as I wish it were.

Chapter Four

Carson

Monica continues to yap my ear off as I comb over the crowd of drunken students busy partying their asses off. With the dim lighting, it’s difficult to see. Plus, everyone is wearing a costume, making it even more of a challenge to find her. I have no idea what Elle decided to wear. I probably should have asked. Hell, for all I know, she changed her mind about attending or decided to hit a different house. Although the probability of that happening is low. The Sig Ep bash is an annual event that continues to swell in size each year. It’s one the entire university shows up for. There’s not another sorority or fraternity that would dare to throw a rival party.

“Carson?”

I blink back to the conversation as her sharp fingernails bite into my flesh. “Yeah?”