Jaden (Jaded 3)

Tell S I’m upstairs.

When I saw Carolina’s name at the top of the text, I nodded again to him. He knew what I had to do, and he stepped back, allowing me to move past him.

Both Bryce and Denton noticed I was leaving, but neither called out to me.

It was just understood among all of us. This party was for me. Like the press conference, I had to do this for myself. Relying on other people, needing them to communicate for me while I sat hiding somewhere else, had me going stir crazy. I had to do something for myself. I had to feel like I was being productive, doing something. Not just sitting. Not just waiting. Not just letting the killer come to me.

Pulling the mask so it completely covered my face, resting on my nose, I shouldered past a group of girls.

“Sheldon!”

I froze. One of them recognized me.

“I hated her. She was such a bitch,” that same girl continued.

Relief, then irritation sparked in me. She’d been talking about me, but damn. I rolled my eyes at myself and kept going into the house. People were there because of me. I was going to hear my name more than that, but when I got inside, I was surprised at the almost demureness in the house. Like I saw from outside, the lights were off, but the crystal lights filled the room, giving it a cozy and homey feeling. Soft music streamed from the speakers so as I moved from room to room, people were talking in groups. They weren’t drinking from beer bongs or cheering for body shots.

I stopped at the bottom of the stairs and gazed at the kitchen. Bottles of wine lined the counters, along with fruit and cheese trays. People were munching off the table that had bowls of chips, crackers, and more meat and cheese trays.

“What did you think we would throw?”

I recognized that voice and whirled around, already smiling. Carolina stood behind me. Her eyes warm as she said, “My sorority knows how to do classy events. The wild and rowdy parties are reserved for next weekend.”

“Hey.” I couldn’t stop grinning.

“Hey, yourself.” Then she stepped in and gave me a hug.

It felt good. This was a friend, another friend. She wasn’t looking at me with judgment. She wasn’t yelling my name around to get attention. I sighed inwardly. I’d missed her.

“Looking good, Jeneve.”

I laughed softly, pulling away. “How’d you know it was me?”

“Raimler texted me, said to look for Zorro. I came down the stairs and here you are.” She shook her head, her eyes roaming all over me. “Shit, woman. I’ve missed you.”

“Ha! Aren’t you Greek royalty? Are you allowed to curse?”

She gave me the middle finger. “We can do that, too.” A group of people entered the kitchen, and Carolina moved around me. Grabbing two bottles of wine, she said, “Come on. Let’s go to my room where we can talk freely.”

“Perfect.” But I grabbed one of the cheese trays before following her up the stairs. When we got there, I didn’t waste any time. “Have you heard anything? What about Grace’s sorority?” My chest was tight.

Carolina was opening one of the wine bottles, but paused at my question. She shook her head. “What sorority?” She laughed softly to herself. Picking at her fingers, she added, “More than half of them transferred to a different school and different charters. The ones who are still here don’t do a thing. It’s like the entire sorority died with Grace. With what they did to you, then her murder, no one wanted anything to do with them. Whoever is left just goes to school and that’s it. They’re not invited to any party in the Greek system. It’s like they aren’t even here anymore.”

“That’s . . .” Karma? Ironic? Justified? I ended with, “Sad.”

“Yeah, well.” Carolina rolled her eyes. “I don’t mind.”

I looked at her.

She amended, holding her hands up in the air, “I’m sorry about Grace’s murder. I am, but I’m not about the house. They vandalized your house, then used her to get to you and made your friend be the one to shove you into that glass table. That’s cold. It’s karma.” She lifted a finger. “Not for Grace. She lost her way and got caught up. I believe that. I feel bad for what happened to her, but I’m not about the sorority. They hurt you, Sheldon. They deserved what happened.”

“Yeah, well.” Grace was still dead. That was all I cared about. “None of it matters anymore.”

“I know.” She frowned. “We’ve been asking questions, and no one knows anything.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, you didn’t kill Grace. We all know that, and we’ve been asking questions, trying to see if anyone knows anything, but they don’t.”