Campus God (Campus)

“Ryder…” I groan before burying my face in my hands. “The situation doesn’t include you. It wasn’t that big a deal. You shouldn’t have gotten involved.”

He scoops up another spoonful of quinoa and beans before shoving it into his mouth. Once it’s down the hatch, he points his fork at me. “Listen, you’re my cousin. I’m not going to sit back and watch one of those football playing douchebags get away with hurting you.” He gives me a steely look. “Again.”

Some of the tension filling my shoulders drains away. Even though I don’t need him to do it, how can I be mad at him for wanting to come to my defense? That’s what family does, right?

They stand up for each other when no one else will.

Everything in me softens. “Thanks, Ry.”

He shrugs as a smile plays across his lips.

“Do I even want to know what you talked about?”

“Probably not.”

Movement catches the corner of my eye, and my head swivels in that direction. My gaze lands on Crosby as he walks with Asher, Rowan, and Carson through the main part of the Union.

My eyes widen as my mouth falls open. Not only is his eye blackened, but his lip is split, and there’s an angry bruise that has bloomed on his right cheek. It looks like someone beat the shit out of him.

Someone like…

When I continue to stare, my cousin swings around to look before turning back with a smirk. Almost as if he’s proud of his handiwork.

“You did that?” I whisper, a mixture of horror and sorrow filling me. Even though Sasha had jokingly threatened to hurt Crosby, I didn’t actually want to see it happen.

“Yup.” He returns his attention to the bowl as if it’s not a big deal. And to Ryder, it probably isn’t. “Like I said before, no one hurts you and gets away with it.”

Everything from the past few weeks churns in my head as we lapse into silence. He finishes off my lunch before lounging against the bench.

“Do you want my opinion on the matter?”

My gaze is reluctantly drawn across the large, open space until it lands on Crosby for a second time. A shiver of awareness slides through me when I find his broody stare pinned to mine. It takes effort to rip my gaze away and refocus on my cousin. After all the lies and subterfuge, it shouldn’t be difficult.

Even though Ryder’s thoughts won’t change anything, I shrug. “I guess.”

“The guy refused to defend himself.”

My brows pinch together. Out of everything he could have said, that’s not what I was expecting. “I don’t understand.”

He nods toward Crosby and his friends. “Just look at him. He’s a fucking mess. I beat the crap out of him in front of a crowd of people, and he just stood there and took it. Didn’t even try to hit me back. Trust me, I could have done far more damage, but after a while, I felt kind of bad.” His forehead furrows as if he doesn’t quite understand why that would matter to him.

The muscles in my belly contract until they’re pinched and painful. There are so many questions swirling through my head.

Before I can wrap my lips around any of them, he continues, “Do you have any idea how annoying it is to beat the shit out of someone, and they won’t even fight you back? They just stand there like a punching bag and let you do your worst.” His face contorts before he shakes his head and folds his arms across his broad chest. “Takes the fun right out of it.”

My tongue darts out to moisten my lips. “Why would he do that?”

Instead of answering the question, he turns it back on me. “I have my theory, but I’m more interested in what you think.”

My teeth scrape over my lower lip as my gaze reluctantly slides back to Crosby. His attention is still fastened on me. “I don’t know.” More like I’m afraid to acknowledge the kernel of hope that has taken root inside me.

He cocks his head. “You can try to fool me, but don’t lie to yourself. I guarantee it won’t help anything.”

I force out a shaky breath as confusion crashes through me, destroying all the lies I’ve been reassuring myself with. “Why are you doing this? You’ve always hated the guys I’ve dated.” I wrack my brain for an exception but come up empty. “Every single one of them.”

He jerks his shoulders. “Is it my fault you pick assholes?”

Ironically enough, that’s exactly what I pegged Crosby to be for most of the time I’ve known him. A moody jerk who enjoyed screwing as many girls as he could. But the guy I’d gotten to know over the phone was different.

He’s someone I could have easily fallen for.

It sucks to realize that maybe I already had.