She levels me with a stare, hurriedly gathering up her folded shirt from last night. “Okay. Fine. I’ll chill the fuck out if you can tell me why you didn’t tell me about the ring.”
She irritably screws the ring onto the middle finger of her right hand.
I proceed cautiously, knowing from watching my dad argue with my mom that there’s little reasoning with a woman who’s hell bent on being pissed. I keep my voice steady. “I just… forgot. And that’s the truth. I swear.”
“You forgot,” she says flatly. “Even after I brought it up, multiple times?”
Oh boy.
She sounds like a prosecutor cross-examining a witness, and I know that I’m losing her but am ill-equipped to stop it.
“Wait. Who’s the pre-law major, here?” I try joking with her to lighten the mood…
…and judging by the disgusted look marring her pretty face, it’s an epic fail.
“That’s all you have to say?”
“I don’t know what to tell you. I’m sorry.” I shrug helplessly. “Is this about the guys walking in on us? Seriously, what are you really upset about?”
“No. Yes! This whole thing is freaking me out, Caleb! Cubby saw my… my… boobs!” She opens and closes her mouth a few times, but nothing comes out. Then, “That was mortifying for me. Absolutely mortifying. Words cannot describe. And do you want to know something else? I don’t think your roommates have any respect for you. If they did, they wouldn’t have barged in here.”
Huh? “I know you’re upset—”
“My boobs, Caleb. He saw. My. Boobs. No one but you has ever seen them before!”
Feeling cornered, I shout, “I said I was sorry! What the fuck more do you want?”
“I want him to un-see my body! That’s what I want! And I want you to have been honest and given me my ring! That’s what I want!”
How did this escalate so quickly? “Wait,” I ask slowly. “Are you mad that my friends saw your boobs… or that I had your ring?”
I know it’s lame, but I really need her to be clear on this. But instead of responding, she stares at me like I’ve lost my damn mind. Like I’m an idiot. Like I don’t get it.
“Caleb, maybe we’re not cut out for a relationship.” Her hands flutter, gesturing around the room. “Maybe this whole thing is a mistake.”
I don’t even know what to say to that, so I say nothing.
Abby inhales a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I’m just so… Maybe we wouldn’t even be having this conversation if those jerks hadn’t charged into the room and humiliated me. But they did, and—” she pauses. “I’ll probably regret saying this, but I c-can’t do this right now. Not when I’m still embarrassed.”
I run a hand through my hair, tugging it in frustration.
Mind made up, Abby stalks to the door, turning to face me as she yanks at the doorknob. She pauses as tears well up in her bright, expressive eyes. She wipes them away with a quick flick of her finger and lifts her chin a notch.
“And I-I’m keeping this shirt, asshole.”
And with a flounce, my favorite shirt and my would-be future girlfriend slam out the door.
CHAPTER 27
ABBY
“Hey, Abby, wait up.”
At the sound of my name, I turn to see Tyler jogging briskly toward me, across the lawn of the Kappa house, in a wrinkled cut-off tee shirt and basketball shorts. His brown hair hangs in his eyes, and he’s barefoot.
He’s holding a blunt in one hand and a pair of brown leather flip-flops in the other.
“Hey,” I mumble, sniffling.
“Where’s the fire?” he guffaws at me, catching up and falling into stride next to me. “Please don’t tell me you just climbed out the window of the Omega house.”
I frown down at the weed pinched between his thumb and forefinger. “It’s barely eight thirty and you’re already smoking a joint? Can’t you get arrested for walking around with that thing?”
He disregards my comment with a shrug. “It’s a clove cigarette. Relax. Here, take a drag.” He holds it out and I slap both his hand and “clove cigarette” out of my face.
He only laughs. “You gonna answer my question or what?”
“You didn’t ask one.” I continue walking, wanting desperately to distance myself from Caleb. I need to be alone. I need to think.
“Why you coming from the Omega house?” my cousin asks, throwing down his flip-flops and stepping onto them before we hit the sidewalk and start toward my house.
“None of your business.”
“Whoa! Why are you in such a rush and why do you look so… pissed off?”
Hmmm. He’s pretty astute for someone so high this early in the morning. I march on, determined to ignore him, and catch him glancing back toward the Omega house from the corner of my eye.
I follow his gaze, and I can feel the yearning etched across my face.