Campus Player

“Oh.” His voice drops, disappointment coloring the deep timbre.

Even though I tell myself not to do it, my gaze flickers in his direction. “I’ll see you in class on Wednesday.”

“Yeah, sure.” Before I can get trapped in the blueness of his eyes, I shove my materials into my bag and hightail it to the staircase. It’s a relief when I push through the glass doors on the ground floor, and the cool night breeze wafts over my heated cheeks.

All I know is that what occurred in the library can’t happen again.

I’ve put Rowan in a little box marked do not touch, and that’s exactly where he needs to stay.

16

Demi

“There are so many parties happening tonight. And girl, I need it. I plan to cut way loose.”

I glance at Sydney as she barges into my room and flops onto my bed.

A frown settles on her face as her gaze drops to the canvas bag I’m filling with clothes. “What are you doing?”

“Dad is out of town for the weekend, so I thought I’d head home and chill out.”

“What?” She jerks upright from her prone position. “You’re leaving?”

“Yeah,” I sigh. It’s been a tough week. Instead of the rumors dying down after a couple of days, they’re flying all over school. When I’m on campus, people point and whisper. It makes me feel like a bug under a microscope. None of the stories I’ve heard are accurate. Some are plain outlandish. It’s like the headlines of my life have been ripped straight from the storyline of Gossip Girl.

“I need to get out of here for a while.” If I’m lucky, someone else’s life will implode this weekend, and when I return to Western on Monday, everything will magically be back to normal.

Dinner on Wednesday with Dad and Rowan was awkward. I spent most of the time worrying that my father had not only caught wind of the rumors but might actually believe them. If he had, he never mentioned them. The rest of the time I spent avoiding Rowan, which is difficult to do when there are only three people in attendance. I stuck to Dad’s side like glue before taking off as soon as the dishes were done.

“Running away won’t solve anything.”

“That’s not what I’m doing.” Okay...so that’s exactly what I’m doing. I deserve a break. This whole week, I held my head high and ignored all the sly comments and knowing looks sent my way. I can’t do it any longer. “Want to come with me? We can chill and catch some rays by the pool.”

“Can’t.” She shakes her head. “I told Ethan that we would have dinner and hash out some stuff, and then we were going to meet up with a few girls from the team. I figured you’d need a drink as much as I do.”

“I think what will help the most is to get away from this place.” I don’t mention that I need to put a little distance between Rowan and myself.

Sydney stretches out on the bed and stares at the ceiling. “Annica better hope I don’t run into her tonight. I know that little bitch is behind all this.”

Her and Justin are running their mouths all over campus.

The dynamic duo.

What’s hilarious—not to mention ironic—is that I’m not the one who cheated. It was the two of them. And yet, I’m the one being talked about. It’s my name being dragged through the mud.

I toss a black bikini into the bag. This weekend is supposed to be gorgeous. I plan to spend at least part of Saturday and Sunday laying out by the pool relaxing. With any luck, I’ll forget all about this mess. At least for a few days. “Please don’t do anything that will get you in trouble, okay? Annica isn’t worth it.”

Sydney waves a hand. “Please, you know me better than that.”

My gaze slices to her. “Yeah, that’s why I’m saying it.”

She snorts. “I’ll try to control myself to the best of my ability.”

“And don’t drink too much. I won’t be around to talk you off the ledge.” The one weekend I was gone last year, Sydney got into a wicked fight and punched some girl who had been making moves on her man.

She sits up and points a finger at me. “Hey! I told that skank what would happen if she kept it up. It’s not my fault she didn’t take the warning seriously. I have zero regrets!”

“That’s part of the problem. You’re damn lucky Coach Adams was able to get you out of that mess, or you would’ve had to take anger management classes.”

She grumbles at the reminder.

I’ve known Sydney for three years, and I learned quickly that she’s not someone to be messed with. The girl is a bad bitch. She may look all sweet and innocent with her blond hair and vibrant green eyes, but beneath the doll-like exterior lies a temper that explodes as easily as dynamite. That’s what happens when you have five older brothers. You learn to kick a little ass. Sydney is accustomed to sticking up for herself and fighting for what she wants.