Still Jaded (Jaded 2)

He threw his phone back on the nightstand and smothered his face with the pillow.

Really not good.

I held my breath but asked after a beat, "Was that your mother?"

"Worse," he groaned.

I ran my fingers down his back and marveled how he was sculpted like a god.

"Sheldon."

I snatched my hand away. "What?"

"That was my agent."

"Oh." Then I remembered the weasel. "Oh."

Bryce sighed as he flipped onto his back and gazed up at me. His frustration was obvious. He slid his hand over my knee and caressed me there. "Mathias is not happy about our adventure last night." He grimaced as he sat up to rest against the headboard. "Apparently, he was under the impression that we had broken up. He wants us to do that now. He caught our thing on television and doesn't think you've changed."

"What?"

He grimaced. "Look, can you try and be nice to people? I don't want to give Mat the satisfaction of being right. He thinks you're the devil incarnate and wants us to break up."

"Break up?" That ass.

Bryce nodded. His gaze was hooded. I couldn't see what he felt anymore. "You heard what I said to him. I won't discuss you with him, but this is my warning—he won't go away."

I gulped. "Meaning what?"

"Meaning that things could get ugly. Let's try not to give him any more ammunition against us. He's a great agent, but he's not a great guy. And he doesn't know how to have a healthy relationship to save the life of him." He took another deep breath. "I'm already going to apologize in advance for whatever he has up his sleeve."

My heart sank. This didn't sound good at all. "Why can't you fire him?"

"Because I have a contract with him and he got me on the Suns. He got me back to L.A." His finger touched under my chin and lifted my face to his. "He brought me back to you. I'm thankful to him for that."

Oh. Well, when he put it that way, I groaned. I didn't care if he brought Bryce back to me. Mathias was a little weasel of a man and I knew he was up to no good. He had hated me from the start and now I knew that hatred hadn't diminished over the last six months.

I vowed not to let him hurt us.

When I got to campus that morning, I wasn't in the best of moods. I had to be nice, even if it killed me. I wouldn't give Mathias what he wanted, even if it meant I had to become a new Sheldon. A nice Sheldon. A friendly Sheldon.

I only hoped that I didn't kill myself in the process.

The first person I ran into was Leah. Of course. Instead of the scantily clad Leah, I was surprised to find her fully clothed this time. She was dressed in a tight pink cardigan, long sleeves, and snug jeans with jeweled back pockets. Her hair was swept back in a high ponytail that actually looked classy.

Shocker.

As she turned from her mailbox, she froze in place.

I sighed. Maybe she'd ignore my presence as I went to my own mailbox. That would've been the smart thing to do.

"Are you going to do the usual and call me a slut?"

Nope. Not smart.

I plastered a smile on my face. "You look very nice today."

"Liar," Leah snorted.

"You do." I kept it simple. It was the truth.

"What's wrong with you? You always call me a slut or something like that."

"Sniff, sniff, Miss Overly-Suspicious." I began to think she wanted me to insult her.

She frowned. "That makes no sense."

"It shouldn't have to. I gave you a compliment. Accept it and walk away." I bit back the 'bitch' part. I would've enjoyed that part.

She narrowed her eyes and ran a hand through her ponytail. "What's wrong with you? You're being odd."

I forced another smile. "I'm trying here." This girl was killing me.

She glanced around. "Is this one of those shows where you're tricking me? Are there cameras? I don't get it."

"Really?!" I couldn't believe her stupidity. "Walk away."

Leah froze, still confused.

And I realized my own stupidity. "Never mind. I'll leave."

When I tried to get by, Leah stepped in front of me. I reared back. I so wanted to unsheathe my claws, but I said to myself 'nice Sheldon, nice Sheldon, nice Sheldon' in my head. I could almost feel Bryce watching me.

Leah must've sensed my internal conflict because she cracked a smile. Then we both jumped as two blondes in tight red polo shirts and blue miniskirts appeared in front of us. They flashed blindingly white teeth, and their cheeks sparkled with glitter. "Sheldon, right? You're Sheldon Jeneve, girlfriend of Bryce Scout and friend of Corrigan Raimler?"

I almost fell backwards from their energy. It oozed out of their breast implants. "Excuse me?"

Leah scowled beside me. "Shoo away little flies. You're nothing but pests."

The taller blonde frowned but plastered a smile on her face as she hurried to restore her carefully crafted façade. "We can be civil to each other. Just because you've maneuvered yourself inside of Alpha Mu doesn't mean that we're enemies."

"Speak for yourself," Leah snorted. "You guys didn't want me as a sister, and Theta Delta did. You're just pissed because you missed a good opportunity."

The shorter blonde's nostrils flared. "We didn't know you'd be as close to the guys as you are."

"Natalie!" The taller one looked aghast. "We don't air those grievances in front of outsiders."

Excuse me.

Leah laughed outright and shook her head. "You guys are so stupid."

"I mean," the tall one sputtered. She looked at me and gushed, "I didn't mean—Sheldon, you're not the outsider. I meant Leah because she deferred to a different house."

I shrugged. "Whatever. I'm not a part of this. Nor do I want to be. I've got a counselor to hunt down."

Before I left for school, Bryce had asked if I would check in with Miss Connors. He thought she could help me in my quest to become a new and nicer Sheldon. I wanted to growl at the thought of how much work that was going to take.

"No, wait!" Natalie planted herself in front of me. I shuffled two steps to the side and she shuffled with me. She was smack dab in front of me. When her chin tightened, I knew she wasn't going anywhere.

"Move," I glared.

"My name is Cadence, and this is Natalie," the taller one introduced herself. Finally. She extended a golden hand for me to shake.

I didn't.

With a slight twitch to her eyelid, she pulled her hand back. "I apologize for starting off on the wrong foot. It's just that some people are not in my personal good graces—"

"Personal good graces? You're crazy. I'm not anything personal to you at all. You guys didn't want me as a sister—" Leah bristled.

"Moving on." Cadence rushed forward, "I wanted to formally introduce myself and invite you to a house social."

"They're super fun." Natalie bounced closer. "We start by getting ready for the night and drinking together. And then we all go out as a house, usually to a frat party or a bar. It's a great way of bonding, especially with the new sisters."

Cadence nudged her aside. She opened her mouth but closed it as Leah interrupted, "They want to be invited to your party tonight. And they really want to use you because you're best friends with Corrigan and boning Bryce Scout."

Both sisters gasped.

I hated to admit it, but I felt a weird kinship with Leah.

"What do you want?"

Natalie looked entranced, but Cadence skimmed me up and down with a shrewd eye. I matched her, eye to eye, as she tried to get a better read on how to handle me. And then she snapped to her decision and drew upright to her fullest height. "We want to come to your party, but not because of your best friend or boyfriend. We want to come because you're hosting it and you're connected in ways that could benefit our house."

"So you want to use me?"