Still Jaded

  Grace didn't say anything. Then she turned her gaze and a tear fell from her eye. "You're probably right. I know that, and I'm still… I don't know what to do, Sheldon. I don't…"

  "You're not strong enough to be my friend."

  That was the truth. I should've seen it before, but I had thought she was strong. Hell, she had been. It's why we became friends, because she was strong in a different way, but now that old Grace was gone. The second the sorority sisters drew her in was the second I lost her.

  When I walked into the kitchen to find Cadence and Leah, their body posture told me everything. Cadence held her shoulders back as if she was ready to attack. Leah was hunched over, but her chin was straight and lifted upwards. She was being attacked, but she'd fight back when the time came. I met her eyes for a brief second, and mine narrowed. I knew I was probably broadcasting my intent, but I didn't care. Cadence wasn't the 'somebody' she thought she was in her mind. She was just one more in a long line of nobodies. So I grinned. "What brought you to my doorstep?"

  Leah straightened. She was a smart girl.

  Grace followed me and coughed behind my back.

  Cadence flashed a blinding smile. "Well, we heard you were home. Plus, I heard about…Bryce…you know. I thought you'd want some girlfriends around. I know you don't have that many."

  Grace sucked in her breath.

  Leah covered up her laughter.

  I narrowed my eyes and stalked forward a step. "You wanted to be my friend? Is that it?"

  Cadence beamed.

  She was stupid.

  "Do you know what I do to my girlfriends? Do you know the reason why I don't have any?"

  Her smile faltered.

  "I tell them the truth. Like you. You think you're better than everyone else. You think because you're the head of a sorority that you're going places. You think that you can spot the best guys and nail them, don't you?"

  She tilted her chin up, taking a cocky stance.

  "You know what they think of you? They see you, and their first thought is that you're work. You're high maintenance and you're bitchy. I don't know of a normal guy that'd want to be with you. You're pretty, but so is everyone else. They'll screw you. They'll have no problem screwing you, but getting them to love you? That's a whole other mission not possible. You're going to have to blackmail someone to love you or you're going to have to hide who you are. That's a lot of work, but hell, I think you could do it. You're fake to everyone else, even yourself. Lying so someone would love you, that wouldn't even work up a sweat for you, would it? It's like morning pilates."

  "Sheldon," Grace jolted forward. Her hand trembled.

  My eyes narrowed. "Want me to go on?"

  Cadence lifted her jaw and squared her shoulders. "We had a deal. Are you forgetting that deal?"

  I gestured towards Grace and sneered. "She's already in. You got her. You can't undo that one, but I'd love it if you did." I looked Grace in the eyes but spoke to Cadence. "That way she'd see that I'm right. Only someone using her would cast her out, not a real sister. That's what she thinks you are. We know better."

  Leah gasped but coughed over it.

  Grace's eyes widened. "Sheldon? Cadence?"

  "Go ahead. Tell her."

  Cadence's eyes were strained, but she sighed. "Nothing, Grace. She's not talking about anything. I… I was mistaken."

  "Yeah. You were," I ground out. "You were mistaken thinking that you should come over here. You're not welcome. Ever."

  Cadence watched me for a moment and then asked, "Do you really want to do this? I don't think you want my house as an enemy. We can be quite…unfriendly."

  I snorted. "Are you kidding me? Someone tried to kill me a few years ago. You think a sorority house is going to scare me? Someone's still trying to hurt me. I like fighting, Cadence. When are you going to get that in your head? I like pissing people off. I like not having friends except the few I trust. Your idea of hell is my heaven."

  "She's right. I've known her a month, and I know that much about her," Leah interjected.

  "You shouldn't throw stones, Sheldon. None of my breakups have made the nightly news," Cadence taunted. "I'm sure the paparazzi would love an in-depth piece on Bryce Scout's girlfriend of how many years? How many years were you actually together or did you just screw each other? That's the rumor I heard."

  I felt a knife in my chest, but I jerked forward again. My eyes were strained, but I knew they were deadly. The bitch was going down. "You might seem perfect on the outside, but I've seen your closet. There's something wrong with you. I know it. I might not be able to figure it out right now, but I know there's something wrong with you."

  She went white around the mouth and her whole body quaked.

  My smile broadened. "Have I touched a button? Are you not proud of what you hide with your dirty laundry?"

  "Shut up," she hissed.

  I could've kept going. I thought about gutting her but restrained myself. It could wait for the next time. There was going to be a next time. Cadence was a snake. She'd keep striking back until I cut off her head.

  "I loved Bryce. I still love Bryce. He loves me. You aren't privy to the details about why and how we broke up, but you need to know one thing. Bryce will always be a part of my family. Always. There is no way you will get your claws in him."

  Her eyes were wild, so I knew I'd hit where I wanted to. I stepped back and watched as Cadence looked around as if to gain some sense of control. When she couldn't, I knew she'd slither away. When she saw Leah's face, full of contempt, she stalked out of the room.

  Grace ran after her. Both of them darted out of the house and left the front door hanging open. As I went to shut it, I hit the gate button and closed it behind their car.

  Good riddance.

  One more friend gone from my life.

  When I returned to the kitchen, Leah had poured two glasses of scotch. She turned and lifted one in the air. "To you. You just opened a shit storm."

  I took mine and raised it to her. "Wanna help?"

  Leah's eyes sparked. I saw something start to unfold in her, maybe strength. I wasn't sure. I wondered if she'd hold next to me or if she'd turn at the first bribe she got. I was getting tired of weak friends.

  "Sheldon!" Corrigan yelled.

  Hell. I was yanked from my thoughts. Hadn't I closed the gate? But he turned the corner and came into the kitchen. He looked happy, which made me pause for a moment. I realized that he hadn't been happy for a long time, maybe too long. Why now?

  "Hey, Leah." He nodded in greeting and then picked me up the air. He twirled me around as he hugged me tight and then set me back down.

  "What was that for?"

  "Nothing. I'm hungry. I'm going to order a pizza." His eyes sparkled, and he winked before he left.

  Leah frowned and jerked a thumb in Corrigan's direction. "What's with him? I've never seen him like that."

  I watched where he had disappeared for a moment before I answered, "I have, a couple times."

  They hadn't had much significance for me, but I remembered wrestling with him when we went to the mall one day in high school. That was a day that I'd forgotten how childlike Corrigan's sense of humor could be and how potent it was at times. The second time I remembered was at the end of our senior year in high school. I'd returned from my last session with Miss Connors, and Corrigan was at his locker with Logan, his girlfriend at the time.

  Everything had been perfect that day. I was with Bryce. We were going to Spain. Corrigan was coming too, and even Grace had been included in our circle of friends.

  I had thought everything was perfect.

  When he came back in, Corrigan waved his cell phone in the air. "Left the number in my car. I ordered pepperoni. Sorry ladies, it's the buyer's choice."

  Leah laughed.

  I didn't say anything, and then my eyes met Corrigan's. I was starting to realize that a lot had changed, but how much more was going to change? Was he going to change too?

  CHA
PTER TWENTY-ONE

  My eyes never closed for the rest of the night. Around four in the morning, I got up. I intended to get a drink from the kitchen, but when I got there a movement made me freeze in the doorway. I saw a figure of someone in the window. The person jiggled the window back and forth. When a small alarm sounded in the air, they stopped. The high-pitched whistle also stopped. Then they looked up and I gasped.

  It was Marcus Donadeli with his hair waving in the wind. His eyes were cold and his jaw was clenched tight. He stared back at me. Then I screamed. He vanished, as if into the thin air, but I kept screaming until Corrigan turned the lights on. When that switch happened, something flipped in me. I ran to the front door and threw it open. Then I ran around the patio. No one. I ran the other way and I still didn't see anyone.

  "Sheldon?" Corrigan came up behind me. He laid a hand on my bare shoulder.

  I flinched, but didn't push him away when he slid down to my hand. That's when he took something from me, and I looked at it, dazed.

  Corrigan brandished a butcher knife in his hands. His eyes narrowed, and he frowned. "Who'd you think was out here?"

  My eyes widened. I had no memory of grabbing the knife. I didn't… I hadn't even thought that I stepped foot in the kitchen.

  Corrigan chuckled. "You mean business when you mean business."

  I choked out, "I saw Marcus at the window." When I heard myself, I looked up, almost desperate. I knew I sounded insane, but I wasn't.

  Corrigan didn't look away. He'd sobered as soon as I said Marcus' name. "I'm sure you think you did."

  "Do you think I'm crazy?" My heart was beating so fast.

  "Well…"

  "Corrigan!" I punched him.

  He laughed and caught my hand. "Do I think you're crazy? No. Do I think you saw Marcus Donadeli? No. I think you saw someone trying to get in, and your mind jumped to the last real threat we've had. You didn't see Marcus. He's dead."

  "When you say it like that, I feel stupid."

  "Don't feel stupid. It's normal. I probably would've seen Marcus too." Corrigan squeezed my shoulder as he went inside. "I'm going to call the cops."

  "Press one of the buttons."

  It wasn’t long before we learned the buttons worked. My entire front yard was covered with flashing squad lights. Police were canvassing the lawn, looking for any signs of an actual intruder. Officer Sheila stood on the patio with her notepad in hand. She swept her calm gaze over us. "Okay. What happened?"

  Corrigan lifted a hand. "Exactly how I just told you. Sheldon thought she saw Marcus. We didn't find anything. I pressed a button."

  She frowned. "About those buttons—who did your security?"

  Corrigan and I looked at each other. He answered, "Some company."

  Her eyes narrowed further and they skirted between the two of us. "There's no identifying information. I've never seen this handiwork."

  "I don't remember who I called. I have a business card somewhere…" Corrigan stood up.

  Officer Sheila waved him back down. "Sit. We're fine. They know what they're doing. From the looks of it, that security saved the intruder from getting in. They got past the gate, but the windows and doors stopped them. Good job, Sheldon. You finally got a security system that works, but there's no footage on the cameras. The tech guy said you never hit the record button."

  Corrigan snorted.

  Oh god. I wanted to plant my forehead into the wall.

  She frowned again and then gestured around the house. "The panic buttons are smart. Don't accidentally hit them if you're having a party or something, although any social gatherings are not a good idea for you. Where's the other musketeer?"

  I froze in place. Corrigan stiffened.

  "Bryce? Where's he at? He's usually a lot more informative than you two." She looked between us.

  Then Corrigan said curtly, "He's busy."

  Her eyes narrowed again and she studied us for a minute. Some decision flashed over her face, and then she turned away. "Okay. Well, we got nothing on who shoved you, Sheldon. I'm sure whoever it was, is the same person who tried to get in tonight. I can't be sure, of course, but you know how it is."

  "Is that it? Someone's trying to hurt Sheldon again and all you're going to say is that's 'how it is.'!" Corrigan shot to his feet.

  She eyed him frostily. "Isn't that why you're here? What do you expect from us? The last time this happened, the three of you took matters into your own hands. Sheldon ended up in the hospital and then she took off for a month. Speaking of, where'd you go? You shouldn't leave in the middle of an investigation."

  "Was I a suspect?"

  She rolled her eyes. "Of course not, but it's not smart. That person could've followed you."

  "She went to a friend's place." Corrigan folded his arms over his chest.

  "Uh huh. That's all I'm going to get, isn't it? You know, Corrigan, I'm not the enemy. I'm not the one trying to hurt her. I'm trying to protect her."

  "You suck at your job."

  "Corrigan." I laid a hand on his arm, but it was tense. Too tense. I sucked in my breath and my eyes snapped to his. That's when I saw his anger simmering underneath his surface. Most people saw the joking Corrigan or the womanizing Corrigan. This was the loyal Corrigan and he was pissed. I stood and regarded Officer Sheila. "People get to us no matter what we do. I've had parties in the past, but that's over. No more. I'm not going to be stupid. I might go to a party, but I won't have one here."

  "Sheldon."

  "I'm not going to stop living because someone's pissed at me. If I lived like that, I wouldn't go anywhere ever! Do you know how many people hate me?" Add an entire sorority house now…

  She groaned. "You make me go crazy sometimes. This is why we can't help you. You won't let us. You won't listen to us. Do you want a police escort? We can offer that."

  Corrigan shook his head. "No. I'll take her to school and back. I'll be with her except when she's in classes. And I can get one of the fraternity brothers to watch her at all times. The guys like Sheldon. They're worried about her too."

  She eyed him. "And if one of those guys wants her dead? Or hurt?"

  His eyes shot to hers and his anger shown there. He bit out, "They won't."—or they'd have him to deal with. The threat hung in the air, though no one commented on it.

  Officer Sheila pursed her lips and sighed. "Fine. I'll have a car posted outside the house at night. You got her during the days."

  She turned to leave, but I stopped her. "You said it was a female before. You said a female was stalking me. Did you change your mind?"

  "Someone tried to break into your house tonight. That's not a female move, not typically. That's what a male would do. So all bets are off unless you have two people trying to get at you?" She paused and then asked, "What happened with Bryce? Would it have been him?"

  "What?" I was taken aback but laughed. "No. It wasn't Bryce. He's…"

  "He's busy. He's didn't go off the deep end." Corrigan touched my shoulder and drew me back to him. One of his arms curved around my waist, as if shielding me.

  Officer Sheila's eyes flickered at the movement, but she didn't say anything. "Anything else happens, call me. Or you can hit one of the panic buttons, but half the force will be here. That was linked to our emergency crisis number. Sheldon…just be safe."

  I nodded, relieved it was done when she left. The rest of the police left with her, and soon my lawn was dark. The flashing red, blue, and white lights had gone. It felt empty now.

  Corrigan cursed and went to the liquor cabinet. He pulled out a bottle of brandy and poured a drink.