"You what? What could you do? You can't do anything, Bryce. Not anymore. You shouldn't have even called me." My throat hurt so much. It felt too tight.
He sounded strained. "Sheldon, I still love you. Things aren't clear with us right now, but I'm always going to be a part of your life. You can't cut all those years. Since seventh grade—it's been that long for us. I'm a part of you."
"I'll adapt. I always do." What the hell was I saying? I didn't want him out of my life, but everything was so confusing. I counted to ten and tried to calm myself. "It's just harder when you call me." My voice broke.
"I know. I'm sorry," he whispered.
I bent over to rest my forehead on my knees. Why was everything so painful? When I drew in a shuddering breath, someone sat beside me. I felt them take my phone, and a second later Corrigan spoke into it, "Hey. I'll call you later."
Bryce responded, but Corrigan closed my phone. His hand found mine, and then he hugged me against him. I couldn't think or say anything. The pain was almost numbing—it blasted me completely. Slowly, so slowly, I lifted my head back up and blinked away some tears. Corrigan's eyes were concerned, but there was something else.
I frowned. "Are you angry?"
He blinked and the unnamed emotion was gone. With a brief smile, he hugged me again. "Don't worry about me. Are you ready to go?"
No deep talk. No words of explanation. No soul searching. This was why Corrigan knew me so well. I nodded.
When we got into his car, I asked, "What do you know about a girl named Carolina?"
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
The next few weeks went by without much drama. Corrigan and I went to our classes. I didn't have any more run-ins with Grace or Cadence's group. Carolina and her girls flanked me everywhere I went. They must've felt that I needed protection, but I didn't mind. The girls were just there. They didn't pester me for information or try to play social games with me. I was happy with that. Leah came over at night. Carolina came once and I saw how she was fascinated with Corrigan, but as I got to know her more, I knew she kept her cards close to her chest. She wouldn't want him to know about her captivation.
Corrigan drove me after school and stayed every night. Bryce didn't call again. I wasn't sure if I was happy or relieved. I tried not to think about it and pressed on like a robot.
"Hey," Corrigan greeted as he came into the kitchen. He had showered and now wore his fraternity's polo. The royal blue looked official.
I whistled in approval and lifted my coffee cup in a salute. "You're looking official. What's up?"
"The House is hosting a banquet tonight on campus. It's for the pledges and their families."
"Are you taking donations?" I grinned. "That sounds like something used to pimp the purses of your alumni."
"Maybe." Corrigan chuckled as he took my cup and finished it. "After classes, we're heading to the Wilshire. Is your car still there? I'll be stuck at the banquet most of the night so…"
…I might need it.
"Right." My pulse jumped a beat. I hadn't thought about the hotel or my car in a long while. I'd been putting off the moment of going back. It was where she was. It was where I knew Bryce was probably going every night.
Corrigan's eyes measured my reaction. "If you'd like, I can run over there with Matt. I'll drive your car back after the banquet."
I breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness. As I fished out my keys, I murmured, "Thanks, Corrigan. It's parked in the back lot. I'm not planning on going anywhere tonight anyways."
"Okay." He took them and squeezed my hand for a moment. "I'll drop you off after classes and then head back to the house."
And that's how the rest of the day went.
We went to classes, and then he hurried to the fraternity while I was stood on my front patio. I had an entire evening to myself. I hadn't had this much freedom or alone time in awhile, which was a good thing. Probably.
I heated up some soup and settled in the media room with a textbook. I knew Miss Connors and knew her final wouldn't be easy. However, I nabbed the remote and turned on a movie first. Studying came later, always later. Halfway through, the gate buzzer went off. When I checked the monitor, I was surprised to see Denton, flashing a blinding smile with shades over his eyes.
I couldn't help grinning as I pushed the talk button. "You're a bit too Hollywood sometimes, you know."
He chuckled and pressed his button. "I only dress up for you, Sheldon. I'm in my best attire."
"Your jeans look like you've been trying your hand at being a mechanic, and your shirt—pink, really?"
Denton looked at his tee shirt and laughed. "It's tie dye. I thought you'd like it."
Chuckling, I pressed the entry button and met him at the front door. He pulled the car through and hopped out of the convertible. "I felt like taking you for a drive tonight. A little birdie told me you needed to let your hair loose."
"I thought you had a jeep?" Arching an eyebrow, I shook my head. "A birdie, huh? Corrigan called you for baby-sitting duty?"
He grimaced and drew close. "I don't do kids. Ugh."
I laughed and led the way inside. "This is coming from a former teen idol? You aren't turning your back on those tween fans already?"
"No turning my back on anyone." Denton's eyes sparkled in amusement as he patted my shoulder. "Come on. Grab whatever you need. I'm taking you away for the night. We'll go to a premiere. We'll get a private box at a club. We'll go sky-diving. Come on. You're going to have fun tonight."
Entering the kitchen, I pulled out a bag of chips and tossed it over. "I'd rather stay here. Sorry to be a bore, but it's my personal fortress."
Denton tossed it back. "Doesn't this place get broken into on a regular basis, and at least let me order Chinese."
"That's only when I have parties. I have a no-party policy now. And besides, I got an improved security system installed by our very own locally-grown gangster. Hoodum." I handed him the phone book.
"Hoodum, huh? If memory serves correct, Mena mentioned that he had a love-love relationship with Corrigan?" He waggled his eyebrows up and down, grinning.
"Love-love? She was semi-right. Those two bonded over something a long time ago and neither spilled the beans. I'm not sure if I want to know. Anything those two did together must've been criminal or something worse. They might've burned down a house, for all I know."
Denton looked serious. "Uh. You sure about no premiere? I know of one going on in a few hours. It'd be a great way to make Bryce squirm in jealousy. He's on the guest list with her."
I fell silent, shocked. Denton said it casually, but his words echoed in my head. Bryce was with her—I'd known, of course, but hearing about their date and the way Denton said it so easily—like it was a common thing now.
"I can't. Sorry." My voice had grown hoarse. I turned to the counter and held onto it with both hands. I felt off-balance.
"Sheldon?"
"I'm okay. Really." I pushed upright and wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans. I thought I'd been doing okay throughout the week, but Denton's words came out of nowhere. I was gutted.
"Chinese?" He opened his mouth to say more, but the buzzer interrupted.
Something dropped in my throat and for a moment, I wondered if my worst fear was going to come true. When I crossed to the monitor, I expected to see Bryce with her but saw Carolina and Leah instead. Relief went through me as I buzzed them through.
"Who is it?" Denton asked behind me. I heard the crackle of a bag and turned to see him pop a few chips in his mouth. He grinned and offered me the bag. "Want some?"
"No," I chuckled. "I thought you wanted Chinese?"
"I do."
He gestured to the door with the bag. "Figured I'd wait to see who the surprise visitors are. Our plans could change." Then he pretended to frown. "I thought you didn't have any friends except the two."
"Ha ha, you're so funny." But as I went to the door, I was a little embarrassed to admit that he was the only other friend I had. Then, wit
h a fake forced smile on my face, I swept open the door. "Hey guys!"
Leah frowned immediately and stayed put. Carolina smiled and moved around me. She went inside first and then stopped in her tracks. She stared, mesmerized, at Denton.
He waved the bag. "Hi."
"You know Denton Steele?" Leah laughed. "Who don't you know? Do you know that Ronaldo soccer guy—wait. You probably do." As she popped on a stool, she muttered, "Figures."
Carolina was still frozen in place. "I didn't know about him. How did I not know about him? My research is impeccable."
"You researched me?" Grabbing the bag from Denton, I handed it to Leah. I wasn't sure how I felt about Carolina poking into my life. "What'd you do? Hire a private investigator?"
"Becky Lew wanted to be a sister. When we rejected her, she offered information about Corrigan to bribe her way in. I hadn't heard of him, but she told me that he was going to be the future president of Alpha Mu. I thought she was a head case, but then I started hearing Corrigan's name around campus and I called her back. She told me everything." Carolina's eyes looked more focused and less shocked as she turned to me. "She painted you wrong. And she never said anything about him. Is he new?"
"Either you're too smart or you like to sound like a computer. He has a name, and no, Denton used to be my neighbor. I've known him almost as long as Corrigan and Bry—Corrigan."
Denton's eyes shot to mine, but he smirked. "I kind of like being talked about as if I'm not here. It's a nice break from the usual fans. They don't respect physical boundaries."
"You're not helping," I hissed and stepped towards Carolina. "What are you guys doing here? Corrigan's not here."
Leah shot off her stool. "We don't come here because of him. Do you think that?"
I whirled around, shocked at the vehemence in her voice. "Uh…" What I saw in her eyes took my breath away, for a moment. She seemed determined. "Most people don't like me for me. Can you blame me for thinking otherwise? I've been told that I have an aggressive personality."
Leah looked offended. "I could hang out with Corrigan at his frat house, remember?"
"Except he hasn't been there lately."
"Still." Leah looked away. Her shoulders stiffened.
I frowned as I glanced towards Carolina. She looked less offended—which unnerved me—but also riveted as she continued to stare at Denton.
I snapped two fingers in front of her face. "He's not an animal on display and we're not at the zoo. Stop gawking."
She tore her eyes away with an effort and then smiled. "Sorry. I'm not used to curveballs. He's a curveball. Also, he's better looking in person than on the screen."
Leah choked back a laugh. Then I turned and saw Denton merely smile and lift a shoulder.
I rolled my eyes. "You can act somewhat embarrassed about that."
Denton laughed.
The sound seemed genuine and it sent waves down my stomach, which jolted me.
He shrugged. "What do you expect? I get most girls yelling at me, 'You're so hot!' This is nothing. This is almost respectable."
Enough was enough. I looked at Leah. "What are you guys doing here?"
She looked at Carolina, who cleared her throat. The human computer was back in place. "We need your help. Correction. We don't need it, but we'd like it. The Alpha Mu House is doing their annual pledge banquet. They've asked Zeta Gamma Phi to be their dates for the evening—"
Leah cut in, "Next year it's going to be us."
Carolina gave her a pointed look and then cleared her throat, again. "As I was saying, Zeta Gamma Phi is going to be busy since their entire house will be at the event…" She left the sentence hanging and gave that pointed look to me.
"You're going to break into their house?"
"What? No." Carolina looked horrified. Then she smiled and I saw the cunning girl that I'd met in class a few days ago. She continued, "Yes, but it's all in good fun. It's Prank Wars after all."
"Prank Wars? No one's touching my house again."
Leah smiled. "No, no. It's between the sororities and fraternities on campus. We're going to booby-trap their house. Nothing dangerous, nothing like that. It's all in good spirit."
"Bullshit." I narrowed my eyes at her. What else did she have planned? But it didn't matter. Leah mentioned earlier that Grace had moved into the Zeta house. I wanted to see her room. I hadn't taken the time to look through Cadence's journal, but I made a mental note to put aside a few hours to fully look through it. My gut was telling me that I'd need all the ammunition on that wacko that I could get.
"It is. Or it is for the other girls. A few of us are going to enjoy retribution. The Zeta Gamma Phi house ransacked our home last year. We came home one night to find sheep in our living room."
I looked back at Denton, who had continued to eat the chips. He was laughing now and then gave me the empty bag. "Can I come?"
"What if you're caught?"
"Are you kidding?" he scoffed. "My agent would love it if I were caught with a houseful of sorority sisters. I have another movie coming out. I couldn't buy that publicity."
"We're seriously doing this?"
Denton wrapped an arm around my shoulder and drew me against his side. He squeezed me tight and nodded. "We are, and we're going to have a great time."
"A great time breaking the law."
"A stupendous time breaking the law." Denton dazzled me with a smile. "Right? Just like old times, you and me getting into trouble."
"I don't think this is a great idea." Something tingled in my stomach, and I shrugged off his arm. That was trouble I could do without. "Let me change first."
"Take your time," Leah called out. "So, Denton, are you single?"
I hurried to my old room and changed into dark clothing, tight clothing. Almost feeling ridiculous, I couldn't dispel the butterflies in my stomach, but I was excited. Maybe breaking the law had some advantages. This was the first time I'd felt anything except numbness, suffocating pain, or comfort from Corrigan. All of those emotions were jumbled into one mess. I needed a distraction—this was a perfect one.
As for Denton—I'd figure that out later.
When I walked back into the kitchen, Leah was hanging on his arm while Carolina stood back against the wall. She was watching. She was always watching. Her eyes were narrowed. The star struck expression was gone. Her sharp intellect was back, and I knew she was analyzing everything about him like it was data to her mental computer.
"Does your mind ever shut off?"
Carolina jumped and then pounded her chest. "You scared me! Don't do that."
I lifted an eyebrow. "We're about to break into a house and you don't want me to scare you? Have you ever broken into a house? All you're going to feel is nerves. Trust me, every shadow you see will make you crap your pants. Get used to being scared."
Denton whistled in appreciation. "Looking good, Sheldon. Remember about that trouble from before?"
Leah frowned at me. "You've broken into a house before?"
I ignored both of them and whipped out my flashlight. "Let's go."
Leah groaned. Denton leered. Carolina informed me, "You don't need that. I bought flashlights already. Mine are better."
This girl had to be prepared for everything.
I studied her. "Do you prepare for sex? Spontaneous sex can be the best climax."
Carolina smiled sincerely for the first time that night. The sight transformed her face so that even Denton was surprised. His eyes lingered on the girl a second longer than necessary when she replied, "It's not that I have to be prepared. It's that I'm rarely surprised anymore."
Leah pushed off. "Let's go. The girls are waiting for us."
As we followed her out, Denton whispered in my ear, "What trouble are we going to get into tonight?"
I was uncomfortable with how close he followed, but I was more