Still Jaded (Jaded #2)

She did, huh? "I don't know. I haven't decided yet."

"Well, I don't think you, me, and Bryce are going to have our thing tonight. There's still too much to do and he's got practice tomorrow. Should we reschedule for tomorrow night?"

I examined him but couldn't tell if he was serious. "Are you free tomorrow night?"

"There's always homework." He winked at me.

I shook my head and laughed. Holy hellness, my head hurts. Maybe I should head to the hotel. I sighed, resolved to my fate. "I think I'm going to head out. Can you let Bryce know that I left?"

Corrigan's smile disappeared. "Sure."

"He won't hit you."

"He better not try."

I started to leave but turned back. "I asked Grace if she saw anything at the party, but she said no. Can you press her? Complain about me or something. I don't care what you do, but see if she tells you."

"You're sure she saw something?"

"Yeah. I'm sure. She doesn't trust me anymore."

Corrigan's eyes went flat. "I'll figure it out. Go rest."

As I walked back through my home, I caught sight of Bryce in the far corner of my living room. He held a bag as Raz filled it. They were laughing and talking together. In that moment, I saw a carefree look in his eyes. It was genuine, and that took my breath away. It was in the way he stood, how his shoulders seemed lighter. I stopped and watched him. It felt good to see that, to see that Bryce could still be like that. It gave me hope, but I averted my eyes after a moment and brushed away a tear. Something told me it'd be a long time before I saw that side of him with me. It felt like a storm was coming our way, and we'd be lucky to get through it.

When I walked outside to my car, I stopped inside the garage door. Leah leaned against my car with hands stuffed in her tight jeans. She gave me a tense smile and brushed some hair out of her face. "I can't go in there because it's enemy territory."

I propped myself beside her. "I'm sorry." And I really was. I should've paid more attention to how much of a bitch Cadence was.

She shrugged. "It's fine."

It wasn't. I'd done this to her. Because of the rival sorority inside, she'd been exiled from this event, from the fraternity and friends that were hers inside. No matter what I thought, those guys were her friends and I'd been involved with putting them with the house that would separate Leah from her friends.

I turned to her. "I'll fix it. I promise."

Leah assessed me for a moment and then shrugged again. I saw acceptance in her shoulders, and I didn't like it. "It's fine. It is what it is."

"You told me those girls were bad news. You told me Cadence was bad news. I didn't listen because I didn't care. I care now." They took one friend from me. They weren't going to take my other two. "If they're doing what I think they're doing, I will take them down. Trust me."

Leah laughed and I heard a bitter note in her voice. She shook her head and let loose her hair. "Do you know who you're dealing with? Cadence is one of the most deceptive, conniving, manipulative bitches that I've ever met, and I'm not new to this block. My brother was an Alpha Mu five years ago. I've been coming around since he was a pledge. I've seen girls come and go. Some were awful, but Cadence takes the crown. I'll tell you to stay away, but that's all I'm willing to do. I don't want to tangle with her. I don't even want to see what she's fully capable of."

I smiled, half-heartedly. "I've met worse."

She watched me closely. "What are you going to do that others haven't?"

"You're forgetting something. I don't have much to lose. Cadence can't take what she wants from me, and contrary to social manners, I have no problem making enemies. I rather enjoy it."

She grinned. "I do believe that."

"What are you doing here, anyway? This is kind of morbid, don't you think?" I gestured to the house. "You can't go in where you want, watching from the outside."

Leah looked over my shoulders. "What do you do when you're losing your friends? I didn't feel up to a carton of ice cream."

She stared at my house with a mix of emotions, and I realized that I'd misjudged her. I didn't misjudge many, but Leah wasn't who I originally thought. She really considered these guys her friends.

"What do you do? You fight back," I murmured. It's what I'd do. It's what I planned to do.

Leah looked away. "I don't know. Things could get worse."

"What's worse than being alone?"

She smirked. "What if you like being alone?"

"You don't, though," I shot back. I was beginning to figure out what made her tick. "Stop hiding from this. It's your fight. Own it."

"And it's not yours?" She peered at me with a tear in her eye.

"It's mine too, but I need to heal for a little bit. And then I'm coming back. Hard. This isn't my first time around."