“Why? Pop quiz in Comp Two? Fucking ridiculous,” he hissed.
The quiz was fairly harmless, and her lecture ended with another paper being due by the end of the week. In the last minutes of class, a guy in the row directly ahead of me craned his neck back. I recognized him from class. His name was Levi, but I only knew that because I’d heard Dr. Park call on him several times. His greasy dark hair was always slicked back, away from his pockmarked face. Levi was never in the cafeteria, or in any fraternity. He wasn’t on the football team, either, and never at any parties. Not any that I frequented, anyway.
I looked down at him, and then turned my attention back to Dr. Park, who was sharing a story about the latest visit from her favorite gay friend.
My eyes drifted down again. He was still staring.
“Need something?” I asked.
“I just heard about Brazil’s party this weekend. Well played.”
“Huh?”
The girl to his right, Elizabeth, turned too, her light brown hair bouncing. Elizabeth was the girlfriend of one of my frat brothers. Her eyes lit up. “Yeah. Sorry I missed that show.”
Shepley leaned forward. “What? Me and Mare’s fight?”
The guy chuckled. “No. Abby’s party.”
“The birthday party?” I asked, trying to think of what he could be referring to. Several things had happened that would have the rumor mills churning, but nothing some random guy from oblivion would hear about.
Elizabeth checked to see if Dr. Park was looking in our direction, and then turned back around. “Abby and Parker.”
Another girl turned. “Oh, yeah. I heard Parker walked in on you two the next morning. Is it true?”
“You heard where?” I asked, adrenaline screaming through my veins.
Elizabeth shrugged. “Everywhere. People were talking about it in my class this morning.”
“Mine, too,” Levi said.
The other girl just nodded.
Elizabeth turned around a bit more, leaning in my direction. “Did she really go at it with Parker in Brazil’s hallway, and then go home with you?”
Shepley frowned. “She’s staying with us.”
“No,” the girl beside Elizabeth said. “Her and Parker were making out on Brazil’s couch, and then she got up, danced with Travis, Parker left all pissed, and she left with Travis . . . and Shepley.”
“That’s not what I heard,” Elizabeth said, visibly trying to contain her enthusiasm. “I heard it was a threesome sort of deal. So . . . which is it, Travis?”
Levi seemed to be enjoying the conversation. “I’d always heard it was the other way around.”
“What’s that?” I asked, already irritated with his tone.
“Parker getting your sloppy seconds.”
I narrowed my eyes. Whoever this guy was, he knew way more about me than he should. I leaned down. “That’s some more of your fucking business, asshole.”
“Okay,” Shepley said, putting his hand on my desk.
Levi immediately turned, and Elizabeth’s eyebrows shot up before she followed behind him.
“Fucking dirtbag,” I grumbled. I looked to Shepley. “Lunch is next. Someone’s going to say something to her. They’re saying we both bagged her. Fuck. Fuck, Shepley what do I do?”
Shepley immediately began shoving his things in his backpack, and I did the same.
“Dismissed,” Dr. Park said. “Get the hell out and be productive citizens today.”
My backpack thumped against my lower back as I sprinted across campus, making a beeline for the cafeteria. America and Abby came into sight, just a few steps from the entrance.
Shepley grabbed America’s arm. “Mare,” he puffed.
I grabbed my hips, trying to catch my breath.
“Is there a mob of angry women chasing you?” Abby teased.
I shook my head. My hands were trembling, so I gripped the straps of my backpack. “I was trying to catch you . . . before you . . . went in,” I breathed.
“What’s going on?” America asked Shepley.
“There’s a rumor,” Shepley began. “Everyone’s saying that Travis took Abby home and . . . the details are different, but it’s pretty bad.”
“What? Are you serious?” Abby cried.
America rolled her eyes. “Who cares, Abby? People have been speculating about you and Trav for weeks. It’s not the first time someone has accused you two of sleeping together.”
I looked at Shepley, hoping he’d figured a way out of the predicament I’d gotten myself into.
“What?” Abby said. “There’s something else, isn’t there?”
Shepley winced. “They’re saying you slept with Parker at Brazil’s, and then you let Travis . . . take you home, if you know what I mean.”
Her mouth fell open. “Great! So I’m the school slut now?”