Meeting the guys for wings and pool at the Black Bear in a few. If you want in on it, you know where to find me.
I hold the phone up quickly as if presenting evidence. “I’m meeting with friends in a few minutes. Sorry.” Sorry? If I keep tagging every excuse with an apology, it’ll only encourage her. I text Owen back and let him know I’m in.
“Oh, I won’t stop you.” She hops up, and so do I. “That’s the one thing I really miss is just hanging out with friends. I guess it’s no use setting down any real ties here if I’m not planning on staying.” Her sad eyes drag over mine in search for a shred of hope.
“You’re really leaving after one semester?” My tone softens, and I finally let my guard down. I need to stop being so aggressively against the idea of having her around if she’ll be living here for the next few months. She came here for me. There’s no real reason I should act like a pig. I’d hate to upset her to the point where she packs up and takes off. The least I can do is try to be decent.
“Yup, just one semester. Unless you beg me to stay.” She wags her finger and laughs. “Don’t worry. I got the message loud and clear. It’s just that you’re the only person I know here, and Piper, well, she’s already given me the finger—twice.” She winces through a smile. Sammy has always had a way of being good-natured no matter how many fingers are flashed her way.
“Come here.” I give her a quick embrace, and she latches on a little too tight. I pull back, nodding to the door. “I’m not trying to give you the cold shoulder, Sam.” I open the door, and the icy breeze whistles in as if mocking the words that just left my lips. “I’m just trying to navigate this new version of us.” Crap. Again wrong words, wrong fucking words. Never, but never use the term us.
“So, there’s still an us?” She ticks her hair to the side, and her brown curls spill over her shoulder. “I guess that alone was worth the trip.” She gives my cheek a light pinch before whisking out into the night.
“Crap.” I shut the door, and Buddy hustles on over before sitting at my feet. “Dude, you are lucky that poodle down the street can’t hunt you down and come knocking on your door.” Cassidy comes to mind with her big blue doe eyes, that thicket of lashes she loves to bat my way. “On second thought.” I reach down and give him a quick scratch over the belly. “You’d be pretty lucky to have a girl in your life, too.”
Cassidy is definitely the right girl for me. I should probably put Sammy out of her misery and tell her I’m seeing someone. Heck, I should probably put myself out of my misery and make it official with Cassidy.
Now—how exactly do I go about that?
The 12 Deadly Sins rock out on stage when I walk in, and I raise a hand over to Blake who’s screaming his head off into the mic. The Black Bear is filled with coeds in short skirts and high heels. Just about every dude in North Carolina has packed into this bar to witness the female free-for-all. With gorgeous blondes, brunettes, and redheads in abundance, it’s a spectator sport of the ages.
“Welcome to paradise!” A hard slap lands over my shoulder, and I turn to find Owen and his signature grin. “If you’d rather run with the rock candy than hang with my boys and me, I get it.”
Rock candy is what Blake and his bandmates refer to that tight circle of girls swooning at them, throwing their panties at them during their nightly performances. Annie says she doesn’t really mind as long as Blake doesn’t catch any. Blake and his girlfriend, Annie, are pretty serious. They’re raising his son, actually his dead brother’s son, together. I’ve always considered Blake my brother—and I did Benji, too, even though our connection was through our shared half-brother, Wyatt. Speaking of the goof. I glance around but don’t see him in the vicinity.
“I’m good with you guys.”
Owen leads us to the back, down a short hall to a room that opens up to a few pool tables and a dartboard.
“Dudes”—Owen slaps his buddies five—“this is Piper’s brother. Cade—this dude with the serious tats is Jet. The clean-cut, jock version is Rex.”
“Nice to meet you.” I shake Jet’s hand first, stiff, tough. Rex is a bit more relaxed all the way around.
“You look just like her, man.” Jet shakes his head at me as if what he is seeing is surreal. “That’s cool. I bet you two are tight.”
“We’re close. Piper and I went to the same boarding school. We hung out on weekends whenever we could.”
“I get it.” Rex tosses me a pool stick. “I went to boarding school myself. It’s just not the same as growing up in a house full of siblings and parents.”
“Parents?” I tease. “What are those? I was hatched from a pod.”
We share a laugh and start in on the game.
“So, where are all the girls?” I nod to Owen.
He frowns a moment as he steadies his gaze to the table. “Movies. Chick flick.”
“Sounds like you dodged a bullet.” I’d die to see a chick flick with Cassidy. Aside from class and my bedroom, that girl is harder to spot than Bigfoot.