Chapter 34: Sadie: Not A Vibe Killer

SADIE

The rest of the day passes with me shut in my room, no calmer than I was when Trey retreated to his.

He hasn’t come out once. I know because I’ve been waiting for him, ready to chew him out the second he shows his face again.

The nerve of him to judge me when he hasn’t lived through a quarter of what I have. Pity? What does Trey Mercer know about needing it when Boreal worships him and most of his problems can be solved with a black card?

And why the hell does my relationship with Ezra bother him so much? He knew we were together for three years before he hired me, so why is he suddenly acting like it’s some weapon he gets to use against me?

Jealousy would be the obvious answer, but come on. Ezra and I were miserable, and Mercer Jerk Number Two is definitely not jealous because his brother had me first.

Goddess. Even thinking that makes me sound out of my mind.

I sigh hard enough to puff a strand of hair away from my face. "Pity. He can take his pity and—"

The doorbell goes off.

I roll my eyes and stay sprawled across the bed. Whoever it is is almost definitely here for Trey, so he can deal with it.

Except it rings again. Then again, with no sign or response from his room.

Seriously? Is he deaf now, or too busy playing with those stupid butterflies of his?

"Sorry, butterflies. That was mean," I whisper as I sit up a moment later.

They’ve done nothing except have the misfortune of being raised by Trey Mercer.

The bell rings again before my feet touch the floor.

"Holy goofball, I’m coming."

With both feet lowered carefully, I brace for the pain and hobble toward the door.

In my irritation, I forget to check the camera first, which is how Lola’s pale face nearly makes me jump when I swing it open.

"Lola, what are—"

More faces crowd into view behind her before I can finish—Dawson. Walker. Nash. And at least four other guys I don’t recognize.

My eyes widen.

"Finally," Lola says, already pushing the door wider. "What took you so long? I’ve been texting you. Were you sleeping?"

"Uh..."

Walker lifts a hand behind her. "Hey, Sadie."

Nash leans around Dawson, looking amused by my confusion. "Surprise?"

"That’s one word for it," I mutter, stepping aside as Lola bulldozes her way into the apartment.

Everyone else trails in after her. Dawson nods on his way past, and two of the unfamiliar faces take in the apartment before turning to me.

I look from Lola in her jumpsuit to the crowd now taking over Trey’s entryway.

"Damn. I didn’t know Cap had a girl living here," someone says from behind Dawson.

Before I can respond, Lola’s hand closes around my arm.

"Sadie." Her whole expression shifts as she examines my body. "What happened to you?"

I glance down at the bandages. Right. Those. "It’s a long story."

"A long story?" Her brows shoot up. "Does it hurt? What happened? Did you fall? Who did this?"

"It was an accident." I drop my voice. "I’ll tell you everything later, I promise."

She studies me for another second. "You’re actually okay?"

"I’m fine. Mostly."

One of the guys in baggy black jeans looks between us. "I’ve literally never seen you before. Where’s Trey?"

"Inside."

"Met her earlier," Dawson says, dropping onto the sofa. A smirk pulls at his mouth. "That’s Sadie. Cap’s girl."

"Yeah, no." I’m officially done letting people run with that. "I’m not his girl. I’m just his tutor."

"A very useless one at that." Trey’s voice cuts across the conversation.

Every head turns as he steps out of his room into the hallway in black sweatpants and a fitted white T-shirt, his hair slightly mussed.

Of course he has to be like this. Being miserable by himself wasn’t enough; he had to come out here and spread it around.

Thanks to him, Dawson’s smirk disappears. Walker goes quiet beside Nash, and the guys I don’t know exchange quick glances with each other.

Heat crawls up my neck.

Lola shifts beside me, and I don’t have to look at her to know she’s already waiting for an explanation.

Later. Much, much later.

"Right," one of the guys says, clapping once. "Since this got awkward, I’m Michael but most people call me MK. Goalie. Best player on the team."

The guy beside him scoffs. "He says that every time he introduces himself. Nobody agrees."

Michael points at him. "Jealousy is ugly on you."

"Sure." The other guy waves in my direction. "Eli. Defense. And unlike him, I don’t need to lie to strangers for attention."

That earns a few laughs, enough to loosen the awkwardness Trey created.

The introductions keep going from there. Jordan plays defense too. Cam is a forward, and within a minute I’ve managed to attach names to all the unfamiliar faces while Michael continues insisting he’s the best person in the room despite several people telling him to shut up.

"Nice to meet you all," I say once there’s finally an opening. "I’m Sadie Rhodes, like Dawson said. And this is Lola Briggs. Psych major and my best friend."

Walker looks Lola over for a second. "Huh. I always thought psych majors had a look. Guess that stereotype’s dead."

Lola turns slowly toward him. "What exactly is a psych major supposed to look like?"

Walker doesn’t answer. He just lifts the drink he stole from Trey’s fridge in her direction, gulps from it, and grins.

Lola glares at him, muttering something under her breath as Trey returns with an apple in one hand. I make a point of not looking at him. Hard to pull off when he somehow makes himself impossible to ignore.

He drops onto the couch and takes a bite of his apple. "Why are you all here?"

Michael stares at him. "Dude, use your eyes. You think we dressed like this for a sleepover?"

Trey doesn’t respond.

Michael jabs a finger at him. "Don’t tell me you forgot about the party."

Nash laughs. "Oh, he definitely forgot."

I finally register what they’re wearing—dark jeans, cargos, open shirts, chains, spotless sneakers. Even Walker and Nash look more put together than usual.

Okay. That explains it.

"I’m not in the mood anymore," Trey says, taking another bite of his apple. "You can leave."

"Not in the mood?" Michael frowns. "Bro, half of Delta Rho is gonna be there tonight."

A scoff slips out before I can stop it, earning an immediate elbow from Lola.

I give her a warning glare.

If only she knew.

Girls being the selling point isn’t exactly shocking. More importantly, Paige is part of Delta Rho, a fact I only know because I may have developed a slightly unhealthy habit of checking her gossip blog ever since she shoved that photo of me in my face.

So maybe that’s how it happened. Somewhere between parties and hockey games, she and Trey started sneaking off together and—

Nope.

I am not imagining those two in some dark corner licking each other’s bodily fluids. Especially when, for some reason, the image makes me want to crawl out of my skin.

"If Cap’s gonna sit here and be miserable, Sadie and Lola should come instead." Walker’s voice mercifully drags me out of it. He points his bottle our way. "You two party hard, right?"

I lift my injured hand, then nod towards my bandaged feet. "Walker. Can you not see me?"

"It’s not that—"

"Lola looks like she’d be fun."

I turn at the sound of Trey’s voice.

He takes his time chewing before adding, "Her friend, not so much. She might run into somebody at the party and start whimpering."

The nerve of this guy.

I’ve thought that at least fifty times today, and somehow he keeps finding new reasons to make me think it again. Even worse, the conversation thins out enough for me to catch the smirks spreading around the room.

Great. Anyone with a pulse can tell there’s tension between us, and judging by their faces, they’ve decided it’s sexual.

I would rather bleach my asshole than let them leave thinking that.

Lola bumps my arm. "Okay. What happened between you two?"

"Later."

She scowls, but there’s no way I’m unpacking that disaster in front of half the hockey team. And when later comes, she’s getting the complete version. Trey Mercer will be thoroughly trashed.

Until then, I refuse to let him get the final word.

I turn to Michael. "Where’s this party?"

"Delta Rho, off Cleveland Circle." His brows rise. "Why?"

"Want to go?" I ask Lola.

"Duh. You know I love a party." Her smile appears instantly, then fades. "But can you even manage that right now? Sadie, you can barely walk."

Then she leans closer, lowering her voice. "Are you sure you want to go?"

I know exactly why she’s asking. I’ve never been to a frat party before. Not even once.

"I’ll manage."

"You’re limping."

"So? I can limp and still have fun." I shrug. "And I can always find a guy who’s my type and vibe with him all night. Unlike some people here, I’m not a vibe killer."

The guys erupt together. "Ooooooh!"

Michael nearly folds over laughing while Walker slaps Dawson’s shoulder.

"I like her," Michael announces.

In the middle of all the noise, Trey’s gaze finds mine, his eyes narrowing into slits. Guess condescension isn’t as fun when it comes back his way.

Lola grabs my good arm. "Okay, if we’re actually doing this, we need to get you dressed."