Heartless Legacy (Heartless Heirs of Canyon Falls #4)

84. Thea

Chapter 84

Thea

I ’ve been staying at the dorms the last few days, because of the punishment Parker Sullivan imposed during the community service project. I’m rationing out my cash instead of using it all to commute to and from my place in Palisades Shores. I miss the condo. I’ve started to think of it as my home, just like I did the townhome we stayed in after my attack.

Pax is standing in the hallway outside of the class we share. He pulls himself away from the wall and walks so close behind me that I can smell his cologne. When I take my seat, he chooses the one directly behind me.

He doesn’t speak, or invade my space the way Finn would, and doesn’t intimidate anyone to force them away from me like Holden. But his imposing presence irritates me just the same. I sound a lot like Holden when I ask, “Why the hell are you over here?”

“Because you’re over here.”

“Your companion’s gonna be mad when she finds out.”

“Who’s gonna tell her? You?”

“Why would I tell her? I don’t want to have anything to do with the problems in your relationship.”

“But you are the problem in our relationship.”

Shifting in my chair, I say, “I admit I went out of my way to make a mess of her relationship with Finn. I haven’t given you the same treatment.”

“You’re not actively trying to get between us, but it’s still happening. I spend every moment of my life thinking of ways to see you. To touch you. To be near you. When I should be studying, I’m thinking of ways to prove to you just how badly I still want you and that I’ll do anything for you.”

“Awe.” I flutter my lashes. “You lie so prettily, but cut the shit. I’m not falling for it again, Pax.”

“We’ll see about that.”

The words are softly spoken, but I feel the determination in them skating across my skin. I don’t want to think about it. About why I feel anything other than disdain at Pax’s declaration about wanting me.

I look around the classroom to distract myself from my thoughts. There’s a curious assortment of faces looking our way. Some are openly scowling, others offer plaintive smiles. I’m used to the animosity, but today it seems to be directed at the person behind me.

A group of students sitting a few rows ahead of me have been whispering since entering the class. One says, “All this time we’ve supported them and they won’t lift a finger to help us keep our spot at Vale Tower.”

Another says, “Did we expect anything different? He stabbed Finn in the back. Of course, he wouldn’t speak up for us.”

I turn again, to look at Pax. Sitting as close as I am, I see the tense pull of his mouth, his hand clenched into a fist on his lap. He shifts as if he’s going to get out of his seat to confront them. “Ignore them.” I turn back to face the front of the room. “If they need help at the dorms, they should come and ask for it, instead of whispering about it like cowards.”

“They asked for help. There wasn’t anything we could do because their family line should never have been given a spot in Vale Tower.”

I snort. “You not doing anything about that shouldn’t be a surprise.” I grab my yellow highlighter and turn around to grab his hand, drawing a star on it.

“What are you doing?” He asks, but doesn’t pull his hand away.

“You’ve earned a gold star for consistency.”

“Sorry I’m late.” The professor says, rushing into the room. “Glad to see some of you still arrived on time or stayed. Those who aren’t here will be very sorry they missed out on this lesson.”

“Uh, oh. What did you do now?” LJ asks as we walk into the dining hall.

“Nothing.” I respond, checking to make sure Finn and Holden’s hands are empty. They’ve challenged me to another water fight. I don’t think they’ll ambush me here, but you never know. “How was your test?” I ask, pulling my attention away from the two men now standing behind us in line.

She worries her bottom lip before answering, “Okay, I think. There was some stuff I wasn’t sure about, but I think I passed.”

Thinks she passed? LJ never thinks. She usually knows what grade she’s earned, give or take ten points, because she studies her ass off. “Did it include material you didn’t cover?”

“We went over it in the lessons and the study guide, but I didn’t get a lot of study time in.”

“You’re kidding, right? You always make time to study; Little Miss I’m Aiming for a Certain Post Graduate Scholarship.”

“Damon was studying for an exam too, and he struggled with the subject matter, so I spent a lot of time on the phone walking him through it.” She hastily adds, “But my grades will be fine as long as I ace the midterms.”

“I know you will.” Looking around the dining hall, I see one of the residents of Vale Tower wave at her. She seems to be on friendlier terms with the girls she went to high school with, which prompts me to ask, “How are things with the Lady Lions? I haven’t gotten invited to any of your cool social events this semester.”

“That’s because I haven’t been to any. But it’s fine. I’ve been so busy with the social outings my mom’s been going to. You know?”

I don’t know, and that doesn’t sit well with me. Part of the reason LJ and I bonded was because those girls ostracized her. She was doing so well with the Lady Lions. What happened? Did they do something to her?

I let her change the subject and answer when she asks about my latest workout at Wolfe Pack.

I march up the steps of the sorority house and push my way inside, ignoring the yelps from the lions sprawled out enjoying a movie night. The president unfolds her body from the chair with a sigh. “Hey, Thea.”

“You don’t look surprised to see me.”

She walks down the hall, and I follow. “I expected a visit from you sooner.”

We enter a room on the left, and she closes the door behind me. She’s not afraid of being alone with me. That has me on alert. “Why’s that?” I ask, responding to her earlier statement.

“Because everyone knows how protective you are of LJ, and I think it’s obvious to everyone that she’s not as involved here as she should be. If it were me, I’d think it was because we had a falling out.”

“Did you?”

“Not at all. We all love LJ. This is her sorority. Her sisterhood. Her home if she chooses it to be.”

“She chose you guys last year, so why hasn’t she been invited to movie nights and barbecue beach days?”

“LJ’s invited. She doesn’t show up, and when she does, there’s at least one legacy daughter glued to her hip.” She scrubs her hand across her face. “We don’t force our members to only be friends with each other. But, that group she’s hanging with… we’re not a good mix.”

I can believe that. “When did this all start?”

“Things were fine over the summer. LJ missed a few events because of family stuff, then a few more to spend time with the guy she’s seeing.”

“You’ve met Damon?”

Shaking her head, she says, “Riley’s seen him the few times he’s come to town, but she said he’s not much of a talker. He’s always rushing LJ along. The redhead that sits at legacy table number ten...” I nod because I know who she’s talking about. It’s the girl who waved at LJ earlier. “That’s his step-sister or cousin-sister.” She frowns. “Anyway, once their relationship got serious, LJ started blowing us off more frequently. It was the summer. I figured she’d come back around when we were all on campus. But it hasn’t happened.”

“Thanks for the information.” I say, opening the door and heading back down the hall.

She calls out to me, “Thea.”

“What?”

“When you talk to LJ, please let her know we miss her and we’re here for her whenever she’s ready to come back.”

My next stop after the Lion’s Den is Austin’s dorm room. I bang on the door, not caring about the time or waking any of the football jocks that might be asleep. “Thea?” He asks, raking a hand through his hair. “What’s wrong?”

I drag my eyes over his naked torso and down to the towel draped on his hips. “You might wanna put some clothes on for this conversation.”

“I’m good. Why are you here banging on my door like the police?”

“What do you know about the guy LJ’s seeing?”

He’s quick to answer, “Nothing.”

“This isn’t the time for some bro-code shit, Austin. Who is he?”

“I honestly know nothing about him. I met him once when I ran into them at a restaurant. I was leaving as they were coming in. She gave a quick intro, said his name was Damon something. He was insistent about not missing their reservation, so they rushed along. When I asked about him, the next time I saw her, she said they met through her mom and that he goes to UC Berkeley. Other than that…” He shrugs.

“Other than that, you didn’t ask any more questions about some random guy showing up in LJ’s life? You just let it go?”

“I asked, Thea. I didn’t let it go. But the more I asked, the quieter she got. I figured she felt uncomfortable talking to me about it because I’m a guy.” He shakes his head, shoulders slumped.

“What else?” I ask, sensing there’s more to the story.

“I invited them to a Coyote game. I figured it would be a good way to get to know the new guy in her life. LJ was so excited, too. ”

“And?”

“And I overheard them talking. She had him on speakerphone and he said he was busy. When she said she’d try to get him an autograph, he told her that nice girls don’t spend their time unchaperoned around men they’re not dating.” He looks so dejected when he says, “I wish I had more to tell you, Thea, but LJ had been pulling away from me and Connor. I think we were too much of a reminder of you.”

I give him an understanding nod. It may have seemed like that’s what was causing the rift, but I’m not so sure. “Sorry to disrupt your evening.”

I’m on the phone before I make it back outside. “Wsup bitch?” Sasha answers way too cheerily for this time of night. That means she’s doing something to someone’s computer systems that they won’t enjoy.

“Sasha, I need everything you can find on a Damon no last name attending UC Berkeley. He’s got ties to Canyon Falls.”

“On it.”

She ends the call without asking for any more details. Sasha’s just that good. One clue is all she needs.