Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Kash
Livingston - Gravedigger
J ameson and I waited patiently in the lobby outside of the Dean’s office. He was hooked on creating a frat, and while it wasn’t a bad idea, it came with a lot of work that I wasn’t even sure I was up for. I just wanted to get through college and leave it at that.
Jameson’s foot tapped impatiently against the rough carpet, his elbows on his knees while he looked at the wall across from us. My posture was much more relaxed. My head rested against the wall behind us, my legs spread out in front of me.
I wasn’t against joining a fraternity. There was a level of power and control that came with it. But it was meaningless without my friends. Maybe creating our own would grant me even more power, and maybe we could talk Ash into joining, too. Like a secret society or some shit. That thought lingered in the back of my mind, even as the brown-headed assistant named Jocelyn glanced over at Jamie for the hundredth time since we’ve been in here. She was hot, with a dusting of light freckles scattered across the bridge of her nose, trickling onto her cheeks that appeared nearly invisible. She had big brown eyes and an octangular face with sharp eyebrows that had to have been drawn on. A hoop was wrapped around her left nostril, and she looked around our age. This must have been an internship or something for her.
I nudged Jameson with my elbow and glanced at the hot girl behind the desk for emphasis. As if suddenly noticing her, he looked up, his gaze trailing over her face for a long moment before drifting down to her large breasts.
A pink tint coated her cheeks, trickling all the way down to her neck where it disappeared beneath the high collar of her shirt, leaving a lot to the imagination. Modest, was she? If she wasn’t busy eye-fucking my best friend, I might have taken her for myself.
“Come here,” Jameson said, patting the empty seat on the other side of him.
Jocelyn hesitated before rising. With slow movements, she rounded the desk and reluctantly obeyed, sinking down on the chair next to him. Her jeans were tight around her thick thighs with a large belt buckle hugging her waist.
“Are you a student here?” he asked.
She nodded. “I’m a junior.”
Jameson tossed me a glance, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth before he fixed his attention back on the pretty thing offering him her undivided attention. “Are you going to the frat party next weekend?”
“Which one?” she countered. “Every frat is throwing a party next weekend.”
I leaned forward in my seat, trying to get a better look at her. “Acacia,” I replied, vividly remembering the name Ash had told me when he’d first brought it up.
Her lips formed a perfect O. “I wasn’t planning to, but if you’re inviting me, then maybe.”
“Oh, I’m inviting you,” Jameson replied smoothly.
She smiled back at him, her white teeth lighting up her flawless features. It would be a nice distraction for him. He needed to get back out there and stop moping about the cheating cunt that had not only broken Ash’s heart with her disloyalty, but Jamie’s, too. I’d always had a hunch that his feelings for Everleigh went beyond friendship, sinking into dangerous territory. It wasn’t like they could have ever been anything more. Ash was fine with sharing her body with the two of us, but I highly doubted that he was okay with letting her have more than one boyfriend. Not that it would have ever worked out, anyways, even if he had been okay with it.
Jameson continued talking to the girl next to him while I slipped into my own thoughts. I’d met Everleigh freshman year in high school. Ash came back to school one day, hand in hand with a girl I’d only seen briefly in the halls while passing. She wasn’t typically the type he went after, so I never expected it to last. But Ash also wasn’t the kind to ask a girl out. I figured she had to have been special if he was falling at her feet. He used to give us all kinds of updates about their relationship. Come to find out she was a virgin, which was even further from the kinds of girls he used to chase after.
It took him months before she finally relented and had sex with him.
They’d been inseparable. From the time he started bringing her around, to the time she up and cheated on him with his older brother. If she knew half the things we did about Dakota, she never would have even been with him alone in the first place. The entire situation felt off. She wouldn’t have sex with me or Jamie, but spread her legs for someone she barely knew, who was married, after she’d made it abundantly clear earlier that year that she didn’t do casual hookups.
My thoughts were brought to a screeching halt when the Dean’s office door creaked open. An older man stood in the doorway, reeking of money. An expensive watch hugged his wrist, a suit ironed against his body. His beady eyes flicked from me, to Jameson, and stilled on his assistant who obviously wasn’t doing her job. His lips drew into a tight line, disapproval radiating off of him.
Jocelyn cowered beneath his intense stare before jerking out of the seat and strolling back to her desk. I’d only met the dean once, and he’d been a lot friendlier during that encounter.
Dean Bishop turned to us at last once his assistant was safely tucked away, resuming her work. “You wanted to speak with me?” he asked, his voice much lighter than the glower etched into his weathered features.
Jameson stood, leaving me to mirror his movements. “Yes,” he answered.
Dean Bishop motioned us toward his awaiting office. Once we were inside, I cast a glance around. The room was bigger than expected with a large desk situated in front of a large glass window. He sank down behind it and I pulled the door closed, giving us some privacy.
Jamie didn’t wait for permission. He walked with an air of confidence, slipping into one of the seats adjacent to the dean. Hesitantly, I followed, doing the same.
“We were wondering what we had to do in order to create our own fraternity,” Jameson explained, getting straight to the point. “I understand that most, if not all, of the fraternities have been here for years, or even longer. But if there’s anything we can do to add a new one to the mix, we’d like to know how.”
I swallowed the snort that threatened to escape me at his sudden professionalism. The dean didn’t seem all that surprised by the question, though. Like hundreds have asked before us.
“Ah, yes.” The dean replied, sinking back into his chair. “We do have one open fraternity house that’s not currently in use, but no one seems to want it.”
A stitch tugged at my brows. “Is something wrong with it?” I asked.
“No.” He sighed, like he didn’t want to be having this conversation. “It used to be a sorority house. A few years ago, one of the girls committed suicide by jumping off the balcony. No one has been interested in it since.”
My eyes snapped to Jameson’s. I could see why people didn’t want it. That was fucking tragic. But death didn’t scare us. He glanced back at me, his face unreadable.
“We’ll take it.” He shrugged.
The dean’s eyes widened. “You’re sure?” he asked. “Most people know of its history and won’t even step foot inside it.”
“Yeah. We’re sure. If we have that much of a problem with it, at least we’ll have somewhere else to sleep rather than the dorms.”
Dean Bishop nodded, seemingly relieved that someone was willing to take it off his hands. “Of course. I can get some contracts made up for you two on Monday. Will you be available to go over them the following day?”
“Sure,” he agreed.
I leaned forward in my seat, unable to help myself. “Do you know why the girl committed suicide?” I questioned. Death has always fascinated me in a way. Not the act itself, but the how and the why.
The dean tensed for a moment and shook his head. “Nobody knows for sure. There is a lot of drama within sororities. It could have been over that, over a boy, or something entirely personal.”
Jameson shot me a glare, pissed that I’d even ask when the dean was handing us a frat house on a silver platter. I shrugged in response.
When neither one of us commented on it further, the dean cleared his throat. “Once the contracts are signed, I’ll have the keys ready for you.”
“Thanks,” Jameson said before rising. “We’ll be seeing you soon, then.”
We slipped into our assigned seats in Biostatistics. Jameson has made it a habit of finding some girl to throw a drink on Everleigh daily. She’d gotten smarter, though, and started bringing a change of clothes after the first attack. The only evidence that she’d been assaulted with a beverage were the tips of her long hair being damp. It was amateur, but it pissed her off, so that was satisfying enough.
I’ve always had a sweet spot for revenge. Even in my younger years. When someone crossed a line that resulted in your pain, there was a sweet satisfaction that came from making them pay for it. There was a rush of adrenaline that pooled in the depths of my system when I leveled that playing field. Everleigh might not have broken my heart, but she had put a knife in my back when she chose to do what she did. Jameson and Ash suffered more for her disloyalty than I could have even imagined. Then again, I knew what that was like. Crystal had been my girlfriend for over a year, after all.
Funny enough, in the most unexpected turn of events, Everleigh was even more of a snake than my former girlfriend. Little E had lured us in with her kindness, her innocence. She made us trust her so completely that she’d become one of us. Unlike Crystal, who was a known slut from the start and was direct as shit at her intentions, Everleigh was the complete opposite. Her betrayal blindsided all of us, even Jameson who was more observant with that kind of thing.
Because of that, she would pay more deeply than anyone else ever has by our hands. It truly helped that one of us was in every single class she had. Like fate was finally on our side for once, offering us the bitch on a silver platter. To twist her and destroy her until she was nothing but a goddamn memory.
Like Everleigh, I owned that same patience. Where Ashton and Jameson were eager, willing to show all of their cards up front, I was more subtle. I did love Everleigh. A little more than a friend, but a little less than a lover. She’d been family. As much as Jameson and Ash were, but a little more since she had a pussy and tits with a potent captivation. They could fuck with her heart: degrade her, bully her, have people throw things on her, even hate fuck her if that’s what they wanted. But I’d bide my time. I’d take everything from her until she had nothing left. Her will to live. The most powerful thing that could be taken from a person would be in my hands, and then…I’d crush it.
As if my thoughts had somehow wrapped their claws around Everleigh, her back stiffened and she turned. Her light brown eyes connected with mine before they darted over to Jameson who had been glaring daggers in her direction since we entered the room.
My mask was snapped in place, locked. She wouldn’t get a read on me unless I allowed her to. I could make her think whatever it was I wanted, and anything I allowed to slip wouldn’t be real. An illusion if you will. One so powerful that it could drive a person mad.
Ashton wanted to be the first to sink his claws into her. Just like before when she inevitably became his. But she was fair game, now. I wouldn’t fuck her because I wasn’t the type to screw my friend’s exes. But he couldn’t control anything beyond that.
He’d just have to learn that the hard way.
After my final class for the day, I made my way back to my dorm only to find Ash leaning against the wall next to my door. His arms were folded over his chest, his muscles straining against the thin material of his black shirt.
He glanced behind me, as if he were expecting someone else to be coming to my room with me. “Where’s James?” he asked, pushing off the wall.
I shrugged. “Fuck if I know. I’m not his keeper.”
He nodded before turning and swinging my bedroom door open. Annoyance flickered through my veins at the invasion of privacy. It had been something I’d grown accustomed to over the years, and now it was being exploited.
Sighing, I trailed after him, closing the door behind me and dropping my bag on the floor beside the wall. I hadn’t finished unpacking, boxes taking up the majority of the room. I hadn’t really had the chance, but was glad for it since we’d be moving into the frat house we talked about.
Ashton sat on the edge of my bed, extending his legs out in front of him. He tugged his phone out of the pocket of his jeans and swiped across it a few times before returning it. When he looked up at me again, determination was etched into his features. “I have a plan,” he began. “But I don’t want to discuss it without Jameson.”
I nodded. “So, call him.”
“I texted him.” He rolled his eyes. “What the fuck do you think I was just doing on my phone?”
Since Everleigh’s betrayal, he’d become a shell of the person he used to be. He was angrier, unforgiving, and ruthless now. It was just one of the many reasons we needed to make her pay. She literally ruined him. He was nothing like he used to be. Occasionally, he’d give us a sliver of the old version of him—the one we’d loved so unconditionally, but it was rare.
It didn’t take long for Jameson to reach my room since he was located only a few doors down. He closed the door behind him, the crowded space making me feel claustrophobic. My throat was tight because of it, fighting for oxygen that felt thin and nearly nonexistent.
Jameson took the spot next to Ash on my bed, leaving me to stand, but I was fine with that. There was more room over here.
Ash cleared his throat, a small, rare smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “How do you guys feel about sharing a girl?”
It felt like I’d been punched, the air wheezing out of me. The last time he’d even uttered those words was when he’d been referring to Everleigh. Jamie must have sensed that, too because his posture had snapped straight, completely filled with tension.
“Like fucking?” Jameson asked skeptically.
Ash shrugged. “Or dating.”
Jameson’s eyes snapped to mine, his chest rising and falling with aggression. “I haven’t dated anyone…like ever,” he pointed out.
“Only because you were obsessed with Everleigh,” he shot back and then snorted in amusement at Jameson’s incredulous expression. “Don’t look at me like that. I’d have to be blind to not have noticed it.”
What he was suggesting logically made sense. If Everleigh still cared about them, or even me, then that would probably be a start in hurting her. Not enough to destroy her, but a start. “I’m in.” I shrugged. “As long as she’s hot.” It didn’t have to be serious. This was purely for a greater purpose. Outside of this, I had no interest in putting myself out there, right now. I haven’t found a girl worth the effort, yet. Not since Crystal, and she definitely hadn’t been worth it.
Jameson swallowed; his eyes distant as he nodded. “Sure,” he agreed. “But who?”
Ashton’s grin widened into a maniacal smile that had chills racing down my spine. “I’ll let you know once I secure it. In the meantime, get your dick wet while you can. God knows, that’s what I’ll be doing.”
I snorted. “Why? Is she a virgin?”
“Fuck if I know,” he retorted.
“Is this someone we have to be loyal to?” Jameson added with a contemplative look.
Ashton thought about that for a moment. “Nah. Just don’t ruin it too fast. We need her long enough to make it hurt.”
My mind went right to Amber. She was friends with Everleigh and was the first person to show any interest in the three of us as a whole. It wasn’t a bad idea. Honestly, it was something I probably would have thought of if given more time.
A smirk captured Jameson’s features, and he leaned forward, putting his elbows against his knees. His eyes were alight with intrigue, determination, and even a flicker of pain. Like all the emotions he’d kept bottled up were finally revealing themselves in the depths of his irises. Right now, he rivaled Ashton, like they were in some competition of how to appear the most unhinged.
No one gave a fuck when Crystal cheated on me. Then again, they tried to talk me out of dating her in the first place, and she didn’t cheat with a sibling of mine. They also had no feelings for her, not even a deep friendship. Just the shallow-level kind that Ash had with her.
Maybe those things made all the difference. It sure as fuck did with me.
“Is that the plan you’ve cooked up?” I asked, crossing my arms.
Ashton smirked. “I have many more where that came from. She won’t last long. Figured we’d start small and work our way up.”
I nodded in agreement. That was the best way to do it. Keep her guessing, don’t play every single one of our cards, and then shatter her so irrevocably, that she’d never be able to come back from it.
“I like the sound of that,” I agreed.
Jameson nodded. “Me too.” He paused, seeming to remember something. “Completely off topic, but how do you feel about joining a fraternity?”
I snorted. Mostly because when I pictured frat guys, the first image that popped in my mind were a bunch of gym bros who couldn’t even locate the clit. None of us fit that stereotype. We didn’t give a fuck about any of that shit, though. Just the power and the endless amount of pussy that would be at our disposal. I mean, it practically was already, but we wouldn’t even have to put in the effort of chasing tail if we had our own frat. Bitches loved that shit. Loved feeling special. It was power. Plus, being the ones doing the hazing would be fun. We could come up with whatever we wanted. We could make anyone our target.
That would be Everleigh.
A mighty high price for potential members when all they had to do was fuck with a single chick.
Ash eyed him with skepticism. “Why?”
Jameson shrugged. “We just got the dean’s permission to start one. He’s having us sign the contract and giving us the keys next week.”
“Oh,” Ash replied, like that changed everything. “Fuck yeah, then.”
“We’ll need a name,” I reminded them. “And we’ll also have to recruit. At our old school, they had a party specifically for it. I’ll find out when it is, and we can go.”
Ash and Jamie nodded in unison.
When the weekend rolled around, I found myself stuck at some bar on the Northside babysitting Jameson while he drowned himself in Patron. His tolerance was through the roof nowadays, making him spend a lot more money because of it. Well, Ashton’s money to be exact.
“Fuck, I’m horny,” he slurred, after downing his twelfth shot.
I snorted. “I wouldn’t try getting laid in these parts of town,” I offered. “Never know what you might catch.”
This was the side of town hookers frequented. In fact, there were a few seated at the bar. Dressed in skimpy clothing, a drink in front of them that they didn’t intend on consuming, and their eyes trickling over potential prey. I’ve already had to save Jamie from their clutches a few times. Those sluts were anything if not persistent.
“Don’t be a cock block, Kash. Not unless you plan on getting down on your knees for me.”
I barked a laugh at his audacity. He had to be pretty fucked up to even think about propositioning me . Ashton’s lips twitched in amusement.
“It would be you on your knees before I ever bent mine.”
He waved a dismissive hand in the air, like it was the only strength he could muster. The bar wasn’t very big. One of those small-town types, but it didn’t stop people from filling up the seats. The alcohol here wasn’t all that great, either. But this was the one he wanted to come to for some reason, and I had a feeling why.
It was the one that didn’t ID us, and we came to as teenagers. With Everleigh.
My throat felt tight at that unwanted reminder. I tried not to think of her unless it had something to do with plotting against her. The alternative was too painful. Even for me. After her betrayal, Jameson spiraled. Started going into shady clubs, getting his ass beat, vandalizing vehicles and property, and took up drinking more heavily. It was easy to keep my mind off her when I was constantly getting him out of shit. Just when he started to get better, we got the call from Ash.
Jameson was broken.
The only girl he’d ever loved was the only girl he could never have. Not in the way he wanted her at least. Now, I wasn’t sure he wanted her at all. Not since her betrayal. She drove a wedge between all of us. Ash went to some school in Texas, and me and Jamie went somewhere else.
Our combined hate for Everleigh brought us back together. So, I guess that was one good thing that came out of this.
Jameson’s back straightened as he looked around the room, his gaze unfocused. “She’s hot,” he slurred, looking at a cracked-out bitch who’d just walked in between two biker dudes.
“I think you have beer goggles,” Ashton commented, shaking his head.
I had to agree. The woman that had walked in was probably in her mid-thirties. Her hair was fried beyond repair, and bleached blonde. She wore a biker jacket of her own and had a boxy figure. Almost manly looking if I was being honest.
Jameson scoffed. “You’re just mad you didn’t see her first.”
Ash and I exchanged glances.
“Are those her boyfriends?” he continued in a drowsy tone, looking between the guys on either side of her as if he was just now noticing them.
“Doesn’t matter,” Ash replied. “Because we’re leaving.”
Jameson groaned, but surprisingly didn’t argue it. He seemed like he was on the verge of passing out, his body swaying on the barstool. Ash stood, wrapping an arm around him before helping him to his feet. I moved to get his other side, but the dude was dead weight, even between the two of us holding him up.
It was easier getting him to the door with the extra set of hands, though. Before, I’d been doing it on my own every single weekend without fail. Sometimes even more frequently than that.
He’d get better eventually. He had to. One step at a fucking time.