Chapter Nine
Maisie
“Morning, sleepyhead.”
I blink once, then twice, before Lyric’s face comes into view, her shiny brown locks falling forward around her face as she leans over me.
“Morning,” I croak, my throat feeling like I’ve spent the night gargling sand.
Stretching, I groan at the stiffness in my back from sleeping on Lyric and Kai’s couch.
Then again, my brother is sleeping on the floor, his light snore filling the room as he lies sprawled out on his back, so I guess out of the two of us, I should count myself lucky.
Sometimes it does pay to be a female, especially when it comes to men like Kai and my brother, who have a much greater respect for women than a lot of other guys I know.
Macallan’s face flashes through my mind, the events of last night and what led me to sleep on Kai and Lyric’s couch to begin with coming to the forefront of my thoughts.
Lana drugging Joey. Mac and I driving him to the hospital. The police.
My stomach churns nervously at the reality of what I’m likely going to have to face today.
“What time is it?”
Lyric straightens as I force myself upright before swinging my legs over the side of the couch.
“Almost eight. You mentioned having to go to the police station at ten, so I thought it best to wake you so you’d have time to get dressed and stuff.”
“I do,” I confirm, stretching my arms over my head, trying to sort out the ache in my back. “Thank you.”
“You can borrow something of mine if you don’t want to go back to your dorm right now,” she offers, plopping down on the couch next to me where my legs were lying just seconds ago.
“I appreciate that, but I should really go home and check on things. If I’m lucky, Lana won’t have destroyed all of my belongings when I get there.”
“You think she’d do that?”
“After last night, I wouldn’t put anything past her.”
“Maybe it’s best you don’t stay there right now. I mean, at least until you know the outcome of all of this.”
“I don’t really have much of an option.” I blow out a hard breath.
“You could stay here.”
I meet her hazel eyes before letting my gaze trace over the soft freckles that pepper her nose and cheeks. She truly has no idea how pretty she is, which honestly only makes her more so.
“I appreciate the offer, but the last thing you and Kai need is me crashing on your couch for the foreseeable future. Not to mention, if last night was any indication as to what I might have to endure...” I let my words trail off, not missing the slight blush that slides up her neck before spilling across her cheeks.
“You heard us?”
“Pretty sure the whole block heard you.” I laugh.
“I’m so sor—”
“Do not apologize.” I cut her off before she can finish. “At least one of us is having sex good enough to make the sounds you were making last night.” I wink.
Her blush deepens.
“Perhaps Char and River then? They have a second bedroom at least.”
“Please.” I snort. “Those two are even worse than you and Kai.”
Her nose crinkles in disgust.
“That’s my brother.” She fake gags, covering her mouth with her hand.
“Even still, doesn’t change the fact.”
“I don’t like the idea of you going back to your dorm while she’s still there.”
“Well, with any luck, she won’t be there. Once Joey is coherent enough to give a statement to the police, hopefully, she won’t be anyone’s problem anymore.”
“Let’s hope. Until then, if you insist on going back there this morning, I insist you take Kai with you.”
“Kai has better things to do than play bodyguard. Besides, that’s what brothers are for.” I stretch out my leg, nudging Jackson, who groans and rolls to his side. “Jack.” I nudge his back this time. “I need you to get up.”
“And I need you to shut up,” he groggily hisses.
“You’ve known me my whole life, brother. When have I ever shut up when you’ve told me to?” I grin.
“Ugh.” He flops to his back, sleepily blinking up at the ceiling.
“I need you to accompany me to my dorm before you head home.”
“Why?” He throws an arm over his forehead.
“Because of my quite possibly murderous roommate.”
“I still don’t understand why they didn’t arrest her last night.”
“Because they need to do a proper investigation to make sure our claims are true.”
“It is true.”
“Just because we know it is doesn’t mean they know it is.”
“Do you think the university will get involved?” Lyric asks, drawing my attention back to her.
“I think they’re going to have to.” I nod. “And while this is the last thing I want to deal with right now, Lana deserves to pay for what she did. Joey could have died, for fuck’s sake.”
“Language,” Jackson scolds.
“Adult,” I fire back. “Fuck off.”
“Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?” My brother rolls onto his side before forcing himself upright, rubbing his eyes with the backs of his hands.
“I sure do.” I give him a cheeky grin. “Now get your ass up. I have to be at the police station at ten.”
“What for again?”
“To give my official statement.”
“I thought you did that already.”
“I did. But they want to talk to me and Macallan again after they’ve had a chance to talk to Joey.”
“You want me to go with you to the station?” Lyric offers, rising to her feet when Kai enters the room.
Like a moth drawn to a flame, he moves straight for her, dropping a kiss to her temple when he reaches her.
“What’s going on?”
“I was just offering to accompany Maisie to the police station.”
“Might not be a bad idea to have a friend there,” Kai agrees.
“I appreciate the offer, but I think I’d rather just get it over with on my own. Besides, Macallan will be there.”
Lyric gives me a knowing look but otherwise remains quiet.
While she and Kai may know about Mac’s and my very brief encounter freshman year, my brother is none the wiser, and I’d like to keep it that way.
Of course, she knows this without me ever having to say a word. Lyric is very perceptive that way.
“You’re sure?”
“I am.” I force myself to stand despite how my legs scream with exhaustion as I do. After a brutal practice yesterday morning and the less-than-refreshing sleep I got last night, I feel about ready to keel over. “Come on, Jack.” I nudge my brother again.
“Yeah. Yeah,” he grumbles, climbing to his feet.
“You’ll call me as soon as you know anything?” Lyric asks.
“I will.” I nod, my earlier nerves returning with a vengeance.
“And the offer stands. If you need to stay here...”
“I’ll make do. Worst case, I’ll stay at my parents’ for a few days and commute.”
“Well, let me know if you change your mind.” She reaches out, giving my hand a gentle squeeze.
“I will.”
After slipping on my shoes and collecting my things, I stand by the door, waiting for my brother, while simultaneously watching Kai and Lyric in the kitchen.
My heart aches at the sight of them together.
The way Kai finds every excuse to touch her.
The way Lyric smiles, leaning into his touch when he comes up behind her, wrapping his arms around her middle as she attempts to flip the pancakes cooking on the stove in front of her.
My throat constricts as I watch him lean down, pressing a kiss to the side of her neck.
She lets out a contented sigh, sinking further into him.
What I wouldn’t give for someone to look at me like that. To hold me like that. To love me like that. To...
“You ready?” Jackson’s voice breaks me out of my stupor, and I straighten, nodding as I turn my attention to him.
After saying our goodbyes, we exit the apartment and make the five-minute drive back to my dorm in silence. My brother is not typically one for unnecessary conversation, and right now, that serves me just fine as I’m rather preoccupied by my own thoughts at the moment.
With each mile we drive, my nerves increase, and by the time we pull up outside of my building, I feel on the verge of expelling whatever still sits in my stomach from last night, given that I haven’t eaten or drunk a single thing today, a fact my body seems all too aware of.
I need food. I need caffeine. But more than anything, I need to get this over with.
Without me having to ask, Jackson exits the car and follows me inside the building and up to my dorm. The door is unlocked when we arrive, which isn’t entirely unusual. I draw in a deep breath and then blow it out slowly as I twist the handle and then push the door open.
My eyes dart around the room, relief flooding through me when I realize the room is vacant.
There are no lights on. The bathroom door is open, so I can clearly see there’s no one inside, and other than the ticking of the clock that hangs on the wall, there’s no sound.
I press up on my tiptoes to get a better look at Lana’s bed, not fully relaxing until I see that it’s empty.
“She’s not here,” I tell my brother, kicking off my shoes before quickly moving farther into the room to where my wardrobe sits.
Pulling it open, I grab an outfit for the day, a pair of distressed jeans and a fitted tee, as well as some undergarments. Knocking it closed with my hip, I quickly head toward the bathroom.
“Give me ten minutes to shower and get dressed, and we can get the hell out of here.”
My brother nods as he lowers himself into my desk chair, stretching his long legs out in front of him.
“What do I do if crazy pants comes home?” he asks.
“Act like everything is normal.”
“Normal.” He shakes his head, but before he can say more, I dip inside the bathroom.
“You think they’ll do anything?” Macallan asks as we exit the police station nearly two hours after we arrived.
Jackson stayed with me until Mac got there, and then together, we went inside. It felt weird, walking in with him as a united front. I don’t think he and I have ever been united in anything, and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t feel good to be on the same side for once, even if it shouldn’t.
“Hard to say. It doesn’t help our case that Joey doesn’t remember seeing Lana, therefore can’t confirm she’s the one who drugged him.”
“So what now?”