25. Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Five
Margot
Alex doesn’t show up to public speaking class, nor does he answer any of the calls or texts I sent after he sent me that picture yesterday. I know he’s pissed at me for what I assumed about Ryan but I don’t feel bad about that. In all the time I’ve spent with him, he hasn’t given me any indication that he could do anything so vile. But that doesn't mean that I don’t believe Alex. The whole thing is very confusing and all I want to do is talk to Alex about it. I can only hope he’s not so pissed that he’ll flake on the podcast.
After class, I head toward the library to wait for Alex in the study room. When I walk up to the desk, Edith gives me a smirk. “Your gentleman friend has already picked up the key,” she says with a wink.
I can’t help the relief I feel as I walk down the stairs toward the room. I know Alex and I are in for a difficult conversation but at least he showed up to have it.
The door is wedged open a crack to allow me to enter without knocking. I open my mouth to apologize to Alex right away but what I’m met with instead causes me to shut it, just as the door closes behind me
Alex is sitting at the table but he’s not the only one. Devon, Kai and Keith are also sat with him, all four of them looking directly at me.
“Hello?”
“Have a seat, Margot,” Alex says, his voice oddly cold. It’s then that I realize that all four of them are sitting on the same side and there’s only one empty chair across from them. Like an interrogation.
I hesitate at the door. “I’m not sure I want to…”
Alex rolls his eyes and cracks a hesitant grin. “You’re not in trouble.”
Not really any more appeased, I cautiously take the empty seat across from them. “What is this about?”
“We need your help,” Devon says immediately. “You saw what DE did to our house right?”
“Yeah, Alex sent me a picture.”
“It’s some bullshit and now we need to get them back,” Kai continues Devon’s thought. Almost like they planned this. It’s actually kind of funny to me for a moment, until I remember I have no idea why they’ve gathered me here.
“I don’t know what that has to do with me…” I already paid my prank dues. I didn’t realize this would turn into an ongoing situation that I was to be forced to be a part of.
It’s finally Alex who speaks next. “We need to reevaluate the terms of our deal.”
Taking a deep breath, I make a demand. “Alex, can we talk about this without the back up?”
Alex looks back and forth between his friends before nodding once. “I got it from here.” The rest of his crew stands and leaves out the door without another word or glance in my direction.
“What the hell is going on? You didn’t tell me this prank thing would be ongoing.”
“I didn’t think it would. And I wanted to leave you out of this one, but you made it personal when Ryan and the deltas dicked up our house.”
“ I made it personal?”
“Ryan made it personal. And you are personal with Ryan.”
“Cut the bullshit, Alex, please. Just what are you asking me to do?”
“We need you to help us get them back. And we want to go after Ryan.”
“Why are you so sure that Ryan did this? There’s a lot of guys in that frat. It could’ve been anyone.”
“I know it was him.”
I stare at him from across the table, my anger brewing. We sit in silence for a minute or so, neither one of us breaking the tension.
Alex sighs first. “Why don’t you ask him then?”
He’s challenging me. He doesn’t think I would ask. I pull my phone out of my back pocket, dial Ryan’s number, put the phone on speaker and set it on the table.
“Hey, babe,” he answers after two rings.
Alex rolls his eyes but remains silent.
I lean down over the table to speak close to the phone. “Hey, can I ask you something?”
A car horn honks behind Ryan’s voice. “Sure, what’s up?”
“Did you have anything to do with the KA house being vandalized?”
Ryan sighs. “Ah, man I saw that. But no, of course not. I would never stoop so low with my revenge plots.” His voice is casual, not a hint of regret or guilt.
“Why are you out to get revenge on the kappas?” As far as I was aware, they didn’t know that their lock in was from Alex and his friends. And I definitely didn’t want Ryan to know my involvement in it.
Ryan chuckles. “Everyone knows they locked us in the night of the gala.”
I choose to ignore that comment, hoping he won’t find out how integral I was to that plan, even if it didn’t go as smoothly as we’d hoped, thanks to Ryan’s chivalry. “Okay, so you’re sure you had nothing to do with the graffiti?” I give him one last time to tell me the truth and I’ll believe whatever he says. He’s given me no reason not to.
“I’m sure. I wouldn’t do that.”
“Okay,” I sigh in relief.
“Did Alex tell you I did? Because he probably just—”
Alex hits the large red button on the screen, disconnecting the call instantly.
“Hey!” I cry, snatching the phone off the table and out of his reach. “You got your answer, okay? He didn’t do it.”
“And you really believe him? Everything he just said was pure bullshit, Margot.”
“Why wouldn’t I believe him? Why would he lie?”
“Because he wants to get in your fucking pants! God, how naive are you going to be?”
I’m shaking my head, shutting out his hateful words. What have I ever done to him to make him so cruel to me? All I’ve done is try to be his friend. I should’ve known better than to let him in enough to have any control over my emotions. Lesson learned.
Alex’s fingers are pinching the top of his nose. “I didn’t mean that.” His voice sounds pained but for once, I don’t really care. The only thing keeping me from storming out that door is the fact that I did make a deal with him and he is helping me with the internship contest.
“I’ll help you with the prank. Only because I made a deal with you and I need you to keep upholding your end. But I refuse to do anything personally against Ryan. Figure it out.” I stand up and head toward the door.
Alex stands too but doesn’t move toward me. “Wait, please. Don’t go. What about the podcast meeting?”
I open my phone, find the website and click publish. “I’ll plan the next episode myself and email you the script this week. See you Saturday.”
Pulling the door open, I leave before he can say another word. I don’t look back as I continue up the stairs and out the library doors. After a quick text to Sydney, I only have to wait about three minutes before she’s pulling up in front of the library.
I see Alex leave the library as I get into Sydney’s car. He spots me in the car and starts to walk toward us, hurriedly.
“Go. Go, go,” I say to Sydney, and she confusingly moves the gear shift into drive and pulls away from the curb.
“Any particular reason why we’re running away from Alex?”
I sigh, watching Alex’s tall form disappear in the mirror. “Let’s pick up a bottle of wine on the way home. We need a girl’s night.”
“Get me another slice,” Danika says as I pull a piece of pizza from the box on the counter. Grabbing another for Dani, I place it on my plate as I walk back over to where they’re sitting. We’re about three-quarters finished with the bottle of wine and nowhere near close to figuring out what I should do about this whole Ryan and Alex thing.
Sliding the slice onto Dani’s plate, I plop back onto the couch next to Sydney. “Can one of you just tell me what to do, please?” I ask, taking a sad bite of my third slice of pizza.
“What are you thinking?” Sydney asks.
I sigh. “I honestly don’t know what to believe. Or who. On the one hand, it would make sense that Ryan would lead the charge for his frat house in retaliation for the KA prank.”
I place the plate on my lap and lean my head back against the couch. “But on the other hand, vandalism like that is so disgusting, I can’t picture a nice guy like Ryan doing anything like that. And then lying about it?”
Shaking my head, I look back over at Sydney and Dani who are looking back at me with twin sympathetic looks.
“It’s definitely a tricky situation,” Syd says, tapping my knee a few times before looking over at Danika for back up.
“I think it all comes down to who you trust more.”
I narrow my eyes. “What do you mean?”
“Alex was your friend first. In terms of seniority, he should have your allegiance over Ryan. But you and Ryan are involved romantically and that can trump friendships.”
I blink, listening to insightful words.
“So, I think the real question is: Who do you trust more? Because it can’t be both, especially not in the case where they’re telling you different things.”
“Who should I trust?”
Dani lets out a breathy chuckle. “We can’t answer that for you, Mar.”
I lean my head back again with a groan. Squeezing my eyes shut I hope to shut out the demons in my mind.
Sydney rubs my shoulder. “Who do you want to trust?”
Alex . The name echoes in my brain. I open my eyes.
“Alex.”
Sydney whips her head to look at Danika who smiles. “Atta girl.”
A knock sounds on the door, and all three of us whip our heads around. Hesitantly, we tiptoe toward the door, Sydney in front who looks in the peephole. Pulling her mouth into a tight smile, she winks at me and then pushes me in front of her.
“Who’s it—”
“Sunshine?”
I draw in a breath. Giggling behind me, the girls walk back toward the living room and go into their respective rooms. Turning back toward the door, I take in a deep, stabilizing inhale.
“Please, sun. I just want to talk. I’m really sorry about before. Just—”
I open the door swiftly, catching Alex entirely by surprise. I’m not sure what my expression says, but Alex seems to sigh in relief just at the fact that I opened the door. We stand there motionless for a few seconds.
Alex runs his hand through his hair. “Can I come in?” He asks nervously.
I nod and switch on the hall light to help guide his way. It flickers as usual and Alex looks up as he walks in, the door closing behind him. He takes a few steps forward until he’s in our living room.
“Listen, let me just—”
I quiet him with a silent finger on my lips. Eying my roommate’s doors, I cock my head toward my bedroom, motioning for him to go in there. He follows my silent instructions, and I shut the door behind us both, leaning back against the knob.
“Sorry, I just know my roommates have a cup wedged between their ear and those doors. We’ll have more privacy in here.”
Alex nods before turning to scope out my room. I’m having deja vu from the time I did the same thing to him a few weeks back. He glances at my bookcase, my closet, his gaze lingering on my unmade bed before he turns around and faces me again.
“I hate the way we left things back there.”
“I do, too.”
“I don’t want you to think that I’m just using you for this prank shit. I’ve actually really grown to appreciate our…friendship.” He hesitates on the word before continuing, “And I just don’t want this dumb bullshit to get in the way of that.”
“I feel the same way.” I keep my replies short, not sure how much I want to reveal in this conversation.
Alex sighs and sits down on my bed. He looks down at his hands as he speaks. “I know you don’t believe me. But I know for a fact that Ryan did the prank. Whether it was him or his house, he was involved somehow and I just—”
“I believe you.”
Alex’s eyes bolt to mine.
“I decided that I want to trust you so…I believe you.”
Alex’s eyes light up as he jumps from the bed and rushes toward me. Grabbing me around the waist, he lifts me up in a huge hug, and I’m a giggling mess laughing in his ear.
“Put me down!” I laugh and he does what I’ve asked but as his hands release my waist, he uses them instead to cup my face on either side. His face is inches from mine, and I hope to god my breath doesn’t reek of pizza and wine. His smell is minty and fresh, as usual.
Alex looks back and forth between my eyes for a few seconds before he dips the tip of his nose to touch mine. “Thank you. Seriously, you don’t know what that means to me.”
I blink, not knowing how to respond. His lips are plump and so so close to mine. Just the slightest movement of my toes and I could be touching his lips with my own. I think he notices that too as his gaze leaves my eyes and looks down at my mouth.
“Sunshine…” he sighs and leans down a bit more. I close my eyes.
A bang on my bedroom door rips us apart.
“Margot?” A male voice. An angry male voice.
Pulling away from Alex, I open the door to see Ryan standing there, his face furious, a worried Danika and Sydney behind him.
“What are you doing here?” I step closer to him.
He looks over my shoulder and then back down at me. “What am I doing here? What is he doing here?” He motions with his hand toward Alex and I can feel Alex behind me, just as close as he was before but in an entirely different way. He puts his hand on my arm, not as a sign of affection. Almost as if he’s ready to pull me out of the way if he has to.
Ryan doesn’t give me a chance to explain as he steps back from the door and into the living room. “You haven’t been answering any of my calls tonight and you hung up on me before–”
“We’ve been having a girl’s night, dick,” Danika says, her voice full of venom.
Ryan looks over his shoulder at her. “Yeah, looks like it. Didn’t realize you had a sex change, Prescott.”
Alex steps up closer to me, the rage wafting off of him in waves. I push him back a step as I move closer to Ryan. “Can you calm down? You’re acting super immature right now.”
“Oh, I’m immature?” Once again, he looks over my head toward Alex. “You know, I was planning on using her against you but I guess you beat me to the punch.”
Everyone falls silent at his words, taking them in. The only thing we hear in the room for several moments is the sound of Ryan’s heavy breathing. It’s then that I notice the smell. He reeks of beer, his eyes glassy. He looks similar to Alex at the last party but more coherent.
When he looks at me at last, my eyes are like daggers.
“Get out.” My voice is stone. Leaving no room for interpretation. Yet Ryan tries it anyway.
“Margot, wait, let me just—”
“Get the fuck out of my apartment or, I swear I will call the police.”
Ryan blinks a few times. He looks over at Alex again before his gaze lands on me, lingering long enough that I have to look away.
“Fine.” Ryan raises his hands for a second and then points a finger over my head at Alex. “He’s not as innocent as you think he is. You’re making a mistake choosing him over me but fine. I’ll go.” Turning on his heels, Ryan leaves the apartment, the door slamming behind him. It’s not until that sound that I feel like I’m able to take in a full breath.
From across the room, Danika lets out a loud awkward laugh.
Turning around, I finally look Alex in the eyes. His expression still looks somewhat murderous but it’s relaxed a bit now that Ryan is gone.
“What did he mean by that?”
Alex raises his hands, his expression the picture of innocence and turmoil. “I have no idea, I swear.” He takes a tentative step closer to me but I find myself stepping back.
“‘He’s not as innocent as you think he is.’ What…what does that mean?” I’m stuck trying to make sense of all this and Alex is being surprisingly quiet. As if he has the answers but he’s not ready to tell them.
“Margot, listen, I…” His face looks distraught but I’m not ready to move on from it. Instinctively, I take another step away, landing closer to Danika and Sydney and farther from Alex.
Danika takes note of this and jumps into action. “Maybe you should go, Alex,” she says, her voice soft but firm.
A flash of something crosses Alex’s features but it doesn’t linger. He knows it’s best for him to leave and let me think through the events of the last five minutes but he’s clearly reluctant to leave like this.
He takes a hesitant step toward me but I shake my head once. With a sigh, Alex exits the apartment, leaving an air of confusion in his wake.