Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
JAYSON
What the fuck is Fallon up to?
Jules and I were at home when Ry texted us to check on Liz. He said Fallon had dragged her off somewhere in the quad near Mason Hall, but he couldn’t get away to go check on her. Jules and I immediately left the condo and headed to campus.
As soon as we near Mason, I see Liz sitting on a bench, Fallon sitting across from her on the ground, and it ticks me off.
He used to have a thing for her. Apparently, he still does, by the way he’s looking at her. I hate the fucker’s guts, and the feeling is very much mutual. I’ll never understand why Ry and Elijah are friends with him. Jules, too, through his relationship with Elijah.
“What’s up, Fal?”
Julien greets him with a fist bump and sits down next to him on the grass. I join Liz on the bench, staking a subtle claim. Fallon sees it and smirks. Asshole.
I listen to him and Julien go back and forth. Just mundane stuff about Julien being scouted by the men’s soccer team and everyone’s college plans. Fallon drops a truth bomb when Liz asks him why he’s at CU, and I hate how much I respect his reply.
When Liz disappeared and we couldn’t find her, my drinking got out of hand. I used alcohol to numb the pain. Julien fell into a deep depression that almost cost him Elijah. And Ryder…he and Elijah picked up our broken pieces. They were hurting, too, but I was too immersed in my own pain to care about theirs. I’m trying to do better. Be a better friend and brother. It’s hard to do, especially when I’m forced to watch Liz spend so much time with Ry and Jules.
Liz pushes off the bench and picks up her bag. “I’m heading to the cafeteria. And you’re coming,” she says to Fallon.
“Whatever you say, Kitten.”
It annoys the hell out of me when he calls her that.
“I can carry your bag,” I offer.
Liz grips the strap. “Thanks. I’ve got it.”
As we walk, I send Ry a quick text.
Me: Heading to the cafeteria now.
Ry: Just finished. On my way.
By the time we get to the cafeteria, Ryder’s already there.
“Hey! How’d your meeting go?” Liz pulls him into a hug that lasts just a beat too long for my liking.
“Good.”
Several girls slow down as they pass by, eyeing our group and giggling like we’re some kind of spectacle. Typical. Especially when Fallon’s around. Girls trip over themselves for his attention, even though he’s arrogant, entitled, completely indifferent, and treats them like shit.
“Hey, Fallon,” one of the girls says, flipping her hair in what must be an attempt at flirtation.
He completely ignores her.
Once we’re inside, the cafeteria noise hits us, but it doesn’t drown out the sudden voice from the back.
“Elizabeth!” a girl shouts, waving enthusiastically.
Liz’s face brightens instantly, and she veers off without another word. The rest of us follow automatically, except Julien. He peels away and grabs a prepackaged salad from the wall kiosk. Once he’s in training mode for soccer, he sticks to a meal plan designed by one of the team’s nutritionists.
As we get closer, I notice a guy sitting at the table—dark-blond hair, light-blue eyes that remind me a little too much of Fallon’s. He’s glaring at us like our arrival is the last thing he wants. What’s this fucker’s problem?
Liz makes the introductions. “Everybody, this is Meredith, and that’s Trevor.”
So this is the infamous Meredith who Liz talks about. She hasn’t mentioned Trevor, at least, not to me.
“Are you Jayson or Julien? FYI, I’m going to call you by the wrong name, regardless,” Meredith says.
“I’m Jayson. The bigger, scarier one.”
I’ve seen Liz’s phone and the nickname she gave me. I wink at her, and she buries her face in her hands.
“You weren’t supposed to see that.”
Fallon is the first to sit down, causing a domino effect with everyone else. I remain standing, more interested in the silent battle of stares between him and Trevor. Seems like I’m not the only person who hates his guts.
“Elizabeth, you want anything?” Ryder asks, acting like there isn’t an impending throwdown about to happen at the table.
“A salad, please.”
“Jay? Fal?”
I just ate at home, so I’m good. I shake my head no. Fallon does the same.
As soon as Ryder leaves, Trevor clips, “What?”
Here we go.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Fallon throws back at him.
“Fuck off, Fallon.”
Meredith’s eyes widen. Liz looks more perplexed.
Fallon scoffs. “Just couldn’t help yourself, could you?”
Trevor leans forward, elbows on the table. “What are you going to do about it? You know I’m not afraid of you.”
“You should be.”
“So should you, little brother.”
And there it fucking is. I should have seen the resemblance.
Meredith gapes at Trevor. “ Brother? ”
“You need to walk away,” Fallon threatens, pushing to his feet.
I brace for whatever is about to happen, my only concern is Liz. I don’t want her caught in the middle. Fallon has a nasty mean streak and isn’t afraid to use his fists to make a point.
“Wait a minute,” Liz says.
Fallon jabs a finger at Trevor. “This motherf?—”
“Shut up, Fallon.” She grabs the front of his shirt and pulls him back down into the chair. “You’re Trevor’s brother?”
“Unfortunately.”
She looks over at me, her gaze asking if I knew. I shrug my shoulders because I had no clue.
Trevor gets up and collects his things. “We’re not doing this in front of her,” he says, and I want to know which her he is referring to: Liz or Meredith. “See you tomorrow, Wildcat.”
Fallon jumps out of his chair, the noise from it toppling over onto the floor is enough to get us an audience. Awesome. That’s all we need. Fallon is slipping into a dark space quickly, and things are about to get bad, real quick. I feel its energy crackling around us. It’s the same energy I feel when I fight.
“Don’t you fucking call her Wildcat. Stay away from her, Trevor. I mean it.”
“Why should he?” Liz asks Fallon with a mixture of confusion and irritation.
“What’s going on?” Ryder barks as he and Julien return to the table.
“That’s what I’d like to know,” Liz says.
“Trevor, why don’t you walk me to class? Come on.” Meredith nudges him. He doesn’t move.
He glares at Fallon before looking at Liz. “Talk to you later, Wildcat .”
He just couldn’t leave things alone.
Fallon lunges, but Ryder is quick to check him.
“Calm down,” Ry tells him and physically shoves him toward the side doors.
A stunned Liz watches Trevor walk away, Meredith rushing after him.
I wonder if Ry knew about Trevor. Julien and I had never met the guy before. I didn’t even know Fallon had a brother.
“Liz, you okay?”
“Yeah,” she replies distractedly, furiously typing on her phone.
Julien slides Liz’s food over to her. “I think this one’s yours. What the hell did I miss?”
People are still staring, so I keep my voice down. “Turns out Trevor is Fallon’s brother.”
“No shit. Really? Didn’t know he had a brother.”
“They apparently hate each other.”
Which makes me like Trevor by default. But my curiosity is piqued. Why did Fallon tell Trevor to stay away from Liz?
“Elijah has never mentioned a brother, and he would know.”
I think back to my argument with Julien at the beach. He and I may fight, we may say some stupid, hurtful shit, but we get over it. I love my brother. He’s a part of me. We share that twin thing. There is nothing in this world that could break that bond.
“So, that was fun.” Liz looks up from her phone.
I change the subject. “When’s Daniel arriving today?”
Liz goes from solemn to effervescently happy. “He arrived this morning. I saw him before I came to campus. He’s staying at the dean’s house. They’re old college buddies or something. After chem, he’s meeting me at my place for dinner.”
“When do we get to meet him?”
“Since he’s here only for a few days, I want to spend some alone time with him. How about I arrange something for Thursday evening? Dinner at the apartment.”
Julien pouts. “No running buddy all week? That sucks.”
“This week you get two. Daniel runs every day, and I’m sure he would love to join us, if that’s okay? Just no sticking around for breakfast after.”
“As long as I don’t have to promise him bad karaoke.”
Liz’s roll of laughter shoots sparks through my blood. I’m trying to be good and give her the space and the time she asked for. But goddamn, it’s difficult to keep that promise. I just have to trust in what I told Julien this weekend—that her memory will return, and I’ll get my girlfriend back.