5. Pandora #2
I approach her, but she has a screen cover on her phone that prevents me from seeing what she’s doing.
“Aren’t you afraid you’ll get STIs from breathing in the same air as me?” I ask.
She scoffs. “I know how you get STIs,” she replies. “And there’s not a single chance I’ll get one, least of all from you.”
“You never know!” I say with a wide grin. “I might seduce you to the dark side. Y’know, literally. With tongue and other body parts.”
There’s a part of me, the one that’s riled up now, that wants to be mean, to be nasty.
It isn’t Sam’s fault though, and even if she’s a judgmental bitch, there are people more deserving of my ire.
“You’re disgusting,” Sam tells me, glaring at me. “Why did I have to get stuck with someone like you as a suitemate?”
“You’re just lucky. Or unlucky. Did you piss off your higher deity lately?” I glance at the clock hanging on the kitchen wall. “There’s a freshmen meetup event in the LeBlanc building, if you wanted to get out of here for a bit and meet people who aren’t me.”
“I have ministry group at seven,” she says. “Not that it’s any of your business, but some of us have better things to do than hang out with the general unwashed population.”
I purse my lips in disapproval. “Really? I mean, yeah, I’m an unwashed whore or whatever, but you don’t know the other people. Aren’t you religious types supposed to be kind and generous?”
“I only have so much grace to offer, and people like you have used up all my patience for the day,” she replies. She looks back down at her phone. “Are you done harassing me yet?”
Now I burst out laughing. “Oh, Sammy. If you think this is harassment… You’ll be in for a shock when you get to know me.”
“Samantha,” she bites out. “Not Sam, not Sammy, not whatever asinine nicknames you decide to give me. It’s Samantha. I’m not going to call you Panda or whatever, so give me the same respect.”
“It would be better than you calling me a whore,” I answer glibly. “But okay, enjoy your lonely existence.” I wave to her. “Bye, Sammy. I’ll see you around.”
“Unfortunately,” she mutters.
I head back out and shut the door, then stop short.
Was the welcome mat always at that angle?
I thought it had been fairly straight when I’d stepped inside, but now it’s at an angle.
Somebody else walks past the hallway, and I call out, “Hey, got a second?”
The person stops to look at me. He’s well dressed and has his tablet in hand like he’s actually going out to study on the first day of classes. “What?”
“Was anybody lurking around here?” I ask. “Er, anyone suspicious?”
The guy shrugs. “I dunno. I’m new here. What does suspicious mean?”
I shake my head. “Never mind then.” Maybe I kicked the mat askew when I went in the first time.
I shake my suspicions aside and make my way to the freshmen meetup. As I walk past the dorm mailboxes, I idly wonder how Carly is doing. She’d avoided me when I’d tried approaching her on campus earlier.
I glower darkly. Yeah, I need to not worry about Sammy and focus on the fucking Kappa Beta Who Cares guys.
Maybe Blaze or Asch followed me to the dorm and tried to spy, although I’m not sure what they could have heard.
The LeBlanc Hall—paid for by some alumnus from down south—is filled with students. I see various club recruitment stands, enticing people to join this or that activity. Student government, an anime club, a gaming club…
The frats and sororities are recruiting too. A large banner declares the start of Rush Week, where everybody puts in their bid to join the Greek life. I suppress a smile when I spot Blaze and Asch standing near the Kappa Bullshit stand.
As much as I enjoyed my last encounter with them, they’d probably get suspicious if I don’t act a little bit cowed. I turn away from the guys with a small, disappointed sigh.
It’s not like I have any promising new leads to act on right now either. Better to fly under their radar for now. I focus on the sororities, wondering if I should try joining one.
We’ve got “ABYΣ,” who proclaim to be the oldest sorority on campus. I pick up their brochure, but my eyes glaze over as I read the history and all the rules involved.
Sisterhood, friendship, academic excellence, yadda yadda. I set the brochure down and move on to the next one.
ΔΣK—which is Delta Sigma Kappa, not “dick,” apparently—has mostly the same rambling, with an added dose of prudishness.
“Are you sure you aren’t all about sucking dick?” I ask the recruiter. “D-E-K?—”
“It’s a sigma, not an epsilon,” she corrects again. “Look, you clearly aren’t a good fit. If you want to join a party sorority, that’s Nu Upsilon Chi.”
Party sorority does seem more my style. I head toward the one she motions toward.
Just my luck, but it’s across the way from the Kappa Who Even Cares’s table. I hope Blaze and Asch are too busy chatting up potential frat douches to notice me.
This sorority has the Greek letters NYX on it, but I’m not sure that’s so different from Latin letters.
“Hey!” I ask as I approach. “I hear N-Y-X is the party sorority?”
“Nu Upsilon Chi,” the blonde woman responds, rolling her eyes. “Did the b… sister from Delta Sigma Kappa tell you that? She’s lying. We’re the largest and most prestigious sorority here on campus, with a long and storied tradition?—”
“Of getting married early,” somebody says from right behind me .
I swallow a laugh, then turn and glare at Blaze. “Really? Don’t you have other people to bother?”
Blaze grins at me. “Hey, Pandora. You get home all right the other night?”
I meet his gaze, and underneath the easy charm, I can see the hunger.
For me?
Or for something darker?
I give him a brittle smile. “Yep. I’m fine now. Thanks for the concern. Maybe we can meet up again, just the two of us, over drinks and with sharp cutlery.”
The sorority woman scoffs. “Seriously, Blaze? I was trying to recruit. Don’t you have your own pledges to seek out?”
“Somebody else is handling that. But tell you what, Jasmine, why don’t I have Asch help with your recruiting?” Blaze pulls back and waves for Asch, apparently unconcerned by my completely unsubtle threat.
Asch saunters over, all confidence, though his eyes flick over me with brief apprehension in his expression before he schools it back into something relaxed and friendly. He’s wearing short sleeves, and I can still see the mark I’d left on his arm.
It makes me want to leave another one.
“Good afternoon, ladies,” Asch says without missing a beat. “What can I do for you?”
Jasmine lets out an exasperated sigh. “How is Asch supposed to help me recruit for the sorority, Blaze?”
Blaze wraps his arm around Asch. “Just tell the ladies he’s one of the benefits.” He pats Asch’s stomach. “These abs alone will get all the women.”
Asch preens, lifting his shirt to show a hint of those abs. “Kappa Alpha Omega Sigma does do a lot with Nu Upsilon Chi,” he says amiably. “I guess I could be the poster boy.” He glances at me again. “Are you looking to become a Nyxie, Pandora? ”
“How closely do you two work together?” I ask, still smiling. “Does Nyx supply women for your wild parties?”
Jasmine sneers at me. “Excuse me? We don’t supply women. If some of our sisters decide to party, that’s on them, but we’re an academically minded sorority— not a party sorority. Also, Asch, don’t call us Nyxies unless you like us calling you Chaotics.”
That’s funny, since they’re the ones who co-sponsored the ‘wild’ party I’d met Blaze and Asch at.
No wonder D-I-K suggested I join up with them.
“Maybe you’ll come to the next party and see how courteous we can be. Or…” Asch smiles back at me. “Maybe we could hang out outside of the parties.”
He lets the ‘again’ hang in the air between us.
Blaze nods along. “It’s not all fun and games at Kappa Alpha either, of course. We take academics very seriously.”
I glance between them. “Really? What are you studying?”
“I’m a business major,” Blaze says. “And Asch does econ. For you… let me guess, women’s studies?”
I laugh in disbelief. “You’re stereotyping me based on the fact that I think roofieing women is wrong?”
“Maybe I’m stereotyping you because you’re the free love type,” Blaze suggests. “Women should be allowed to sleep around if they want.” He licks his lips suggestively.
It’s the type of stupid joke I would have made to rile up Mama, and now I’m torn between amusement and being mad that he made it first.
“I’m willing to bet she’s here for pre-law,” Asch says. “Or something equally ambitious.”
I ignore Jasmine’s annoyed huff behind me, and I get closer to Asch. I place my hand along the wound I’d left him, and he tenses. “I’m actually doing biology. I’m setting myself up for a medical degree.”
“Like I said, something ambitious,” he says, his voice friendly even though his eyes aren’t as he looks at me .
“I can’t wait to get to the autopsy classes,” I say as I rub my thumb along the cut. I smile up at him and lick my lips. “Have you ever seen the inside of a person, Asch?”
He quirks a brow. “Can’t say that I have. Have you ?”
Yes , but I have just enough wherewithal to not say that out loud in front of the sorority recruitment table.
Blaze places his hand on my wrist and draws it away from Asch’s arm. “I’d rather feel inside something warm and tight,” he says with an edge to his voice.
His grip is tight enough that it hurts, and I flex to feel more of that pain.
“Oh my god,” Jasmine mutters. “Go away, all three of you. You’re scaring off potential pledges.”
“I’ll be back to help later,” Asch promises with a boyish smile. “You know you want me to.” He turns his attention back to me. “How about we get a drink? On Blaze. It’s the least he can do for the affront.”
“Would the drinks also come with free roofies?” I ask with a sweet smile when Jasmine turns her attention to potential new recruits instead of us.
Blaze wraps his arm around my shoulder and draws me away from the recruitment tables. “Why would I need any of that? You’ll already do anything Asch and I ask—if you don’t want to ruin your academic career before it’s even started.”
The line is so brazen that I want to stab him.
Does he threaten every woman he wants to bed?
Was Rachel trapped by a man who held her future in his hands?
No. Rachel liked whoever it was she met with here. I know that much.
Unfortunately, I also know that guys like Blaze can be all the right sorts of charming.
What he really needs is a taste of his own medicine. Maybe if I tie him down and convince Asch to fuck him. I could make Blaze eat me out and actually reciprocate this time. And if he’s really good, I might even let him come.
The fantasy distracts me enough that I almost don’t notice the figure trailing behind us. I can’t see who it is, but I definitely saw the way they darted away when I turned my head.
I glance at Asch, and it seems like he noticed, too. His brow furrows, and his gaze lingers in the direction I’d been looking in.
I elbow Blaze and duck out of his hold. “I’m going to pass on dinner, boys,” I say. “I have so many plans tonight. All that studying, you know.”
Asch is frowning slightly when he looks back at me to reply, “All work and no play, et cetera. How about we trade phone numbers, and you can let us know when you have time to take a break?” He probably thinks it’s more of an order than a suggestion.
“No thanks,” I say, but I reach for my pocket where my phone is.
Blaze notices and predictably pulls my phone out. “Tsk tsk, Pandora. You don’t get to say no.” He grabs my wrist and forces my finger against the fingerprint reader.
He’s so lucky I actually want his phone number. I scowl while he sends himself a text from my phone.
“Don’t even think of blocking us,” Blaze says. “I know where you live.”
Once he’s done, I snatch my phone back. “That goes both ways, Blaze.” I lick my lips. “I haven’t forgotten anything. And I can’t wait to see your insides.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you have a way with words?” Asch says, and while I know he’s trying for something else entirely, something intimidating, it comes across as wary.
Blaze squeezes the back of my neck. “I think the only insides we’ll be seeing is your cunt, Pandora. The mouthier you are, the more you’ll suffer.”
The sensation of being watched only gets stronger, and it distracts me from Blaze’s delicious threats of violence .
“Enjoy it while you can, Blaze.” I elbow him hard enough to make him gasp and loosen his hold on my neck.
My body is tense. I need to know who’s tailing me. I wasn’t making it up earlier. Somebody was lurking at my dorm.
I jog away from Asch and Blaze, and thankfully they don’t try to follow me.
I reach into my skirt pocket and clutch my knife. On my next round through the hall, I walk past the doors and into a hallway that leads to classrooms. I immediately duck into one of the classrooms and wait.
Footsteps sound from nearby, light enough to where I’m pretty sure my pursuer is trying to be inconspicuous. They pause near the door, and from my vantage point, I can see through the window.
I go still as I realize I recognize the figure standing there.
The charm in my pocket seems to pulse warmly.
I haven’t seen him in almost a year, but I’d know Rafael Rivera — River — anywhere.
Despite his attempts at stealth, he holds himself with confidence, and I can see his head turn as he tries to find something.
Someone.
Me .
I slam the door open and grab his arm. “River!” I exclaim with a wide smile.
He startles, which gives me the opportunity to pull him into the empty classroom with me. I get closer to him and ask, “I can’t believe you’re really here! Where have you been?”
He faces me, his expression a mask of fury, and he turns my grasp back around on me so he has me in his grip instead of the other way around.
He shoves me up against the wall, pressing against me.
“Don’t act like you give a shit, Pandora,” he snarls.
He grabs my wrist, the one holding the karambit, and presses hard.
I let go for him and let him take the knife off me.
His anger doesn’t matter, because River is here.
He came back to me.
I kiss him, right there in the dark classroom, with my own knife pressing up against my throat.