Chapter 5 - Livy
LIVY
We score a booth at The Red Boot Pub and Miranda is already dominating the conversation.
I’m not really paying attention, but I’m pretty sure she’s rattling off a play-by-play of her favorite things that happened during the game tonight.
My eyes are on Juniper. She’s over by the door, glancing out the glass panel, I assume waiting for her stepbrother.
He promised he’d bring her dog with him.
I don’t know what the official policy is of pets in the pub, but from what I’ve gathered, Kalen and Juniper do whatever they want, whenever they want.
I don’t really care, I get to see the puppy…
who isn’t a puppy. They think she’s around ten years-old, but in my eyes all dogs are puppies.
Ronan is hovering around Juniper, and when he leans down whispering something to her, she reaches out her petite hand and covers his face, pushing him away.
I snicker because as sweet as she is to me and a select few others, she really does not give men an inch to push her around.
The place is packed tonight. I’m not really surprised because the pub is the only place within walking distance that stays open late enough for everyone to pile in for a pint. The air smells like fried food, really strong beer, and much to my dismay, frat boy cologne.
Juniper slides into the booth across from Miranda and me, pushing a menu aside. When our eyes meet, she looks away, and she’s being really fidgety.
“Are you okay?” I ask because I’ve got a weird feeling with the way she’s watching the door. Does she know something we don’t?
“Okay, so I don’t know what’s up with you and Sebastian, but that whole thing at the game and then after the game was weird?
” her tone indicates what she’s saying is a question, but I’m really not sure what she’s asking me.
I didn’t even know his name was Sebastian.
“He’s Kalen and Jeremy’s new roommate, and I think he’s coming here with them tonight.
” She bites her bottom lip, and while I don’t know her well, my gut instinct is telling me that she’s leaving something out, but I don’t feel comfortable enough to call her on it.
She fiddles with the edge of the menu and looks back toward the door and then finally back at me.
“He was acting super weird with how he was staring at you, and I just wanted you to have a head’s up, I guess.
” I try to keep my face from giving away any of my thoughts.
Juniper is a tell it like it is kind of girl, so I’m confused as to why she was apprehensive to tell me that this Sebastian person is Kalen’s new roommate.
“Anyway, he’s gorgeous,” Miranda adds with a dreamy lilt to her voice. “I mean, Livy, come on, he wants you. You’ve gotta just put your shyness aside and go for it.”
Miranda leans back against the booth like she’s challenging me.
I can’t care enough about any of this to argue with her.
I’m not sure what exactly I think about the rugby guy.
For all I know, he’s here to try and kill me.
I can’t take chances like Miranda does, but I’m not going to give her the satisfaction of explaining any of that.
I don’t know what’s changed, but the Juniper I know is speaking when she says, “If he bugs you, I’ll have Kalen kill him.”
I do laugh at this, and the vibe at the table seems to shift, but the way she smirks, holding the ends of her long brown hair up to inspect makes me wonder if she indeed has a hit list and if Kalen is her own personal hitman.
I genuinely would not be surprised by anything at this point.
“I need a trim. We should go get our hair done soon. I’m sick of being cooped up with all these people,” Juniper says, and I really want to know what her life growing up was like if she finds a place like St. Killian stifling.
Miranda rolls her eyes dramatically and leans in conspiratorially. “Anyway, I only know his name because I asked Nathan,” she says. “Apparently the guy barely talks to anyone. He just shows up for rugby matches and then disappears.”
“To be fair, Kalen and Jeremy do whatever the hell they want on that team. What’s the coach going to do?
Deal with their fathers because they skipped practice.
I’m sure that would go over so well,” Juniper says with a little laugh, and I know some people would probably think she’s spoiled or even bratty, but I really admire that she’s not afraid of anything.
I’ve spent a lot of my life trying to avoid getting in trouble, and she knows no one can touch her.
Miranda points a finger at me as if to make sure I’m paying attention.
I don’t love how slowly she’s speaking because it’s coming off condescending.
I’m new, of course I don’t know who all of these people are.
“Nathan is the guy Sebastian beat up during the game.” I nod because I’m not really sure what this has to do with me.
“Nathan said all he said was that you’re pretty and Sebastian just started wailing on him,” she continues.
I feel my face flush at the compliment. I also know that Miranda exaggerates sometimes, so who knows what actually happened. All I know is that out of all the other jocks on campus, the rugby team walks around like they own the place.
Which… to be fair… they kind of do, I guess.
Our waitress pops up seemingly out of nowhere.
She has long black hair pulled into a low ponytail and soft features that make her look younger than she probably is.
Her nametag reads Soph in bright pink with a little heart drawn next to it.
She seems frazzled, but like she’s used to being overwhelmed, if that even makes sense.
“What can I get you?” she asks casually.
Miranda perks up immediately and starts rattling off a bunch of fried food that sounds really good right about now.
I’m too tired to even chime in, and Juniper seems to have no interest either because she’s twisting around looking at the door again.
She doesn’t seem to notice, but Ronan is standing over to the side with some students I don’t recognize and my stomach sinks when I realize that he’s watching Juniper.
He doesn’t seem like the type that would hurt her, but something feels really creepy about the way he is with her.
“Of course,” Soph says brightly, but her smile feels forced and it doesn’t reach her eyes.
“Are you a student at St. Killian? Were you able to go to the rugby game, or did you miss it because of work?”
Soph’s expression shifts for half a second. Just a tiny wrinkle of irritation that I can tell she’s used to shoving down.
If I didn’t spend most of my life watching people closely for signs that they’re about to snap on me, I might have missed it.
Miranda doesn’t notice it at all because before Soph can answer her first question, she asks another. “Oh,” she says, leaning forward slightly. “What’s that face for? You don’t like the rugby team or just the game?”
Soph straightens, still polite.
“Knock it off Miranda, no one likes the rugby team. It’s just something to do that isn’t school.
The rugby team doesn’t even like the rugby team,” Juniper says, tilting her head back in the booth.
She smiles at Soph, and I wonder how Juniper and Miranda ended up being roommates.
I assumed they picked to live with each other, but I suppose it could be more along the lines of my situation.
They just happened to be placed together.
Miranda tilts her head.
“Did one of them dump you?”
Juniper gasps and says, “Miranda, you can’t just ask people if they’ve been dumped.”
Soph laughs softly under her breath. “I would never give any of those rats the opportunity to be in the same room as me,” she says calmly.
Miranda gives a slow, exaggerated blink. “You sound like Livy here. Two of them are obsessed with her, and she’s not going to do anything about it.”
I want to crawl under the table and wait for the dirty pub floor to open up and swallow me whole.
I guess note to self, make sure I don’t say anything to Miranda that I wouldn’t want plastered on a billboard for the world to see.
She’s fun and bubbly, but something weird is going on tonight.
I don’t like the way we’re all snipping at each other, and I’m not really sure why it’s happening.
I’m not ready for Juniper to spit out, “At least Livy doesn’t keep us up all night crying over guys who won’t call you back.”
Miranda gasps, but her voice is nothing but rage when she says, “That’s rich coming from someone who’s fucking their stepbrother.”
Juniper laughs, and it almost feels genuine, like she’s not actually mad. “If I was fucking Kalen McLaren, trust me, everyone would know about it.”
Soph lets out a quiet laugh as she pats Juniper on the shoulder as if to say she’s on her side in this little spat. “I’ll be back with your drinks,” she says, already disappearing into the crowd.
The pub noise is starting to get to me. Everyone is talking loudly, the TVs are loud, and either I’m having a stroke or someone is playing music also.
I take a drink of some kind of ale that Miranda ordered for me and make a face. I’m more of a tea girlie. Hot, cold, I don’t care as long as it’s sweet. I glance around the packed room and suddenly feel exhausted.
“Don’t be mad,” I say, reaching into my bag.
“I’m heading home. I’m not even hungry and I’ve got a horrible headache.
" I know it’s because I get very minimal sleep.
The little sleep I do get isn’t restful.
It’s been this way since my parents were killed, and I try to tell myself that my body is used to it, but I know that’s not true.
Sometimes I feel so run down, and nothing I’ve tried helps.
I pull out some cash and slide it toward the center of the table to cover my part of all the food we ordered.
Juniper immediately reaches across and pushes it back toward me.
Then she pulls out a credit card and sets it down with a mischievous grin.
“It’s on Kalen tonight.”
Miranda giggles, already over their little spat earlier. “Does he know you have that?”
“Yeah, he gave it to me. He checks it to see if I use it, and I don’t usually, so this will make him happy,” Juniper says as if we should just get it, and whatever she has going on with Kalen doesn’t need any further explanation.
I shake my head, laughing as I slide out of the booth.
“The two of you are odd with each other,” I say. “And it has nothing to do with the fact that you’re step siblings.”
Juniper raises her glass in a mock toast.
“Text when you get home! We’ll probably be out late,” Miranda shouts to me, but then her attention is on Ronan who is still pouting. “Ronnie! Come over here, we’ve got two empty seats.”
I weave my way through the crowded pub toward the door without looking back, because I know Juniper is steaming at Miranda’s invitation.