4. Griffin
H er middle finger remains in the air, perfectly aimed in my direction for way longer than necessary, and if I weren’t so pissed, I’d be impressed with her commitment to the anger.
Which is funny, because I’ve never known Aurora Gray to hate anybody, she’s not like that, and even if she were, I never thought it would extend to me.
We’ve always had something special, something that goes beyond friendship or family, something I have never been able to explain, but now?
Well, now I have one drunken promise with my best friend that I have to fight every single day not to break.
“So, what did Everest do this time?” Bishop drawls, and I don’t have to look at him to know he is eyeing me with a smirk.
“Same thing as always,” I sigh, not letting my stare drop from the direction in which Aurora left, even as she disappears out of sight.
I don’t have to explain the situation to Bishop, he’s been on the sidelines of it all for the last decade, an outsider looking in.
He probably has more perspective than all of us, but that’s the problem isn’t it?
Perspective, because anyone with half a brain would tell you that this whole thing would always end in disaster, I just always thought we’d prove them wrong.
Aurora Gray is the thread in the center of Ever, Harden, and myself, and when he took his knife and severed our connection with her, it ruined everything.
We went from her being our everything, to acting like she meant nothing, it was total fucking whiplash, but at least I still had my best friends.
But what about her?
“Bro, why don’t you just admit you like her,” Bishop sighs in exasperation, more than aware of my obsession with my best friend’s sister, and I snort a laugh.
Admitting my feelings for Aurora has never been the problem, no, the problem is my loyalty to Everest fucking Monroe.
I think he knew the moment he introduced me to her that I was obsessed.
It was never brotherly or protective for me like he claimed to be, no, it was something else entirely.
Something I knew would never go away, like she was a piece of me that I didn’t realize was missing, and now I’ve lost it again.
“That’s the problem, Bish, I admitted it the moment I laid eyes on her.
” I don’t bother waiting for him as I push away from the table and head in the direction of my next class, no longer interested in grabbing anything for lunch.
I’ll be forty-minutes early, but honestly, I could use the time to think.
Ignoring Aurora has never been something I’ve been able to achieve, even when I was pissed at the disinterest of my parents growing up.
Still she managed to push through, so the last year has been hell.
Sure it was great finally being out of the house and living in the dorms with the guys, having the family I actually cared about at my side, but it came at the cost of losing her.
Now somehow a year has gone by, and even the excitement of moving onto Hockey Row wasn’t enough to dull the ache that her absence caused.
Every unanswered call and ignored text only further cemented our separation, and now we all have to live with the choice we made, no matter how much we hate it.
A few girls try to grab my attention as I sit on the wall outside the building of my next class, but I ignore them all, none of them holding a candle to the thorn in my side.
Thankfully they take the hint, but when I spy Everest’s frequent bed flyer heading straight toward me, I know my luck has run out.
“Where is he, Griffin?” she snaps, her jaw tight and chin held high, probably not realizing how desperate she sounds.
“Good afternoon to you too, Holly.” My smile is forced and tight while still being mocking, and just as I expected she rolls her eyes at me.
I don’t usually give a fuck about who my best friend lets into his bed, not when it isn’t the one we truly all want, but fuck I hate this little viper.
“He isn’t answering my calls, and after the way he treated me on Friday, he’s lucky I’m even still trying.
” She examines her manicure as if this whole thing, and Everest, are completely beneath her, but we both know the truth.
She’s had her eye on him since the second we stepped onto campus last year, and doesn’t care who he lets into his bed, as long as she is the one he keeps by his side.
Friday night is the first time he has ever deviated from her bullshit, and of course it was for Aurora.
“So why are you?” I toss back, calling her out on her crap, and she blinks back a little in surprise, and when no response comes, I scoff, “I’m not his fucking keeper, Holly, and we both know that you have his schedule memorized, so quit the bullshit manipulation and stop trying to use me to get to him. ”
Her perfectly waxed eyebrows narrow, her fingers going white around the straps of her designer handbag. “You’re a real dick, Griffin, do you know that?” she huffs, still not moving, still eyeing me expectedly, and I push off the wall with a grunt.
“So I’ve been told, now why don’t you go and beg after my best friends and leave me the fuck alone,” I call over my shoulder, before storming into the building and pulling out my phone to write a text.
GRIFFIN - Princess pussy is looking for you
I hit send and make my way to my next class, my phone already vibrating with an incoming text before I even make it to my desk.
EVEREST - Tell her I’m busy
Rolling my eyes at his response I throw myself behind my desk and tap out a response.
GRIFFIN - Like I told her, I’m not your fucking keeper
EVEREST - So then why are you telling me?
GRIFFIN - I thought Monroe the hoe would like to keep his hoes in line
EVEREST - Dick
GRIFFIN - Slut
EVEREST - ????
I snort at his response before silencing my phone, yet before I put it away I find myself doing the same thing as always.
Stalking Aurora’s social media. She’s a big poster, almost daily, well she was until last year.
It was always shots of the four of us, hanging at the house or having fun on vacation, pictures of her art projects, selfies of her at the shelter, or tasteful shots of herself in the mirror, each one always better than the last, but now I’m lucky if she posts once a month.
Just as I expected there is nothing new, and all it does is piss me off even more. We hurt her, I’m not stupid, I know that, but when I made that promise to Everest I never thought things would go this far or get this bad, and now I don’t know how we will ever come back from it.
The rest of my afternoon passes in a blur.
I barely pay attention in class, don’t talk through my entire workout with Bishop, and ignore the five calls from my father’s secretary.
Then I grab my car from the house and drive to the edge of town, turning off my phone and my location, just so I can just catch my breath.
Sitting on the hood of my car I roll a couple of joints, and then lay back until I am sufficiently stoned enough to pretend I’m not in love with my best friend’s sister.
By the time I make it back to the house, the sun has long since set and I’m far too baked to deal with anyone’s bullshit but my own. Yet when I push inside the house, I find Everest arguing in the hallway with his weekly bedmate.
“I don’t give a fuck what you want, I’m not your boyfriend,” he bites, jaw clenched, and I’m sure this argument has been going for far longer than necessary.
“Holly, what a nice surprise,” I drag out sarcastically, holding the door wide and gesturing toward it. “I presume you were on your way out,” I add with a fake smile and she cuts me a scathing look, but I don’t miss the smirk tugging on the corner of Ever’s mouth.
“Fuck off, Griffin, we’re having a private conversation,” she seethes, and I snort a laugh, leaning against the door frame.
“Holly, I’ve seen you snort cocaine off Bishop’s cock, before he tag teamed you with my boy there, I don’t think we have any privacy left,” I tell her, cocking a brow, and she glares at me in outrage before looking to Everest expectantly.
“Really? You’re gonna let him speak to me like that?” she snaps, waiting for him to defend her.
Everest only sighs, “Like I said, Hols, I’m not your boyfriend.”
Tears instantly gather in her eyes before she snatches her bag off the side table and storms off, shoulder checking me as she goes. I’d feel bad if she weren’t such a conniving bitch, so instead, I just slam the door closed and lean back against it.
“Well that was fun,” I tease and Everest rolls his eyes at me, before padding away to the kitchen, leaving me no choice but to follow.
“Did you at least let her suck your cock before you reminded her she’s not your girlfriend?
” I ask, slipping into the stool across the counter from him, and his eyes darken in anger, as he leans against the worktop.
“No. I’m not doing that shit with her again this year,” he claims, and I grunt a laugh.
“You mean this week?” I correct him. “Or did you forget you were balls deep in her and Jess on Friday night?” I ask, and his hands tighten around the quartz.
“Have you got something you need to say to me, Griffin, because if so, spit it the fuck out?” he demands, and I can’t help but laugh, even though none of this is funny.
“You’re kidding, right?” I scoff, shaking my head. “Are you really going to act like nothing is happening?”
“Nothing is happening,” he grits, rolling his shoulders, as if preparing himself to have this conversation again, but right now I don’t have the energy.
“Fine, whatever,” I sigh, holding my hands up in surrender. “Let’s just sort out some dinner, where’s Harden?” I ask, looking around in confusion, wondering why he hasn’t come down yet, he always checks in when one of us gets home.
“He’s not here.” Three words, his jaw tight, and I stare him down in question.
“What do you mean he’s not here? Where is he?”
“His mom called,” Everest sighs, and my stomach fills with dread.
I don’t know the extent of Harden’s issues with his mom, none of us do, but I do know that whatever it is, it’s the reason my best friend doesn’t talk.
I’ve asked him about it at least a hundred times, and every time I’m met with the same stony silence, yet it’s only gotten worse over time.
I thought when we left for college last year that things would get better, but instead Harden went through a ton of vices until he found one that worked for him.
Which means I know exactly where he is, and it isn’t good.
“Then I guess I’m heading to see the Miles Twins.”