10. Looking For You
Chapter ten
Looking For You
Hayes Rosewood
Aurora crosses her arms and glares at me.
She’s taller than usual tonight, since she’s wearing heels.
The sight of her long legs sends heat rushing through my veins.
I don’t know who convinced her to come to this party tonight, but I’d like to personally thank them.
Maybe buy them a gift in exchange for the one they just gave me.
“There’s nothing fun about standing in a crowd of sweaty, drunk people,” she states.
She’s got a point there. I glance around at our fellow students.
The party just started, but it looks like most everyone pregamed before they arrived, because they’re falling all over each other.
It wouldn’t surprise me, though, if they were less drunk than they were pretending to be.
People excuse a lot if they think you drank too much.
“Why did you come, then?” I ask.
“My friends invited me. And then I lost them.” She cranes her neck as she looks around. The earrings she’s wearing shimmer in the light. I notice they’re gold and not silver like her necklace, making me wonder which she prefers.
“Do I know them? I can help.”
She eyes me with suspicion, but then her lips turn up in a smirk that makes my stomach swoop in anticipation.
“You know one of them. Marigold. She is the woman whose phone you stole last semester.”
It doesn’t take long for me to recall who she’s talking about. Not many people successfully sneak their phone into the Shadow Ring, and of those people, none are also dating a star hockey player.
“I didn’t steal her phone. I deleted the photos she took after going against the no-phone rule,” I correct.
“You know, if you have to hide something, it probably means you shouldn’t be doing that thing.”
I chuckle. “Do you really think I have to hide the Shadow Ring? It wouldn’t take much to make the dean look the other way.”
He likely knows about it. I doubt everyone who’s ever stepped inside has kept it quiet enough to not reach his office. But my last name is attached. The same last name on several big checks made out to the university over the years.
Aurora frowns. “Then why hide at all? Why make it a secret?”
With one step, I erase the distance she put between us.
“There’s an appeal to secrecy, don’t you think?” I keep my voice low enough that only she can hear me. “Right now, everyone is watching us, but if we slipped away?” My gaze dips to her berry lips. “Only the shadows would know what we said or did.”
Her throat constricts as she swallows, and I can’t help but smirk. She glances at my mouth and scowls.
“I would never go anywhere alone with you.”
A sigh leaves me. “Pity. I was going to offer an escape from the party.”
She shakes her head. “I’m sure wherever you took me would be much worse.”
I tuck my hands into my pockets and shrug.
“Suit yourself. But if you ever change your mind …”
“I won’t.”
She glances around again. A look of relief washes over her face.
“Jaz!” she calls out, and I follow her gaze to a cheerleader with a curly brown ponytail. If I’m not mistaken, she’s star quarterback Shepherd Kingsley’s girlfriend.
Jaz turns to look at us, and her eyes widen at the sight of me. Aurora takes a step in her direction.
“I don’t get a goodbye?” I ask, my tone teasing.
“If I thought I was getting rid of you anytime soon, I’d give you one,” she shoots back.
I smile. “Thankfully, you’re not, so I guess this is a see you later.”
She just shakes her head and walks toward her friends.
I spot the redhead, Marigold, glaring at me.
Right behind her is her hockey player boyfriend, Jameson, who is also glaring at me.
I don’t take that one personally, though, because I think he glares at everyone.
In general, I don’t really care what any of them think of me.
It’s not like it matters. Aurora is my tutor whether they like me or not.
Aurora’s friends draw her into their little pod, and a small smile graces her lips.
Jealousy slithers through my chest. It’s a small amount, but noticeable.
I shake my head. Being envious of her smiling at them is foolish.
I drag my eyes away from her and try to find someone or something else to distract me.
But Aurora was right. There’s nothing fun about this. It’s only a hair above studying.
“Hayes, my man,” a familiar voice slurs. “I’ve been looking for you.”
I glance to my left and find Carson, president of Alpha Phi. He spends the majority of his time drunk, except for when he’s studying to be an engineer. I don’t know how he manages school and excessive drinking, but he does. He’s never failed a class or even come close. Unlike me.
“What’s up?” I ask him.
“Your girlfriend is looking for you.”
My brows pull together.
“I don’t have a girlfriend.”
“That’s what I told her!” He hiccups with wide, glassy eyes. “I said Hayes Rosewood doesn’t date a girl more than once. She did not like that.”
“Who is it?”
Carson tips his plastic cup back and takes a long drink, then makes a loud ahhh sound.
“Uh, it was a name with too many synonyms—I mean—what’s the word?”
“Syllables?” I provide wryly.
He points his cup at me. “Yep! Sounded like a sneeze, so I said bless you. Didn’t like that either. Your girlfriend isn’t very funny.”
“Don’t have a girlfriend.”
“That’s what I said!” He repeats his earlier sentiment. “But she’s—” He swirls a finger in a circle near his temple.
“And you don’t know her name? Or where she is?”
It wouldn’t be the first time a girl thought we were dating when we weren’t. I’ll just have to let her down easy.
Carson lifts his drink and gestures behind him. Some of the liquid sloshes out and onto the shoulder of his golf polo.
“By the pool. She’s blonde. Super hot—all the crazy ones are, though. Name was something like Macintosh.”
His mediocre description pieces together with a few other instances.
“Mckinleigh?” I ask with a sinking feeling.
“That’s it!” he shouts.
I let out a deep sigh. When I saw Aurora earlier, I thought it was going to be a great night. Now—like her—I wish I wouldn’t have come at all.