11. Angel In Pink
Chapter eleven
Angel In Pink
Hayes Rosewood
I push my way through the party and head outside where the pool is.
No one is using it, since it’s October. The campus might be in Atlanta, but it’s cold enough at night to make swimming a nonoption.
Unless, of course, your drunk friends throw you in.
Which happens to some poor sap every other party in the fall.
That’s when it pays to have a reputation as a fighter. No one is dumb enough to push me in.
Though no one is in the pool, plenty of people are hovering around it, the blue lights casting an odd glow that makes them look like they’re starring in Twilight.
I scan the area and spot Mckinleigh wearing a tight, short dress.
She’s talking animatedly to a group of people, waving a bottle of vodka around like a baton.
“Great,” I mutter as I stalk over to them.
Mckinleigh spots me as I get closer, and a smile spreads across her lips.
“Hayesy!” She somehow manages to slur at a high pitch. A true feat. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” At least, that’s what I think she says. It’s hard to make out.
“Can we talk for a sec?” I shove my hands in my pockets and tip my head to the side. “Alone.”
Her sloppy grin widens. “Of course. Alone.”
I draw in a fortifying breath, and immediately regret it when I’m hit with the cloying smell of perfume and peach vodka.
Mckinleigh throws her arms around me, and I barely resist the urge to gag.
I need to be more selective about who I date.
Mckinleigh pulls back and plants a wet kiss on my jaw.
I cringe. Maybe give up dating all together.
After extricating myself from her oddly strong grip, I gently guide her a few feet away from her friends. Then I turn so I see most of the backyard and keep an eye on the exits. She goes to throw herself at me again, but I stop her.
“We need to talk,” I emphasize.
She pouts and crosses her arms over her red dress. I wipe my hands on my pants, then run a hand through my hair.
“Have you been telling people we’re dating?” I ask her. The sooner I get this over with, the better.
She giggles. “Yes! I’ve been telling them the story of our first date without you. Is that why you’re mad? I tried to look for you first!”
Her every sentence is like stumbling through a forest with a flashlight. I’ve got no idea where it’s headed, and it takes a lot of focus to figure it out.
“But we’re not dating,” I reply in a gentle voice.
Mckinleigh’s forehead wrinkles.
“What do you mean? We went on a date.”
“Yes, one date. That’s all. And that was a while ago.”
“It was thirteen days ago,” she mumbles. Her chin starts to wobble and her eyes go glassy. “I thought we h-had a connection.”
I sigh. “I’m sorry, but we’re not dating. You have to stop telling people, and I don’t know how you got my number, but you shouldn’t text me either.”
Her sadness swings to anger like a pendulum.
“I got your number because you wouldn’t answer my messages! Why don’t you want to date me?”
An uncomfortable sensation coats my skin. I can feel the eyes of everyone around us, and though I’m used to it, I know this is far from the good kind of attention.
“It’s nothing personal—”
“Is there another girl?” she whines, mascara tracking down her cheeks.
My eyes flick around, assessing the situation and thinking of what to say. It’s at this moment that an angel clothed in baby pink steps into the backyard.
“Aurora,” I whisper.
“Who?” Mckinleigh demands. “What sorority is she from?”
“Aurora!” I call out, and her attention swings my way. When I wave her over, a miracle happens and she listens, taking long, graceful strides in our direction. I don’t have a chance to explain or ease her into the situation before Mckinleigh snaps.
“The girl from the library.” Her lip curls. “She’s your girlfriend?”
Aurora stiffens at these words. I throw an arm around Aurora and draw her into my side.
“I’ve been trying to win her over since last semester, and she finally let me take her out,” I lie through my teeth.
Aurora doesn’t move, but I don’t know if she’s fine to roll with this or if she’s in shock. I’m half expecting her to slap me at any second.
“I can’t believe this.” Mckinleigh sniffles and wipes beneath her eyes, smearing the makeup further. “I thought we were in love.”
“I don’t know where you got that,” I reply honestly, and I think I hear Aurora laugh. “But I’m with Aurora, so you see why we can’t date.”
I risk my life and pull Aurora closer, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head. From the way her arm tenses beneath my fingers, I’m counting each breath a blessing.
Mckinleigh nods and sniffs again. “I won’t mess with another woman’s man, but if you leave him, I’m first in line,” she says while pointing at Aurora.
“Noted,” Aurora replies in a dry tone.
“Treat him well!” Mckinleigh commands as she backs away, heading for her friends.
“Oh, I will.” The threat in Aurora’s voice is unmistakable.
“Thank you,” I murmur to her as we watch Mckinleigh stumble through the yard like a baby deer in high heels.
“You’re going to pay for this,” she grumbles.
“How much?”
Her elbow rams into my rib cage, making me grunt.
“Not everything is about money, Prince Charming.” She slips out of my grip and faces me down with a glare that could melt steel. “Now are you going to tell me why you’ve pulled me into this?”
“I’m pretty sure she was stalking me,” I say, and Aurora raises a disbelieving brow. “I’m serious. She showed up at the library, and then the other day she got my number and started texting me. Then I found out she was telling everyone here we were in love and dating.”
“I don’t know if that’s stalking,” she says with a pointed look. “But, it is weird behavior.”
“Very weird. I tried to talk to her calmly, but she wouldn’t listen. Then she asked if there was another girl …”
“And you thought you’d ruin my night?” she asks wryly.
I let out a little laugh. “You did say you were already regretting coming tonight. I thought it couldn’t get any worse.”
“You thought wrong.” She crosses her arms and rubs her biceps over the long-sleeved dress she’s wearing. “And now not only have I endured a sticky, loud party, but everyone on campus is going to think we’re dating.”
“Are you cold?” I ask her, and shrug out of my jacket.
Before she can answer, I wrap it around her.
“This is not helping the dating allegations,” she grumbles, but pulls the jacket further around her, shivering a little.
“About that …” I trail off.
“No,” she says immediately. “Whatever you’re about to say, no.”
“And what if I was going to suggest a plan where we tell everyone we’re not dating?”
Her eyes narrow. “Were you?”
I give her my best smile. She glowers.
This is going to go swimmingly, I’m sure.