30. Hudson
Ileft Thane’s place a little before eight the next morning, after setting a homemade breakfast of biscuits and gravy on the kitchen counter for him to find when he woke, and I headed toward Haverick.
Parker, Faith, and I were scheduled to meet at the Stetson fountain statue outside the student union at 8:30, but that wasn’t where I went when I made it to campus.
No, I figured Faith’s priorities would be elsewhere this morning. So I settled myself against the exterior wall of Rimfeld Hall where the provost’s office was located, and there, I had myself a good wait.
I liked the morning peace. The sky was gearing up to host a bright, sunny day with temperatures in the high sixties—completely average for the mid-December weather in these parts. The grass had finally gone dormant and brown for the season, but you couldn’t convince the squirrels that it was winter.
A pair of red fox squirrels chasing each other across the ground, from one tree to another, had captivated my attention by the time the main entrance to Rimfeld opened and Faith exited.
“And there she blows,” I called, still leaning against the brick and not bothering to pursue her.
When she heard my voice, she glanced over and then stumbled to a stop. “How did you know…?”
With a lift of my eyebrows, I finished the question for her when she shook her head, puzzled. “That I’d find you here, turning in proof that you weren’t a cheater and clearing your good name with the university’s Academic Honesty Committee as soon as humanly possible? Gee…” I shrugged. “Call it a hunch.”
Rolling her eyes as she strolled back to me, she affectionately murmured, “Always got to have some crazy comeback, don’t you?”
“You think that was crazy?” I could see I had my work cut out for me in bringing more excitement to this girl’s life. I pushed away from the building and gravitated toward her because I couldn’t seem to stay away. “How about this, then? I just performed my first stint of burglary last night. How crazy is that?”
Her nose wrinkled in confusion. “Burglary? You stole something?”
“Yep.” Vibrating with excitement, I pulled the necklace from my pocket and let it tumble out of my palm until it was dangling from two fingers. “I saw this little trinket here in Gen’s bedroom and just couldn’t seem to help myself.”
Faith focused on the horseshoe and gasped. “Oh…” She snagged it from my hand, only to flip it over so she could check the back for her special inscription. “Oh my God.”
When she looked up at me as if I’d hung the moon, I shrugged, feeling strangely sheepish for quite possibly the first time in my life. “Sorry, I didn’t get back the shoes she took. You never described them, so I didn’t know what they looked like.”
“Fuck the shoes,” Faith breathed before leaping forward to throw her arms around me and hug me tighter than I’d probably ever been hugged before. “I don’t want those shoes back after they’ve been on her nasty feet, anyway.” Tucking her face into my neck, she held onto me for dear life. “But the necklace… I really missed this necklace. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” I slipped my arms around her waist and hugged her back, inhaling a big whiff of her flowery scent before answering, “Her feet really do smell nasty, don’t they?”
Faith’s laugh vibrated through me before she sighed in delight and added, “I can’t believe you got my necklace back for me.”
I closed my eyes and tipped my face down to burrow against hers. “Just part of my side of the backscratching,” I answered, trying to sound all easygoing and nonchalant, as if it was nothing before I ran my fingers up her spine to literally scratch her back. But honestly, making her this happy did something to me. I swear, it changed who I was at a molecular level.
I think I could spend the rest of my life just like this and be perfectly content.
Faith exhaled sadly and pulled away. “We better stop. It’d be just our luck if Genesis strolled by right now. You’d be fired by the end of the day.”
I ignored the yearning pressure in my chest as I watched her immediately put the necklace on, lifting her hands to fasten it behind her neck, and I said, “It’d be worth it.”
But Faith furrowed her brow in disappointment. “Hell, no it wouldn’t. You fulfilled your side of the bargain, so I better get to fulfill mine. Let’s head toward the Stetson fountain and meet up with your friend.”
I nodded and fell into step with her as she tucked the necklace under her shirt and out of sight. “So how’d it go in Rimfeld?” I asked, tipping my head toward the provost’s office.
Faith heaved in a hopeful breath and lifted her eyebrows. “I was told they’d review my evidence and get back to me.”
“Damn. They’re keepin’ you in suspense, huh? Well…” I held up two hands full of crossed fingers. “Here’s hoping it works.”
“I know.” She pressed a fist to her stomach. “I’m so freaking nervous right now. I feel like I’m this close and yet… What if it’s not enough? I’m honestly too scared to get my hopes up.”
I nudged my shoulder over into hers. “Want to know what I do to keep from worrying my ass off about shit?”
“Yes,” she said immediately, bobbing her head up and down. “I absolutely want to know.”
I grinned. “It’s easy. I just think about something else.”
Blurting out a harsh scoff, Faith shook her head in amusement. “Yeah. Real easy,” she muttered. “I wouldn’t know how to even begin to do that.”
“Well, it’s like this,” I told her as we walked along. Holding up my hands to encompass the campus around us, I commanded, “Just look around you. There’s shit all over the place you can ponder on. Like those two squirrels there.”
They were back to chasing each other again, winding their way around a tree and up into the branches above.
“What’s their deal?” I asked. “Are they an old married couple, and she just caught him doing the babysitter? Or are they neighbors, fighting for territory? Brothers arguing over the last nut of the year? Or possibly just best friends trying to see who’s fastest?” When I couldn’t spot the squirrels anymore, I glanced over at Faith. “See. Mind successfully diverted from… Fuck, I can’t even remember what we were worrying about in the first place.”
She blinked at me as if trying to figure me out before she straight up admitted, “I wish I could live in your mind for, like, even an hour.”
Deciding that had to be a compliment, I winked. “Sorry, kid. It’s apparently too full up there already. Not sure how many more of us could fit.”
Rolling her eyes over my answer, she blew out a long breath and faced forward again. “No matter what they decide, I still can’t believe you helped me the way you did. I…just…” Her hands briefly flailed, letting me know she didn’t know what to say or do right now. “Thank you. I mean, I have no idea how you were able to get her phone away from her long enough to even go through it without her noticing, much less?—”
“Hey,” I broke in softly since she seemed to be growing a little too emotional, as if tears were imminent, and I said, “It’s all good. I got it done without a single issue. And even the dicey moments were a freaking rush.” Slinging an arm over her shoulders, I pulled her snugly against my side. “I was happy to help.”
“Yeah, but…” She leaned her head my way as if she wanted to rest it on me permanently. “I owe you so much right now.”
It broke my heart a little to listen to her shock and awe as she thanked me. She truly and honestly was not used to people giving her a helping hand. She’d had no one to trust or rely on. My chest began to ache from just thinking about that.
“There will be no owing anyone anything after today,” I said. “Okay? Because we made a deal, and everything will be square after that.”
And even if she didn’t want to do her part, she still wouldn’t owe me anything. But I thought at least mentioning the deal would placate her.
“Doing my part for you seems so minor, though,” she insisted. “Compared to?—”
“Trust me,” I assured. “It’s anything but minor. I’m at the point where I don’t care what it does to my job; I just want to be free of Genesis. But if we can get her to break up with me without it affecting my work, then that would be like getting my cake and eating it too. For me, this is huge.”
“Alright,” she agreed hesitantly. “But I still don’t think her seeing me with someone else is going to make her jealous in the least.”
I scoffed. “Then you shoulda been there when I went through her phone. The woman’s obsessed with you.”
Faith sent me a funny look. “Huh?”
“Let’s just say you were her favorite topic in a lot of damn conversations she had with her friends.”
“Yeah, probably because she was bitching about me in all of them.”
I only shrugged. “Love. Hate. What’s the difference when you grow that engrossed in another person? You still rate high on her radar, so yes, I’m fairly confident she’ll sit up and notice when she sees you moving on with someone else. And once she decides I’m no longer useful to her, she’s going to toss me aside like a used paper towel.”
Faith only shrugged. “I mean, if you say so. I’ll definitely give it a try. But…”
As the student union came into view, I noticed a figure already at the Stetson statue, sitting on the edge of the fountain with one foot crossed and relaxing on the opposite knee as he played on his phone.
“It’ll work,” I assured her, giving her shoulder one last squeeze before letting go so I could lift my arm and wave. “Yo, Ohrley,” I called.
The figure at the statue lifted his head, then unfolded himself as he stood.
Next to me, Faith sucked in a breath. “She’ll definitely notice how gorgeous he is, if nothing else.”
I slid her a sharp sideways glance, and she lifted her hands helplessly. “I’m just saying. He seems to be exactly her type.”
“Just her type, huh?” I pressed.
Instead of reassuring me, however, Faith merely sent me a husky laugh and bumped her arm into mine. “Look at you,” she said as if amused. “You’re so cute.”
Jealousy was still new and foreign for me, so I didn’t think it was cute at all, but whatever.
“Yo,” Parker greeted, interrupting our moment.
I stared into Faith’s dark eyes for another two seconds, completely ignoring him before I reluctantly tore my gaze away and focused on my friend.
He lifted his eyebrows in greeting. “So we’re actually doing this, huh?”
I heaved out a breath, beginning to feel unsettled. “It appears we are.”
“Sweet.” His gaze slid to Faith and smoldered. A little too enthusiastically. Rubbing his hands together, he asked her, “Should we go over some ground rules before we begin?”
But I’m the one who lifted a hand and broke in. “Whoa there, skippy. Ground rules?”
Just what the fuck did he think was going to happen?
“Yeah.” Parker nodded slowly at me as if I was too dense to understand. “I’m going to have my hands on her. Shouldn’t I learn what the no-go zones are now before it’s too late? Like…” Glancing at Faith, he tipped his head inquisitively. “Do I have permission to touch your ass or?—”
“Why the fuck would you need to touch her ass?” I exploded.
Park sent me a startled glance, his eyebrows shooting sky high. “I thought we were supposed to be playing a couple.”
“Yes,” I hissed venomously. “But can’t you do that by wrapping your arm around her shoulders or holding her hand?”
His eyes flared at me as if I’d lost my mind. “Who the hell would get jealous of us holding hands?”
“Geez, Hudson,” Faith broke in. “When did you turn into such a prude?”
I spun to gape at her, unable to believe my ears, while Parker snickered and joined in. “Yeah,” he agreed. “Who even are you right now?” But as soon as he said that, genuine worry flickered through his eyes. “Fuck, you’re not having another headache, are you?”
He actually reached for my brow as if to check for a temperature.
“Dude.” I jerked my head back before he could touch me, and I sent him a cautionary frown. “I’m fine.” But now Faith was stepping forward and looking at me as if she thought something was genuinely wrong, too. I lifted my hand to calm her. “My head is good.”
No way was I going to admit to feeling jealous—even though I’m sure they were already well aware—so I took a breath and forced myself to relax. “But Gen should be coming through here in the next ten minutes or so, so I should probably scram and let you two work out your own ground rules.”
“And you’re sure she’ll actually pass this way?” Parker wanted to know.
“No, she will,” Faith said. “She came here every morning, religiously, even two years ago for her morning latte. I think Hudson’s right about this. She’ll walk directly by us.”
“Alright then.” Parker shrugged, letting us know it didn’t matter to him one way or another. Lifting his chin my way, he dismissed me with two words. “Later, man.”
I bobbed my head in farewell, and my gaze sought Faith’s. She bit her lip, starting to look worried. So I winked. “You’re up, Stalker. You got this; I know you do.”
She scoffed and shook her head. “Let’s hope so.” And she waved at me sadly.
I turned away and strolled off. But I didn’t go far—I couldn’t seem to leave well enough alone if I wanted to. I had to witness what happened next.
Thankfully, there was a thick copse of trees directly beside the student union, within perfect spying distance. As soon as I turned the corner and was out of Faith and Parker’s sight, I doubled back and moseyed my way toward the trees.
Once I was securely hidden among the branches, I meandered through the trunks until I had a visual of Parker and Faith at the fountain. They’d sat down next to each other on the ledge and were talking together. It seemed innocent enough, but it still made my gut burn with…
Dread.
Parker had no girlfriend, no ghost riding shotgun inside him, no school debt weighing him down.
And Faith had already admitted that she found him attractive.
God, this was such a fucking bad idea.
I groaned as they each turned their attention to their phones because they still looked too much like a couple doing even that, like the comfortable kind that had already had so much sex together that they could now just chill beside one another without constantly groping or necking. I didn’t like it.
When my phone buzzed with an incoming message, I pulled it from my pocket to discover that both of them had texted me.
Ohrley had to be a complete douche, of course.
Jealousy SO doesn’t become you, man.
Faith’s message was much sweeter, though.
Don’t worry. YOU’RE still my favorite prey to stalk.
My heart fluttered.
Ignoring the douche, I answered her.
But am I your ONLY prey?
She answered immediately.
Of course.
Good.
Out by the fountain, I could see her smile at her phone and shake her head fondly. Parker glanced her way curiously, and they spoke for a moment, comparing phone screens. Probably talking about me. I could handle that, as long as their conversation didn’t stray toward bad habits of mine.
God, this was such an odd feeling. It was like a knot was lodged securely in my stomach. I pressed a fist to it and glanced out into the quad, trying to find something to distract my attention. But all I saw was a set of familiar hips swaying as she pranced toward the student union.
Snapping my phone up, I dashed off a quick text to Park.
Show time.
Parker read it, then smoothly slipped his phone away and turned his attention to Faith, leaning toward her in such a flirty way that even I could feel the power of his seduction from the trees. The knot in my abdomen doubled in size.
Faith’s laugh floated toward me in the breeze, and my jaw clenched.
Then he stood from the fountain and held down both hands, entreating her to stand with him. She did, taking his fingers and letting him draw her up. Except as soon as she was standing, he didn’t let go. He pulled her snugly against him, chest to chest, and he wrapped his arms around her waist as his head dipped.
Dipped.
And…
I froze solid, mouth gaping as one of my best friends on the planet pressed his mouth to Faith’s. And I remained that way, unable to move or react as if my mind needed just five more seconds of gawking to ensure that I was really seeing what I was seeing.
Then my ears started to ring, and my vision dimmed at the corners. My head went light, and Parker’s hands lowered to grip Faith’s ass as he tugged her harder against him.
The air stalled in my lungs.
For the longest moment, I was sure that was it. I was going to die right here, suffocated by my own jealousy.
But then the two broke apart abruptly, and I finally realized Genesis had paused as she was passing by to say something to them.
I had no idea what she said—didn’t really give a fuck, to be honest—I just knew I was more grateful for her in that moment than I’d ever been in my life. She’d stopped the horror, and now my best friend’s mouth was no longer on Faith. His hands were off her ass. And air was flowing through my lungs again.
I gulped shakily, still rattled to the core, and I ran a hand through my hair as I exhaled, hoping to settle my shit down already.
Out by the horse statue, Genesis was stalking inside the front doors of the student union in pissy, upset strides. Parker had no doubt been Parker and said something to tick her off—which would’ve thrilled me on any other day—but today, I just felt sick as he and Faith grinned at each other and shared a fist bump before she took it a step further and hugged him.
The bastard hugged her back, his hand dangerously low on her spine as he did. Then he kissed her cheek as she pulled away. She seemed a little too happy as she hurried off. Her smile was brighter than the sunlight and her cheeks seemed to glisten.
I seriously did not like how making out with Ohrley left her so…glowy.
But after she pulled up her phone and started to type on it, it was my phone that buzzed with an incoming message. Not his.
I looked down, needing to see what she’d written more than I needed my next breath.
Oh my God. Holy shit. I think that actually WORKED!!! She looked completely irritated by seeing us together. And the filth she slung… Boy howdy. She told him to watch out for VD with me. The bitch was so freaking bothered by seeing me with someone I couldn’t believe it.
I smiled, my own jealousy mollified by her excitement over Gen’s reaction and by the fact that she didn’t mention the kiss with Parker at all.
Told you she’d react strongly.
Okay, fine,”
she wrote back.
I might trust your judgment just slightly more from here on out.
I chuckled and said I’d take that as a win, even as I glanced up to check on my friend.
Parker had remained at the fountain to watch Faith skip merrily away. My eyes narrowed on him until he scanned the rest of the quad. Then he turned in the opposite direction in which she was going and moseyed away as if he hadn’t just molested my fucking stalker.
“Oh, no you don’t,” I growled and started from the trees in hot pursuit.
But I didn’t have to track him far, as it turned out. After turning one corner, I pulled up short to keep from running smack into him.
Ohrley had parked himself against the side of the building with his arms folded over his chest and an arrogant smirk on his face as he waited for me to catch up.
“Hey,” he greeted with a lazy bob of the head.
I wanted to punch him. At that moment, I wanted to hit him right in his smug, perfect face. The face Faith had just kissed.
Gripping my head to hold the urge at bay, I started to pace in front of him, gasping, “You…”
When nothing else came out, Parker rolled out a hand encouragingly. “I…” he said with a questioning arch of his eyebrows. “Come on, Ivey. Use your words.”
“You kissed her,” I blurted, turning to face him full-on. “You fucking kissed her.”
The haughty expression melted away, and Parker blinked in genuine confusion. “Isn’t that what I was supposed to do?”
“No,” I cried, only to admit. “I don’t know. No.”
He furrowed his brow. “Dude. You told me to make it look convincing.”
I laughed bitterly and stabbed a hand through my hair. “Oh, you made it look convincing.” Clutching my chest, I bent slightly and admitted, “Gah, why can’t I breathe right?”
Parker stepped forward in concern and clutched my shoulder. “Fuck, man. I did all this shit for you. To help you break free of the worm queen. I just did what you told me to.”
Briefly squeezing my eyes shut, I shook my head. “I never told you to stick your goddamn tongue halfway down her throat.”
Parker blinked at me in shock. Then he lifted his hands. “There was no tongue. And there wouldn’t have been any mouth-to-mouth contact at all if I’d known you liked her like that. Why didn’t you tell me you were this far gone?”
“Because I’m not,” I started to insist, except the words died in my mouth. Utterly shocked, I gaped back at him. “Holy shit. I’m that far gone, aren’t I? I really fucking like her.”
“Yeah,” he agreed slowly. “You do.”
“But I…” I shook my head, trying to deny it. “I can’t go falling for someone right now. This is the worst possible timing ever. I’m still stuck under another woman’s thumb unless I want to risk my job, which I kind of don’t because working there is going to secure my future and help me pay off my hundred fucking thousand dollars’ worth of school debt. Not to mention the fact that I’m sort of possessed, and the ghost inside me could take over at any moment. I don’t exactly have a lot going for me. What the hell am I doing falling for someone?”
Clutching my head again, I started to back away from Parker. “I don’t do that. I don’t fall for girls. I have fun and move on. This isn’t me. Dammit. Do you think I’m even me right now? What if this is all Brett starting to take over and?—”
“Hey!” Parker snapped his fingers in front of my face and ordered, “Chill.”
So I did. I took a deep breath and relaxed. And all the while, Parker squinted at me as if I’d grown a second head, or maybe he was simply waiting for it to twist around a hundred and eighty degrees.
Finally, he stepped slowly toward me and clapped his hands down on my shoulders, holding me in place as he looked into my eyes. “Hudson,” he said simply.
“What?” I grumbled irritably because, yes, I knew my name. But so did Brett, and he could answer to it just as easily as I could.
“I think you’re more you now than you’ve ever been in your entire life,” Parker finally told me.
I blinked. “What?”
“You’ve always been Denial,” he said simply. “You know, in the stages. The grief stages. I’ve been Anger. Foster’s stuck on Bargaining, thinking he has to excel and be perfect at everything he does to make things right again. Keene was Depression for years, until he learned what sex was, anyway. Alec had Shock locked down pretty tightly there for a while there. And Archer was obsessed with justice and finding his sister’s killer. But you? You’ve claimed Denial for so long that I’m not sure you’d even recognize yourself if you finally faced shit straight on and stopped avoiding everything with your unconcerned, who-gives-a-fuck ways. So maybe this is the most stripped-bare version of you there is.”
My mouth fell open as he spoke, not exactly charmed by that idea. “So…” I shook my head. “In actuality, I’m an anxiety-ridden worrywart who freaks out about everything? Uh-uh. I don’t fucking think so. That’s not me either.”
I was not a worrywart.
Parker slugged the side of my arm and took a step back. “Then pull yourself together, ya big baby. Whiny Ivey is annoying as hell.”
“God.” I laughed and shook my head, but I was already feeling more settled and in control of myself again. “You are such an asshole.”
He shrugged. “What’d you think I was going to do? Give you a hug and an upbeat, inspirational talk? Fuck. I’m not Thane.” Then he shuddered over the mere idea.
I shook my head. “I wasn’t in the mood for upbeat and inspirational, anyway.”
“Then you flipped out in front of the right friend, I guess.” With a nod of approval, he lifted one eyebrow. “But I do want you to know… You don’t have to worry about this possession bullshit. We’re going to find someone who can help you. I fucking promise you that. We’re gonna get that ghost out of you. And you definitely don’t have to worry about your student loans.”
“No, no.” Fuck. What had I been thinking by opening my big mouth to him? The last person I ever wanted to complain about money to was Parker. I knew he’d try to pay my problems away. “That’s not?—”
But he waved a hand. “I know. You want to make your own way. And I fully respect that. But I’m also not going to stand here and let some chick you loathe hold you over a barrel and keep you from the one you actually want to be with just because of money either. So I’m only going to say this one time. Do not worry about money. And don’t worry about finding an exorcist. We’ve already got feelers out for that. Just tell me what you’re going to do about this stalker you’ve fallen for.”
With an amused smile, I could only shake my head. “Fuck, man. I don’t know.” I just knew I wasn’t going to be able to keep my hands off her for much longer. Despite all the reasons I knew I should stay away, she’d gotten under my skin. There was no leaving her alone now.
Parker only shrugged. “Then I guess you better figure it out,” he advised.