Chapter 36
Briar
My brother was ignoring me.
It wasn’t the first time and it sure as hell wouldn’t be the last, but it was irritating the heck out of me.
“Mason!”
He was on the couch, and it didn’t look comfortable. I had zero sympathy.
“What were you thinking?”
“Beer and wings?”
I saw the devilish gleam in his eye and wanted to smack him. “With Noah?”
He yawned. “The guy did a decent thing; he’s walking around like he’s about to be hanged at dawn. I saw him on my way here, and I thought he needed cheering up.”
“He went behind his friends’ backs and cut a deal with the devil.”
Mason stood and stretched. “And solved your problems. I dunno why I was the one who was buying him a beer in thanks.” He looked around. “How long will it take you to pack?”
I took a drink of tea and ignored the question.
“So you’re okay with what he did?”
“Didn’t we talk about this?” Mason lumbered toward the kitchen. “Do you have coffee?”
“You know I have coffee.” I fought back my sigh.
“Why is there no coffee made?”
“Because you don’t deserve any,” I snapped and took my tea into my bedroom to escape him before I committed a felony.
Another felony.
Gaby had taken my resignation as I expected — badly. I really did need to leave campus in case she saw me. But . . . I didn’t want to leave yet.
“You’re really not going to talk to him?”
I looked up at my brother, who was leaning against my door. “Why should I?”
He snorted and headed to my bed. He lay down on the covers. “Why didn’t I get the bed?”
“Because it’s my bed.”
He grunted, and I refused to have the pointless discussion about sleeping in my bed in my own home, while he was on my bed getting comfortable.
“Are you staying for him?” Mason asked casually.
“No.”
“Lie.”
I met his stare. “I need to work; there is no work for me here.”
He agreed. He didn’t say it, but he didn’t need to.
“He’s a nice enough guy.” Mason folded his hands behind his head. “Got a good sense of humor.”
I narrowed my gaze on my brother. “You gave me shit for sleeping with him.”
“Yeah, but,” he waved his hand in the air, “I can see you both like each other. More than, you know, just fucking each other.” He patted the bed for emphasis.
“We agreed not to talk about my sex life.”
Mason blew a raspberry. He sat up. “You and him, you’re in a relationship. Right?”
“No. We had a one-night stand, nothing more.”
My brother gave me a look. “C’mon, Bri, don’t bullshit me. He put his neck on the line for you. I think we’re both safe to assume you had more than one night.”
“And?”
“You can come home. You should already be there. Away from here, no matter how much you tell me your rent’s paid up to no one cares when. And you’re still here.”
“And?”
“You’re waiting. What are you waiting for?” He lay back down. “I like it here. Next time I get the bed.”
“Remember I had sex with Noah in that bed. I think he used that pillow under my ass at one point.”
The speed at which my brother got off the bed was funny. I laughed before I could stop myself.
“You’re an evil bitch,” he yelled, heading back into the living room.
I followed a moment later when I heard him making coffee.
Mason gave me a sullen glare. “I know something you don’t know,” he said. “And I don’t know if you should know.”
I stared at him. “About what?” I took a step forward. “Noah?”
Mason watched the coffee filter through. “I don’t know if he’ll remember he told me.”
“Mason? Tell me.”
He scratched his chin and looked away. “I don’t think he plans to stay.”
His words drew me closer. “I don’t understand? Is he dropping out? Mason!”
“Jesus, Bri, will you let me think?” he snapped. “He isn’t dropping out, but I think he made the motion to . . . move.”
I gaped at him. “He’s transferring?” I stared at him. “Again?”
Mason poured a coffee, fed up with waiting for the pot to fill. “I think so.” He looked up. “But that’s good, right? Getting away from here?”
“No.” I walked over and sat down on the couch. “No. His friends are here. He and the guys are close.”
“The guys who turned their backs on him?”
“It’s been a week.”
“A week too long,” Mason grumbled. “Long time to do something so monumental and be held up and judged for it.” He took a sip. “By everyone.”
“I don’t need your barbed comments.”
He shook his head but said nothing, leaning against my counter, drinking coffee.
“Did he say where?”
Mason nodded.
“And is this also a secret?” I snapped at him.
“Nope. Just not mine to share.”
“You’re not telling me?” He really was the worst brother. “Do I have to guess?”
“Nah. Try asking your boy toy.” Mason finished his coffee. “Okay. If you’re not leaving, I am. Call me when you want a hand coming home.”
I watched him shove his feet into his boots.
“You’re going home?”
“Yup.”
“You make no sense.”
“Okay.” He reached down and kissed me on the top of my head. “Love you. Stop him from being a prick and sort your shit out.”
And with that nugget of wisdom, he was jogging down my main stairwell, whistling.
“I don’t understand men.” I closed the door and paced.
It might have been true. I knew from the others, with whom I had seemingly become friends, that no one had spoken to him yet. Not because they were dicks, as my brother presumed, but because when Noah Matthews shut down, he shut down.
I’d wanted him to understand what it felt like to have a choice taken away.
Instead, I’d punished him for saving me from one I wasn’t brave enough to make.
I tapped my fingers off my thigh.
“Damn you, Mason.” I grabbed my keys and headed out.
I found Savannah first, simply because I knew to go to the tutor rooms in the library. A girl was coming out of a meeting room, and I poked my head in the door and saw Savannah packing up. She looked up when I rapped my knuckles on the door.
“Briar? Hi.”
“I need to speak to Dante.”
She blinked in surprise. “Okay. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I just need to find him. Do you know where he is?”
She checked her watch. “He doesn’t have his next class until one.”
“So he’ll be . . .”
She thought about it. “Dorm room, I’d guess.”
“Okay, cool.” I lingered. “Can you check?”
“Sure.” She sent a text without asking me anything, which I appreciated because I knew I wouldn’t have had her poise.
She got a reply almost instantly. “Yup. He’s at home.”
“Great. Thanks.” I didn’t leave; she waited. “I’m going to go.”
“Okay.” She looked behind me. “I have another student coming in a meeting room upstairs.”
Way to make it awkward, Briar.
I left her and made my way to the athletic dorm building. And then I had no idea how to get inside because it was fob access only.
I waited a couple of minutes, and then Dante came into view, coming down the stairs. He was in simple team sweatpants and a hoodie, with a black T-shirt underneath. The black made his hair seem blonder, and his eyes bluer. No wonder the female fans loved him.
He opened the door. He didn’t look surprised to see me. “You’re looking for me?”
“Who’s home?” I asked as he stepped back to let me in.
“Dust is in his room studying.” I followed him up the stairs. “I think it’s code for sleeping,” he added dryly.
“Hadley?”
“Class.” He didn’t sound sure, but he didn’t say she was here, and that’s all I wanted.
“And Noah?”
“I don’t know,” Dante replied smoothly. “He was here earlier, when I came back, he was gone.”
We were inside his dorm room, and he closed the door, waiting for me to tell him why I was there.
“I have to admit,” he said in the brief silence. “I thought you’d be gone.”
I avoided looking at him. “Yeah. Um, thanks for your help last night.”
Dante shrugged. “It’s no problem.”
“You’re not talking to him yet?” If it sounded like an accusation, it was because it was.
“I tried. He left.”
“You might need to get used to that,” I muttered.
“What do you mean?”
I heard a door open and turned to see Dustin come out. “Hey, this is a surprise,” he said with a smile.
“Why do I need to get used to Noah leaving?” Dante wasn’t one to let simple pleasantries get in his way.
“What?” Dustin was beside his QB.
“Noah and Mason got drunk,” I told them quickly. “Mason told me Noah may be transferring.”
Dante shook his head. “No. Not possible.”
I held his stare. “When was the last time either of you guys spoke to him?”
“This isn’t on us,” Dustin said firmly. “He called all the shots, he made the deal, we got told as an afterthought.”
“That’s BS, and you know it, Slater,” I scolded him.
“He got dragged into a meeting with his head coach, and in one conversation, he found out more than any of us had.” I took a few steps away from them.
“He got clarification on Tiffany, he got Sutherland to hand over his copies of your dick pic, he stopped me from being questioned by the police, he agreed to clear Mason’s name, and he got your girlfriend the interview most would die for.
Sutherland never interviews, you know this. ”
And I heard myself. I’d defended him completely without meaning to. “Actually, I don’t know why any of us are being such pricks about it.”
“We approached this as a team—”
My snort cut Dante off. “He took the lead. It’s what guys like you do.”
Dante sniffed and looked away.
“Where’s he going?” Dustin asked.
“I don’t know, that’s why I came here.” I met their looks. “I can’t text him and ask him, can I?” I snapped. “I’ve been as hard on him as you have.”
“Then why would you expect us to know?” Dustin asked in confusion.
“I don’t know. My stupid brother knows and won’t tell me. I thought you might know . . . I dunno, something.”
Dante was quiet, his hands in his pockets, with a thoughtful expression, which morphed into anger, and then he shook his head. “Call Santo.”
“Who—”
Dustin’s cursing cut me off. He pulled out his phone and dialed.
“Ash? Hi, yeah, it’s me.” A pause, and then he turned and glared at Dante. “You thought you’d be hearing from me? Why’s that?”
“Speaker,” Dante murmured.
Dustin put it on speaker.
“You heard about your boy’s drive here?” Ash sounded amused.
Dustin and Dante exchanged a look.
“When?” Dustin asked casually.