Chapter 26
twenty-six
I spring into action, checking the front door. But it’s locked. So are the windows. And the balcony door.
My first thought is that Apollo somehow found a lollipop among my things that I didn’t realize I had.
But why stick it in the freezer?
It feels like I can’t swallow. I can’t swallow!
How has such a little thing shattered my sense of safety?
Leaning over the bathroom sink, I heave deep breaths. With shaky fingers, I lift a glass to my lips and sip some water.
Grabbing my phone, I text Apollo. Maybe it’s just a mix-up and I’m flipping out for no reason.
Me
Did you find a pink sucker and put it in the freezer?
But even after showering and getting dressed. Even after drying my hair, he still hasn’t answered.
With a deep breath, I slide to my new study table and set to work. But there’s no way I can focus. My eyes keep stealing glances at the freezer. Like the stupid lollipop might sprout legs, grab a knife, and slit my throat.
I finally shove back and stroll toward it as if it contains a severed body part. Snatching it by the stick, I chuck it into the trash can.
“There. Gone.”
No more Ayan.
Though I still hear him mocking me with his plan for his entire fraternity to fuck me on Thriller Thursday. I shiver, grabbing the throw off my chair and wrapping it around me.
As the light of the day fades, my nerves rise.
I waste hours trying to copy my notes. But nothing is sticking. I give up and call Apollo, but when he answers, it’s so loud, I can barely hear him.
“Sorry, tulip! Wait just a second!” A long pause later, heavy music dampens slightly as he huffs like he’s out of breath. “Okay, sorry. What’s going on?”
“Did you leave a lollipop in the freezer—”
“Dude! Seriously? Not in here! I can’t deal— I’m sorry, Scout. Wait! Don’t take my fucking phone—”
The call ends.
Too afraid to stay alone, and too scared to walk by myself, I call the one person who should be up for a babysitting task.
“Evie?”
“My babe. Can I do something for you? Need a body hidden? A hooker for the night? A baggie of drugs? What is it?” Just the solid but insane sound of her voice settles me.
“I need you to come to a Delta party with me.”
“On my way. Text me your new address.”
Before I end the call, I glance around the apartment. “Uh, Evie?”
“What’s up?”
“Can you bring a gun?”
There’s a long silence. Then, a slow, deranged chuckle. “Never without one.”
With a hurried flick, I turn off all the lights, then part the blinds.
I stare out the front window like a spy on a sting operation.
A shadow dances across the sidewalk. My breath falters.
Headlights shine, illuminating everything in the parking lot until the darkness fades into nothing.
A loud Hummer surges into the lot, blaring hip-hop music.
Out of it pops my friend. Wearing a black tutu, a leather jacket, and neon-green streaks in her ponytails. Oh, and tall fuzzy boots. Crossing her chest is a set of shiny gold bandoliers. I asked for a gun, but hopefully she’s not bringing an automatic.
She spots me immediately, like she can sense others watching her. I flip on the porch light and wave her inside.
As she reaches the threshold, I grimace and grab my jacket. “I meant for you to be subtle.”
She shakes her head, a glimmer shining in her light-blue eyes. “I tried subtle. She tasted funny. Come on!”
We stroll toward campus, and Evie remains silent, for once. Almost as if she’s waiting for me to explain what’s going on without urging me. But I can’t say it aloud. Not without sounding crazy.
“Sorry, I’m just in jeans and a T-shirt. Underdressed for this, probably.” I can hear Ellis telling me I need to try harder.
Evie’s gorgeous smile brightens as she stares into the night. Her made-up face glows under every streetlamp we pass. “Babe? Every flower is gorgeous, no matter the color of the petals.”
A soft grin curls my lips. “Apollo calls me ‘tulip.’”
Her shoulder bumps mine, and she points out a divot in the concrete to avoid. “That’s adorable. Is that why you decided to go to a Delta party instead of staying inside like a dork tonight? Is Apollo a bad influence on you?”
“No. Maybe…” I glance behind us, but it’s only cars and a few students hurrying toward center campus and the coffee shop. “Ayan used to leave me lollipops on my desks for our classes.”
Evie groans and rolls her eyes, stumbling dramatically. Clutching her abdomen like she just burst her appendix. “Please, darling. Please tell me you aren’t getting back with him? Envisioning that pencil-dicked trout while fucking your brute of a husband. Disgusting, Scout. I disapprove.”
“No! No, nothing like that. Um, I found one.”
“Found one? A lollipop?”
I nod.
Her lips purse with contemplation. “He still has something for you?”
“Maybe. But it was in my new apartment. In the freezer.”
Evie pauses a step and snags my upper arm to stop me. She lifts the bullets lining her chest. “Hence the protection duty? Escorting you to your husband’s frat house?”
I hesitate and glance around us. “Yes.”
“Makes sense.” Her arm lands around my shoulders and we keep moving. “Come on, my little charge. I’ll protect you from enemies foreign and domestic.” Twirling over a few steps, she stabs the air with an imaginary blade. “You sure Ayan left it there?”
“No. That’s why I’m heading to Delta. To ask Apollo.”
She finger-guns me, then the air around us, mocking my safety. “Smart. I like that.”
I know she’s joking. But something in me says Evie would shoot up the place to protect me.
She grabs my hand, lacing our fingers together, and gives them a squeeze.
Normally, I wouldn’t like physical affection.
Being with Evie reminds me that Ellis is gone, and it hurts.
But it’s also comforting in a way. Like maybe I just made a closer friend in the woman beside me.
It feels as if I still have a future filled with friends and life, despite losing Ellis.
I lean into her side as we make it to the square prairie-style mansion sitting in the middle of Fraternity Row. It’s throbbing with a deep bass, glass rattling the windows. Flashes of neon-colored lights blare through the patio and dance around us.
When Evie opens the door, a cloud of mist and smoke greets us, as well as a wall of sound. People yell. House music thumps. Footsteps pound.
The place is packed.
Evie pulls me inside like a kid at a carnival, excitedly bouncing on her toes. “Let’s find your beau!”
Despite being the president, he’s suspiciously not around. I wonder if he’s in his old bedroom. We ask several guys if they’ve seen Apollo. No one seems to know where he is.
“I think he’s over by the pool tables, hon,” one of the men says, pointing toward a side room. One of the only ones behind doors.
I nod and snake through the tight crowd to get there.
The lights are green and dim, but it’s quieter. A click of pool balls, blooping from arcade machines, soft jazz, and muffled conversation compete for the air. Sweet cigar smoke floats by, covering up a distant scent of popcorn and beer.
My heart soars when I spot my giant husband leaning against a pool table, talking to a few guys. I get dizzy. Lose my breath just looking at him. He doesn’t see me, even as I wander closer.
Before I reach him, a curvy blonde Sigma sidles up to his side, her fingers crawling over his chest like she owns him. She laces her arms around his neck. My blood boils at the sight. With fierce determination, I move.
Evie snatches my arm hard, holding me back. Which is not like her. I can barely see; the wrath is making my vision fuzzy.
“Just wait. Watch what he does…” she whispers, and I hold my breath.
Apollo slides his left hand between him and the girl. He wiggles his ring finger, showing off his wedding band. His lips move as he says something low and serious to her. With a shake of his head, he stands up from the table and turns his back on her to talk to the guys around him.
“Go get your man,” Evie says with satisfaction, shoving me forward.
I dash over and squeeze through the circle surrounding Apollo.
His eyes widen when he spots me, then his face changes. That look. The one he gave me when he saw me coming down the aisle. It’s back. And it’s mine.
I collapse into him as his thick arms surround me.
Without any hesitation, I plant a long, hot kiss on his waiting lips. He tastes of dark rye and licorice. My head feels fuzzier than before. I think I could faint. When I pull back, I sneer at the woman over his shoulder. “Hi, husband.”
Apollo leans into my ear and growls like a lion. “You minx. That was incredibly sexy. Thanks for showing up.”
Leaning back against the side of the pool table, he pulls me onto his lap, my back to his chest. His fingers dig into my hips, holding me like I’m his favorite possession. One he’s not letting go of. Even as he attempts to finish whatever conversation he was having with his Delta brothers.
He seems to only be half paying attention. They scatter as he presses his chin against my shoulder.
“So glad you came. Did I say that already?”
I flip around and straddle him, arms latched around his neck. “Did you leave a lollipop in our freezer?”
One dark eyebrow quirks, but before he answers, he fist-bumps a guy walking behind me. “Sup, bro. Everything good?”
“Yeah. Thanks for that advice, Mr. President. Appreciate you.”
“Anytime.” Lower, he smirks at me. “Told him what was wrong with his car.”
I get a whiff of alcohol on his breath.
“Did you?”
“Tell him what was wrong? Yeah.”
“No. Did you leave a lollipop—”
“What? Sorry. I’m a little intoxicated. Repeat what you asked me?”
My heart races… He’s not admitting anything. “Did you leave—”
“Oh. No… Never saw a lollipop. That’s such a weird word.
Lolly? Lolly pop?” He practices it several times, slow and sluggish.
But when I freeze in his hold, he drops the fun look on his face.
“Do you like candy?” His throat bobs, and I take in the stubble he’s left along his jaw.
There’s a long pause until I find his eyes.
“Should I say I left it there so you’ll fall in love with me?”
At his drunken confession, my breath catches in my chest. “No… I just… My ex used to leave them for me.”
His thick brow furrows. “Oh. Well, what’s it doing in our freezer?”
“That’s what I don’t understand,” I mutter.
He gathers my head in his large palm and presses me against his body, rocking us slowly. “Shh, don’t worry, my baby. I’ll take care of the big, bad lollipop.”
But I’m more worried now that maybe no one will take this seriously.
Or maybe I’ve truly lost it.