A few of the guys said goodbye as we left but Jordan ignored them. After we got back into his truck, I felt the need to address the icy vibe between him and his fraternity brothers. “I hate to see you so mad your friends,” I said, watching him as he concentrated on the road. He glanced at me and frowned.
“If they were my friends, they wouldn't look at you the way they just did. So f**k 'em.” He said it with a conviction that I wished I felt.
But I didn't want to be the reason there was a rift between him and his Pi Sig brothers. “I'm sure it's just weird seeing you with someone who isn't Olivia.” I had to force her name out of my mouth. I hated bringing her up at all. Jordan snorted.
“It's not like any of them were particularly fond of Liv, sweetheart.” I blinked in surprise. Hmm, I had always thought Olivia got along well with the Pi Sig guys. Maybe not.
“No, they're just being a bunch of bitches. And I don't have time in my life for bitches,” he said shortly, making it clear he was done with that particular subject. We stopped and got bagels from The Cup and Crumb before making our way to campus. The ugliness from the morning, while not entirely forgotten, was at least pushed to the side. And I was able to see what a relationship with Jordan would be like.
We got along so well, it was a little scary. Despite the amazing sexual chemistry, I found we actually had a lot to talk about. Jordan was smart and funny and damn near irresistible. “We have a gig coming up this weekend at Dave's Tavern. I'd love for you to come and see us play.” Jordan commented, pulling into the parking lot in front of the freshman dorms.
I picked up my stuff from the floor of his truck. “Yeah, I think that can be arranged,” I responded coyly as Jordan reached over to curl his hand around the back of my neck, pulling me toward him.
“Yes, please pencil me into your busy schedule,” he said with a grin before kissing me soundly. I wanted to melt into a puddle on his leather seats. This boy could kiss. And kiss well.
“Now come on, can't have us late for class,” Jordan said, running his thumb along the curve of my bottom lip as I tried to get my bearings.
“Um, yeah. Class,” I mumbled as he chuckled, opening his door. I followed him up the path that led to Randolph Hall, where my class was held. Jordan made a point to hold me close, rubbing his hand up and down my arm. I couldn't ignore the looks we got as we made our way along campus. I hated this feeling of being on show. That everyone was a little too focused on the two of us together.
If it bothered Jordan, he didn't let on. We stopped in front of Randolph Hall, toe to toe, holding each other's hands and grinning like the crazy fools we were. “I'd like to take you out to dinner tonight. What do you say?” he asked, swinging my hands back and forth. I laughed, enjoying the lightness that unfurled in my chest. Jordan lifted our joined hands and laced his fingers with mine. Slowly and deliberately, he brought my knuckles to his lips, kissing them softly.
“It's a date,” I replied softly, watching him as he held my hand against his mouth. I felt his smile as much as I saw it. His face lit up and he reluctantly released me to head toward his own class.
“That's right babe. It's a date. And tonight, you're all mine.” He promised with a devilish twinkle in his eye. I giggled as I turned and walked inside. I was on cloud 9. Well, until I saw three of my sorority sisters giving me the evil eye.
“Hey, Maysie,” Milla said snidely, giving me a hateful smile. I nodded in her direction but didn't say anything, moving passed her. Milla fell into step behind me and I suppressed a groan. “Saw you with Jordan. So are you two...together?” she asked as though it were something lewd. I turned and faced her.
“What do you want Milla? If you want to say something, just say it.” I knew I was setting myself up for it, but at that point, I just didn't care.
Milla moved in closer. She was quite a bit taller than me and I hated how I had to look up at her. “I've never liked you, Maysie. If it were up to me, you'd be kicked out of Chi Delta so fast your head would spin. But that's not how we do things. Some of us are classier than that.” I snorted.
“Classy? You?” I scoffed, giving her short skirt and revealing shirt a critical once over. Milla's face darkened.
“Well, I wasn't the one f**king Olivia's boyfriend behind her back, was I?” I opened my mouth to give a snappy comeback but stopped myself. What was the point? I wasn't in the mood for a round of verbal jousting.
“I think you have some nerve prancing all over campus with him like that. Olivia has been nothing but nice to you. And this is how you repay her? By jumping in for her sloppy seconds?” Milla pushed passed me then stopped and looked back. “But I guess it's easy to land a guy when you're so willing to lay on your back for him. You are nothing but a whore and the whole campus knows it. So enjoy Jordan while you have him. Because I can guarantee it won't be for long.” She flipped her hair behind her shoulder and walked off, our two sisters following behind her not bothering to acknowledge me.
I stood there, dumbstruck. Was that bitch for real? It didn't take a scientist to see that jealousy motivated everything with Milla. She reeked of it. I didn't want to listen to any of the bullshit that came out of her mouth. I wanted to dismiss her outright. But the sucky thing was that she was right. It was crappy to walk around with Jordan, blissful in the newness of our relationship while Olivia nursed her wounds over their recent break-up. It was kind of heartless and more than a little selfish. And I didn't want to be that girl. But maybe I had unwittingly already become her.
Chapter Seventeen
The rest of the week went by in agonizing slowness. Every day I had to walk onto campus knowing I was the talk of the town. I suppose I could have been flattered that people were so interested in my life. It would have been great to look at the catastrophic mess in something semi-positive. But the truth was that the rumors, the whispers, the hateful looks, were like a knife to my gut. I had gone from being a happy, popular sorority girl, to public enemy #1. I had known Olivia was well liked but I had a feeling that my descent into villainy had more to do with the public's need for a juicy scandal. The parts had been given out and I was cast as the conniving slut.
I sat in my classes, trying to pay attention to my professors' lectures but I all I could hear were the hushed voices swirling around me. I overheard a couple of girls talking about how I had purposefully gone after Jordan while Olivia was away for the summer. The words “slut” and “disgusting skank” had been thrown in for good measure and I had immediately stopped listening.