“You seem to be managing just fine.”
He ignored me, pushing the tank up over my head. “That’s better.” He kissed my neck, his lips moving down.
“How did you just go from sound asleep to this?” I asked.
“You have that effect on me.” He moved a finger under the elastic of my panties. “These are also in my way.”
“I don’t think so. You might be waking up, but I’m finally ready to sleep.”
“I won’t—”
I didn’t hear what Dylan was going to say because his door burst open. I pulled the blankets up around me as the light burned my eyes.
“Dylan why aren’t—” Kyle stopped mid-sentence, noticing me in the bed. Could the night get any worse? “Oh, shit. Hi, Juliet.”
“Hi. Could you just leave for one minute so I can get dressed? Then Dylan is all yours.”
“No, Jules. You don’t have to go anywhere.” Jules? No one called me that.
“Kyle, can you hand me my clothes?”
“Oh, sure.” He tossed me my skirt. It had been stuck under Dylan’s desk chair. He took a little longer tossing over my bra. My tank was right next to the bed where Dylan had thrown it.
“Thanks.” I started dressing under the covers.
Dylan sat up, nearly exposing me in the process. “Is there a reason you’re interrupting us?”
“Yes, of course. And for future reference, lock your door when you have company.”
“I did.” Dylan looked at me. “Juliet must have forgotten when she got back from the bathroom.”
“Oh. Well, I left you two messages. Mom called. Dad’s in the hospital.”
“What? Is it his heart again?”
“Yes. He’s going to be okay, but he has to take it easy. Mom wants you to come home for a few days to help.”
“Me? Why not you?”
“It’s freshman year, and I’m pledging. I can’t.”
“Fine. I’ll leave in the morning.”
I finished dressing and pulled back the blankets. “I’m sorry about your dad.” I found my flip flops and tried to slip past Kyle, but he stopped me.
“Juliet? Wait. Are you going back to your dorm? I’ll walk you.”
Dylan patted the bed. “You should stay here. It’s late, and I’m not leaving tonight.”
“I’m going to go. This was, uh, fun though. I hope everything goes okay at home.”
Dylan started to get up but stopped. He probably remembered he wasn’t wearing anything. “Why are you so against staying?”
“I’m not. I wasn’t. It just feels weird now.”
“I’ll call you.”
“Okay, cool.”
I walked into the hall but hesitated when I heard Dylan yell, “What the hell, Kyle? I could kill you right now.”
“If she was having a good time, she would have stayed anyway.”
“Shut the f**k up.”
It was time to leave. I knew walking home alone at night was dumb, but I wanted to get away. I looked straight ahead as I passed through the first floor to the front door. I sighed with relief when I reached the street.
“Juliet! Juliet, wait up!” Kyle sprinted to catch up with me.
“I’m fine. You don’t have to walk me.”
“I want to. It’s really late.”
“No kidding.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were there. I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”
“It’s fine. I’m the one who chose to sleep with him again.”
“I wish you’d choose to sleep with me.”
“What?” My jaw dropped.
He held his hands up in defense. “Sorry, I’m joking. It’s just the way you said it.”
“Whatever. I just want to get home.”
“You shouldn’t waste your time with him.”
“You’re saying that about your own brother?”
“Yes. He’s an ass**le and doesn’t deserve you.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Want to do something tomorrow?”
“Like with our friends?”
He hesitated a moment before answering. “Yeah, exactly.”
“Sure. Just call me.”
“I need your number.”
I programmed it into his phone.
“Cool. I’m sorry again for embarrassing you.”
“It’s not a problem.” We reached my dorm. “Thanks for walking me back.”
“My pleasure. See you tomorrow.”
“Good night.”
Tally was already sleeping when I got back to my room. I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and pulled on some PJ’s. My bed might not have been as comfortable as Dylan’s, but at least it was mine.
Chapter Nine
From: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Hey Hey Hey
Dear Juliet,
Kyle’s hot, huh? Well he can’t be as big a jerk as Dylan, but I’d stay away from both of them. There have to be some other guys to choose from. Have you met the Kappas yet? Things are going well here, but it’s busy. Thanks for asking.
Your Sleep-Deprived Cousin,
Amy
“Hello?” I answered as the unfamiliar number lit up my phone.
“Hey, it’s Kyle.”
“Hey. Do you realize it’s eight a.m.?” I said groggily.
“Yeah, I know it’s early. A bunch of us are going floating, and I thought you might want to come.”
“Floating? Like in water?”
“What else would I mean?”
“When you asked if I wanted to hang out, I thought you meant around campus.”
“Are you in? It’s going to be fun. We have room for you and one friend.”
“Just one?” How could I invite Cara and not Mallory? But then again, they were probably both sleeping. “Okay.”
“Cool. We’ll be by in twenty.”
“Who’s the early bird?” Tally sat up in bed.
“My friend Kyle. He invited me to go floating. Do you want to go?”
“What’s floating exactly?”
“You float down a river in an inner-tube.”
“Oh… I suppose—in theory—that could be fun.”
“It is, depending on who you’re with.”
“Who would we be with?” She crawled out of her blankets.