Who was this stranger?
The door shoved open behind me and I turned away, but I was too late.
Cassandra laughed abruptly as she stood beside me and washed her hands. She eyed me in the mirror. "Who've you been banging, Strattan? You look good."
I flushed under her gaze and watched with helpless horror as my skin seemed to glow even more. "Maybe I should be asking you that. How are things with Adam?"
She snorted and reached for a paper towel. "I think you'd know more about that than me. He told me you two made up yesterday."
I looked down at my hands. Had we? Maybe…
She continued as she patted her hair, "I'm not stupid. I know he wants you, he's always wanted you, but you don't want him." She snorted again. "And he doesn't have a chance against the Kades. I'm just waiting until he realizes that and gives up."
I looked back up. She was so cold.
She shrugged and smiled brightly. "What do I care? It's not like I really need a serious boyfriend now anyway." She laughed to herself. "And I heard Logan's back on the market. He was at Fischer's again with some other chick."
Every cell in my body had snapped to attention when she came in. I spoke through stiff lips now. "Maybe Adam will want Tanya back?"
She tossed her hair over her shoulder and her laugh seemed genuine. "Yeah, right. Adam didn't even like her that much. No way he'll take her back after Logan had her twice over him. Hell, he did it to rub it in Adam's face that he could get any girl he wanted." She eyed me up and down in the mirror. "You haven't been with Logan, have you? That'd be…surprising…"
My eyes grew wide at her suggestion and my chest was suddenly so heavy. There was no way she could guess the truth; she was so close to it… My heart started to pound in my ears again.
"Have you?" She blinked at me. She seemed more earnest now.
"No." The disgust was evident in my voice as I spat out that word.
She relaxed and laughed again. "Oh, for a minute I thought…Nah. You don't have the stones to do that. I mean, your dad would freak for one."
My heart continued to pound.
Then she finished with a taunt, "And you'd never live down your new rap as a whore. Everyone would call you a whore." She smirked to herself in the mirror and finished patting her hair. "On second thought, get to it. Maybe Adam will finally let you go. I could use the break."
As she swooshed from the bathroom, I was barely aware of her departure. I kept hearing her words. 'Everyone would call you a whore.'
I gulped and looked down. My hands had started to tremble again. My knees quaked against each other and I clung to the sink to steady myself.
'Everyone would call you a whore.'
What was I doing?
CHAPTER THIRTY SIX
When I left the bathroom and headed for the coffee cart, I wasn't sure what I was feeling. Was I worried about everyone finding out about Mason and me—yes. Was it enough to paralyze me with fear—no. With that decision made, I was more annoyed than normal when I snapped my order to the girl behind the coffee counter.
"Whoa, what's wrong?"
I stopped in my tracks at the sight of Adam. And then I tried to force myself to relax. "Hey, how are you?"
"You okay?" His eyebrows were arched high with his own cup of coffee in hand.
I rolled my shoulders back. "Yeah, I'm fine or I will be."
"Huh?"
"Nothing, just an annoying run-in with Cassandra in the bathroom."
"Ah." He nodded his head. "Gotcha. She does that to me too."
"I think she's decided to try her luck with Logan again."
"Yeah, she told me the same thing." Something sad flashed in his eyes. "It won't work, will it?"
I shook my head. "Nope and if it does, I'll tie him down and do a drug test on him."
He grinned. "Yeah, you seem pretty tight with both of them."
"I guess…" I eyed him warily. We were treading into forbidden land, could he handle that reality? He couldn't before.
He spread his hand wide. "Hey, I'm okay with this. Really. I've given up on that, but I won't for your friendship. I'm going to do whatever it takes to keep your friendship."
An arm was thrown around my shoulders and Logan's body fell hard against my side. He smirked. "Really?"
Adam drew to his fullest height and the gentleness in his eyes vanished. A hard look entered instead when he clipped out, "Really."
Logan's body shook in silent laughter. "You just want to keep her friendship, huh?"
"You got a problem with that?"
"Yeah, I do. She's going to be my sister, man. You think I want a parasite hanging around her because that's what you are. You're one of those guys who sit back and wait for the guy to screw up. When she's hurting or lonely, you guys swoop in. Hell, I should tip my hat to you guys. I couldn't do it. I couldn't wait around and watch the woman I wanted be with another guy, waiting until there's a break with them, until she's vulnerable." He mocked him. "Yeah, it must take a special kind of guy to do that."
Adam's eyes had narrowed to a dangerous level. His hand was clenched into a fist, but he kept it down and pressed against his side.
Logan continued, "Or maybe that's what makes creepers. I've got a different viewpoint on stalkers now…"
Adam's lip curled up as he tried to mask a sneer. "You're calling me the creeper? What are you doing?" His eyes pointedly slid to me and it took Logan a second before he launched himself forward. His arm was thrown back, his fist ready, and look of hatred came to his eyes.
Adam's eyes went wide as he saw it in slow motion, but before Logan's fist connected, Mason tucked an arm around his chest and threw him backwards.
He cursed as he tried to twist away from his hold. "Let me at him, Mase. Come on."
Shaken, Adam puffed out his chest and smoothed his hands down the front of his pants. "Hey, man. If it weren't true…"
Mason glanced over his shoulder. The look of warning made Adam shut his lips. "Shut up or we'll do round two, somewhere private."
Logan threw over his brother's shoulders, "Where there won't be teachers or some girl to save you."
The door shoved open behind me and I turned away, but I was too late.
Cassandra laughed abruptly as she stood beside me and washed her hands. She eyed me in the mirror. "Who've you been banging, Strattan? You look good."
I flushed under her gaze and watched with helpless horror as my skin seemed to glow even more. "Maybe I should be asking you that. How are things with Adam?"
She snorted and reached for a paper towel. "I think you'd know more about that than me. He told me you two made up yesterday."
I looked down at my hands. Had we? Maybe…
She continued as she patted her hair, "I'm not stupid. I know he wants you, he's always wanted you, but you don't want him." She snorted again. "And he doesn't have a chance against the Kades. I'm just waiting until he realizes that and gives up."
I looked back up. She was so cold.
She shrugged and smiled brightly. "What do I care? It's not like I really need a serious boyfriend now anyway." She laughed to herself. "And I heard Logan's back on the market. He was at Fischer's again with some other chick."
Every cell in my body had snapped to attention when she came in. I spoke through stiff lips now. "Maybe Adam will want Tanya back?"
She tossed her hair over her shoulder and her laugh seemed genuine. "Yeah, right. Adam didn't even like her that much. No way he'll take her back after Logan had her twice over him. Hell, he did it to rub it in Adam's face that he could get any girl he wanted." She eyed me up and down in the mirror. "You haven't been with Logan, have you? That'd be…surprising…"
My eyes grew wide at her suggestion and my chest was suddenly so heavy. There was no way she could guess the truth; she was so close to it… My heart started to pound in my ears again.
"Have you?" She blinked at me. She seemed more earnest now.
"No." The disgust was evident in my voice as I spat out that word.
She relaxed and laughed again. "Oh, for a minute I thought…Nah. You don't have the stones to do that. I mean, your dad would freak for one."
My heart continued to pound.
Then she finished with a taunt, "And you'd never live down your new rap as a whore. Everyone would call you a whore." She smirked to herself in the mirror and finished patting her hair. "On second thought, get to it. Maybe Adam will finally let you go. I could use the break."
As she swooshed from the bathroom, I was barely aware of her departure. I kept hearing her words. 'Everyone would call you a whore.'
I gulped and looked down. My hands had started to tremble again. My knees quaked against each other and I clung to the sink to steady myself.
'Everyone would call you a whore.'
What was I doing?
CHAPTER THIRTY SIX
When I left the bathroom and headed for the coffee cart, I wasn't sure what I was feeling. Was I worried about everyone finding out about Mason and me—yes. Was it enough to paralyze me with fear—no. With that decision made, I was more annoyed than normal when I snapped my order to the girl behind the coffee counter.
"Whoa, what's wrong?"
I stopped in my tracks at the sight of Adam. And then I tried to force myself to relax. "Hey, how are you?"
"You okay?" His eyebrows were arched high with his own cup of coffee in hand.
I rolled my shoulders back. "Yeah, I'm fine or I will be."
"Huh?"
"Nothing, just an annoying run-in with Cassandra in the bathroom."
"Ah." He nodded his head. "Gotcha. She does that to me too."
"I think she's decided to try her luck with Logan again."
"Yeah, she told me the same thing." Something sad flashed in his eyes. "It won't work, will it?"
I shook my head. "Nope and if it does, I'll tie him down and do a drug test on him."
He grinned. "Yeah, you seem pretty tight with both of them."
"I guess…" I eyed him warily. We were treading into forbidden land, could he handle that reality? He couldn't before.
He spread his hand wide. "Hey, I'm okay with this. Really. I've given up on that, but I won't for your friendship. I'm going to do whatever it takes to keep your friendship."
An arm was thrown around my shoulders and Logan's body fell hard against my side. He smirked. "Really?"
Adam drew to his fullest height and the gentleness in his eyes vanished. A hard look entered instead when he clipped out, "Really."
Logan's body shook in silent laughter. "You just want to keep her friendship, huh?"
"You got a problem with that?"
"Yeah, I do. She's going to be my sister, man. You think I want a parasite hanging around her because that's what you are. You're one of those guys who sit back and wait for the guy to screw up. When she's hurting or lonely, you guys swoop in. Hell, I should tip my hat to you guys. I couldn't do it. I couldn't wait around and watch the woman I wanted be with another guy, waiting until there's a break with them, until she's vulnerable." He mocked him. "Yeah, it must take a special kind of guy to do that."
Adam's eyes had narrowed to a dangerous level. His hand was clenched into a fist, but he kept it down and pressed against his side.
Logan continued, "Or maybe that's what makes creepers. I've got a different viewpoint on stalkers now…"
Adam's lip curled up as he tried to mask a sneer. "You're calling me the creeper? What are you doing?" His eyes pointedly slid to me and it took Logan a second before he launched himself forward. His arm was thrown back, his fist ready, and look of hatred came to his eyes.
Adam's eyes went wide as he saw it in slow motion, but before Logan's fist connected, Mason tucked an arm around his chest and threw him backwards.
He cursed as he tried to twist away from his hold. "Let me at him, Mase. Come on."
Shaken, Adam puffed out his chest and smoothed his hands down the front of his pants. "Hey, man. If it weren't true…"
Mason glanced over his shoulder. The look of warning made Adam shut his lips. "Shut up or we'll do round two, somewhere private."
Logan threw over his brother's shoulders, "Where there won't be teachers or some girl to save you."
