Mason. I had to go. “Yeah, uh, maybe. Look, I really have to go.”
“I know. I’m going, but give me a call if you want to come. I’ll get a plane ticket for you. I’ll take care of everything.” He left and on the way to his car, he turned to wave. I shut the door. I needed to finish packing.
I had just gone down the stairs to the basement, when I heard knocking again. Assuming it was Garrett, I laughed as I opened the door, “Forget about another trip you wanted to invite me on…” The words died in my throat.
Logan was standing there instead.
He grimaced, raked a hand through his hair, and grabbed a fistful before letting his hand drop back to his side. He jerked his head behind him. “Come on. Mason called. He wants us up there tonight.”
Mason called him? Shock punched me in the chest. “But…I thought you were going to let me talk to him first?”
“I am. This is something different. Come on.” His grimace deepened into a scowl.
“Logan, tell me what’s going on.”
He looked past me, saw the notes on the counter, and gestured to them. “That’s you leaving a note, right? You’re going to see Mason?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s go. Whatever Mason wants comes first.”
“You want me to ride with you?”
A litany of curses left him and he held his arms out. “What do you want, Sam? I am pissed at you. No, I am goddamn furious at you. We’re family and you being told that I love you, that’s a huge thing to hold back from me. You should’ve talked to me. Trust me, I am brimming up to here,” he lifted his hand to his head, “with anger. I want to talk this out and tell you a few things, but I can’t. Mason has to know first. He should’ve been told long before I found out. You two are dating. You guys have to talk first and bring me in. To be fair to my brother, to have his back, I can’t say a fucking word. I want to.” His eyes were almost bulging out. “Trust me, I have a lot that I want to say. So do me a favor, grab your bag, get in the Escalade, and keep fucking quiet the whole way there.”
He didn’t wait for me, just turned and went back to the vehicle.
I didn’t think. I didn’t let myself. I did as he told me. It was the longest three hour drive that I would ever endure.
MASON
I’d been at the hospital for three hours when Nate came through the front door. He saw me right away and held his hands up in surrender. Across the lobby, he said, “I’m here for Marissa. That’s all.”
I snorted and rolled my eyes. As he came to sit beside me, I said, “Think again, buddy.”
“Okay.”
He sat across from me. There were people around us, but when he took his seat, the ones closest to us moved away. I didn’t blame them. I’d been pacing for three hours, and this was the first time I sat, then he walked in. They’d already been leery of me, watching me like I was a caged animal. I’m sure they were wondering if he would be the spark to set the bomb off. To be honest, as I watched him warily, I was wondering the same thing. I wasn’t sure what was going to set me off.
We were both silent for a moment, just waiting for the other. Nate ran his hands down his pants, folded his hands together, and rested his elbows on his knees. He asked, “Have you heard anything?”
“No. She was unconscious and I think she’s in surgery.” I didn’t know anything. They wanted to speak to her family. I had no clue who they were. They wanted friends. I couldn’t give them names. They finally asked what I could give them. Nate. He was the only one I knew who would have information on her. I asked, “You gave them information on her?”
He nodded, running his hands together. “I had her cell number, but one of my frat brothers hooked up with her roommate. She lives in a house two blocks off campus. I think the hospital got ahold of her roommate and were going to have her parents called.”
“One of your frat brothers, huh?”
“Yeah.” He paused. “Why?”
“Don’t fucking play dumb with me.”
“What?”
“Nate. I mean it.”
He’d been my best friend most my life. He’d been a sanctuary during my parent’s divorce, putting up with me when I was a dumb shit, causing fights, wanting to destroy everything. Nate had my back. He was always at my side. He did whatever I wanted him to do, but looking at him, the last few years came back to me.
He continued to sleep with Parker even during the freeze-out.
They wanted him to drug Sam.
Logan stopped trusting him. I knew Sam never really had. And this year, with trying to shove Park Sebastian down my throat, then the final straw, bringing Marissa to that lunch.
He was watching me back, holding my gaze, but something flashed in his eyes. Something heated. He shot back, “What?”
“Playing dumb’s been your forte the last few years.”
“Fuck you, Mase.”
“Fuck you, Mason.”
“What?”
“Fuck you, Mason. I’m not Mase. We’re not friends. You don’t get to call me that.”
The nerve in his jaw twitched and his eyes cooled, but other than that there was no reaction. A second later, he leaned back in his seat, shaking his head. “Man, you’re messed up.”
“Am I?” He had no clue, or he was faking it. “I thought you cared about Marissa.”
“I do.”
“You don’t look it.”
“Yes, I’m concerned. You said she was hit—”
“—by one of your guys.”
Nate stopped. He heard me and judged me for a moment. I could feel him dissecting everything, those words, my tone of voice, how steady my gaze was, everything, even how I was sitting. Then he shook his head. His hand went to his jaw, and he started to rub his face. “No way, man. No way.”
I’d already figured some of it out. “I punched you. You were out. The bro code says I have to be hurt too, but worse. Am I right? Isn’t that what your fraternity is about?”
“No fucking way, Mase...Mason. Stop spitting this shit. There’s no way.” His voice rose on his last statement, but I heard an inflection of doubt in there too. He was remembering things. He was going over past conversations he might have heard or maybe even moments when he walked into a room and they stopped talking? There was something that triggered the doubt in his voice, because I saw the disbelief start to creep up on him. Then he shoved to his feet. He started pacing, his head caught in his hands, and his shoulders hunched over. “No way. No way.”
“I know. I’m going, but give me a call if you want to come. I’ll get a plane ticket for you. I’ll take care of everything.” He left and on the way to his car, he turned to wave. I shut the door. I needed to finish packing.
I had just gone down the stairs to the basement, when I heard knocking again. Assuming it was Garrett, I laughed as I opened the door, “Forget about another trip you wanted to invite me on…” The words died in my throat.
Logan was standing there instead.
He grimaced, raked a hand through his hair, and grabbed a fistful before letting his hand drop back to his side. He jerked his head behind him. “Come on. Mason called. He wants us up there tonight.”
Mason called him? Shock punched me in the chest. “But…I thought you were going to let me talk to him first?”
“I am. This is something different. Come on.” His grimace deepened into a scowl.
“Logan, tell me what’s going on.”
He looked past me, saw the notes on the counter, and gestured to them. “That’s you leaving a note, right? You’re going to see Mason?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s go. Whatever Mason wants comes first.”
“You want me to ride with you?”
A litany of curses left him and he held his arms out. “What do you want, Sam? I am pissed at you. No, I am goddamn furious at you. We’re family and you being told that I love you, that’s a huge thing to hold back from me. You should’ve talked to me. Trust me, I am brimming up to here,” he lifted his hand to his head, “with anger. I want to talk this out and tell you a few things, but I can’t. Mason has to know first. He should’ve been told long before I found out. You two are dating. You guys have to talk first and bring me in. To be fair to my brother, to have his back, I can’t say a fucking word. I want to.” His eyes were almost bulging out. “Trust me, I have a lot that I want to say. So do me a favor, grab your bag, get in the Escalade, and keep fucking quiet the whole way there.”
He didn’t wait for me, just turned and went back to the vehicle.
I didn’t think. I didn’t let myself. I did as he told me. It was the longest three hour drive that I would ever endure.
MASON
I’d been at the hospital for three hours when Nate came through the front door. He saw me right away and held his hands up in surrender. Across the lobby, he said, “I’m here for Marissa. That’s all.”
I snorted and rolled my eyes. As he came to sit beside me, I said, “Think again, buddy.”
“Okay.”
He sat across from me. There were people around us, but when he took his seat, the ones closest to us moved away. I didn’t blame them. I’d been pacing for three hours, and this was the first time I sat, then he walked in. They’d already been leery of me, watching me like I was a caged animal. I’m sure they were wondering if he would be the spark to set the bomb off. To be honest, as I watched him warily, I was wondering the same thing. I wasn’t sure what was going to set me off.
We were both silent for a moment, just waiting for the other. Nate ran his hands down his pants, folded his hands together, and rested his elbows on his knees. He asked, “Have you heard anything?”
“No. She was unconscious and I think she’s in surgery.” I didn’t know anything. They wanted to speak to her family. I had no clue who they were. They wanted friends. I couldn’t give them names. They finally asked what I could give them. Nate. He was the only one I knew who would have information on her. I asked, “You gave them information on her?”
He nodded, running his hands together. “I had her cell number, but one of my frat brothers hooked up with her roommate. She lives in a house two blocks off campus. I think the hospital got ahold of her roommate and were going to have her parents called.”
“One of your frat brothers, huh?”
“Yeah.” He paused. “Why?”
“Don’t fucking play dumb with me.”
“What?”
“Nate. I mean it.”
He’d been my best friend most my life. He’d been a sanctuary during my parent’s divorce, putting up with me when I was a dumb shit, causing fights, wanting to destroy everything. Nate had my back. He was always at my side. He did whatever I wanted him to do, but looking at him, the last few years came back to me.
He continued to sleep with Parker even during the freeze-out.
They wanted him to drug Sam.
Logan stopped trusting him. I knew Sam never really had. And this year, with trying to shove Park Sebastian down my throat, then the final straw, bringing Marissa to that lunch.
He was watching me back, holding my gaze, but something flashed in his eyes. Something heated. He shot back, “What?”
“Playing dumb’s been your forte the last few years.”
“Fuck you, Mase.”
“Fuck you, Mason.”
“What?”
“Fuck you, Mason. I’m not Mase. We’re not friends. You don’t get to call me that.”
The nerve in his jaw twitched and his eyes cooled, but other than that there was no reaction. A second later, he leaned back in his seat, shaking his head. “Man, you’re messed up.”
“Am I?” He had no clue, or he was faking it. “I thought you cared about Marissa.”
“I do.”
“You don’t look it.”
“Yes, I’m concerned. You said she was hit—”
“—by one of your guys.”
Nate stopped. He heard me and judged me for a moment. I could feel him dissecting everything, those words, my tone of voice, how steady my gaze was, everything, even how I was sitting. Then he shook his head. His hand went to his jaw, and he started to rub his face. “No way, man. No way.”
I’d already figured some of it out. “I punched you. You were out. The bro code says I have to be hurt too, but worse. Am I right? Isn’t that what your fraternity is about?”
“No fucking way, Mase...Mason. Stop spitting this shit. There’s no way.” His voice rose on his last statement, but I heard an inflection of doubt in there too. He was remembering things. He was going over past conversations he might have heard or maybe even moments when he walked into a room and they stopped talking? There was something that triggered the doubt in his voice, because I saw the disbelief start to creep up on him. Then he shoved to his feet. He started pacing, his head caught in his hands, and his shoulders hunched over. “No way. No way.”
