"My point is that I don't want anything from you. I'm already friends with these guys. My brother belonged to this fraternity, and I've grown up with guys like these. There! All done."
"Not quite," I muttered and turned to lift my shirt.
The smile left her face. "Oh man."
The glass hadn't just gotten my face. I had a row of stitches on my back too, although how they got there was a mystery to me.
"Okay." Leah got to work, but this time I didn't have to hear any proclamations of her pure intentions. I was beyond caring by the time she finished. I wanted to get out of there, get back to Corrigan, and fill him in on everything.
"Now we're done for real," Leah announced. As she washed her hands, I tried to twist and inspect her work. It hurt too much so I'd need to trust her.
When she started to throw away the old dressings, I moved to the door. "Thanks, Leah."
"No problem. Let me know when you need those changed again."
I felt a little odd about the whole thing, but it was done. Now I had to deal with Corrigan.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Corrigan was at his desk when I entered. He turned and asked, "Leah redid your dressings?"
I moved some of his clothes to inspect the bed sheets. "Is there a clean spot on here that I can sit?"
"You can sit wherever you want, but if you want clean, I'd recommend the chair." He grinned and pointed to a lounge chair in the corner, underneath a pile of text books and clothes.
Tentatively, I picked through some of the books and placed them on the floor. Then I moved some of the shirts and pants. Finally, after a couple seconds, I dumped everything on the floor and sat down. Corrigan grinned. "Enough's enough?"
"My place was trashed last night."
"What?!" He wheeled around to face me. "Say that again?"
"Officer Sheila showed up yesterday and told me everything had been completely destroyed. She made it sound like she couldn't even walk around."
He frowned. "Didn't you go and see it?"
"Hell no," I snorted. I've seen my place trashed before. I'd even been the one to do it a few times. "I want to go back with you."
"What about Bryce?"
"Oh. You mean Bryce and his whore from Spain? No thanks."
"Again—what?"
"Guadalupe." Where had he been the last few days? Where was he today?
Corrigan stood. "Sheldon, Bryce doesn't even like her. He talked to me about her, how she's a nuisance and clingy and…I should not be telling you any of this."
"You better start spilling it or I'm going after your nuts with a knife." I glared at him because it made me feel better. It was the only thing making me feel better right now.
He flinched and reflexively covered himself. "Okay. But chill, please?"
Slowly, I sat back down in the chair while Corrigan shook his head and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. "You can't say anything to Bryce. I know he's got his thing about you and me, but the two of us are still buds. He'd be pissed if he knew I'd told you this stuff."
The weird rules of our threesome best friendship were starting to piss me off. I growled and shook my head. "I'm not promising anything. You spill or I'm coming after you."
"Okay. Okay." He held up his hands in surrender. "Just…does Bryce know you're here? I mean, how are things between you two now? Did you…"
"Tell me what he said! I'm getting pissed off."
"Okay, okay. He didn't say anything, just that after you came back he called me a few times. He didn't say anything about you, we don't talk about you. I knew things weren't good, but that was it. One time he'd been drinking and let it slip about another girl."
I felt a stab in my heart, but still asked, "Another girl?"
"Yeah. Guadalupe. His agent wanted him to have an affair with her. He refused, but then went along with it for show. His agent said it would boost his popularity in Spain since she was a big deal over there. After that phone call, Bryce didn't call for awhile. The next time he did, he made sure to let me know that everything was finished with that girl and it had been a mistake to go along with it. I knew you were back and clearly avoiding me, so…neither of you talk to me about the other. I never have any idea what's really going on. And that girl…a few months before he came back, Bryce had started calling more regularly again. He's mentioned having a clingy fan who won't take no for an answer. I'm assuming it's her. That's all. I swear. I'm done confessing because my ass is going to get beat up."
I closed my eyes and sucked in my breath. My gut told me that the affair wasn't fake. I wiped away a tear as I laughed weakly. "This is so opposite how we used to be. Remember when I wanted him to be with other girls?"
"Sheldon."
"What?" I didn't want to hear any words of comfort from him. I didn't want to deal with the topic of Bryce and me anymore.
"What did you say to Bryce about us? I know he was grilling you the last time I saw you."
"Oh. That."
"Yes. That." He rolled his eyes. "You're so damn frustrating at times."
I was okay with that. "I told him that we almost hooked up. I was drunk and missing both of you guys. Things stopped before it got too heated. Was I supposed to say something more?"
He studied me intently. "No. That's fine. Bryce was okay with that?"
I looked at my hands. "Yeah. Why wouldn't he be?"
"Because I'm best friends with both of you. Because you're his girl and we…almost hooked up."
I looked up. "We did hook up."
He amended, "We hooked up. And you're his girl."
I stared straight ahead and said, "You're saying that stuff like you don't believe it."
"Oh my God." Corrigan raked both of his hands through his dusty blond curls and started to pace his room. "I think you were actually put on this earth to make me go crazy. Either that or you're supposed to make me a more patient man. Do you stay awake at night thinking of ways to push my buttons?"
"Why would I do that?"
"Never mind. Bryce called me the other night. I think he was just leaving the hospital because he asked if I was still awake, but I wasn't. I just got the message today—"
"Not quite," I muttered and turned to lift my shirt.
The smile left her face. "Oh man."
The glass hadn't just gotten my face. I had a row of stitches on my back too, although how they got there was a mystery to me.
"Okay." Leah got to work, but this time I didn't have to hear any proclamations of her pure intentions. I was beyond caring by the time she finished. I wanted to get out of there, get back to Corrigan, and fill him in on everything.
"Now we're done for real," Leah announced. As she washed her hands, I tried to twist and inspect her work. It hurt too much so I'd need to trust her.
When she started to throw away the old dressings, I moved to the door. "Thanks, Leah."
"No problem. Let me know when you need those changed again."
I felt a little odd about the whole thing, but it was done. Now I had to deal with Corrigan.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Corrigan was at his desk when I entered. He turned and asked, "Leah redid your dressings?"
I moved some of his clothes to inspect the bed sheets. "Is there a clean spot on here that I can sit?"
"You can sit wherever you want, but if you want clean, I'd recommend the chair." He grinned and pointed to a lounge chair in the corner, underneath a pile of text books and clothes.
Tentatively, I picked through some of the books and placed them on the floor. Then I moved some of the shirts and pants. Finally, after a couple seconds, I dumped everything on the floor and sat down. Corrigan grinned. "Enough's enough?"
"My place was trashed last night."
"What?!" He wheeled around to face me. "Say that again?"
"Officer Sheila showed up yesterday and told me everything had been completely destroyed. She made it sound like she couldn't even walk around."
He frowned. "Didn't you go and see it?"
"Hell no," I snorted. I've seen my place trashed before. I'd even been the one to do it a few times. "I want to go back with you."
"What about Bryce?"
"Oh. You mean Bryce and his whore from Spain? No thanks."
"Again—what?"
"Guadalupe." Where had he been the last few days? Where was he today?
Corrigan stood. "Sheldon, Bryce doesn't even like her. He talked to me about her, how she's a nuisance and clingy and…I should not be telling you any of this."
"You better start spilling it or I'm going after your nuts with a knife." I glared at him because it made me feel better. It was the only thing making me feel better right now.
He flinched and reflexively covered himself. "Okay. But chill, please?"
Slowly, I sat back down in the chair while Corrigan shook his head and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. "You can't say anything to Bryce. I know he's got his thing about you and me, but the two of us are still buds. He'd be pissed if he knew I'd told you this stuff."
The weird rules of our threesome best friendship were starting to piss me off. I growled and shook my head. "I'm not promising anything. You spill or I'm coming after you."
"Okay. Okay." He held up his hands in surrender. "Just…does Bryce know you're here? I mean, how are things between you two now? Did you…"
"Tell me what he said! I'm getting pissed off."
"Okay, okay. He didn't say anything, just that after you came back he called me a few times. He didn't say anything about you, we don't talk about you. I knew things weren't good, but that was it. One time he'd been drinking and let it slip about another girl."
I felt a stab in my heart, but still asked, "Another girl?"
"Yeah. Guadalupe. His agent wanted him to have an affair with her. He refused, but then went along with it for show. His agent said it would boost his popularity in Spain since she was a big deal over there. After that phone call, Bryce didn't call for awhile. The next time he did, he made sure to let me know that everything was finished with that girl and it had been a mistake to go along with it. I knew you were back and clearly avoiding me, so…neither of you talk to me about the other. I never have any idea what's really going on. And that girl…a few months before he came back, Bryce had started calling more regularly again. He's mentioned having a clingy fan who won't take no for an answer. I'm assuming it's her. That's all. I swear. I'm done confessing because my ass is going to get beat up."
I closed my eyes and sucked in my breath. My gut told me that the affair wasn't fake. I wiped away a tear as I laughed weakly. "This is so opposite how we used to be. Remember when I wanted him to be with other girls?"
"Sheldon."
"What?" I didn't want to hear any words of comfort from him. I didn't want to deal with the topic of Bryce and me anymore.
"What did you say to Bryce about us? I know he was grilling you the last time I saw you."
"Oh. That."
"Yes. That." He rolled his eyes. "You're so damn frustrating at times."
I was okay with that. "I told him that we almost hooked up. I was drunk and missing both of you guys. Things stopped before it got too heated. Was I supposed to say something more?"
He studied me intently. "No. That's fine. Bryce was okay with that?"
I looked at my hands. "Yeah. Why wouldn't he be?"
"Because I'm best friends with both of you. Because you're his girl and we…almost hooked up."
I looked up. "We did hook up."
He amended, "We hooked up. And you're his girl."
I stared straight ahead and said, "You're saying that stuff like you don't believe it."
"Oh my God." Corrigan raked both of his hands through his dusty blond curls and started to pace his room. "I think you were actually put on this earth to make me go crazy. Either that or you're supposed to make me a more patient man. Do you stay awake at night thinking of ways to push my buttons?"
"Why would I do that?"
"Never mind. Bryce called me the other night. I think he was just leaving the hospital because he asked if I was still awake, but I wasn't. I just got the message today—"
