"What the hell?" I bit out and crossed to the door.
"Hey," Bryce called out. "Put your suit back on."
I frowned and looked around the room. "Where is it?"
He muffled his laughter and rolled to a stand. As Bryce looked in one corner, I glanced to the other.
"Got it." And he threw both pieces at me.
I caught them, but glared. "You're supposed to respect me afterwards. Not throw my clothes at me."
Bryce rolled his eyes and sat on the couch to pull his swimming trunks back on. "Half the time you get all pissy if I treat you with respect." He stood and pulled me into his arms. "And besides, you already know I love you." Then he pressed two quick kisses to my forehead, checked to make sure I was clothed, and swept open the door to call out, "Hey fellas!"
A cheer rang out, and I groaned because I recognized those voices.
Corrigan appeared in the doorway a moment later with a wolfish grin on his face. "Just like old times, right?"
"You almost walking in on us having sex? Yes, just like old times."
Corrigan threw his head back in laughter and then bounded over to wrap both arms around me. He lifted me in the air and bounced us both up and down as he chortled, "You love it! The gang is back together again! About effing time, Sheldon!"
I laughed and patted his arm. "Put me down, idiot. And why are you making it sound like I had anything to do with it?"
Corrigan placed me back on my feet and gave me an incredulous look. "Seriously, Sheldon. You know why."
"No, I don't." And I didn't.
"Bryce is back because of you. Admit it. He needs you just as much as you need him."
"Bryce came back because the California Suns offered him a better deal on their soccer team."
"Uh huh," he replied. Then he wrapped his arms around me again. "I don't care that you're in denial. I'm just happy that the crew's back together again."
I heard guffaws of 'hey dude' and 'did you get laid a lot?' and raised my eyebrows at Corrigan. "Did you have to bring them? All of them?"
Corrigan shrugged and ducked as I swatted at him. "They're my brothers. They wanted to meet Bryce."
"Whatever. Just get 'em out of here by tonight and not too late. I have class tomorrow, and I already know I'll be losing sleep as it is."
Corrigan nudged me with a wink. "Maybe you should sleep now, and then you'll be rested for Bryce tonight."
"You're disgusting." I hit him, but the idea had merit…
"Just trying to help. I care about your sex life."
"More like you care if I'm a bitch or not." And then I thought about it. "Are you dating someone new? You only care if I'm nice if you've got a new girl."
I narrowed my eyes, but saw the quick panic in Corrigan's. Then he ran his hand through his shaggy blond hair. That's when I knew for sure. "Oh my god. You're dating someone that I won't be able to stand, aren't you?"
"No. Seriously Sheldon. You're all cute with your choppy brown hair and your smoking bod, but the attitude—it wears a little thin sometimes."
I narrowed my eyes. Corrigan never commented on my looks. He'd refer to me as hot or bodylicious, but he never commented on my hair—never. He was off, something was off. And then I knew. "You heard about what I said about Grace, didn't you?"
A wall slammed over his green sparklers.
And I had my answer. He had, and he was pissed about it.
"Why do you care? It's not like it's a secret. Bryce said that you talked about it to him."
"But I haven't talked to you about it because you're Grace's friend. Now it's out, and it has to be dealt with. You're pushing me to deal with it, Sheldon. And it's not your place. You should've kept your mouth shut." The gleeful boy had changed to show the anger that Corrigan usually kept in check.
"I would've, but she was pissing me off." I didn't care if Corrigan had a temper. We both did.
"Why was she pissing you off? Because it's so hard to do that."
"You don't know. You weren't there."
"Then explain it to me!" Corrigan yelled back. He was right in my face.
My nose was almost pressed to his as I cried out, with a hitch in my throat, "Because she constantly thinks I'm going to break. She can't get over what happened a year ago, and I'm sick and tired of her reminding me about it."
Corrigan sobered instantly. "I'm sorry, Sheldon."
I pressed on now that the dam had broken, "She can't let it go. I'm tired of always seeing this look in her face, like she thinks of me as a victim or something. I don't want her goddamn pity. I'm tired of it."
There was an awkward silence between us for a moment. I replayed my words and flinched from the raw emotion. And then Corrigan asked, "Who do you talk about it with? You don't mention it to me."
There was a knot in my throat, and I couldn't speak. I waved my hands in the air and shook my head. Corrigan groaned and moved close. "Hey, hey." He touched my shoulder, but I shrugged him off. "Sheldon, come on."
I couldn't, not then and there. The truth was that I didn't talk to anyone about it. Sometimes Bryce and I used to mention one or two things about Marcus Donadeli, but it was never in-depth. I had covered it in my counseling sessions with Miss Connors. Really. Did I have to talk about it to anyone else? Who would want to talk about that stuff?
I hurried out of the changing room and moved around the group of frat brothers.
"Sheldon! We're going to get a keg. Is that okay?" Michael Reveritt called out.
When I looked over, I gasped at what I saw. Bryce sat at one of the tables with Michael and a few others. That's not what made me gasp; it was the naked girl grinding on top of Michael while she eyed Bryce who sat right beside them.
"Get rid of the skank and you can have two kegs."
Michael flashed a smile and pushed the girl off his waist. She glared at me. I glared back. Then Michael called out, "Hey, pledge! Take Leah home."
One of them groaned but tore away from his group. As Leah dressed in reluctance, I looked up and caught Bryce's gaze. He was eyeing me, not in concern, not in caution, but in curiosity. And then his eyes trailed past my shoulders, and I looked. Corrigan was behind me, wearing a scowl.
"Hey," Bryce called out. "Put your suit back on."
I frowned and looked around the room. "Where is it?"
He muffled his laughter and rolled to a stand. As Bryce looked in one corner, I glanced to the other.
"Got it." And he threw both pieces at me.
I caught them, but glared. "You're supposed to respect me afterwards. Not throw my clothes at me."
Bryce rolled his eyes and sat on the couch to pull his swimming trunks back on. "Half the time you get all pissy if I treat you with respect." He stood and pulled me into his arms. "And besides, you already know I love you." Then he pressed two quick kisses to my forehead, checked to make sure I was clothed, and swept open the door to call out, "Hey fellas!"
A cheer rang out, and I groaned because I recognized those voices.
Corrigan appeared in the doorway a moment later with a wolfish grin on his face. "Just like old times, right?"
"You almost walking in on us having sex? Yes, just like old times."
Corrigan threw his head back in laughter and then bounded over to wrap both arms around me. He lifted me in the air and bounced us both up and down as he chortled, "You love it! The gang is back together again! About effing time, Sheldon!"
I laughed and patted his arm. "Put me down, idiot. And why are you making it sound like I had anything to do with it?"
Corrigan placed me back on my feet and gave me an incredulous look. "Seriously, Sheldon. You know why."
"No, I don't." And I didn't.
"Bryce is back because of you. Admit it. He needs you just as much as you need him."
"Bryce came back because the California Suns offered him a better deal on their soccer team."
"Uh huh," he replied. Then he wrapped his arms around me again. "I don't care that you're in denial. I'm just happy that the crew's back together again."
I heard guffaws of 'hey dude' and 'did you get laid a lot?' and raised my eyebrows at Corrigan. "Did you have to bring them? All of them?"
Corrigan shrugged and ducked as I swatted at him. "They're my brothers. They wanted to meet Bryce."
"Whatever. Just get 'em out of here by tonight and not too late. I have class tomorrow, and I already know I'll be losing sleep as it is."
Corrigan nudged me with a wink. "Maybe you should sleep now, and then you'll be rested for Bryce tonight."
"You're disgusting." I hit him, but the idea had merit…
"Just trying to help. I care about your sex life."
"More like you care if I'm a bitch or not." And then I thought about it. "Are you dating someone new? You only care if I'm nice if you've got a new girl."
I narrowed my eyes, but saw the quick panic in Corrigan's. Then he ran his hand through his shaggy blond hair. That's when I knew for sure. "Oh my god. You're dating someone that I won't be able to stand, aren't you?"
"No. Seriously Sheldon. You're all cute with your choppy brown hair and your smoking bod, but the attitude—it wears a little thin sometimes."
I narrowed my eyes. Corrigan never commented on my looks. He'd refer to me as hot or bodylicious, but he never commented on my hair—never. He was off, something was off. And then I knew. "You heard about what I said about Grace, didn't you?"
A wall slammed over his green sparklers.
And I had my answer. He had, and he was pissed about it.
"Why do you care? It's not like it's a secret. Bryce said that you talked about it to him."
"But I haven't talked to you about it because you're Grace's friend. Now it's out, and it has to be dealt with. You're pushing me to deal with it, Sheldon. And it's not your place. You should've kept your mouth shut." The gleeful boy had changed to show the anger that Corrigan usually kept in check.
"I would've, but she was pissing me off." I didn't care if Corrigan had a temper. We both did.
"Why was she pissing you off? Because it's so hard to do that."
"You don't know. You weren't there."
"Then explain it to me!" Corrigan yelled back. He was right in my face.
My nose was almost pressed to his as I cried out, with a hitch in my throat, "Because she constantly thinks I'm going to break. She can't get over what happened a year ago, and I'm sick and tired of her reminding me about it."
Corrigan sobered instantly. "I'm sorry, Sheldon."
I pressed on now that the dam had broken, "She can't let it go. I'm tired of always seeing this look in her face, like she thinks of me as a victim or something. I don't want her goddamn pity. I'm tired of it."
There was an awkward silence between us for a moment. I replayed my words and flinched from the raw emotion. And then Corrigan asked, "Who do you talk about it with? You don't mention it to me."
There was a knot in my throat, and I couldn't speak. I waved my hands in the air and shook my head. Corrigan groaned and moved close. "Hey, hey." He touched my shoulder, but I shrugged him off. "Sheldon, come on."
I couldn't, not then and there. The truth was that I didn't talk to anyone about it. Sometimes Bryce and I used to mention one or two things about Marcus Donadeli, but it was never in-depth. I had covered it in my counseling sessions with Miss Connors. Really. Did I have to talk about it to anyone else? Who would want to talk about that stuff?
I hurried out of the changing room and moved around the group of frat brothers.
"Sheldon! We're going to get a keg. Is that okay?" Michael Reveritt called out.
When I looked over, I gasped at what I saw. Bryce sat at one of the tables with Michael and a few others. That's not what made me gasp; it was the naked girl grinding on top of Michael while she eyed Bryce who sat right beside them.
"Get rid of the skank and you can have two kegs."
Michael flashed a smile and pushed the girl off his waist. She glared at me. I glared back. Then Michael called out, "Hey, pledge! Take Leah home."
One of them groaned but tore away from his group. As Leah dressed in reluctance, I looked up and caught Bryce's gaze. He was eyeing me, not in concern, not in caution, but in curiosity. And then his eyes trailed past my shoulders, and I looked. Corrigan was behind me, wearing a scowl.
