I'd known Corrigan all my life, before Bryce. There was a lot underneath the flashy image so many were dazzled by, but I didn't think anyone really knew what made Corrigan tick. Even I didn't. I wondered if Bryce did, but that was a mute point now. Bryce was gone. He was gone. He… I felt tears again and clamped them down.
"Go and shower, Sheldon." Corrigan had turned around.
I nodded and left. I pushed it all down and focused on the now. That meant showering, dressing, and grabbing some money for food. When I went downstairs, Corrigan had showered too. He was dressed in crisp jeans and a blue hoodie. His eyes looked tired, but I was surprised to see that he'd put some gel in his curls. That's when I asked, "When'd you cut your hair? What happened to those luscious locks of love?"
Corrigan grinned, holding open the door for me. "I cut 'em awhile ago. No more curls."
"Momma Corrigan must've been heartbroken."
He grinned and got into his car. "I know." Corrigan rested a hand on my seat as he turned and reversed the car. When we pulled out of the gate, he asked, "Where do you want to eat?"
"Sparky's."
"What?! No. I hate that place."
"Oh come on. We can find out if Dorothy is working. Maybe she'll try to kill me there and then we won't have to worry about who's my stalker. We'll know it's her."
"Your sense of humor sucks sometimes," he growled, but turned the car around.
I grinned. I knew I had a morbid sense of something, but the real reason I wanted to go there is because I wanted to see how she reacted to Corrigan. I'd been there with Bryce last time and the girl was nearly buckled from knocking knees. Corrigan was a different matter. Her cousin had almost stabbed him to death. Plus, he was a big deal on campus and I knew Dorothy had some history with the sorority chicks on campus. I wanted to gauge her reaction to him. Seeing him at a party was one thing, but having him at her family-owned restaurant was another matter. If I couldn't handle dealing with Bryce, then I could handle dealing with my stalker.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
When we walked into Sparky's, the conversations hushed. Movement stopped. All eyes were on us, though I wasn't sure why. The last time I'd been there, no one had cared. Everyone paid attention this time, but then I looked at Corrigan and realized it was him. He stood self-assured. He was no longer the cocky or playful Corrigan. He'd changed for some reason. Then I looked past the hostess stand and saw Dorothy start to turn our way. When she saw who stood in the doorway, her eyes widened. I almost heard her sharp intake of breath as she froze. Her body was stiff and her limbs were jerky as she walked towards us.
Corrigan looked down on her, literally. He stood at his fullest height, but Dorothy didn't mind. She seemed nervous as she smiled. "Two?"
"Booth," I said. I hated chairs and table. There was more protection in a booth.
"Oh. Okay." Her smile faded when she saw me. Then it turned bright as she nodded towards Corrigan. "Follow me."
I elbowed Corrigan and walked in front.
"Hey."
"Hey." I quickened my pace so that I stood right behind Dorothy as she turned and gestured to the booth. When she saw that I had walked behind, her smile dimmed again, but I slid in and Corrigan moved around her. As he sat, she placed both menus in front of us and stood back. I saw her finger tremble. Her knee seemed to jump too.
"We have breakfast specials right now, but we serve all meals."
I liked the new Sparky's. They might've been Italian-owned, but the place had been renovated into another Perkins.
"I'll just get coffee," I smiled so fake that Dorothy looked alarmed.
"Okay…" She frowned before she left.
"What the hell are you doing?" Corrigan flicked my wrist.
"Ouch." I flicked him back and then punched his arm.
"What'd you do that for?"
"What'd you do that for?"
"You're acting like a psycho. And you're eating something. None of this 'just coffee' crap."
"I'm acting crazy because she's crazy. Did you see her? She didn't even know I was here until she was almost on top of us."
"Well then she's not your stalker or she would've known right away. What's your problem? Why are you trying to intimidate her?"
"Why not?" Intimidation was fun. "She's Marcus' cousin. I'll try to scare anyone related to him."
Corrigan grew silent. That perked my interest. He studied the menu, but Corrigan never studied a menu. He always knew right away what he wanted. I slammed a hand on his and said, "Out with it. What's going on?"
He shrugged and sat back. He stuffed his hands in his hoodie front pocket. "Nothing. Why?"
"You said I was being weird, but so are you. You're usually all flirty or pissed. The only times you're just normal is when you're around me. What gives? Why are you so…not you?"
He rolled his eyes. "I don't like this place. I don't understand why you always want to come here. It gives me the creeps."
He was right. It was weird, but I came back for…I wasn't sure. "I think I feel like something's not right, something wasn't right about Marcus. Maybe this was my last connection to him, the real him before he turned crazy."
"You're right, something wasn't right with him. He was crazy," Corrigan barked out.
"No, I mean—" I gave him a dirty look. "He wasn't always crazy. He became that way because of something. It wasn't us. I mean like at his home or maybe he was picked on too much, I don't know. People aren't born crazy, right? They become crazy. I think if I can understand that, it'd help me understand why what happened did happen. You know what I mean?"
"All I know is that this place gives me the creeps. I was wrong about the waitress. She's creepy. She keeps looking over here." He hunched over the menu when Dorothy started back to us.
I leaned forward and whispered, "That's because she likes you."
"Do you know what you'd like?" Dorothy asked with a tremble in her voice.
"Man, the first time I came in here, I thought you were going to try and stab me with a fork. Now you're super nice. Are you trying to give me a complex or something?" I watched Dorothy intently. I wanted to judge her reaction to my words.
"Go and shower, Sheldon." Corrigan had turned around.
I nodded and left. I pushed it all down and focused on the now. That meant showering, dressing, and grabbing some money for food. When I went downstairs, Corrigan had showered too. He was dressed in crisp jeans and a blue hoodie. His eyes looked tired, but I was surprised to see that he'd put some gel in his curls. That's when I asked, "When'd you cut your hair? What happened to those luscious locks of love?"
Corrigan grinned, holding open the door for me. "I cut 'em awhile ago. No more curls."
"Momma Corrigan must've been heartbroken."
He grinned and got into his car. "I know." Corrigan rested a hand on my seat as he turned and reversed the car. When we pulled out of the gate, he asked, "Where do you want to eat?"
"Sparky's."
"What?! No. I hate that place."
"Oh come on. We can find out if Dorothy is working. Maybe she'll try to kill me there and then we won't have to worry about who's my stalker. We'll know it's her."
"Your sense of humor sucks sometimes," he growled, but turned the car around.
I grinned. I knew I had a morbid sense of something, but the real reason I wanted to go there is because I wanted to see how she reacted to Corrigan. I'd been there with Bryce last time and the girl was nearly buckled from knocking knees. Corrigan was a different matter. Her cousin had almost stabbed him to death. Plus, he was a big deal on campus and I knew Dorothy had some history with the sorority chicks on campus. I wanted to gauge her reaction to him. Seeing him at a party was one thing, but having him at her family-owned restaurant was another matter. If I couldn't handle dealing with Bryce, then I could handle dealing with my stalker.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
When we walked into Sparky's, the conversations hushed. Movement stopped. All eyes were on us, though I wasn't sure why. The last time I'd been there, no one had cared. Everyone paid attention this time, but then I looked at Corrigan and realized it was him. He stood self-assured. He was no longer the cocky or playful Corrigan. He'd changed for some reason. Then I looked past the hostess stand and saw Dorothy start to turn our way. When she saw who stood in the doorway, her eyes widened. I almost heard her sharp intake of breath as she froze. Her body was stiff and her limbs were jerky as she walked towards us.
Corrigan looked down on her, literally. He stood at his fullest height, but Dorothy didn't mind. She seemed nervous as she smiled. "Two?"
"Booth," I said. I hated chairs and table. There was more protection in a booth.
"Oh. Okay." Her smile faded when she saw me. Then it turned bright as she nodded towards Corrigan. "Follow me."
I elbowed Corrigan and walked in front.
"Hey."
"Hey." I quickened my pace so that I stood right behind Dorothy as she turned and gestured to the booth. When she saw that I had walked behind, her smile dimmed again, but I slid in and Corrigan moved around her. As he sat, she placed both menus in front of us and stood back. I saw her finger tremble. Her knee seemed to jump too.
"We have breakfast specials right now, but we serve all meals."
I liked the new Sparky's. They might've been Italian-owned, but the place had been renovated into another Perkins.
"I'll just get coffee," I smiled so fake that Dorothy looked alarmed.
"Okay…" She frowned before she left.
"What the hell are you doing?" Corrigan flicked my wrist.
"Ouch." I flicked him back and then punched his arm.
"What'd you do that for?"
"What'd you do that for?"
"You're acting like a psycho. And you're eating something. None of this 'just coffee' crap."
"I'm acting crazy because she's crazy. Did you see her? She didn't even know I was here until she was almost on top of us."
"Well then she's not your stalker or she would've known right away. What's your problem? Why are you trying to intimidate her?"
"Why not?" Intimidation was fun. "She's Marcus' cousin. I'll try to scare anyone related to him."
Corrigan grew silent. That perked my interest. He studied the menu, but Corrigan never studied a menu. He always knew right away what he wanted. I slammed a hand on his and said, "Out with it. What's going on?"
He shrugged and sat back. He stuffed his hands in his hoodie front pocket. "Nothing. Why?"
"You said I was being weird, but so are you. You're usually all flirty or pissed. The only times you're just normal is when you're around me. What gives? Why are you so…not you?"
He rolled his eyes. "I don't like this place. I don't understand why you always want to come here. It gives me the creeps."
He was right. It was weird, but I came back for…I wasn't sure. "I think I feel like something's not right, something wasn't right about Marcus. Maybe this was my last connection to him, the real him before he turned crazy."
"You're right, something wasn't right with him. He was crazy," Corrigan barked out.
"No, I mean—" I gave him a dirty look. "He wasn't always crazy. He became that way because of something. It wasn't us. I mean like at his home or maybe he was picked on too much, I don't know. People aren't born crazy, right? They become crazy. I think if I can understand that, it'd help me understand why what happened did happen. You know what I mean?"
"All I know is that this place gives me the creeps. I was wrong about the waitress. She's creepy. She keeps looking over here." He hunched over the menu when Dorothy started back to us.
I leaned forward and whispered, "That's because she likes you."
"Do you know what you'd like?" Dorothy asked with a tremble in her voice.
"Man, the first time I came in here, I thought you were going to try and stab me with a fork. Now you're super nice. Are you trying to give me a complex or something?" I watched Dorothy intently. I wanted to judge her reaction to my words.
