Palm South University Season 1 Omnibus (7 page)

Ashlei blushes and looks a bit uncomfortable, but just shrugs in response. “We’re juniors now, Jess. It’s not all fluff in our classes anymore. I’m going to the gym and then working on this project. That’s it, nothing more to tell.”

Jess still seems skeptical, but she sighs in defeat. “True story. I already have a paper due for Scope and Methods next Wednesday.”

“See?” Ashlei kisses Jess’ cheek. “I’ll see you at breakfast tomorrow.” With that, she’s gone and Jess turns to us.

“So, you two in?”

Erin declines and starts telling Jess about some sorority council sleepover she’s going to so she can rub elbows with other sorority officers on campus just as my phone pings with a text. It’s Cassie. She’s going to dinner with Jamie. I sigh.

“Okay, you’ve got to come drink with me, Sky. You’re the most fun anyway.”

“Hey!” Erin says, smacking Jess playfully.

“What? You know it’s true!” She grins, turning back to me. “What do you say?”

“Yeah, I’m in,” I reply, sighing again.

“Speaking of fun,” Erin says. “Omega Chi Beta is having their first social on September twenty-second. And,” she pauses for effect. “It’s an ABC theme! We’re going, right?!”

ABC. Anything But Clothes. It’s one of the most cherished social themes because the outfits are, well, endless. Anything but clothes, goes.

“Oh hell to the yes,” Jess says without hesitating.

“Ugh,” I groan. “I can’t.”

“What are you talking about? Why?”

“I have a poker tournament that night.”

Erin and Jess exchange awkward glances. “Oh,” Jess says. “Well, can’t you just do a different one or something?”

“It doesn’t work like that. I already paid the entry fee and it’s the best payout they’re having at the casino downtown for a while.”

Erin’s eyes soften and I know she knows. She’s the only one who understands my parents’ financial situation. “Are you sure you can’t make it? Not even after the tournament?”

I shake my head. “It’ll go all night.”

“I don’t understand why you play anyway,” Jess says. Her words sting a little, but I try not to let them affect me. “It’s a total boys’ game.” I don’t respond and she sighs. “Sorry, but seriously, it is. Anyway, let’s go drink.”

“Actually, I think I’m going to pass,” I say, standing from where I’d been sitting on Ashlei’s bed. “I’ll see you guys at breakfast.”

Jess throws her hands in the air. “Are you serious? What does a girl have to do to find a drinking partner around here?”

Erin laughs and I give an apologetic smile as I slip through Ashlei’s door and out into the hall. Pulling out my phone, I text Clinton.

- I’m coming over. Need to talk. –

He’s been short with me since the party during rush week and I can’t figure out why, but two seconds later he texts me back.

- I’m here. See you soon. –

I smile. Clinton and I met during Spring Break last year and he’s the only one at PSU who got excited when he realized I play poker. I just wish he could transfer that excitement to my sisters.

When I get to the O Chi house and make my way back to his room, the music is already thumping through the house and brothers are lining up shots in the kitchen. Most of them look like they just woke up to start their days and it’s already seven. Gotta love college.

“Your brothers are reckless,” I say when I reach his room. He smiles, not even trying to argue. The Omega Chi boys are known for their partying. It’s one of their best selling points during rush.

Clinton pats the spot on his bed next to him. “I taught them well. Come here.” I sit down and he pulls me into his large chest. “Bear hugs fix everything.”

I giggle before pulling back. “I can’t argue that.”

“What’s going on?” he asks. He almost seems back to normal, but his eyes keep drifting to his phone on the bedside table and I know there’s something going on that he isn’t telling me. But, it’s not my business to pry. I know Clinton. He’ll tell me when he’s ready.

“It’s my sisters,” I confess, sighing. “I can’t go to our first social because I have a poker tournament, and they just don’t understand. Erin still thinks I can just bail on them and Jess looks at me like a nasty bug on the ground every time I bring it up.”

“What about Ashlei?”

“She hasn’t been around much, but she’s sort of in the same boat as Erin. I know they don’t mean to hurt my feelings but… it just sucks. I want them to get that it’s more than just a stupid hobby to me.”

He leans back against his headboard, thinking. Clinton’s room is one of the best in the house, design wise. He’s got a thing for interior design, and I’ve never known another guy to keep his room as clean as Clinton does. It’s themed in beiges, dark greens and mints with décor strategically placed to make the room appear bigger than it really is. His bedspread is a dark forest color that pulls out the slight hint of green in his hazel eyes. “You’re right – I know for a fact they’re not trying to hurt your feelings. But, Skyler, you have to understand their perspective, too. These are girls who were born into money – good money. They don’t know what it’s like to work for it yet. And poker? Please. Other than the blackjack we play at fundraisers, these girls are clueless when it comes to the game.”

“So why don’t they ask me more about it then? It’s not like I couldn’t teach them.”

“Probably for the same reasons you don’t ask them to show you how to do your makeup or how to shop for the dresses that will make you look skinnier or whatever. It’s not their thing, Sky. And, to be honest, that’s what makes you so special – because it’s not something you share with many other people.”

I smile at that and chew on his words, digesting his point of view. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Thinking back to high school, my smile fades. “But… what if I don’t want to stand out? What if I’d rather… blend.”

“I think the key is finding a balance. You can fit in without becoming someone you’re not.”

“Such wise words, Bear,” I joke, cocking a brow. Feeling more at ease about my situation, I turn the conversation to him. “So, you going to tell me what that phone call was about at the party last week?”

His jaw tenses. “It was nothing.”

“Bear…”

“Don’t,” he says, jumping to his feet. He runs his hands through his short hair and inhales a deep breath before expelling it from his chest. “Sorry, I’m just not in the mood to talk about it. I’m fine, though.”

I study his features, and without even a minute passing I know he’s lying. Clinton’s poker face is weak, at best. He wears his emotions on his sleeves, whether he wants to or not. But, again, I know he’ll tell me when he’s ready.

“Okay. I need a drink. Let’s go take shots with your brothers.”

He laughs, but his eyes still wear a coat of worry. “Yeah, enough of this girly talking shit. I need tequila.”

With that, we make our way into the kitchen and join in on the drinking games. Slowly, all the stress I had when I walked through the door starts to fade. After my third shot, Matt, the Omega Chi Beta president, slides up behind me and starts nibbling on my earlobe.

“Come to my room,” he whispers and tiny goose bumps flow from where his lips graze my skin all the way down to my toes. I follow him back and throw Clinton a devious smile on the way. He just shakes his head and chuckles.

“You look like you could use a distraction,” Matt says when we reach his room, closing the door behind us.

“You have no idea.” I slam my mouth on his and before long, poker is the last thing on my mind.

LAST NIGHT GOT OUT OF HAND. What started as just a few innocent drinking games with brothers turned into a rager that lasted until just before the sun came up this morning. It’s just after three in the afternoon now, but I’m just finding the energy to pull myself out of bed.

When I sit up, I immediately regret it. A sharp pang shoots through my head and I squint against it, grabbing my phone off the bedside table.

No missed calls or texts.

Cursing, I unlock the screen and type out another text to Carleton. When I finish, it pops up into our conversation along with the seven other unanswered messages from me. Typical. I send him money and he disappears from the face of the earth. I can’t stop thinking about my nephews. He knows I worry, which is exactly why he doesn’t answer. It makes it easier for him to ask for money when he knows I care.

A girl’s groan breaks the silence and I startle, whipping around to find another body in my bed.
The fuck? Was I really that drunk last night?
All I can see is one tan leg outstretched from beneath the covers. The rest of the body, including the head, is still buried beneath them.

“Well that was an interesting Tuesday night,” Skyler mumbles, throwing the covers off.

“Why are you in my bed, Sky?”

“Come on,” she remarks with a look that implies the answer is obvious. “You know I don’t sex and sleep. I sex and leave. Only, I was too tired to do the second part of that mantra last night, so I settled for leaving his room. If it’s under the same roof but not within the same walls, it doesn’t count as sleeping with them, right?”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“You cuddled with me last night.” I blanch and she barks out a laugh. “Kidding, Bear, kidding. You do snore though.”

I grin, but slowly reach for my pillow and then tackle her, holding it playfully over her head while she squirms beneath me. I tickle her sides and she shrieks hysterically, kicking at me to no avail. Suddenly, my bedroom door flies open.

“Uh…” my Little trails off, standing at the door with wide eyes. “Should I come back later?”

Skyler is still giggling as she smooths out her hair and jumps up from the bed. She’s in nothing but a tiny tank top and boy shorts, but she’s not the least bit ashamed. She starts shimmying into her jeans like it’s a normal everyday occurrence for us. “Hey Josh. He’s all yours,” she says, nodding toward me. “I was just on my way out. Class in twenty. See you!”

And with that, she pats Josh on the shoulder and happily skips out of the room. I smirk as Josh watches her walk all the way down the hall before turning back to me, eyes still wide. “Holy shit. Did you fuck Skyler Thorne?”

“Bro,” I deadpan.

He throws his hands up. “I won’t say a word, I swear. But come on, you
have
to give me details.”

I roll my eyes, standing and pulling on my sweat pants. No wonder it looks like we slept together. We were both in our underwear. “She’s like a sister to me, dude. Don’t act like you don’t know that.”

“Yeah. A seriously hot sister you don’t mind going incestual for.” I punch him hard on the arm and he winces. “All right, all right, I get it. You didn’t sleep together. You just
slept
together.” He winks. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

“I give up.”

“Hey,” he says, changing the subject and following me down the hall to the kitchen. “Check this out.” He shoves a small pink piece of paper into my hands and I squint to read the cursive writing beneath the bold letters: NOTICE.

“Is this a sound violation?”

“Yeah. Last night was epic,” he answers with a goofy smile.

“We need to watch that shit,” I say, crumpling up the notice and tossing it in the trash. I reach into the fridge for the orange juice with my name on it and chug it straight from the jug. “We’re already on thin ice after Spring Break last year.”

“Whatever. What are they going to do?”

“They could suspend us, Josh.”

“Nah.” He waves me off. “They won’t. We’re too fun. By the way, I’m throwing an unofficial social tonight. First one of the year. Stoplight theme.”

“Seriously? Did you not just hand me a sound violation notice? Maybe we should lay low until the weekend.” It pains me to say it, seeing as how a stoplight social is one of my favorites. You wear red if you’re taken, yellow if it’s complicated, and green if you’re single. I always love hooking up with the chicks dressed in yellow. Those girls are working through some screwed up shit and they love having revenge sex. And me? Well, I’m the first one to volunteer.

“Bro, relax,” he says, clapping me on the shoulder. “It’ll be fine. See you later, I’m going to actually make an appearance in my chemistry class today.”

I’m still glaring at him disapprovingly when he bounces out of the kitchen. He’s
way
too energetic for me right now. Sighing, I place the OJ back in the fridge and resolve to let it go. He’s right – we’ll probably be fine. And, truthfully, anything to get my mind off home is welcome right now.

I guess I better clean up the yellow Jordans.