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Authors: L.G. Castillo
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fucking Kristie sure is strange way to show it.”
“Knock it off, Mandi,” he growled, shaking me. “You know she’s just a friend.”
“Yeah, right. A friend. More like a fuck buddy.”
His hands tightened before dropping them to his side. “Look, Mandi, I know you’re mad, but I’m not going to let you talk about Kristie that way. She’s been nothing but a good friend to me and to you.”
“Now you’re defending her?” Incredible.
“Do you even want to hear what happened?” His voice was angry now.
“Hmm, do I want to listen to your lies? Gee, Nic, I don’t know.”
He scowled. “What is wrong with you? This is not the Mandi I fell in love with.”
“Oh really.” I placed my hands on my hips. “I don’t know which Mandi you think you were dating because I’m the same person. I fight back when someone steps on my turf. If you hurt my family or friends, then you have to deal with me. I’m not some silly preppie bow-head you can run all over.”
“The Mandi I know is loving and passionate. And most of all, fair. She gives the people she loves the benefit of the doubt.”
I gulped, gazing into his hazel eyes, reading between the lines. “Well, maybe there is doubt.”
“You’ve never had it before. At least, I don’t think you have.” His face twisted, and his voice turned soft as he approached me. “That is, until Julian.”
I sucked in a breath, my heart pounding in my chest. “He has nothing to do with this.”
“I think he does. Remember the Psych 101 class we took in the summer? Projection?”
Somewhere in the depths of my memories, I recalled the professor saying something about psychological projection.
Crap! Was I putting my guilt over Julian onto Nic?
“Puhleeze, psychology is full of crap. Beside, that has nothing to do with it.” Who was the liar now? “He didn’t tell you to sleep with Kristie.”
He paused for a moment, studying me. It was as if he was wondering whether he should press me on the Julian issue or not. I braced myself.
“I didn’t sleep with her. We were at the frat party, and some guy was manhandling her and she fell in the mud. I took care of the guy and got muddy in the process.”
I let out a breath. A part of me was relived he wasn’t going to go there; the other part wondered why he didn’t. His eyes were so sincere. There wasn’t a hint of deception behind them. I knew he was telling me the truth. I felt it.
“Uh-huh.”
“And then she barfed all over me.”
I blinked. “She what?”
His lips curled into a grin. “You know, puked, upchucked, hurled—”
“Okay, I get it.”
“Spewed, tossed her cookies, tangoed with the toilet—”
“I get it, Nic.”
“Burped to the ninth power—”
“Nic!” My lip twitched.
“Okay. Okay. I was about to drive her home when she turned green. I didn’t want her to ruin the upholstery so I helped her out of the car and she hurled all over me. I brought her to my dorm room so she could clean up. And she hurled again in the living room.”
“That’s why it smelled so funky in there.”
“Yep, that was all her. The only thing clean that would fit her was the shirt you gave me for Christmas. And well, I have no more clothes now that they’re scattered all over the parking lot.” He held out his arms so that I could take a good look at him.
There he was, standing in the middle of Sewell Park wearing wet blue jeans and a pink polka dot midriff with spaghetti straps.
I choked back a laugh. I didn’t want to laugh. That would mean I was happy. And I didn’t want to be happy. I wanted to be mad.
He chuckled. His laugh was contagious. I couldn’t help myself and I started laughing too.
“It’s only a few hours until my eight o’clock class. Do you think I’ll be dry by then?”
“That’s the least of your worries. I’m pretty sure sexy midriffs like that are against the dress code.” I plucked the strap, snapping it against his muscular chest.
He chuckled, taking
“Knock it off, Mandi,” he growled, shaking me. “You know she’s just a friend.”
“Yeah, right. A friend. More like a fuck buddy.”
His hands tightened before dropping them to his side. “Look, Mandi, I know you’re mad, but I’m not going to let you talk about Kristie that way. She’s been nothing but a good friend to me and to you.”
“Now you’re defending her?” Incredible.
“Do you even want to hear what happened?” His voice was angry now.
“Hmm, do I want to listen to your lies? Gee, Nic, I don’t know.”
He scowled. “What is wrong with you? This is not the Mandi I fell in love with.”
“Oh really.” I placed my hands on my hips. “I don’t know which Mandi you think you were dating because I’m the same person. I fight back when someone steps on my turf. If you hurt my family or friends, then you have to deal with me. I’m not some silly preppie bow-head you can run all over.”
“The Mandi I know is loving and passionate. And most of all, fair. She gives the people she loves the benefit of the doubt.”
I gulped, gazing into his hazel eyes, reading between the lines. “Well, maybe there is doubt.”
“You’ve never had it before. At least, I don’t think you have.” His face twisted, and his voice turned soft as he approached me. “That is, until Julian.”
I sucked in a breath, my heart pounding in my chest. “He has nothing to do with this.”
“I think he does. Remember the Psych 101 class we took in the summer? Projection?”
Somewhere in the depths of my memories, I recalled the professor saying something about psychological projection.
Crap! Was I putting my guilt over Julian onto Nic?
“Puhleeze, psychology is full of crap. Beside, that has nothing to do with it.” Who was the liar now? “He didn’t tell you to sleep with Kristie.”
He paused for a moment, studying me. It was as if he was wondering whether he should press me on the Julian issue or not. I braced myself.
“I didn’t sleep with her. We were at the frat party, and some guy was manhandling her and she fell in the mud. I took care of the guy and got muddy in the process.”
I let out a breath. A part of me was relived he wasn’t going to go there; the other part wondered why he didn’t. His eyes were so sincere. There wasn’t a hint of deception behind them. I knew he was telling me the truth. I felt it.
“Uh-huh.”
“And then she barfed all over me.”
I blinked. “She what?”
His lips curled into a grin. “You know, puked, upchucked, hurled—”
“Okay, I get it.”
“Spewed, tossed her cookies, tangoed with the toilet—”
“I get it, Nic.”
“Burped to the ninth power—”
“Nic!” My lip twitched.
“Okay. Okay. I was about to drive her home when she turned green. I didn’t want her to ruin the upholstery so I helped her out of the car and she hurled all over me. I brought her to my dorm room so she could clean up. And she hurled again in the living room.”
“That’s why it smelled so funky in there.”
“Yep, that was all her. The only thing clean that would fit her was the shirt you gave me for Christmas. And well, I have no more clothes now that they’re scattered all over the parking lot.” He held out his arms so that I could take a good look at him.
There he was, standing in the middle of Sewell Park wearing wet blue jeans and a pink polka dot midriff with spaghetti straps.
I choked back a laugh. I didn’t want to laugh. That would mean I was happy. And I didn’t want to be happy. I wanted to be mad.
He chuckled. His laugh was contagious. I couldn’t help myself and I started laughing too.
“It’s only a few hours until my eight o’clock class. Do you think I’ll be dry by then?”
“That’s the least of your worries. I’m pretty sure sexy midriffs like that are against the dress code.” I plucked the strap, snapping it against his muscular chest.
He chuckled, taking
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