Page 58 of Spiteful Lies
“Have I changed that much?” I ask quietly.
“It’s not a bad thing. You used to be wild—a little too wild sometimes. Now, I think you might care too much about what others think.”
“Because I didn’t testify?”
He shakes his head. “No one wanted you to go through that again. To be treated badly by some shit lawyer who wants to get his even shittier client off. Astrid, you and Charlotte handled it better than any of us could have. People have a lot of respect for you both.”
I smile softly. “Thanks.”
He smiles. “Am I forgiven?”
I nod.
“You want to go make out in my car?”
I scowl at him. “I have to be pissed for another hour because you didn’t tell me everything, but you did say some sweet things.”
He smiles. “I like this Astrid better. Old Astrid would’ve had me pinned to the ground until I was weeping and wailing.”
“Fuck you. Where did you park?”
Chapter 37
Astrid
The lights across campus are disappearing, except for a few shining bright through random windows. I’m not the only student still in the dorms on Christmas Eve. A security guard slowly walks through the snow, lifting his feet up and over the paths not shoveled as he probably heads to the dining hall. It’s closed for dinner, but Gary’s around, serving coffee and bagels to the skeleton staff stuck at the school.
I’m not stuck here. I could’ve gone home to Weymouth, but Mom’s not there yet. No matter where I went, I’d have had to sit around by myself. True, I could’ve gone over to Nova’s, but I didn’t want to. Even though we patched our friendship up, it’s still off. Being around each other every day at Monarch made us tight. And we would’ve stayed close, except my problems are now first-world while she’s still struggling. I can’t join in and say, “Hey, girl, I know what you mean.” Because I can pay my mom’s rent. I can afford to shop at the supermarket without adding the prices in my head, and I could afford a new car and can fill the tank with gas. As close as we were, we don’t fit anymore. I want to give my friends all the things I suddenly have. Not to save them, but to keep them with me.
Aimlessly, I wander down to Charlotte’s dorm room and use her key to go in. The movers came for the purple couch after she left, and it’s sitting in storage with her luggage while she smiles through Christmas with Rawlins. Housekeeping already moved in a second bed. I lie down on it and stare at the blank walls. Everything but the school’s furniture is gone. I don’t think she told Wren or Gemma that she was leaving. She would hate for anyone other than Bryce and me to know her secret.
One more semester to go, and then I’ll be a graduate of Stonehaven. Then fucking what? Bryce is definitely starting his own business, Wyatt plans to invest in a legit gym like Nova’s while managing a hedge fund. Pierce is talking law school, and Justin has always had his amazing talent. But what do I want to do? I’ve never had to think this far in advance. I figured life would dump me somewhere, and I would manage.
You’ll own half of Rockingham.
Now, I’m too rich for my own good. I sigh again, stretching out my body on the bare mattress, trying to imagine my future self, and each time, I see one of the boys. I see myself traveling with Bryce, sparring with Wyatt in one of his gyms, studying alongside Pierce in college, or attending gallery openings with Justin. Having no choices is as bad as having too many.
I grab my phone out of my pocket when it chimes, and I smile when I see Bryce’s face appear on the screen.
“In bed,” he smirks, “I like that. Where are your sheets?”
I sit up. “I’m in Charlotte’s old room. How’s your break? Excited for Christmas?”
He looks over his shoulder and then turns back to sigh. “No. My parents have been discussing me like I’m a piece of furniture they can’t decide where to put. I keep telling them I have my own plans, but they can’t accept it.” He pauses and smiles. “I miss you something fierce.”
“I miss you too…wait, my phone is beeping.” I tap the screen, and Wyatt appears.
“Hey there, sexy thighs,” he smiles, “I’m missing you.”
Before I can reply, Bryce does. “Thanks, man, I shaved.”
Wyatt greets Bryce with a short laugh, and then my phone buzzes again and again. Soon, all four boys are on FaceTime. I smile, unable to hide how happy I feel to see them on the screen. “I miss you all,” I smile, staring at four handsome faces on the screen as the weird mood lifts off me.
“I vote for phone sex with video.” Pierce winks.
“I’d prefer in-person,” Bryce adds dryly. “Are you in the dorm alone?”
“Almost. There are one or two students around. But I’m alone on the floor.”