“Uh, duh, we’ll be there.” Crystal smiles, but it does nothing for me.
“Then we’ll be there too, baby,” Talon purrs.
The girls nearly clap their hands together like a group of kids excited for dessert.
“Okay, well, guess we will see you then.” Crystal drags her teeth over her bottom lip, and fuck, she’s trying to get me to chase her.
All the joy in the room deflates when I spot a blonde head of hair, that’s connected to a slim body, walking into the room. It’s not illegal for her to be in the university cafeteria, but it’s not common. I’ve never seen her eat on campus.
Crystal and her friends are still standing in front of us, but now that Kennedy is here, those girls seem so mundane and plain. They are nothing in comparison to Kennedy, who is still the prettiest girl here, even without makeup and a scar on her face. I ban that thought from my mind as fast as it popped in.
Wanting to kick myself for even thinking about her like that, I watch her hips sway, her tight little ass looks so plump in those yoga pants.
Like a radar on me, she turns in my direction. Our eyes lock in a battle of wills, and as if she’s seen a ghost, she drops the apple in her hand, spins around, and walks out of the cafeteria.
I can’t help it. I smile. Mainly because I didn’t have to do a damn thing to make her feel uncomfortable. Simply being here is enough to scare her away.
When she disappears from view, Crystal and her posse have taken a table about fifteen feet away from us. I can feel her eyes on me, watching me, but I don’t look at her. Instead, I stare at the spot Kennedy was just standing at, almost willing her to reappear there.
“Who is that girl?” Talon asks, forcing me to look away from that spot and back to him. I contemplate telling him that she’s no one, but it doesn’t hurt anyone other than Kennedy if I tell him what really happened. The knowledge is out there, free for anyone that searches for it.
“Her name is Kennedy. She killed my sister.”
“Wait… What? She killed your sister? How is she walking free? Shouldn’t she be in jail?” The disgust in Talon’s tone only encourages me to tell him more.
“She should be, but the judge thought otherwise. She got off with a slap on the wrist if you ask me,” I sneer, doing my best not to remember that day in court. How distraught and heartbroken she looked. Fake, it was all fake to avoid jail time.
“How? How did it happen? I mean… you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I just can’t believe that girl killed someone. Like… murder?”
“Might as well have been. She went to a party with my sister. Both of them were drunk. They called me to pick them up. I was with a girl. I told them I would be there soon, but Kennedy didn’t want to wait. They left, she drove the car and wrecked it halfway home. My sister was ejected. She died instantly.” It kills me to even talk about it. My chest feels heavy, and the words come out slower. I hate that the last memory I have of my sister is telling her I would be right there and then not coming soon enough. I was busy fucking some chick that didn’t mean anything to me. I didn’t even talk to Nicole afterward. I should’ve been there that night, but I was thinking with my dick.
“Fuck, man. That’s… that’s fucked up. I can’t believe she is here, going to school and that you haven’t murdered her yet.”
I smirk. “It isn’t without a shit ton of restraint, but yeah. So, now you know.”
“I’m sorry about your sister. I know it doesn’t help, but figured I’d say it.”
“It’s okay. She’s gone, and I can’t bring her back. Nothing to be sorry for.”
“I know, but you’re my friend, and I’d be an asshole if I didn’t say it.”
The feeling in my chest is too heavy. I need a subject change. I look down at my clenched fists, feeling the blood pumping through my veins, itching for a bit of violence.
“Call up, Franco. Tell him I want a fight. The bigger the guy, the better.”
Talon raises his brow in question. “You sure about that? You took a pounding last time. I’d prefer if I didn’t have to use a spatula to peel your body up off the bottom of the pit.”
“Just do it. Tell him to set it up, and then spread the word around campus. Get everyone to come.” I’m already giddy, simply thinking about it. Talon pulls out his phone even though he looks reluctant about doing so. I watch him type up a text and hit send, then I get up and grab my tray. Walking over to the garbage can, I toss my stuff into it and head back to the doors that lead outside.
“Where are you going, man? You didn’t even eat,” Talon calls.
“Not hungry,” I tell him with a shrug and walk out the door without looking back.
Pausing for a moment, I stop to think where Kennedy may have gone. All her classes are done for today. Obviously, she came to the cafeteria to eat, and since she didn’t do that, my guess is that she’s most likely going home.
Starting in the direction of Kennedy’s apartment, it doesn’t take me long before I catch up to her. Her shoes slap against the wet concrete as she walks down the sidewalk like she is trying to outrun something. Can’t outrun me, baby.
I follow closely behind but not close enough to draw her attention.
She maneuvers around a group of guys heading toward her, hugging the left side of the sidewalk, maintaining an even amount of distance between them and her. A light drizzle falls from the sky, making my shirt damp. The smell of rain surrounds me, and as we come up to a crosswalk, I see the red do not walk sign blinking.
Kennedy either sees it and doesn’t care or doesn’t notice. I don’t know which one it is, but the only thing that matters to me in that instant is reaching her fast enough. A van barrels down the road, heading straight for her. My heart clenches in my chest, fear pulses through my veins as I see it happen in my mind. Acting without thought, I reach out before the image in my mind can become a reality. Gripping onto the back of her shirt, I pull her back just as her foot touches the lip of the curb.
The van races by, laying on its horn while Kennedy’s back slams into my chest. Instinctively, I wrap my arms around her. Before I come to my senses, I lower my head and bury my nose in her hair. For a few seconds, I allow myself to inhale her sweet floral scent that’s mixed with the smell of rain. Just this one time, I tell myself.
Shifting in my arms, she looks up at me, fear written in her features. I want to shake her for being so stupid. For not paying attention. Does she want to die? Why wouldn’t she look up before crossing a busy street?
It occurs to me then that I could’ve lost her. I could’ve lost my last piece of Jillian. It makes me aware of the fact that, though not much, I do care about Kennedy enough that I don’t want her dead.
“You saved me,” Kennedy whispers, almost breathlessly. Her pink lips are parted, her hair is damp, and her cheeks rosy with embarrassment or maybe shock.
Snapping out of it, I release her. “Are you stupid? Why would you walk out into a busy street when the sign was blinking red?” I force the fear out of my voice and replace it with anger. It’s not fake either. I’m furious. Why would she do that?
“I…” Her bottom lip trembles and tears well in her hazel eyes. I can almost see the old Kennedy in there. The girl I would do anything for. She’s close, almost within distance, and yet so far away, I won’t reach my hand out and grab her. I don’t want to go there. I don’t want to feel anything for her. I don’t want to care about her.