Instead, I feel a prickle on the back of my neck. A sense that someone’s watching me, and when I turn my head, I see Spencer. Standing still in the crowd. His eyes on me.
I sigh, forgetting myself. Memories from the car flood back to me. A smile plucks at the corner of my mouth, and I want to point out to him the three people I’d passed on my way in, all of whom are wearing green. I set my hand on the table, ready to leave this booth and walk straight for him and tell him we need to leave, right this very minute. That even though I’d won our little bet, I still want him to have his way with me, however he wants.
He scowls.
“Kennedy?” Elijah asks, and it breaks the trance Spencer’s narrowed glare has on me.
I look at my date, at his concerned stare, then back to Spencer. Except he’s gone. Disappeared in the crowd.
“Sorry,” I say. “I thought I saw—”
“Walsh, scoot over.”
“Summer, what—” But the sorority girl shoves at my shoulder until I make enough room for her to slide in beside me.
“Shh,” she holds up a finger and peeks around the booth.
I glance at Elijah, whose eyes bulge, glued to Summer with her blond curls and shirt tight around her curves. I grimace as he practically drools over her, even more resolute in my decision to end it with him.
Summer turns back to us. “Close call. Almost ran into a guy who wouldn’t stop calling me last year after we made out at a KTO party.”
Elijah whips out a hand. “Hi, I don’t think we’ve—”
“Elijah Davis,” Summer says for him, shaking his hand. “Junior art major. One of your pieces is on display in the administration building.”
“Uh, yeah,” Elijah looks perplexed. “How’d you—”
“Oh, Summer knows everyone on campus,” I explain, knowing exactly the confusion he’s feeling.
Summer beams at me with a proud smile. “I’m parched. Are you parched, Walsh?”
I’m about to reply when Elijah jumps to his feet. “What do you want? I’ll get it.”
“Anything for you, Walsh?”
“Water, please.”
“Then I think I’ll have, hmm… Sex on the beach.” Elijah trips over his bench in his haste to the bar. When he’s gone, Summer says, “Gotta get started on my spring break, you know.”
“Looks like you’re well on your way,” I say, noting her glassy eyes.
Summer squints, and I think she’ll comment on my sass, when she blurts, “Did you just have sex?”
I choke on my own breath. “What?”
“You’ve got that look.” She circles her hand in the air, indicating all of me. “Like you’ve just had sex. Walsh, are you keeping secrets from me? I told you, you can tell me! I won’t tell.”
She erupts in giggles, and now I know this is definitely Off the Record because Summer Prescott is blitzed.
Diverting her attention, I ask, “I thought Kellermann’s was dingy?”
“Oh, it is,” she says. “But my little sis wanted to slum it tonight.” She waves in the direction of a girl wearing ABB’s letters, talking to a member of the football team. Then, she jabs my shoulder. “Who did you slum it with? Please don’t tell me it was art boy. He’s a nerd. Stop dating nerds, Walsh. They’re dumb.”
“I think, by definition, nerds are smart,” I point out.
“Exactly,” she says, like that explains it. Before I can ask what she means and if it has anything to do with her father being a genius himself, Elijah returns, and Summer enthusiastically thanks him for her fruity cocktail. She slides his sketchbook over and starts flipping through the pages. He’s engrossed in showing her a still life portrait when I realize he’s completely neglected to get my water. Excusing myself, I slip past Summer and walk to the bar to get a drink. Halfway back to the booth, my phone buzzes.
Kennedy, the message from Elijah reads. I don’t think this is going to work out.
Of all the—my head whips up, and Elijah doesn’t even have the decency to look contrite. No, he nods at whatever Summer’s saying, creepily staring at her cleavage. I ignore the voice reminding me I was about to break up with him anyway, since my pride’s a little stung he’d beaten me to it. So I turn on my heel and approach Summer’s sorority sister, a mousy girl who jumps when I tap her arm. When I point out the blond to her, the girl immediately heads over to rescue her from Elijah.
Summer taken care of, I head over to my friends. Rylie, when she sees me, perks up, sliding out a chair for me to sit next to her. “How’d it go with Elijah?”
“It didn’t,” I say, and her face drops.
Levi leans over her. “Don’t sweat it, Kennedy. Those art majors, they’re all freaks.”
When Rylie swats his arm, he wiggles his eyebrows. “But I like when you get freaky.”
“Stop,” Grayson reprimands on my other side.
With a smile, I say, “‘A partitioned part of the inside of a building’.”
Levi motions for me to explain.
“A room. Which you two should get.”
They laugh, just as the other side of the table breaks out with a cheer. The television screen plays a highlight reel from last year’s March Madness.
“I remember that game,” Natalie points to one recap. “Theo’s team almost knocked mine off the bracket, but we smashed them.”
“Not like you made it that much further,” Morris says.
“Who beat you?” I ask Natalie, and she glares at the boy next to me.
“Did you know,” Gray laughs, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “When Natalie loses, she flips over the first piece of furniture she can get her hands on?”
“You won on a technicality!” my roommate says.
“What was the furniture?” Rylie asks, and Levi whispers, “Coffee table.”
Gray clears his throat, holding up his phone. “Speaking of, selection’s up on Sunday. If you want to buy in, get your money to me before you leave for break.”
Natalie grumbles, but she nudges Morris, who dutifully hands her a
