It Was You (25 page)

I slept until noon.

I'd passed out as soon as we'd stopped talking, my body drained of all energy and emotion. Tana had managed to get me into her bed and she slept on the floor next to me.

My best friend.

I turned over in the blankets, squinting into the sun coming in through the window. Tana was sitting at her desk and she smiled at me. “Hi, Rip Van Sellers.”

“Hi.”

“
I thought I was going to have to get some smelling salts.”

I pushed myself up, struggling to get up out of the blankets. “Why'd you let me sleep so long?”

“Because you needed to. I went to my first class already.” She smiled. “It was boring. You didn't miss anything.”

“
Athena hasn't come back?”

She shook her head. “I asked her for one more night. And I'm positive she now thinks we're doing it.”

I laughed and fell back into the pillows. “Great.”

“
Hey. I'm a good catch.”

“
You really are. Maybe I should go lesbian. Might be easier.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Ew. No thanks. I like boys.”

We both giggled and I forced myself to sit up again. I pushed myself out of the blankets and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. I arched my back and stretched my arms up.

“
And I think you should know that I've made plans for us this evening,” Tana said.

“
What kind of plans?”

“
The kind of plans that involve going to a party and having a little much-needed fun.”

“
I'm not sure I'm up for a party.”

“
Me either, but we're going.”

“
Ugh.”

“
No ughs. We aren't going to sit in this room and stew. We're going to have some fun while you're here. No moping.”

I frowned. “What if I want to mope?”

“Then you will be overruled,” she said, raising an eyebrow. “I'm providing free room, board and fun. I get to be the decision maker. And I've decided we are going.”

“
What kind of party?”

“
The kind where there should be some free alcohol and boys.”

I rolled my eyes. “I'm not interested in boys.”

“Well, I am and they might be interested in you,” she said. “So. I think it's important that we do a little shopping this afternoon so that we look party-worthy this evening.”

“
I don't have any money,” I offered up as a lame excuse.

She grabbed her backpack, pulled out her wallet and extracted a credit card, waving it in the air. “But my parents do! So we're golden!”

Slogging through a mall and trying on clothes sounded about as appealing as driving home. But I didn't want to be the dark cloud that lingered over Tana. She was putting up with me and if she wanted to go out and have fun, I felt somewhat obligated to indulge her, even if my mood did not. She was doing her best to try and lift my spirits and I wasn't going to repay her by being a wet blanket. Maybe it would do me some good to get out and try to forget about things for awhile or three.

So I let her take me to the small mall near downtown and we did have fun trying on outfits and jewelry and just generally goofing off. We had lunch at a small pizza place and bought chocolate at the candy shop and strolled down Main Street. Spending time with my best friend was a tonic that always seemed to work, always pulled me out of whatever funk I found myself in. Even one I didn't think I'd be able to crawl out of.

But as we showered and got ready and started to dress, I was beginning to have second thoughts. The thought of talking to anyone other than Tana sounded terribly unappealing and as I was standing in front of the mirror, messing with my make-up, I could feel the tension begin to fill my shoulders and neck.

“
Don't worry,” Tana said, apparently noticing, too.

“
Don't worry about what?”

“
About tonight,” she said. “We're just going to have fun. I'm not looking for you to have some hookup to forget about West. I mean, unless you want to.”

I shook my head, the gold hoops in my ears shimmering in the mirror. “No. That's not what I need at all.”

“Right,” she said, tugging on the skirt that barely reached the middle of her thighs. “I'm just saying. Let's just go have fun and leave the crap behind for the night. Don't worry. About anything.”

“
Easier said than done,” I said.

“
And easier done with alcohol!” she said, grinning. “And don't worry. I won't let you get fall down drunk or anything.”

“
I'm not planning on it,” I said, then turned around. “Do I look alright?”

She looked me up and down. “You look smokin'.”

“Liar.”

“
Not. I'll have to keep all the unwanted drunk hook-ups off of you.”

“
That does not sound like a ringing endorsement for this party.”

She linked her arm with mine and gently pulled me toward the door. “This party is going to be fabulous.”

I tried to not to roll my eyes and pretended to believe her.

FORTY ONE

The party looked a lot like the one I'd found Annika at. People were spilled out into the front yard of the house, red cups in hand. Music hammered out of the house into the night air. The people here were dressed more casually than at her sorority rush, a mixture of sundresses, shorts, T-shirts and jeans, and the entire atmosphere seemed a lot more relaxed. People weren't there to be judged—they were there to have a good time.

Tana took me by the hand and led me through the crowd. Five minutes later, we each had our own red cups and we were standing on the back deck of the house, surveying the mass of people down below us.

I took a sip of my beer. It was some cheap draft and I wrinkled my nose. “This tastes like piss.”

Tana giggled. “Oh? Drink piss often, do we?”

I managed another mouthful. “Seriously. Taste it.”

She took a dainty sip and her face screwed up as she swallowed. “Oh my God. What the hell is this? Pabst?”

“
I don't know.”

“
I'm dumping it out,” she said.

I reached for her arm. “Don't.”

“What?”

I motioned to the grass we were standing on. “Show a little empathy.”

She smirked as she dumped the contents of her cup on to the ground. “Die grass. Die.”

A blond-haired guy wearing a Sigma Pi sweatshirt stumbled toward us. “Hey, don't waste that,” he said, reaching for Tana's empty cup.

“Too late.”

The guy frowned at her. “That was a perfectly good beer.”

“Yeah. Maybe for an inmate.” She studied him. “Or a frat boy.”

He grinned, exposing a beautiful set of teeth. “Not a Greek fan, are we?”

Tana shrugged. “Not really.”

He nodded his head in my direction. “How about you? You like Greek guys?”

“I don't like any guys at the moment,” I told him.

He took a step closer to me. “Bet I could get you to change your mind,” he said.

“Bet you couldn't.”

His blue eyes raked over me. “No? Wanna try me?” He leaned closer and his breath reeked of alcohol.

I shook my head in disgust. “No, thanks.”

He reached his hand out to me. “Come on,” he said, doing his best to sound seductive. “I could show you a good time. Promise.”

I took a step back and encountered solid muscle. Startled, I whipped around.

West stared at me, his expression hard. I was too surprised to say anything. What the hell was he doing in San Luis?

He didn't give me the chance to say anything, just grabbed my arm and pulled me behind him.

“
Leave her alone,” he growled at the drunk guy.

The guy held up his hands. “Sorry. Didn't know she was your piece of meat.”

I could see West stiffen.

“
What did you say?” he asked, enunciating each word carefully.

Frat Boy must’ve felt a surge of liquid courage, because he puffed out his chest and lifted his chin. “You heard me.”

I tugged on West’s arm. “Hey. Don’t be stupid, West.”

He didn’t budge, his eyes still on Frat Boy. “Say it again.”

Frat Boy’s mouth curved upward in a drunken smile. “You hard of hearing?”

“
No.”

I tugged on his arm again. “West. Come on.”

Tana stepped between them, facing West. “We just got here. Trust me. He’s not smart enough nor sober enough to have done any damage. Not worth your time.”

If West saw her, he didn’t act like it, his eyes still lasered on Frat Boy.

Who was now being joined by several other similar looking drunk guys in Sigma Pi T-shirts.

One sidled up to the original guy, glanced at his frat brother, then at West. “We got a problem here, Ricky?”

Ricky smiled at his friend. “I think we do, Zimmer.”

Zimmer gave West a hard stare. “Problem, dude?”

West didn’t even acknowledge him, just stared at Ricky.

I pulled on his arm. “West. I’m serious. Come on.”

Zimmer grinned. “Yeah, West. Go east.”

The two others behind him snickered.

West finally broke his stare with Ricky and looked down at Tana. “You should move.”

Tana raised her eyebrows. “Why’s that?”

“Blood splatters,” he said.

I wasn’t sure if it was because of what he said or how he said it, but the mood changed as soon as he uttered those words. Macho posturing quickly morphed into wary tension.

“You got friends with you?” Zimmer asked. “I mean, other than these two?”

West shook his head slowly. “Nope.”

Zimmer chuckled, glanced around at his friends. “You can count, right? You do see four of us, right?”

West smiled at him. “Yeah. I see all four of you.”

They stared at each other for a moment, then Zimmer shrugged and lifted his chin. “Your call, bro.”

West took Tana by the arm and moved her out of the way, despite her best effort to stay put. But she was no match for his strength.

“West,” I pleaded. “Please.”

But he just ignored me and settled Tana next to me.

As he turned around, Ricky lunged at him, a right cross swinging wildly in his direction. West leaned back, letting the punch fly by him. Then he stepped toward Ricky and jammed his hands into his chest, sending Ricky toppling back into one of his frat brothers.

Zimmer shuffled into West from the side and landed a punch to the side of his head, snapping it to the side. West pivoted and threw his own punch, landing squarely in Zimmer’s mouth. Zimmer stumbled, regained his balance and charged back at West. West sidestepped him and threw him down to the ground as he went by.

The remaining frat brother waded in and grabbed West from behind, locking his arms around West’s neck, trying to drag him away. West waited a moment, then jerked his elbow backwards into the guy’s stomach. The guy winced and West did it again and the guy’s arms fell off of West. West turned and punched him in the stomach, doubling him over.

Ricky and the other brother were back on their feet and came scrambling back at West, Ricky grabbing him from behind and the other coming around to the front of him. West’s eyes bulged as Ricky choked him, and I heard myself scream but West didn’t seem panicked. Instead, he waited for the other guy to get close, lifted his foot and slammed it into the guy’s knee. His knee buckled and he crumpled to the ground, screaming.

West brought his elbow back into Ricky’s stomach the same way he had to the other guy and after three shots, Ricky let go. West swung and connected on the side of Ricky’s jaw and Ricky went down again.

West took a deep breath just as Zimmer hit from behind and took him to the ground, like a linebacker taking down a running back. Zimmer was on his back, wailing away at the back of West’s head. West yelled and whipped his body over, throwing Zimmer off him and to the side. West pushed himself up, scrambled to get on top of Zimmer and threw two quick punches at Zimmer’s face until he stopped moving.

Everything stopped for a moment. I glanced around. It seemed that most of the party had converged on the fight and were staring, wide-eyed, at the bodies scattered on the ground. Tana’s fingers were dug into my forearm.

West pushed himself to his feet. He had a small cut over his left eye and his bottom lip was split, the blood dripping down his chin. The collar of his shirt was stretched and torn. He was breathing heavy, like he’d just sprinted two miles, and there was sweat on his forehead.

Someone in the crowd whispered, “Jesus Christ.”

There were similar murmurs rolling through the throngs of people.