Remington's Tower

by Katharine Sadler

  “Really?” I said. I could push him for more information, but I didn’t think it was necessary. Either Worthy or Byron was responsible, and I had my own ways of getting answers. “You know, Bryce, I really appreciate your honesty. After tonight you may be the only one I’m friends with in your house.”

  Bryce grinned, but shook his head. “Just don’t get me in the middle of it,” he said. “I’ve got two sisters, so I understand where the guy’s coming from, but I can also see your point of view. If you need me to try to talk some sense into him, just let me know.”

  “Thanks,” I said, but I was only half-listening, already plotting.

  ***

  I lay on my bed, my head on Bell’s lap, while Frankie ransacked my closet. Between studying, dating, and the morning shift at the campus cafeteria, I was feeling a bit exhausted and wishing I could just go out with Worthy in my pajamas. Maybe he would be willing to make our date a movie in the dorm room night? “I really wish you’d let me take you shopping,” Frankie said, again. She’d said the same thing when she’d help me get ready for my dates with Ronald Graves the third and Bryce.

  “When I have some money,” I said, again. Bell snickered above me, but her nose was in a book and there was no way to be sure if she was laughing at me and Frankie or at her book.

  Frankie glanced at Bell and irritation crossed her face, but she would never say aloud that she was annoyed with Bell for reading while she struggled to create a date-worthy outfit from my unsatisfactory wardrobe. “I would let you wear something of mine, but…”

  “I’m four inches taller than you and I don’t have your curves,” I said. “You can say it, Frankie, it won’t hurt my feelings.”

  Frankie’s eyes widened. “Why would it? You have a gorgeous body, like an athletic supermodel. It’s just that I want you to look really nice for your date with Worthy.”

  “He won’t care if she’s wearing a paper bag,” Bell said, without looking up from her book. “Have you seen the way he looks at her?”

  “How does he look at me?”

  “Like you’re a first edition, mint-condition, signed Ursula K. Le Guin.”

  “What?” I asked.

  Bell shook her head and gave me a disappointed look. I rolled my head to look at Frankie and she rolled her eyes. “He looks at you like you’re his favorite thing in the whole world. I don’t know what that might be, but he looks at you like you’re a surprise, and a wonder, and like he wants to—”

  “To get you naked and have his wicked way with you,” Bell finished.

  “Bell,” Frankie said with a gasp of dismay.

  I couldn’t help the thrill of pleasure that ran through me at their words. I knew Worthy could kiss and he’d said all those nice things to me, and there was no one else I’d met so far who I wanted to spend more time with or who made me feel all tingly and happy the way he did. Since Bryce told me about the rumor about me and Worthy, though, I’d started to doubt. To wonder if maybe all the attention Worthy paid me was just his way of keeping an eye on me for my cousin. Not that I thought Byron told him to make out with me, but…“Argh,” I growled, sitting up. “What is wrong with me?”

  Immediately, Bell and Frankie were seated on either side of me, peering into my face and patting me on the back. “What’s wrong, sugar?” Bell asked. “Are you not feeling well?”

  “You’ve been working too hard,” Frankie said. “I knew it. All the dating and studying and work has been too much for you. I told Harrison…”

  I looked at Frankie, but she didn’t meet my eyes. “You and Harrison?” I asked.

  Frankie blushed a fierce pink and started talking at the speed of light. “It’s not like you think. We’re only friends, but we’ve been eating lunch together every day and we…we’re both worried about you, Remy.”

  “Worried about me?”

  Frankie looked at the ceiling as though she was looking for help. “You haven’t been sleeping,” she finally said.

  I looked at Bell, but she was chewing her lip, unsurprised. I was getting really tired of everyone talking about me behind my back. So, yeah, I’d had a few more bad dreams. And maybe I’d been trying not to go to sleep so I could avoid them. “It’s nothing. I’ve been studying,” I said. “I’ve got a test on Tuesday.”

  “Um, sure, okay,” Frankie said.

  Bell stomped her little foot, actually her toe, which was all that reached the floor when she sat on my bed. “Tell her, Frankie.”

  Frankie sighed like the weight of the world was on her shoulders. “You’ve been crying out in your sleep and, last night, you screamed.”

  I’d had the dream about the man with the bad breath straddling me again, but in my dream I’d found the knife and I’d stabbed him. “It’s just a bad dream,” I said. “I had them when I was a kid, and being in a new place and that paintball game has brought them back. I’m fine.” Only I wasn’t really fine, I was tired and scared to close my eyes.

  “What kid dreams of being attacked?” Bell asked. “Of watching her father bleed?”

  I glared at Frankie. “You told her?”

  Frankie huddled into herself a bit. “I was worried about you.”

  “And Harrison?”

  She shook her head.

  “Maybe you should talk to someone,” Bell said, her tone gentle but firm.

  I stood and stomped to my closet, trying to ignore my shaking hands. “You’ve had six days of psych classes, Bell, don’t try to analyze me.” I pulled out a pair of faded cargo pants and a pink t-shirt.

  “You can’t wear that on a date,” Frankie said, aghast.

  “I want to be comfortable.”

  Bell stood and I looked away so I didn’t have to see the hurt on her face. “I’ll be back in a few minutes,” she said. “Don’t change, yet.”

  I threw my clothes on the bed and sat beside them. “This whole thing is a terrible idea.”

  “You like Worthy, right?” Frankie asked, her voice fast and light, like a hummingbird.

  “Well, yeah, but I don’t think I’m good at any of this. I don’t know what to wear, I keep second-guessing him and myself, I get all kinds of funny feelings when I see him and I do and say stupid things. I just think maybe I need to focus on school and work for a while, and forget this whole dating thing.”

  Frankie clasped her hands over her chest and her eyes widened. She looked like a cartoon character and I could swear I saw hearts in her eyes. “You really do like him,” she said.

  “Well, we’ve established that. Maybe it’s just too much, you know? Or there’s something wrong with me?”

  “I threw up on my date to prom,” Frankie said, her eyes on the floor.

  “What?” I said, biting back a laugh.

  “I was so nervous,” she said. “And when I’m nervous I eat comfort food, a lot of it. The night of prom I was so nervous, I couldn’t stop eating. I even snuck some twizzlers into the dance with me. My date, I really liked him, he tried to get fancy on the dance floor. He spun me, and he just kept spinning me and I…I threw up all over him.”

  She looked so sad and embarrassed, that I leaned in and hugged her hard, holding my breath to keep from laughing. She pushed me away and shook her head. “I don’t want you to feel sorry for me, I just want you to know that you’re not the only one who gets nervous about dates.”

  “I don’t feel sorry for you,” I said. And then I couldn’t hold it in anymore and I laughed.

  Frankie looked offended for about two seconds before her lips started twitching. “It is kind of funny in retrospect,” she said. “At least his tux was rented.”

  I laughed so hard, tears sprang to my eyes, and Frankie laughed with me.

  “I’ve brought reinforcements,” Bell said. She walked into my room with a supermodel. The girl was tall and willowy, with pale, creamy skin, rosy cheeks and black hair. Frankie and I stopped laughing and paid attention. “This is our suitemate, Selene,” Bell said. “She’s closer to your size and she’s got,” Bell ge
stured to Selene who was wearing a sun dress that barely covered her necessaries and a cute little jean jacket, “great clothes. I thought between her and Frankie, we could find something for you to wear.”

  Selene smiled. “You must be what? A size ten? I’m sure I can find something for you in my closet.”

  There was a knock at my door, and Worthy stuck his head in. “Sorry, I’m early, but I’m starving. Are you ready to go, Remy?”

  “Thank god, yes,” I said. I leapt to my feet, so grateful to be rescued from the psychoanalysis and fashion advice of my suitemates I no longer cared what I was wearing. I was pretty sure Worthy’s smiling face was the best thing I’d seen all day.

  “No,” Frankie said. “She isn’t dressed, yet.”

  Worthy looked at me, in my skinny jeans and over-sized button-down blouse, and he smiled. “She looks dressed to me, and gorgeous. You ready to go?”

  “Yes, yes, please,” I said. I wove my way through the blockade Frankie, Selene, and Bell were trying to form and took Worthy’s hand. He pulled me out into our common area and presented me with a bouquet of yellow and white daisies. “They’re beautiful,” I said. “How’d you know they’re my favorite?”

  He grinned. “I didn’t. They just reminded me of you.”

  “I’ll take those and put them in some water,” Bell said, taking the flowers from me. “You kids have fun, now.”

  I followed Worthy out to his car and stopped. It was the first time I’d seen the car and I needed a moment. It was three different colors, dented, and rusted and nothing on it looked younger than me, except maybe the tires. “Wow,” I said.

  Worthy grabbed my hand and got me moving. “Don’t say anything,” he said. “You might hurt her feelings.” He opened the door and gestured for me to get in.

  “Don’t you think she’s ready for retirement?” I asked. “A quiet rest in the junkyard?”

  Worthy pretended to be shocked, his jaw dropped and he mock-gasped. “Don’t say such a thing in front of purty.”

  I got in and bit my lip not to laugh. This car was ridiculous, but at least he had a car which was more than I had.

  Worthy got in behind the wheel and smiled at me. I suddenly wished I’d chosen a school my cousin didn’t attend, so there’d be no chance of him intruding on this date. “Do you have reservations somewhere?” I asked.

  “No,” Worthy said, amusement plain on his face. “Should I?”

  “No, I just think we should make a stop first.”

  “Want to tell me what it’s about?”

  “Byron.”

  Worthy nodded, started his car, after the usual three attempts, and drove to the frat house without another word.

  “You sure he’s here?” Worthy asked.

  I nodded, my mouth dry, my heart racing. I had to know the truth about Worthy, but I had a bad feeling this whole thing could go south really quickly. “I texted him earlier. He said he’d be here until eight.”

  Worthy opened my door and escorted me out of his car, then he walked me into the house, his hand warm at the small of my back.

  Byron was in his room, his nose in a book. He closed it and faced me. “You brought Worthy?” he asked. “Is there something I should know?”

  I steeled myself. “Worthy and I are going on a date, and I thought you might like to come along, cousin mine.”

  “What?” Worthy and Byron said at the same time.

  “Someone’s been telling the guys who are scheduled to date me not to make a move on me, because I’m taken by Worthy. Since, that was news to me, I figured you know more about my dating life than I do, and you should be included on all future dates.”

  Byron glared at me, but it had been a long time since he’d had the power to scare me and I was madder than a cat in a puddle.

  “And you didn’t think to ask me about this?” Worthy asked softly.

  Aw, hell, but it was not the time to be backing down, so I turned and faced Worthy. “See that’s where I have some trouble, because it’s possible you knew nothing about any of this, but it’s also possible that you and my cousin are in cahoots.”

  “In cahoots?” Worthy asked. “Who even says that anymore?” And, thank god, I heard amusement in his voice.

  “Is that what this is?” I asked him, trying to talk around the lump of nerves and anger in my throat. “Are you just dating me to keep me from dating anyone else? Are you and my cousin together in this protect Remy game?”

  “No,” Worthy said. “I asked you out because I like you and I want to see more of you. And I told a few of the other guys I was serious about dating you, so that there was no confusion and no hard feelings.”

  “Worthy,” Byron said, his voice calm and even, which meant he was pissed. “When were you going to tell me you were going out with my sister?”

  My heart swelled at the look of horror on my cousin’s face. He was a lot of things, but an actor wasn’t one of them. “Why did you—”

  “It didn’t come up,” Worthy said. “I figured she’d tell you when she was ready.”

  “You’re my friend,” Byron said. “You should have come to me first.”

  “No, he shouldn’t have,” I said, putting a hand on Worthy’s arm to stop him from saying more. “Who I date isn’t your business, Byron. You want to know what goes on during my dates, then come with me, follow me around like a bodyguard, because that’s the only way you’re going to know what I’m doing every moment of every day. Anything less is just wasting your time and pissing me off.”

  Byron’s jaw loosened and his eyes softened. “I don’t want to see you hurt.”

  “I’m going to be hurt, Byron, that’s part of life. But I promise, if I need help or I’m in trouble, I’ll come to you. I promise, if anyone hurts me, I’ll tell you about it and you can go kick their asses.”

  “But you’ll still have been hurt. It’s my job to protect you.”

  “Yeah, that’s what Uncle Leon always said when you’d take me out in the woods with you, when I was ten and twelve and fifteen, but I’m an adult now, Byron.”

  Byron shook his head. “He’s been calling me every day. He doesn’t want to see you hurt, either.”

  “And he’s still telling you to protect me?”

  Byron nodded. I couldn’t help it, I walked over and hugged the big lug. “Don’t listen to him. I’m not your responsibility anymore. I have to live my life and make my own decisions. Now, are you going on this date with us, or are you going to back off and let me live?”

  Byron glared at Worthy. “If you hurt her, I’ll rip your dick off and feed it to you.”

  Worthy nodded. “I knew that when I asked her out.”

  Byron returned his gaze to me. “You’ve been pushing me away. I haven’t seen you in days.”

  He was right, and I knew I could do better. “I’ll come by more if you stop meddling.”

  “Deal,” he said. We spit on our palms and shook on it.

  “There’s one thing I still don’t understand,” I said, when we were back in Worthy’s car. “If you and he are such good friends, why’s he’s so mad about us going out?”

  Worthy sighed. “Probably because I don’t date.”

  “Ever?”

  “Ever.”

  “Dare I ask why I rate a change in policy?”

  He looked at me then and the intensity in his gaze burned, making me wonder if I was really up for what he was offering. Then his expression changed, revealing a vulnerability I hadn’t seen before. “You made me re-think the policy. I can’t promise I’ll be any good at this dating thing, but you make me want to try.”

  I tossed my hair. “It’s my amazing fashion sense, isn’t it?” I asked, needing to break the tension.

  He smiled and opened his door. “More like the way you tackled Byron. I’ve never seen anyone take that guy down so hard.”

  I laughed. “I’ve had years of practice.”

  We had a nice dinner at a burger joint with peeling paint on the walls and the best bur
ger I’d ever had. I may have embarrassed myself with all of the fuss I made moaning over that burger, but my uncle was not exactly gifted in the kitchen and, though I consider myself a decent cook out of necessity, I’d never made anything as good as that burger.

  Worthy watched me eat with an amused smile. “Don’t they have beef in the mountains of West Virginia?”

  I chewed and swallowed and wiped the grease off my chin. “Yeah,” I said, feeling a bit sheepish. Maybe I wasn’t good at this dating thing either. “I guess I’m just really hungry.”

  “Did you skip lunch again?”

  I narrowed my eyes, but he stuffed in another bite of burger and pretended to be unaffected. “I see you’re included in the gossip-about-Remy club my friends have started.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “No. I just haven’t seen you at the cafeteria the last couple of days when I went for lunch, and I did see you almost every day before that.”

  I wasn’t sure whether to be flattered he’d noticed me or worried he was a stalker. “It’s been so nice out, I’ve grabbed something from the student union and eaten outside. It won’t be long before it’s too cold for it.”

  “Mind if I join you sometime?”

  “Nope.” I took a bite of my burger and waited for his inevitable question about my friends and their gossip about me, but it didn’t come.

  “What was Byron like as a kid?”

  I laugh-snorted at the change in direction. “Pretty much the same as he is now, cocky, overprotective, and brilliant. He’s an old soul, but he always made time to be silly and have fun. Don’t tell him I said this, but he’s my very best friend. I’m so lucky to have him in my life.”

  “How’d you end up living with him and his uncle?”

  I almost choked on the bite of burger in my mouth, the question was so abrupt and surprising. I’d told my friends how I’d ended up living with Uncle Leon, but that was because it had come up in conversation, not because they’d asked me outright.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

  “No,” I said. “It’s okay. Both of my parents were killed in a car accident when I was eight and I went to live with Uncle Leon. Living with my uncle and my cousins is really all I remember. They’re the only family I’ve ever had as far as I’m concerned.”