3 Conjuring

by Amanda M. Lee

  Aric followed my gaze and smirked. “Oh, look, young love.”

  “Don’t be a pain.”

  “I’m not trying to be a pain.”

  “Your glee at this situation is pretty obvious.”

  “I’m not really happy that this upsets you,” Aric replied honestly.

  “It doesn’t upset me. It’s just ... .”

  “You don’t date someone else’s ex-boyfriend,” Kelsey interjected angrily. “It’s just not done. That girl is a total idiot.”

  “Who’s an idiot?”

  I grimaced when Brittany and Will invaded our little corner of solitude. I was hoping they wouldn’t see us. Or, if they did, they’d have the good sense to stay away.

  “You,” Kelsey said pointedly.

  Brittany sneered at Kelsey. “Nice outfit.”

  Kelsey glanced at Brittany’s clown costume and sneered right back. “You, too.”

  Will shuffled uncomfortably. “Aric. Zoe.”

  “Will.”

  “See, this isn’t so bad,” Brittany said brightly, dragging two chairs toward us and plopping down in one of them. She really is oblivious sometimes. “We’re all getting along. I knew if you just had some time to get over things that you would be fine. I didn’t think it would take two months, but hey, some people know how to hold a grudge.”

  What was going on here? She couldn’t be that stupid. Could she?

  “So, Aric, how are things going with you?” Brittany asked brightly. “You look good. What are you?”

  “I’m a lumberjack,” Aric said, amusement flitting through his eyes.

  “And you’re still with Zoe, I see,” Brittany continued. “How is that going?”

  “I don’t have any complaints,” Aric rubbed the back of my hand with his thumb.

  “That’s surprising,” Brittany mused.

  I exchanged a dark look with Kelsey, who was trying to bore holes into Brittany with a series of furious glares. “You’re not fooling anyone,” Kelsey said directly.

  “Excuse me?” Brittany held her hand to her heart, like she’d really been hurt by Kelsey’s words.

  “I said you’re not fooling anyone,” Kelsey repeated. “You try to act all innocent, like Zoe is in the wrong here. That’s not what’s going on, though, and everyone here – including you – knows that.”

  “You can’t talk to me that way,” Brittany said petulantly.

  “I just did.”

  Brittany turned to Will for support, but he was still standing a few feet away from the rest of us. If I had to guess, he was wishing he was anywhere but here – which made him part of the majority. “Aren’t you going to say something?”

  Will opened his mouth to speak but then snapped it shut. Brittany looked hurt by his continued silence. If it had been anyone else, I might have felt a little sorry for her. But it was Brittany, and I couldn’t help but feel a little giddy. Fine, yes, I’m mean.

  “This is typical,” Aric said.

  “What’s typical?” Brittany asked petulantly.

  “Will here not standing up for his girlfriend.”

  Will glared at Aric, but he didn’t take a step toward him. I figured that feeling animosity and actually getting his ass kicked were two very different things in his world.

  “What are you talking about?” Brittany’s tone shifted from emotional to suspicious.

  “Why don’t you ask your boyfriend,” Aric pressed. “He’s the one who keeps hanging back and letting his girlfriends get attacked. At least this time no one is in actual physical danger.”

  “She’s the one who was doing the attacking,” Kelsey reminded Aric sternly.

  “Oh, there’s no doubt about that,” Aric agreed. “Brittany is a total idiot and pain in the ass. She had what was coming to her.”

  “Hey!” Brittany looked incensed.

  “As much as I don’t like Will – and I hate him,” Aric said darkly, “you do not go after your friend’s ex. Which means you were never really friends in the first place. So, for you to continue on with this little charade of yours, like you were the wronged party, is just immaturity at its finest.”

  “I don’t think I like what you’re saying about me,” Brittany said angrily.

  “I don’t care,” Aric said, his eyes fixed on Will. “You’ve made this bed for yourself, Brittany, and you deserve what you’re going to get out of it.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “A boyfriend who doesn’t really care about you and will never have your back,” Aric replied. “That’s the kind of guy you deserve, quite frankly.”

  Brittany glanced between Will and Aric. “What is he talking about?”

  Will shifted his gaze from Aric to Brittany. I don’t know what I expected, but there was no warmth there. A certain level of pity? Yes. Warmth? No. “I have no idea what he’s talking about,” Will lied.

  “Really?” Aric got to his feet and took a step toward Will. I’ll give him credit, Will looked worried but he held his ground. “You don’t know what I’m talking about?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “Well then, let me tell everyone here so we all know where everyone stands.”

  Crap.

  “Will here is only dating you because he thinks it will make Zoe jealous,” Aric continued, his hands clenched at his sides. “He doesn’t care about you, Brittany. I actually feel a little sorry for him. It must be absolute hell to put up with your shenanigans. He does it, though. He just doesn’t do it for you. He does it because it’s the only way that he can think of to stay close to Zoe.”

  “That’s a lie!” Brittany jumped to her feet. “Will and I have something special, something he never had when he was with Zoe. For them it was all sex and nothing else. It’s not like she can hold an actual adult conversation, after all. We’re in love. He’s waiting until I’m ready for us to make love. That’s love. That’s true love.”

  Aric barked out a cold laugh. “Right. That’s why he’s waiting. No guy wants to wait. He’s only waiting because it’s easier for him. He’s convinced you that he’s letting you set the pace. The thing is, he really doesn’t want to sleep with you. He wants my girlfriend.”

  I glanced around worriedly. We were starting to draw a crowd. People had stopped talking amongst themselves and were now focused on us. Partiers had even started spilling out of the house as word spread that there might be a fight on the lawn. This wasn’t good. I put a hand on Aric’s arm. “We should just go.”

  Kelsey glanced behind us, her eyes darkening worriedly. “Definitely.”

  Aric ignored me, though. “Tell her, Will. Tell her what you’re really up to.”

  “This is just ridiculous,” Brittany said, although her voice had taken on a desperate edge. I could practically see the gears in her mind turning. “Not everything that happens on this campus is about Zoe.”

  “No,” Aric agreed, “Just everything in our little corner of it.”

  Will was standing there, his face drained of color. Brittany swung to him. “Tell him that you’re with me because of me and not Zoe.”

  Will finally found his voice. “He’s just grandstanding. Of course I’m with you because of you.”

  Brittany threw her arms around Will, dramatically sobbing as she did. “I knew it!”

  “Oh, give me a break,” Aric lamented. “This is just sad.”

  “No,” a voice broke in coldly. “What’s sad is that you guys can’t go anywhere without causing a scene.”

  I swung around when I heard Laura’s accusatory voice. She was standing with Matilda a few feet away. I noticed Jessica the porch watching the scene with a mixture of glee and curiosity.

  “Laura, I’m so sorry.”

  “No you’re not,” Laura countered. “You’re never really sorry. You just care about you.”

  “We should go,” Kelsey said, her voice low.

  I ignored her. “Laura, I really am sorry. I had no idea this would happen.”

  “You didn’t stop it, though,
did you?” Laura looked even more lost than usual.

  “It just snowballed out of control. I swear.”

  “You just couldn’t let me have one night. It’s all about you. Again.”

  “It’s always about her,” Brittany agreed, pushing out her lower lip into a pronounced pout. “You should be used to that by now.”

  “We should really go,” Kelsey said again, more urgently this time.

  “Yes,” Laura agreed. “You both should definitely go. All five of you should go.”

  I swallowed hard but took a step back. I felt Aric’s hand close over mine. “We’re going,” he agreed.

  “What did I do?” Brittany asked, proving she was the world’s only victim yet again.

  Aric, Kelsey and I left the party. I turned around once to find Laura watching us leave, tears in her eyes, and Matilda consoling her quietly. I didn’t go to her, though.

  I wasn’t sure what to say.

  This situation just keeps getting worse.

  November

  Seventeen

  If I thought things were cold in the land of dorm living before, after the fiasco at the Delta Omicron party it felt like we’d moved to the North Pole.

  Laura refused to talk to me for an entire week after the fight. She had finally given in, but we weren’t going to be braiding each other’s hair any time soon. She was more perfunctory and polite than anything else. She wasn’t overtly hostile or rude, but neither was she warm and inviting.

  The room had clearly been divided. If this were an episode of the Brady Bunch, we would have put masking tape on the floor to show where the lines had been drawn.

  Since Kelsey and Matilda still shared one bedroom and Laura and I the other, though, that wasn’t exactly feasible.

  As for Brittany, she was still dating Will. She had taken to making loud pronouncements in the hallway when I was present to make sure I was aware of it. I opted to ignore her, which was driving her crazy. I was starting to get off on it. Her desperate attempts to elicit some attention from me were starting to border on the comical.

  Of course, Paris didn’t find the situation amusing. She was caught between a rock and a roommate that had rocks for brains. She wasn’t taking it well. Unfortunately, because of the situation, the only chance I got to talk to Paris was when we walked to class or when she braved the trek to our room. Since she still had her own animosity festering in regards to Laura, those visits were sparse.

  I guess that’s why I was actually looking forward to going home for Thanksgiving break. I had a whole four-day weekend ahead of me. Aric had even managed to wrangle an invitation from my mother – I was still not sure how he did it – and he was coming home with me.

  My mom was looking forward to doting on him and my dad was looking forward to patrolling the halls at night to make sure he didn’t sneak into my room. I was just looking forward to getting away from all of the stress. Sure, having Aric in my home was going to be a whole other form of stress, but it was one I could live with.

  “How much longer?” I asked, turning to Aric. We were driving up north after classes the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, and I was starting to get a little anxious.

  “You act like this is a big thing,” Aric teased, reaching over and capturing my hand in his. “I’ve met your parents.”

  “I know,” I said. “You weren’t actually staying in our house, though.”

  “I could get a hotel room,” Aric offered. “Then I wouldn’t have to go a full four nights without you.”

  “Yeah, that wouldn’t be suspicious,” I scoffed.

  “Just tell your parents you’re sleeping over at a friend’s.”

  “My parents aren’t stupid,” I laughed. “I think they would know. Plus, I didn’t like sleepovers with other girls even when I was in high school. It would be a dead giveaway.”

  “You’re an adult. What does it matter?”

  “Trust me. It matters to them.”

  “Why?”

  “You think they should be happy that you’re defiling their little girl?”

  Aric laughed. “Defiling? Is that how you look at it?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Let’s not go there.”

  “Don’t worry,” Aric chuckled. “I’ll have them wrapped around my finger before they even realize what is happening.”

  “My mom? Maybe. My dad? I wouldn’t be so sure.”

  “Why do you say that? I met your dad this summer and he seemed fine.”

  “Yeah, but you were just some guy then,” I reminded him. “Now you’re the guy I’m bringing home for a holiday.”

  “And you think he’ll know I’m defiling you?” Aric’s eyes twinkled with mirth.

  “I think he probably knew you were defiling me this summer,” I replied. “He could ignore it then, though. He didn’t have to see you every day.”

  “And he can’t ignore it now?”

  “He can,” I mused. “I just don’t know if he’ll be willing to.”

  “I hate to ask – trust me, I truly hate to ask – but didn’t this particular little problem arise when Will was in the picture? And, please answer with as few details as possible.”

  I bit down the laugh that was bubbling up. “My parents knew Will for years. I’m sure they realized we were having ... .“

  Aric shot me a pointed look.

  “I’m sure they realized that something was probably going on at a certain point,” I continued, rolling my eyes in his direction. He was such a girl sometimes. “But it was more of a gradual thing. By the time they realized it was too late they also realized that they didn’t want to know about it.”

  “But they will with me?”

  “They haven’t known you for very long.”

  “I think you’re getting yourself worked up over nothing,” Aric smiled, bringing my hand up to his lips and brushing a kiss across my knuckles. “Trust me. It will be fine.”

  “That would be a nice change.”

  “SO, ARE YOU having sex with my daughter?”

  Aric’s mouth dropped open and a piece of steak fell out when my mother asked the question over dinner a few hours later.

  I glanced to the other end of the table and saw that my dad was suddenly obsessed with the food on his plate. The only way I knew he had heard the question was because his neck was steadily reddening with embarrassment.

  “Mom!”

  “Eat your dinner, honey,” my mom waved her hand in my direction. “You can eat your peas and pretend I’m embarrassing you at the same time.”

  I tilted my head in Aric’s direction. I wanted to say “I told you so,” but I didn’t think now was the right time. He had to get out of this one on his own.

  “I like your daughter very much,” Aric said, plastering a charming smile from his rather impressive repertoire on his face. “She’s a very interesting girl.”

  “So that’s a yes?”

  “This is a great steak,” Aric looked down at his plate, employing my dad’s current defense mechanism as a layer of insulation. “What did you marinate it in?”

  “Red wine,” my mom answered easily, flashing a smile in my direction. She was enjoying herself. “So, tell me about your family? Your father is a state senator right? That must be exciting.”

  “Sure,” Aric replied casually. I think he was just relieved that my mom had agreed to change the subject. “If you find pandering to the public and pushing papers around to be exciting.”

  “There’s got to be more to it than that,” my mom scoffed. “I’m sure you’ve met some interesting people.”

  Aric considered the question. “I have,” he said finally. “I’ve met some really insincere people, too.”

  “Well, that’s politics for you,” my mom laughed. “You have to take the good with the bad.”

  “I think it’s fair to say that about life,” Aric smiled, letting his dimples come out to play. He was working his magic on my mother, just like he said he would.

  “Very true,” my mom agreed.
<
br />   Everyone ate in a silence for a few minutes. Things were just about to veer off into the uncomfortable – okay, the even more uncomfortable – when my mom decided to jump back on the question parade. “So, what’s your major?”

  “Business,” Aric replied, raising his eyebrows in my direction. There was nothing I could do to help him, so I just sat back and watched.

  “Really? I would have pegged you as a political science major because of your father.”

  “That’s my minor,” Aric replied. “He insisted. I really have no interest in politics, though.”

  “That’s too bad. You have the looks for politics. But you have an interest in business?”

  “I plan on taking over the family business when it’s time,” Aric replied evasively.

  “I thought you weren’t interested in politics?” My mom looked confused.

  “Not that family business,” Aric hedged. “My mom’s side of the family owns a lumber business. I’ll probably be moving on to that when I graduate.”

  “Oh, well, that’s interesting.”

  That was interesting. He had never mentioned that to me. To be fair, though, I had never really asked. I can be really self-involved sometimes. I’m going to have to work on that.

  “When will you graduate?” My mom was definitely not letting up.

  “Next year,” Aric said.

  “So that will mean you went to school for five years?” I could see her doing the math.

  Aric smirked. “I guess.”

  “Your parents didn’t mind that it took you an extra year to graduate?”

  “No,” Aric shook his head. “They really don’t care either way.”

  “That’s curious,” my mom mused. “I would think they’d expect you to graduate in four years.”

  “They honestly don’t pay that much attention to my academic endeavors,” Aric said carefully.

  My mom frowned. “That seems a little sad.”

  “Oh, don’t get me wrong,” Aric interjected hurriedly. “They care. It’s just that they’re both really busy.”

  I glanced at him sympathetically. He was trying to be gracious, but it’s not like he could tell them what his parents were really tied up with: Werewolf nation.