“Good. Go to bed. I think we’d all appreciate that.”
I traded a quick look with Kelsey, who seemed equally as shocked with Laura’s outburst. Matilda, though, seemed worried. She’d moved from the floor to the couch and was studying Laura for signs of the coming apocalypse. Or maybe she was just waiting for her head to spin around like that kid in The Exorcist?
“Well, ‘night,” I said coldly.
“’Night,” Kelsey murmured.
Matilda and Laura didn’t answer. They sat on the couch, staring ominously at each other. I didn’t take that as a good sign.
Twenty-Three
Despite classes being cancelled the next day, Matilda and Laura made themselves scarce before lunch. Matilda had mentioned something about sorority “things” they had to do and said they wouldn’t be back until later that evening. Much later. That left Kelsey and me together in the dorm.
I had been sitting on the couch, flipping aimlessly through television channels, and watching Kelsey use a small metal device to draw graphs on a project she had spread out over the floor for more than an hour when I decided to broach an uncomfortable subject.
“What do you think about Laura’s little meltdown last night?”
Kelsey looked up from her work briefly and shrugged. “It seems par for the course for her these days. She’s an emotional wreck. It’s like she should be on medication or something.”
That was an interesting – and sobering – thought. I had never even considered that.
“You think she’s emotionally unstable?”
“Don’t you?”
“I don’t ... she couldn’t ... you don’t think ... .” I couldn’t bring myself to finish the sentence.
Kelsey swung back on her haunches so she could meet my gaze evenly. “You’ve honestly never considered it?”
“No.”
“Come on,” Kelsey said incredulously. “She’s all over the place. One minute she’s happy. The next minute she’s sad. Sometimes she’s furious.”
“We all get that way.”
“Not like that,” Kelsey countered. “And we usually have legitimate reasons for getting that way. Plus, she’s really needy.”
“That I noticed,” I admitted.
“You couldn’t miss that,” Kelsey agreed. “She was fixated on you when we first moved in here. Then things shifted.”
“To Matilda,” I mused.
“Yeah. The thing is, Matilda is pretty needy, too. It’s like she doesn’t have her own personality. She takes on the personality of whomever she’s closest to at any given time.”
Huh. “Did she do that with you?”
“Last year,” Kelsey nodded. “I thought that was her real personality. I was obviously wrong, though.”
“And you didn’t know her before you moved in together last year?”
“No. It was just luck of the draw.”
“So she took on your personality?”
“Kind of,” Kelsey said. “I mean, she pretended she was all into schoolwork and stuff, but there was always something else there.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know,” Kelsey evaded. “She’s hard to read sometimes.”
So are a lot of people.
“Do you think that Matilda is crazy?”
“I think crazy is a word that gets thrown around a little too often,” Kelsey replied evenly. “I think that Matilda has a few personality quirks that aren’t exactly normal to other people.”
“That’s a delicate way of putting it,” I laughed. “It’s not exactly an answer, though.”
Kelsey’s face was sober and fixed. “I don’t think that Matilda could do a lot of damage on her own,” she said after a few moments of thought. “I don’t think she thinks that way.”
“What way?”
“It’s never her idea,” Kelsey continued. “She’s a follower, not a leader.”
“So she gloms on to leaders and lets them tell her what to do?”
“Basically.”
“That’s more dangerous than an overtly evil person sometimes,” I pointed out.
“It’s a lot more dangerous,” Kelsey agreed. “That’s why you have to keep an eye on her. If this were the 1950s and you were black and that sorority was full of the KKK she would help them string you to a tree and not think twice about it. It would never be her idea, but she would do whatever they told her to do.”
“You said something, that first night with the beets,” I said. “You said that Matilda had insisted on living with us. Why do you think that is?”
I was putting her on the spot. I knew it. I didn’t back down, though.
“I was drunk.” Kelsey averted her eyes uncomfortably. “I don’t remember what I said.”
“You said that you didn’t think it was a good idea when Matilda insisted on living with us,” I reminded her. “I just want to know why.”
Kelsey had gone from uncomfortable to caged animal. I felt a little badly for putting her on the spot, but if last night’s Laura outburst was any indication, things were going to get worse before they got better.
“I don’t know,” Kelsey said. “Maybe it’s because I didn’t know you then. That’s probably what I meant.”
I didn’t think it was. “I think you meant something specific.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “It just felt like you were trying to tell me something. Something important.”
“And you haven’t brought it up again until now?”
“It never seemed like the right time,” I ceded. “And I thought maybe I was imagining it.”
“Why have things changed now?”
“You were here last night,” I reminded her. “Things are always changing and shifting in this room.”
“How does Laura freaking out have anything to do with something I said months ago? I didn’t know Laura then and, quite frankly, I still don’t know her all that well now. The funny thing is, you don’t seem to know her all that well either. Why did you choose to live with her? You seem to like Paris a lot more. I would have thought you would have decided to live together. Although, that probably would have had you living with Brittany again, and that’s a whole other issue.”
“We were in a fight,” I explained. “Laura had made out with Paris’ ex-boyfriend and Paris was openly trying to turn people against Laura. I just didn’t want to abandon her, like everyone else was doing.”
“You felt bad for her,” Kelsey said sagely. “You didn’t want to leave her alone.”
“No.”
“Have you asked yourself why?”
“No. What do you mean?”
“You know,” Kelsey was picking her words carefully now. “Before we moved in with you, before I’d even met you, I’d heard of you.”
Here we go. Finally.
“People were talking about you on campus. There were whispers. The first time I heard your name brought up someone said you kicked a guy in the balls outside of the library because he was attacking his girlfriend.”
That seemed like a long time ago now. “Yeah. Fun times.”
“I thought that you sounded pretty cool,” Kelsey said. “I wished I could’ve seen it. Then Matilda mentioned that she had class with you. She was more interested in the fact that you lived across the hall from that Rick guy than anything else. She kept bringing you up, though.”
“Yeah, Matilda was obsessed with Rick.”
“And now she’s obsessed with the sorority,” Kelsey pointed out. “When was the last time she even mentioned Rick? It’s like he’s an afterthought – or never existed at all.”
“So she finds something to obsess about and then fixates on it.”
Kelsey rubbed the bridge of her nose tiredly. “Pretty much. What about Laura, though? You know, when I kept hearing stories about you, Laura’s name never came up.”
“We were mostly just acquaintances,” I admitted. “I knew her but I wasn’t really close with her. What kind o
f stories did you hear about me, by the way?”
“You mean beside the fact that there was some sort of fight at the Alpha Chi house that you were in the middle of?”
“Yeah.” No one wanted to talk about that little incident, especially me.
“I think most people were just jealous that you were seen with Aric Winters so often,” Kelsey explained. “He’s pretty famous on campus himself.”
“I bet.”
“The thing is, it didn’t seem like you were dating. It seemed like he wanted to date you but you were kind of resisting. And that just sent girls everywhere into a tizzy. Who could say no to that?”
No one. At least not for long.
“Then there was that whole thing about that Zach guy probably being a killer and disappearing. And lo and behold, you were in the center of that, too.”
“I guess I’m just lucky,” I offered lamely.
“Or maybe you’re something else?” Kelsey asked pointedly.
I averted my gaze quickly. “What?”
“What’s a mage?”
Crap. I had started this but the conversation had taken a turn I that didn’t exactly thrill me.
“I don’t know,” I lied.
Kelsey didn’t look convinced. “I know that this campus isn’t normal,” she boldly announced. “I know that there’s something else going on here.”
“You do?” I was hopeful that I might have another ally when this was all said and done.
“Yeah, there’s weird stuff happening here all the time,” Kelsey said. “And you’re often in the middle of it. Do you want to explain about that?”
“Not particularly,” I sighed. “Even I don’t understand it most of the time.”
“Most of the time? But not all of the time?”
“Let’s just say it ... I mean I’m ... is a constant work in progress.”
“That’s all you’re going to tell me?” Kelsey’s face fell.
“I don’t know what else to tell you,” I admitted.
“You don’t trust me.” Kelsey looked disappointed.
“I do,” I replied hurriedly. God, I really wanted to. “This is just all really complicated.
I think it might be complicated from your end, too.”
“And that’s what you’re worried about?” Kelsey couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
“Trust me; I don’t think the complications are coming from me.”
“No, Matilda and Laura definitely aren’t helping matters,” I agreed.
“For once, I wasn’t talking about them,” Kelsey replied.
“You weren’t?”
“I was talking about you.”
“Oh.”
“Just know, if you want to talk, I’m here. I’ll be ready when you want to tell me what’s really going on.”
“You seem perfectly happy just waiting around to see what will happen. I don’t get that.” I didn’t live in a world where I could wait for the answers to come to me – I had to chase them.
“I can’t change it,” Kelsey replied dryly. “There’s no sense of worrying about it. Things will fall into place when it’s time. I can’t make it happen any faster, so I refuse to sit here and obsess about it.”
I wish I could think that way. I felt as though I kept moving in the same circles. It was as though something bad was about to happen, and I was powerless to stop it.
February
Twenty-Four
February hit with a small break in the weather and a temporary warming trend in the dorm room. Laura hadn’t revisited her outburst from the snowstorm and she had been cordial, even friendly at times, since that night. She and Matilda were entrenched with Delta Omicron and the crop of new pledges at the sorority. Kelsey was fixated on her schoolwork, as usual, and didn’t have much time for frivolity. And me? I was going to class and hanging out with my boyfriend – like any other normal college student.
Things were pretty good. Which was why I knew something was about to happen.
“You seem distracted tonight,” Aric said, sidling up behind me. We’d decided to spend our Friday night at the movies instead of going to a party. We’d both agreed that attending parties together usually ended with some sort of fight, and neither one of us was spoiling for one of those right now.
“Not really,” I lied, leaning back into him as he wrapped his arms around me. “I was just trying to decide if I wanted popcorn or candy.”
“I’ll buy you both,” Aric said, brushing his lips against my temple.
“You’re being awful accommodating tonight.”
“Aren’t I usually?”
“Sometimes,” I said. “Sometimes you like to pick a fight just to pick a fight, though.”
“I think you’re getting me confused with you.” Aric’s tone was teasing and light.
“No I’m not,” I replied stubbornly. “You like to fight sometimes, too.”
“Only so we can make up.”
“Good to know.”
Aric chuckled and moved from behind me so he could get a better look at the movie listings. “So, what are we seeing tonight? There’s a new X-Men movie. That sounds cool.”
“I could live with that,” I admitted “It’s either that or that romantic movie with that girl from The Notebook.”
“Which one do you want to see?” Aric asked.
“You’re going to let me pick?”
Aric shrugged.
“You’re going to buy me candy and popcorn and let me pick the movie? What do you want?”
“Nothing you’re not going to be willing to part with,” Aric replied slyly.
“How can you be sure?” I asked suspiciously.
“Does recent history count?”
He had a point. “The X-Men movie it is.”
“Really?”
“Hey. Hugh Jackman without a shirt on is an aphrodisiac for us all.”
“Not for me,” Aric frowned.
“Isn’t Jennifer Lawrence mostly naked and covered in blue paint for the entire movie? Like that won’t get your motor running.”
“Good point.”
Aric’s cell phone dinged with an incoming text message. I watched as he drew it out of his coat pocket and glanced at the screen. His face went from minor curiosity to outright concern in the space of a few seconds.
“What is it?” I asked, trying to get a look at his phone.
“Nothing,” he said hurriedly, shoving the phone back into his pocket. “It’s just that
I’m going to have to take a rain check.”
“On what?”
“On the movie.”
You’ve got to be kidding me. “Seriously?”
“I’m sorry,” Aric said. “Something has happened at the fraternity house and I’m going to have to deal with it.”
“What something?” I asked suspiciously.
Aric shifted uncomfortably. “I can’t really say.”
“Is this werewolf business or fraternity business?” I asked, my heart clenching in my chest.
“Both.”
Crap. “You can’t tell me what it is?”
Aric looked caught. “No.”
“Because it’s a fraternity thing or a werewolf thing?” I asked.
“Both.”
“This sucks,” I lamented, turning on my heel angrily and storming out of the building. Aric was close behind, grabbing my arm and spinning me back to him in one fluid motion.
“This sucks,” he agreed, “but I really need you not to be angry with me.”
“Who says I’m angry with you?”
“That pouty little storming out thing you just did says you’re angry with me,” Aric countered.
“Maybe I’m just angry with the situation,” I suggested.
“Maybe,” Aric ceded. “But that usually ends with you being angry at me. There’s not a lot I can do here.”
“I know.”
“So don’t be angry with me.”
“I’m not.”
“Your face says othe
rwise.”
“Maybe my face is just disappointed,” I admitted. “I thought we were going to have a nice night together.”
“We still can,” Aric pleaded. “I can take you to my place and when I’m done at the frat house we can watch a movie there.”
I was shaking my head before the sentence finished leaving his mouth. “No. Just take me home.”
“Are you sure?” Aric looked concerned.
“I might as well get some reading done,” I said. “Besides, you could be gone all night. I know that. You know that.”
“I’ll be as quick as possible. I promise,” Aric tried one more time.
“Just take me home.”
The ride back to the dorms was done in near silence. I gave Aric a perfunctory kiss as I moved to exit his Explorer but he grabbed my arm and pulled me closer before I could climb out. “I’m sorry.”
“I know.”
“Don’t be mad at me. I can’t take it right now.”
Why was right now any different? “I’m not mad at you,” I said carefully, and I mostly meant it. “It is what it is.”
“I’ll call you when I’m done. Maybe it won’t take that long.”
“It’s fine,” I said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I dropped a kiss on his lips, a longer, more lingering one this time, and then climbed out of his Explorer. “Be safe.”
“You, too.”
Aric waited until I was safely inside the building before pulling away. Once he was out of sight, I stomped my way up to the third floor. When I opened the door to the hallway, the first sight that assailed my eyes was Brittany and Will in a lip-lock outside of my dorm room door.
You’ve got to be kidding me. This just wasn’t my night.
I cleared my throat pointedly. Brittany and Will pulled apart. Will had the grace to look embarrassed but Brittany looked as though she’d just won the lottery.
“Oh, excuse us,” Brittany said in her best fake apology voice. “We just got caught up in stuff.”
“Try to get caught up in stuff down in your own room next time,” I suggested, moving around them and slipping my key into the lock.
“I’m really sorry,” Will said. “I hope this wasn’t hard for you to see.”
Good grief. “No. Not at all.”
Brittany didn’t look convinced. “Of course it’s hard for her to see, Snookie,” she purred. “It’s never easy to see your ex with his next love.”
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