The whole class burst out laughing, but after that everything went back to normal. At least until my next class, where I basically had to go through the same thing all over again.
My last class of the day was Computer Science at 1:00 with Karma. One positive thing that had come out of this whole stupid thing was that I’d forgotten about the whole spying on Karma thing. I think that’s what Major had in mind when he mentioned the bet last night.
“I see you’re still ready for that fancy cocktail party,” Karma said, when she saw me in class.
“Yep,” I said. “I have to wear it all day.”
“You know, it really is a very nice dress. If we were the same size, I’d steal it from you,” she said with a wink.
“Of course, it is,” I said playing along. “Only the best for Bodie West.”
The next thing I knew she was turning me around and reaching in the top of the dress.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I asked her.
“Looking,” she said, and pulled the top of the dress back so she could read it. “Holy shit Bodie, this is like a thousand-dollar dress.”
“Yeah,” I said, not sure what she was getting at.
“I keep forgetting you guys are loaded. Who else is going to spend that kind of money on a joke? My entire closet full of clothes isn’t worth a thousand dollars.”
“Uh …” I had no idea what to say to that. “Do I apologize?”
“No, Bodie. You can’t help who your parents are. But at least promise me you’ll donate the dress to a woman’s shelter or something. Please don’t just throw it out.”
“I will,” I told her.
To be honest, I was going to trash it when I got back to the dorm. Now, I was going to have to find a place to get it cleaned and then donate it. It was times like this I remembered how different Karma and I had grown up.
Chapter 14
Karma
Practice that afternoon was brutal. Mostly because I kept thinking about Bodie in that dress. I was sure Major had worked it so that Bodie would lose the bet. Those two loved each other like brothers, but were always extremely competitive with each other.
“Hey there,” a voice said, when I walked out of the locker room.
“Anthony, hey! This is a nice surprise,” I said.
“I’ve come to take you for dinner,” he said.
“That sounds great. I’m starving. Let me just go back to the dorm and change,” I told him.
“You don’t need to change,” he said.
“But I’m wearing yoga pants and a hoodie,” I protested.
“I can see that,” he said with a smile. “But what you’re wearing is fine for where I’d like to take you.”
“Cool. I’ll just let Kayleigh know.” I sent a quick text to Kayleigh. “Okay, I’m all yours.”
“Do you always tell her what you’re doing?” Anthony asked, as we left the building.
“I try to. She was kidnapped last year so we’re a little extra cautious about what each other is doing.”
“Kidnapped?”
“Yeah, by one of her teammates. He kind of lost it and she was his target.”
“Wow. And she stayed at school?” he asked.
“Yep. She’s a tough one,” I said proudly.
We got into Anthony’s car and he started driving.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“It’s a surprise.”
“Okay, I like surprises.”
I laughed when we pulled into another parking lot.
“What’s so funny?” he asked.
“I love this place,” I told him.
“Even better,” he said.
We got out and the smell hit me immediately. I loved pizza and this place had some of the best I’d ever had. I followed Anthony to a booth and sat across from him. We each grabbed a menu from the side of the table.
“Hey,” someone said from just outside the booth.
I looked up and saw Bodie, still in the red dress. I couldn’t help but laugh, but the look on Anthony’s face was even better.
“Looking good Bodie,” I said. “I can’t believe you’re still wearing that.”
“Apparently, all day meant until I went to bed, not when my classes were over,” he said. “And the guys thought it would be funny to send me out to get pizza.”
“I’m Anthony,” Anthony said, introducing himself.
“The guy from the club,” Bodie said, like he had a bad taste in his mouth.
“Nice to meet you,” Anthony said.
“Order for Bodie,” a girl said, coming out of the kitchen.
“That’s me,” Bodie said. “Gotta go. See you tomorrow, Karma.”
I watched Bodie pay for his pizza and leave. He was usually friendlier than that. Something was out of the ordinary with him lately and I really wanted to know what it was.
“That guy’s kind of a dick,” Anthony said.
“He’s not usually like that,” I said, defending him. “I don’t know what’s up with him tonight.”
“How do you know him?”
“Remember meeting Major at the meet on the weekend? Major and Bodie are best friends, so we sometimes hang out as a group. And we have a few classes together.”
“Huh,” he said. “Are you ready to order?”
“My vote is for the chicken, spinach, and alfredo pizza. What about you?”
“I’ll go place our order,” he said standing.
He went up to the counter and told the girl what we wanted. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I was getting the pizza I ordered or not, and I noticed he didn’t tell me what he wanted. He was back a couple of minutes later.
“You know,” I said, when he sat back down, “we really don’t know that much about each other.”
“True,” he said. “How about we ask each other questions until the pizza is ready.”
“I’ll go first. You said you were creating spreadsheets the other day, what exactly do you do?”
He chuckled. “Right now, I’m working with my dad’s assistant. Doing the same things she does. Answer calls, create spreadsheets, send emails, coordinate my dad’s schedule, track shipping info, that kind of thing. He wants me to learn all aspects of the business so that when I eventually take over, I’ll have a good understanding of what it really takes to run the company.”
“That actually sounds like a great idea. I know you said you deal in high end imports, but what’s the name of the company?”
“Pagano Imports.”
“Huh, never heard of it,” I told him. “What’s a Pagano?”
Anthony burst out laughing. “Me, I’m a Pagano. It’s my last name.”
“Oh,” I said with a smile. “And mine’s Webster, in case you were wondering.”
“I kind of figured that out at the swim meet. It was up on the scoreboard when you were diving.”
I laughed. “Oh yeah, I guess it would have been. Your turn.”
“Since you asked two questions, I get to as well. One, what was your favorite thing to do as a kid, and diving doesn’t count.”
“I guess I liked to draw,” I told him. “I remember getting lots of sketch books as a kid.”
“I would have never guessed that. Do you still draw?”
“No,” I said. “Actually, I can’t remember the last time I drew anything. My turn. What’s your favorite sport, fencing doesn’t count.”
“To play or watch?”
“Both.”
“I love watching football, but I like playing tennis,” he said.
We kept at this until our order was ready. I was surprised when he came back with two pizzas. He put one in front of me and I smiled. It was chicken and spinach with alfredo sauce.
“Thank you,” I said. “I take it you didn’t like my choice of pizza.”
He chuckled. “No, I can’t stand any kind of vegetables on pizza, even onions and peppers.”
“I guess that’s why yours is loaded with about twenty kinds of meat,” I s
aid with a smile.
“Yep,” he grinned. “Now let’s eat before it gets cold.”
I smiled back and took a big bite of the pizza.
****
Bodie
Was I stalking Karma? No. Running into her was pure coincidence. But it did give me a great opportunity. As soon as I was back in my car, I got on my phone and opened the app that I’d created to allow me into her phone. I was able to turn the speaker on and record their entire conversation. I felt like a creep, but it had to be done.
I felt some sort of vindication when I realized she had no idea who Anthony was. I needed to get this to my dad as soon as I could. I drove back to campus and left the pizzas in the dorm. All three were asking me questions as I left as quickly as I got there. I didn’t care about what they had to say, I needed to get to my parent’s house.
After calling dad to make sure he was going to be there, I drove as fast as I could without killing myself or anyone else. I was sure this is what Antonio Pagano was looking for.
Dad told me he’d be in his office, so I went straight there.
“Hey, son,” dad said. “What was so important you had to rush right over here?”
“I have something you need to hear. Can I use your laptop?”
“Of course.”
I went around the desk and brought up the recording from earlier. Dad listened to the entire thing before speaking.
“I’m assuming you’re all excited about the part where Karma says she doesn’t know what a Pagano is.”
I nodded. “That should prove her innocence right there.”
“Bodie, you still have a lot to learn. I want you to take your friendship out of this equation. If this was someone you didn’t know at all, what would you think about that conversation? Take another listen before you tell me.”
I took a deep breath, hit play, and closed my eyes, trying to think that this was a stranger. I listened carefully to what each person said with an open mind. When I was done, I understood what dad meant.
“She could be lying.”
“Exactly. You know the truth, but someone who believes she’s guilty will assume she’s saying that just to make Anthony believe she knows nothing about him. Sorry son.”
“This fucking sucks, dad,” I said.
“I know, Bodie, but I know you can do this. I can see how much you want to prove Karma’s innocent of what Antonio had accused her of. Because of that, I know you’re going to find a way to figure this out. Okay?”
“Okay,” I said.
“And by the way, why in the hell are you wearing a dress?”
I laughed. “I’d forgotten I was wearing it. I lost a bet with Major and the boys last night. I had to wear this all day.”
Dad grinned. “You four have always found a way to keep things interesting. Now, go back to school and sleep on this. I have faith in you, son.”
“Thanks, dad.”
On the way back to school, I called my sister.
“Hey, Lana,” I said, when she answered.
“Little brother, what do you want?”
“Can’t I just call to say hi?”
“You never call me to say hi. I repeat, what do you want?”
“I need to know where I can donate a slightly used designer dress,” I told her.
“Um … okay. How lightly used?”
“Just worn once, but all day.”
“What size? Maybe I want it,” she said.
“I don’t know what size it is, but it’s too big for you.”
“If you don’t know what size it is, how do you know it’s too big for me?” she asked.
I wasn’t sure how to respond to that.
“Bodie, what aren’t you telling me?”
I could never get away with anything when it came to her. She always knew when something was up.
“Fine,” I huffed. “I lost a bet and had to wear a dress all day today, like everywhere I went.”
She started laughing. “That’s hilarious. Hang on just a minute.”
I waited. But when she started cackling, I knew something was up.
“What did you do?” I asked.
“I got Major to text me a picture. You look very sexy in that dress little brother.”
“Fuck off,” I said. “I knew I shouldn’t have called you. I’m hanging up now.”
“Wait,” she said. “I’ll be nice, for now. You mentioned donating it. Why? I assumed you would just get rid of it.”
“I was going to, but then Karma kind of freaked out when she saw it was a designer dress and made me promise to donate it.”
“Who’s Karma?”
“Major’s girlfriend’s best friend. She’s on the dive team at school. We have a few classes together too.”
“I see. Interesting,” she said.
“Nothing interesting about it. Now, can you help me or what?”
“Yeah, I guess I’ll help you. I’ll text you when I have somewhere for you.”
“Thanks, Lana.”
“This picture of you is worth helping you.” She was still laughing at me.
“Whatever. Bye.”
“Bye, little brother.”
I shook my head and drove the rest of the way back to the dorm. Major was waiting for me when I walked in.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Yeah. I thought I had a way to prove Karma’s not a gold digger but it’s not even close to enough.”
“Sorry, man.”
“Definitely sucks. I need something indisputable. Fuck, I hate this,” I said. “Karma deserves better than to be spied on by a friend.”
“At least, you’re trying to prove her innocence. Someone else might try and prove her guilty.”
“I guess. I’m going to my room,” I told him. “It’s time I finally get to take this fucking dress off.”
That made Major chuckle. “You certainly were the talk of the campus today. See you in the morning, man.”
I nodded and went to my room. I took off the dress and actually hung it up. That almost made me smile. Karma was very persuasive when she wanted to be.
Chapter 15
Karma
I walked into Spanish the next morning and took my usual seat next to Bodie.
“Why were you such a dick to Anthony last night?”
“Hi, Karma. How are you doing? Nice to see, too,” he said sarcastically.
“Cut the crap, Bodie.”
He chuckled. “You want the truth?”
“Always,” I said.
“Fine. I don’t like the vibe he gives off.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I grew up with a lot of rich people and he makes me think of a spoiled rich kid who always gets his way.”
“Kind of like you?” I countered.
“I may have had money growing up, but I watched my parents work hard to make the money they did. And don’t think I didn’t have chores and stuff to do. In fact, when I went there for dinner the other night, I still had to set the table. By the way, my mom made this enchilada casserole you would have loved.”
“Sure, he may have money,” I said. “But his dad is making him work in every department of the company to learn the business. Right now, he’s working with his dad’s secretary.”
Bodie rolled his eyes. “That’s just responsible business on his dad’s part. Do you even know what the business is?”
“Importing or something.”
“Do you know what that is?”
“I’m not an idiot, Bodie. They import goods into the US.”
“Then what happens to them?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t really care. It has nothing to do with me so why should I want to know about it? Anyway, didn’t you say something about enchilada casserole?”
That made Bodie smile. “My mom’s been taking cooking classes and she made this enchilada casserole that would be right up your alley. Tex Mex at its best.”
“And you didn’t bring me any? Jerk.�
��
“Next time,” he said with a smile.
It was hard to get mad at Bodie. All he had to do was flash that smile and you forgot you were supposed to be angry.
****
“Hey,” Bodie said, catching up to me after class.
“Yeah.”
“Do you have time this afternoon to work on our Spanish homework?”
“Sure. The coffee place at 1:00?” I asked.
“Sounds good, see you later.”
I went to my next class. I hated history but it was a requirement, so I had to do well in it. The entire class groaned when the professor announced we were having a pop quiz. I thought pop quizzes were over when I left high school. I had no idea if I was prepared for this or not, but I was about to find out.
Thirty minutes later, I was sure I just blew that stupid quiz, and I was pissed off at myself. I've been distracted lately. I wondered if I needed to cool things off with Anthony, but I really didn’t want to. Guess I was going to have to think about it.
Bodie was already there when I arrived at the coffee place. I plopped down in the chair beside him.
“Rough day?” he asked.
“We had a pop quiz in World History, I’m pretty sure I bombed it.”
“Why do you think that?” he asked.
“I think I’ve been too distracted lately.”
“What do you mean?”
“You know I don’t do relationships and this thing with Anthony is starting to feel like a relationship,” I said.
“What makes it a relationship versus just dating?” he asked.
I had to think about that for a minute. “Actually, I’m not sure,” I said and laughed.
“Do you want to keep seeing him?”
“Yes,” I said, without hesitation.
“Why?”
“He makes me smile. My heart flutters when I get a text from him. He’s funny and charming. And hot,” I said with a wink. “He makes me feel special.”
“So, it’s not about the money?”
“What?” I asked, not believing he just said that.
“You’re not with Anthony because of his money?”
“Fuck you, Bodie!” I yelled, not caring who was listening. “Fuck you and your assumptions. Fuck you and your money. Fuck you and … just fuck you.”
Diving in Deep (A Bay State University Novel Book 2) Page 9