Maybe I’m starting to need you.
And it scares me to feel anything close to that.
Part Two
Full Bloom
15
Weston
Returning to campus is like stepping back into cold reality.
I get back into Onyx House and my night with Sev feels like a far-off dream from the moment I’m back.
Roman and Noah are in the front living room by the fireplace, and I can see Roman’s bruised face right away.
“Here he is,” Roman says.
“I heard what happened. Are you okay?” I ask him.
He waves a hand like he’s shooing a fly. “Bruise doesn’t matter. But we need a plan for when the Daggers guys flip their lids about the fight with Kieran.”
It’s almost alarming that Roman’s acting so calm.
I expected retaliation plans, but if Roman is cool as a cucumber right now, that might mean that heknowssomething else that I don’t.
Niko comes in a bit after me, and I notice that he doesn’t mention anything about the creepy text he got. He doesn’t want to involve Roman, and I know why. Any fuel added to this fire could escalate things to a place they don’t need to go.
“So,” Noah says a while later, leaning back on one of the sofas, “if Onyx got all of the offers at last year’s dinner, this year needs to be different.”
“It does,” Roman says. “If Daggers gets even a whiff of foul play, they’re going to cause problems for us.”
“But all of us keep shit very separate from the Crimson school administration,” I say. “We have mutually assured destruction. If they take us down, they go down, too.”
“Because we know some of their past dirty secrets, too,” Noah adds. “I’m sure the administration would love to hear about how Mike Amsted was growing weed in the Daggers backyard last year.”
Roman shakes his head. “Doesn’t matter. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re willing to get a few of their members expelled just for the express purpose of ratting us out.”
“What shit would they have on us?” I protest.
“Wes,” Noah protests, raising an eyebrow at me. “You’re kidding, right?”
I shrug. “We don’t do bad shit here.”
Roman and Noah exchange a look.
“You know people call you Frat Dad for a reason, bro,” Noah tells me.
Suddenly I feel like I’m being left out of some loop.
“And what is that supposed to mean?”
“It means some of the guys are going to purposelynottell you if they’re doing ‘bad shit.’”
He uses air quotes to say the final two words.
And something about it sends a ripple of anger through me.