His cheeks sink in like he’s holding back a big smile. “Yes, ma’am.”
By the time I’m dressed in jeans, an oversized sweater, and soft socks—leftovers from his closet back atThetaManor—the crowd downstairs is loud, drinking wine, and waiting on a pizza cooking in the oven. It smells divine.
“Hey!” Landon says as I hit the first floor.
Henry runs toward me and scans my face. “We’ll all go kill him for you,” he says, spotting my bruised cheek.
I reach out and squeeze his cut arm. “Thank you.”
Scout shoves a charcuterie board at me. “Hello. Thought you could use some real food instead of the stale breakfast cereal they planned to drop off.”
“Definitely,” I say, filling a plate with goodies.
Aiden shoves an olive into his mouth, then parts my lips to feed me one, too. “No telling anyBetasabout this place or where we are right now, Scoutie. Except Logan.”
“I’m not atraitor, Aiden,” she snaps back.
At the same time, I whisper and say, “Logan… I met him.”
“He’s my cousin,” Aiden says, voice low.
Landon swigs a drink of his beer and scoffs. “Disagree. Dating the president ofBetais definitely fucking traitorous.”
“You guys didn’t have a problem when he was Vice President. You don’t have a problem with Logan.”
“Because Ayan Dutta is an arrogant piece of fucking shit,” Landon spits out.
Aiden nods, and Henry interrupts with his mouth filled with cheese and grapes. “AyanDuttais your boyfriend? That guy once complimented himself on a good joke mid-delivery and clapped. I’ve been trying to top that level of confidence ever since.”
We all stop to stare. Henry blinks, swallows, and shrugs. “What? I’m just saying—Ayan treats Greek trivia night like it’s the Olympics. Dude once fell out of his chair trying to answer ‘Zeus’ before the question even finished, and still yelled it on the way down.”
Scout shakes her head, exasperated. “I won’t tell him. Or anyone.”
I clear my throat. “Did you know Julien Ellery?”
Every pair of eyes turns toward me.
Scout nods slowly. “Yeah, a little. Not well. I know Rowan, his roommate, more. It’s a shame what happened, but…”
“But what?” My voice comes out thinner than I mean it to.
“He was obviouslymurdered.”
“Yes!” I latch onto her eyes, the first anchor in my friend’s case. Someone who seemingly understands.
“Murdered?” Aiden asks. “I thought he overdosed on alcohol.”
“That weird guy from my psych class who you scared told meyoukilled him.”
Aiden freezes, eyes wide, taking an instinctive step back as the oven timer shrieks. Scout uses it as cover, yanking open the door and sliding out the pizzas. The sound of the slicer cuts through the tension.
“I had no idea who Julien was. Nah. Didn’t do that one.”
“Why would he say that then?” I ponder. My stomach sinks, lead spreading through my veins. A gasp parts my lips. “I think I recognize him…”
Aiden’s hand finds the small of my back. “From class?”
“No,” I whisper. “As the ringleader who wheeled Julien’s cage away.”