Page 60 of Veil of Lies

Although, given he’d taken my weed again last night, we probably needed to have a chat. He only smoked weed when he was in a bad place. The rest of the time, alcohol was his drug of choice. I just hoped he hadn’t hit the tequila as well. Not that there was any in the apartment I was aware of. I’d emptied everything I could find down the drain after the night Stella brought him back. He maybe hadn’t figured that out yet. I had a feeling I’d have heard about it if he had.

Stella watched as I cooked pancakes. Some of the tension in her body disappeared, which I was grateful for. No doubt today would be a real shit show for her. It was never fun being the focus of campus gossip. Some kid last year had been (wrongly) accused of rape and the gossip had gotten so bad he’d ended up quitting his course. Social media was both a blessing and a curse in that regard.

“Do you always cook for them?” she asked curiously as I flipped a pancake. Once it was cooked on both sides, I put it on a plate.

“That one’s yours,” I said, pushing the plate toward her and then adding some more mix to the skillet. “Yeah, not every day, but I like to cook and it’s the only way to make sure Brax’s calorific intake is more than alcohol.”

She nodded, pouring syrup on her pancake, and then frowned. “Does he drink a lot?”

I hesitated before replying. The last thing I needed was to pile on more guilt. She was already carrying more than her fair share of that.

“Not usually, or no more than any other college student, but he’s been drinking more lately.”

“His dad,” she concluded in a small voice, pushing a piece of pancake across the plate.

The anguish on her face made me want to hug her. She looked so lost. I wondered how long she’d been shouldering all this guilt. None of it was her fault. We weren’t responsible for the sins of our parents. My father was a complete douche and I definitely wasn’t carrying the can for all of his ill-advised affairs my mother chose to ignore.

“Yeah, but that’s his choice. There are healthier ways to deal with loss. Like counseling. He just chooses not to give it a go.”

“I guess,” she conceded.

I watched as she picked at the pancake and realized she wasn’t going to eat it without some prodding.

“Hope you’re not planning to waste all my hard work.” I raised one eyebrow at her as I added another pancake to the stack.

“No, of course not,” she replied, half-smiling.

“Pancakes, my favorite!” Harley scooped Stella up like a doll and placed her on his lap.

“Leave her alone, she’s not a pet. The poor girl needs to eat, not pander to your relentless need for validation.”

He glared at me. “She loves it, so fuck off.”

I rolled my eyes and passed him a plate. “Leave some for Brax,” I warned, “He’s not up yet.” We exchanged a glance, and I knew he was as worried about our friend as I was.

Harley grumbled but only took his fair share from the stack. Once everyone had finished, I loaded the dishwasher and made more coffee. Stella always drank coffee, so I figured she’d appreciate a to-go mug. Judging by the shadows beneath her pretty eyes, she probably hadn’t slept much last night. Caffeine would help her stay awake.

I poured coffee into a large travel mug and handed it to her. She looked surprised. “What’s this?”

“Your coffee.”

“Thank you, Quinn.” She smiled and to my surprise, leaned over the counter and kissed me lightly on the cheek. Her sweet vanilla scent tickled my nose and my body reacted immediately. Thank fuck she couldn’t see the tent in my pants.

“You’re welcome,” I replied. “I know today is going to be…difficult, so having decent coffee might help.”

Her face fell as she thought about what lay ahead, but as I watched, she pulled her shoulders back and straightened her spine. “I’ll be OK. I always am,” she told me with a grim expression. “People talking shit about me is nothing new.”

I watched as she disappeared back into Harley’s room to finish getting ready. That girl was amazing; she was the strongest person I’d ever met.

Chapter 50

Stella

My morning classes passed without a hitch. People stared at me everywhere I went, but I ignored them, hiding behind my glasses and hat like always. The gossip wasn’t quite so easy to tune out, although I did my best by wearing headphones in between classes.

It was now lunchtime, but I didn’t feel like sitting in the cafeteria. Since it was a relatively warm day, I grabbed a sandwich and bottle of water and headed outside. A few people were strolling across the quad, but I ignored them. I just wanted to eat my sandwich in peace, not listen to speculation and misinformation.

The sound of someone shouting my name caught my attention, despite the music playing in my ears. I ignored it, continuing down the path toward the trees.

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