Page 61 of Veil of Lies

“Stella! For fuck’s sake, stop will you?”

Tessa grabbed my shoulder, her chest heaving as she struggled to catch a breath. I yanked my headphones out. “Sorry! I didn’t realize it was you,” I admitted, feeling a bit bad. Tessa was one of the few people who’d shown me any kindness here and I didn’t want to throw that back in her face.

“Shit, girl, are you OK? I’ve messaged you like a million times and you never replied. I was getting worried!”

“I’m sorry, I haven’t checked my phone since yesterday.” Fuck, now I felt really shitty. “Things have been a bit… not great.”

She squeezed my arm. “Yeah, I heard,” she acknowledged with a grimace. “Look, I don’t give a fuck about any of that. Whatever your dad allegedly did, it’s not on you.”

“Hmm, not what most people think, but thanks.”

“Well I’m not most people!” She grinned at me, her coffee-colored eyes sparkling with mirth. “Sooo, a little bird told me you’re shacked up with Harley and the hotties, is that true?”

I choked on my water. “What?”

“Yeah, Cassie was raging last night. She said Harley practically kidnapped you and hauled you back to his apartment. Honestly, it was hilarious. She screamed the place down for like an hour. Best fun I’ve had in ages. Even better than the moment in season nine of Keeping Up with the Kardashians when Kourtney told Scott she was pregnant again. Pure gold.”

Wow, that was some info-dump. I didn’t watch reality TV but knowing Cassie had lost her shit perked me up. Served the bitch right.

“Are you and Harley a thing now?” Tessa asked as we headed over to the seating area. I stiffened. Sharing details of my private life never sat well with me. I wasn’t used to gossiping, as I’d never really had a female friend before. All the girls I’d known growing up were either jealous or intimidated by my father’s wealth.

“No…maybe…I don’t know.” I shuffled uncomfortably.

Tessa glanced sideways and frowned. “Hey, I don’t mean to pry. You don’t have to tell me shit, just ignore me.”

“No, it’s OK. To be honest, I have no clue what’s going on. I like him and he seems to like me. As for the rest, your guess is as good as mine. I dunno, maybe he plans to sell his story to the National Enquirer. That’s the kind of shit that happens to me.”

I wasn’t even joking. Brody’s betrayal still cut deep. I hoped that asshole got his comeuppance.

“I think he’s better off without Cassie.” She took a bite from her sandwich and smiled. “You’re a lot nicer than that bitch. Prettier too.”

“Yeah right,” I snorted. “Cassie has perfect blond hair and a model figure.”

Tessa stared at me in surprise. “Seriously? Yeah she has blond hair and a half-decent figure, but you have curves and trust me, guys like something to hang on to when they’re banging you into the mattress.”

“Jesus.” I choked out a laugh. “Tell it like it is!”

Tessa shrugged. “I have two older cousins who go through women like it’s a buy-one-get-one-free deal every day of the week. I’ve had to listen to their trash talk all my life. They are disgusting, but I’m now an expert on how the male brain thinks. Trust me, it’s not rocket science. Boobs and ass. That’s all you need.” She looked me up and down with a grin. “Girl, you got both of those in spades.”

“Good to know it’s not my personality Harley’s attracted to.”

“Oh he’s into you. If he wasn’t, you’d have been kicked to the curb by now. He doesn’t usually keep girls around for long, yet he’s already moved you into his apartment? Give it a few more weeks and he’ll be putting a ring on it.”

I snorted. “Of course. I’m such a fantastic catch. No money, Dad’s a felon. Every mother-in-law’s dream.”

We both laughed until we cried. My life sucked, but right now, thanks to Tessa, I felt better than I had in ages. She was a balm for my soul.

???

Harley stood waiting for me after my last class. He leaned against the wall, swiping his phone screen and ignoring the many starry-eyed looks from passing girls. The minute I appeared, his face lit up and he broke into a wide smile.

“Stella!”

“That’s my name, don’t overuse it,” I grumbled. My head ached and I was grumpy as hell. All afternoon, I’d had to endure people staring at me, talking about me behind my back and to my face, as if I wasn’t there. It was torture. The only reason I hadn’t bailed on my classes was because we had a mid-term test coming up. If I planned on staying, I needed to get a decent pass mark, as it counted toward my end-of-year grade.

Brax’s absence had been noted by me and the rest of the class. The seat where he usually sat stayed empty. My gaze strayed there multiple times while Professor Santos waffled on about economic principles I cared little about. Even though Brax was annoying at times, I missed his snarky asides and stupid flirtatious comments. The thought of him hurting pained me. I just hoped he hadn’t hit the bottle again.

“Come on,” Harley grabbed my hand, causing a few sharp intakes of breath from passing students as they noted our closeness. “I’m taking you out.”

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