Page 22 of For Emery

“Why? I’m already sleeping in his girl’s bed.”

Her eyes widened with amusement as she grabbed her pillow and chucked it at my head.

“I knew you girls loved your pillow fights.”

She shook her head before grabbing her phone to make a call.

“Are you really calling him? Because I’m not looking to have to kick your boy’s ass.”

She rolled her eyes and lifted the phone to her ear. “Hey, Leigh, it’s Sabrina. I’ve got a big favor to ask…Yeah,” she said lowering her voice. “I’ve seen Grady’s abs.” She peeked over to see if I’d heard her.

I didn’t even try hiding my shit-eating grin.

Sabrina shook her head as she continued her conversation. “I need you to find out which dorm Emery Pruitt’s living in and her schedule…Yup. That’s it. Thanks so much.” Sabrina disconnected the call and looked to me. “Leigh works in the registrar’s office. She’ll check tomorrow.”

I nodded, nervous to actually find Emery again. What would I say? Would she even talk to me? Better yet. Would she tell me why she was on campus?

CHAPTER TEN

Emery

I rolled over in bed, not having slept well at all the previous night. And though the blinds were closed, sunlight filtered into my dorm room. My roommate Raquel’s comforter was still neatly in place. Guess she ended up staying with the guy she met at the party—Jordan’s party.

God.

My heart tripped over itself at the sight of him. The feel of his arms wrapped around me brought on so many emotions. I almost burst into tears in the middle of the party. His hand on my wrist elicited tingles I hadn’t felt since I shared his bed. But when his touch became tighter than necessary, I knew that wasn’t my Jordan. My Jordan would never have handled me roughly like that.

I hadn’t been lying when I told him I’d thought about our reunion every day since I’d left. I had. I longed for the day I could get into Alabama and be with him again. But it wasn’t at all how I saw it play out. Jordan was angry. And drunk. The angry I could understand. I’d dropped off the face of the earth and magically reappeared four years later—at his house. I expected resistance. What I didn’t expect was his drunken belligerence. He’d seen the life I lived with a drunk and violent stepdad. I never imagined he might’ve turned out like him.

My phone pinged. I grabbed it off the desk beside my bed and rolled onto my back to read it. It was from my friend Vanessa back home. Did you see him yet?

My fingers tapped away at my screen. Yup.

How’d it go?

Not good.

Call me!!!

I did.

Vanessa answered before it even rang. “Talk to me.”

“He was drunk.”

“Ugh,” Vanessa said, understanding my disappointment. “Did you explain what happened?”

“It didn’t really come up.”

“I would’ve thought it was the first thing that’d come up.”

“He was mad I was there with a guy.”

“A guy?” she asked.

“Yeah. Remember the football player I met at orientation? He asked me to go with him. I knew it was a football party so I hoped I’d be able to see Jordan.”

“So, he was jealous?”

---