Page 7 of Loving the Liar

“Yep. He didn’t pick any of them this year and went straight for Rose White.”

“But she’s a first-year.” My mouth twists. “Is he trying to fuck her?”

Peach shrugs. “I’m not sure. Everyone knows she’s a genius. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s had his eyes on her since she took criminal law as an undergrad, but who knows with the fucker. Could be both. Her brains probably turn him on just as much as her looks. All I know is Hermes called her teacher’s pet.”

“Oof,” Alex reacts with a wince. “She’s going to hate that. Hermes better hope Rose or her partners never find out who they are. She must be fuming.”

Peach turns to Alex, her eyes shining. “You should message her. Ask her if she saw it. Tell her your friend Peach is asking how she’s coping.”

“Peach, for the hundredth time, I am not introducing you to Rose. We’re at the same college; you’ll probably know her schedule by heart in a week. If you want to talk to her so badly, do it.”

“And risk her boyfriends putting me six feet under? No, thank you.”

I can’t help the laugh tumbling from my mouth. “You’re so dramatic.”

“Am I, though?” She eyes me and then Alex again. “Am I?”

“Not really,” Alex admits. She’s become a good friend of Rose since dating Xi because his brother, Lik, is one of Rose’s partners. If they ever get married, the two would be sisters-in-law, I guess. Or maybe it’s more complicated than that when there are four people in a relationship.

“See?” She lets out a big sigh. “I guess I’ll just keep admiring her from afar. Can we go home and drink? I’ve been holed up in this depressing library all day.”

She sure has, and I didn’t even sit down.

I happen to like our depressing library. Just because I don’t come here often doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the architecture. Silver Falls University rests on a hill, not far from the Silver Snake River, in our own little corner of the South Bank of Silver Falls. The red brick main building reminds me of an English castle, and the woods that surround our campus bring us a sense of privacy we’re used to as billionaires.

That little library Peach complains about was built in the 1880s. The entire place is full of history and kept most of its original built. They weren’t sitting at a lame pressboard table amid metal shelves and overhead lighting. We are at a mahogany table, sitting on beautifully carved chairs in a neo-Greco style room, surrounded by marble walls, gold columns, and nine tiers of some of the most beautiful collections of books in this country. The ambiance is unmatched.

But I agree, a drink at our shared house across campus sounds better.

“Tell the guys to meet at our place,” I tell Peach, and she and Alex immediately pack away their books.

Silver Falls University isn’t like any other. We have dorms, luxurious ones too, but most of the south side of the campus hosts private residences our families rent while we study here. They cost a lot. It doesn’t matter.

Money. Never. Matters.

We simply have too much of it.

Reputation, however? Priceless.

In our first year, Alex, Peach, and I stayed at the Xi Ep house, our sorority. But our second year, we moved into our own house. Alex lives back and forth between here and her boyfriend’s place, so most of the time it’s just me and Peach…and the guys. Because we were lucky enough to snatch a house right next to Wren and Achilles.

Really, when I take away the constant feeling of existential crisis since I changed majors…life here is everything I could have ever dreamed of. Especially now that I shut Chris down forever.

“I might text that guy from Alpha Kappa tonight,” I say as I straighten my uniform skirt.

Yes, because SFU loves to do things in their own way, and because the university is a continuation of their Stoneview preparatory school, undergraduate students have to wear the same boring uniform we all wore in high school. This stupid thing makes us look like teenagers next to the postgrads walking around campus.

“Is that the one who had a scar on his cheek?” Peach asks, getting up from the table.

I shake my head. “That was the guy from the sports bar.”

“Alpha Kappa was the guy who speaks Italian. I remember,” Alex says proudly.

“Can’t we give them real names?” Peach moans as we all start toward the doors. “What’s the guy’s full name? I can’t keep up.”

“Enzo. Don’t worry about his full name,” I say casually. “He’ll be gone soon.”

“What? Why?”

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