Page 30 of Unforgivable

Kenji muttered something under his breath in Japanese while Griffin let out a loud, suffering sigh before plopping onto my bed next to me.

“We had a feeling you'd say that, so we have a proposition for you. Either you come out with us, or we bring the party to you,” Griff threatened while batting his auburn lashes at me.

“The hell does that mean?” I asked, annoyed.

“It means that if you don't come out of this room, we're throwing an impromptu party in your apartment. Try and see if you can get solitude that way, shithead,” Kenji chuckled, a smirk curving his lips.

I begrudgingly swung my legs over the side of my bed and stood up to face the meddling duo. “You two fuckers don't know when to leave well enough alone,” I grouched.

“You know what will happen if you don't come with us,” Griff sing-songed from my bed, messing with my lucky Lacrosse ball I kept on my nightstand.

“Yeah, you two will be reported missing tomorrow and I'll be pulled in for questioning,” I growled, cutting him with an icy glare that did nothing to wipe out his wicked smile.

“Alright, time's up. We're going,” Kenji announced as he started shoving me toward the living room. I dug in my heels before he could thrust me over the threshold.

“Okay, Jesus, fine. I'll go. Let me at least change so I don't scare off the locals,” I griped.

“You've got three minutes, then I'm coming in after you,” Kenji threatened before spinning on his heel and marching out. As I trudgedinto my closet, Griffin followed me and leaned against the doorframe. I shucked off my shirt and changed it quickly before hooking my thumbs in the waistband of my sweats.

I shot him a disgruntled look over my shoulder, only to be met with his hungry stare sweeping down my body. For once, it didn't do anything for me other than to twist my stomach.

“If you're stressing, Hawk, you know I could help you out with that,” he rasped, taking a slow step toward me. I huffed out a breath and slipped my pants down my legs, stepping out of them.

“Not in the mood, Griff. Sorry,” I said, pulling on my jeans faster than usual. Griffin stepped into my space and grabbed my ass, pulling me flush against his body.

“Come on, Hawk. It's been a while since we hooked up. I've kind of missed it. We can both work off the tension of the week when we get back.” He cupped my cheek and leaned in close, but a flash of purple in my mind had me yanking back.

“For real, man, I'm not feeling it right now. I'm not in a great mood,” I warned, trying to be gentle so I didn't hurt his feelings or some shit. Griff immediately took a couple steps back and cleared his throat.

“Yeah, no problem. I'm really sorry, dude. I guess I'm just horny tonight,” he chuckled awkwardly. He caught my eye and gave me an apologetic smile. I gave him a tight smile in return and patted his shoulder.

“It's all good. No worries. Let's head out and get this night over with.”

Griffin led us out of my room and the three of us headed out toward West Campus where the parties would be held. Most of the Greek houses were clustered in that area, and the neighborhood was heavily populated with students. On our trek, the guys tried to pull me into conversation, but it was no use. My mood was still soured and I couldn't muster any interest in mindless talking.

I was zoning out, trailing after the guys when my phone rang in my pocket. Out of habit, I pulled it out to check it and saw Uncle Jack's name on the screen. His second call of the week had my back stiffening as I wondered morosely what he wanted now.

“Uh, hey guys, I've gotta take this call. Where you gonna be?”

“We're heading to the Sig Ep house over on Pearl,” Griffin calledback without breaking stride. I hung back and swiped to answer the call before it dropped.

“Twice in one week. I'm beginning to feel special, uncle,” I snipped.

“Let's not go that far, Callum. We both know that's not true,” Aunt Blair hissed. I hadn't heard her voice in over a year, yet it still had the power to freeze me on the spot. Hatred poured through my veins like a hotshot of heroin, potent and searing.

“Why the fuck are you calling me on his phone?” I sneered coldly.

“You left me no choice. You chose to ignore my texts and then you turned Jack against me after you went crying to him. Never could fight your own battles, could you?” she bit back, tone drenched in disdain.

Adrenaline swept through my system, causing my body to shake uncontrollably. I knew I needed to hang up, but something about her words had me lashing out against my will.

“Screw you, Blair. I didn't go fucking crying to Uncle Jack. He called me because he knew you were pressing me for money I don't fucking have. Been throwing back the booze and maxing out the cards too much, have we? Might I recommend Shoppers Anonymous, or perhaps a loan shark?”

“You sanctimonious shit, how dare you judge me? If I didn't have to raise you for so long, we wouldn't be out so much money in the first place. After everything, I’m owed a cut of Leana's life insurance. She should have named me as a beneficiary to begin with, but that was her typical petty behavior. It's the least she could have done knowing I'd be saddled with you after she dropped dead,” she spit out venomously.

“Don't you fucking talk about mom like that!” I roared. “Don't you ever say her name again!”

“She was my sister! I can talk about her any way I like!”

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