Page 32 of Broken Princess

“Do I look flustered to you?”

He steps closer, tipping my head up to the light, turning my face this way and that. “No. You look cool as an icicle.” He smiles, nodding approvingly. “Good. You’ll need that to get you through around here.”

It’s almost ominous the way he says it. “Are you referring to the party or life on campus?”

“Maybe a little bit of both.” His eyes darken as he squeezes my hand. “Listen, I think you-”

One of his frat brothers walks over to us. “Sterling, my man, you’ve got to check out what Hailey is doing in the dining room. Did you know…”

Sterling tips his chin at me as he’s dragged away. The rest of the description of Hailey’s antics fades away as they get closer to the door.

I’m on my own, again. With my drink in hand, I drift through the rest of the house, still searching for Noel and Dixon. When I pull out my phone to check the time, I see I have an unread message form Dixon.

Study group still going. Big test. Gonna miss the party. Have fun - D.

There’s nothing from Noel, so I think it’s safe to assume he’s already here or on his way.

A pair of hands pop in front of my eyes, blocking my vision. “Guess who.” A voice sing-songs behind me.

“Santa? Black Power Ranger? Uh, Winnie the Pooh?”

“Ha, ha, ha.” Will steps in front of me with a smile on his face. “I have to tell you, I didn’t expect to see you here, on a school night.”

“I didn’t have anything better to do, so I thought I’d give it the old college try. Pun intended.”

“Cute. Real cute. So where’s your roommate?,” he asks looking over my shoulder.

“Kass is back at the dorms. I’m flying solo tonight.”

“Not anymore, you’re not. I’m your new wingman.”

I don’t bother trying to hide the grimace on my face.

“What’s that look for?”

“Will, you haven’t spoken to me since last semester.”

“Because I haven’t seen you since last semester, when you started dating Logan, and ditched me as your friend.”

“That’s not what happened. I just got really busy with my art project and at the end of the semester...”

His hand lands on my shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze. “Kidding. I know things were crazy at the end there. But, you’re not with him anymore and we can get back to hanging out at parties and stuff again.”

Considering his words, I say, “Yeah, it would be good to do that.”

He takes my hand, leading me to the dancing area. “Good, we can start now.”

I’m on my third beer when things get a little woozy. I tell Will to give me a second, as I head off to find a bottle of water and a bathroom to splash some water on my face. The downstairs bathroom is occupied, so I go upstairs, taking a moment, enjoying the quiet.

When I step into the hall, Will is standing against the wall, just outside the door. “You good?”

“Yeah, just needed a minute away from the noise.”

Taking my hand, he leads me down the hall. “Come on, I know exactly where we can go to get some peace and quiet.”

“In this place? I doubt it.”

“This room is the best room in the frat house.” He pulls me into what looks like a business center, with a large flat screen television on the wall. “The older frat members use this as their personal hang out away from the initiates.”

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