Page 143 of Heartless Legacy

“Nothing.” I respond, checking to make sure Finn and Holden’s hands are empty. They’ve challenged me to another water fight. I don’t think they’ll ambush me here, but you never know. “How was your test?” I ask, pulling my attention away from the two men now standing behind us in line.

She worries her bottom lip before answering, “Okay, I think. There was some stuff I wasn’t sure about, but I think I passed.”

Thinks she passed? LJ never thinks. She usually knows what grade she’s earned, give or take ten points, because she studies her ass off. “Did it include material you didn’t cover?”

“We went over it in the lessons and the study guide, but I didn’t get a lot of study time in.”

“You’re kidding, right? You always make time to study; Little Miss I’m Aiming for a Certain Post Graduate Scholarship.”

“Damon was studying for an exam too, and he struggled with the subject matter, so I spent a lot of time on the phone walking him through it.” She hastily adds, “But my grades will be fine as long as I ace the midterms.”

“I know you will.” Looking around the dining hall, I see one of the residents of Vale Tower wave at her. She seems to be on friendlier terms with the girls she went to high school with, which prompts me to ask, “How are things with the Lady Lions? I haven’t gotten invited to any of your cool social events this semester.”

“That’s because I haven’t been to any. But it’s fine. I’ve been so busy with the social outings my mom’s been going to. You know?”

I don’t know, and that doesn’t sit well with me. Part of the reason LJ and I bonded was because those girls ostracized her. She was doing so well with the Lady Lions. What happened? Did they do something to her?

I let her change the subject and answer when she asks about my latest workout at Wolfe Pack.

I march up the steps of the sorority house and push my way inside, ignoring the yelps from the lions sprawled out enjoying a movie night. The president unfolds her body from the chair with a sigh. “Hey, Thea.”

“You don’t look surprised to see me.”

She walks down the hall, and I follow. “I expected a visit from you sooner.”

We enter a room on the left, and she closes the door behind me. She’s not afraid of being alone with me. That has me on alert. “Why’s that?” I ask, responding to her earlier statement.

“Because everyone knows how protective you are of LJ, and I think it’s obvious to everyone that she’s not as involved here as she should be. If it were me, I’d think it was because we had a falling out.”

“Did you?”

“Not at all. We all love LJ. This is her sorority. Her sisterhood. Her home if she chooses it to be.”

“She chose you guys last year, so why hasn’t she been invited to movie nights and barbecue beach days?”

“LJ’s invited. She doesn’t show up, and when she does, there’s at least one legacy daughter glued to her hip.” She scrubs her hand across her face. “We don’t force our members to only be friends with each other. But, that group she’s hanging with… we’re not a good mix.”

I can believe that. “When did this all start?”

“Things were fine over the summer. LJ missed a few events because of family stuff, then a few more to spend time with the guy she’s seeing.”

“You’ve met Damon?”

Shaking her head, she says, “Riley’s seen him the few times he’s come to town, but she said he’s not much of a talker. He’s always rushing LJ along. The redhead that sits at legacy table number ten...” I nod because I know who she’s talking about. It’s the girl who waved at LJ earlier. “That’s his step-sister or cousin-sister.” She frowns. “Anyway, once their relationship got serious, LJ started blowing us off more frequently. It was the summer. I figured she’d come back around when we were all on campus. But it hasn’t happened.”

“Thanks for the information.” I say, opening the door and heading back down the hall.

She calls out to me, “Thea.”

“What?”

“When you talk to LJ, please let her know we miss her and we’re here for her whenever she’s ready to come back.”

My next stop after the Lion’s Den is Austin’s dorm room. I bang on the door, not caring about the time or waking any of the football jocks that might be asleep. “Thea?” He asks, raking a hand through his hair. “What’s wrong?”

I drag my eyes over his naked torso and down to the towel draped on his hips. “You might wanna put some clothes on for this conversation.”

“I’m good. Why are you here banging on my door like the police?”

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