Page 14 of Rush of Jealousy

After class, I head over to the computer lab. Zander is working the Help Desk, and I give him a quick hello. His boss is hovering so I’m conscious not to overstay. Using the school website, I print out a map of the River Valley University dorms, apartments, and fraternity houses. I also construct a list of girls I know are part of the agency. I am going to need Claire’s help if I’m going to add more names to the list. It would be easy if Graham would hand over this information; however, even if we were still together, he would be sure to sabotage my efforts and classify his actions as “protecting me.”

I grab a highlighter from a supply cart and start making markings where the drugging incidents have been happening. I hand draw in a square and call it The Shack. I color it in with a highlighter, assuming I was actually drugged. I highlight the smoothie cafe and then draw rings around all of the frat houses. When weekends happen, many of the houses throw parties—not just one. So as of now, they are all under investigation.

When 5:30 p.m. approaches, I say goodbye to Zander, who looks like he wants to ask me a bunch of questions but refrains. For that, I am thankful. I head down to the main parking lot adjacent to the building to find my taxi driver waiting.

It takes about twenty minutes to get to the fondue restaurant called Double Dipper. I spot Claire dressed in a cute pink skirt and gray fitted sweater waiting by the bar. I feel slightly underdressed with my skinny jeans and lavender cashmere top. My hair is left down with a little butterfly clip pulling back some long bangs from my forehead.

“Hey you,” I say and give her a hug. “You look so adorable.”

She looks down at her attire and grins. “Does this scream naughty schoolgirl?”

I shake my head at her question. I don’t have a clue how to answer it. “Only if you want it to.”

“I do.”

“Then it totally does.”

“Awesome, Ethan will be so turned on.”

“Eww…can we keep our minds from the gutter?”

She gives me a silly smirk. “Ready to eat?”

“Starving.”

I follow her to a booth at the other end of the restaurant and am surprised to find Ethan and another guy I don’t recognize already sipping on beers. Both men look up. The mystery guy gives me an approving smile, and my heart drops to the floor.

“Claire…”

She ignores me.

I grab her arm and halt her movement. “Claire!” I half yell.

She bites her bottom lip and at least has the decency to look guilty.

“What did you do?”

“Well, umm, I thought it would be fun to help you forget about Graham if just for a couple of hours. And he sabotaged your agency job, so it’s not like I could have used that avenue. And so I thought that—”

“I can’t believe you are doing this.” I glance over at the guy and then back at her. “And not even telling me until it is way too awkward to back out now.”

“You would never have agreed,” she defends.

“Damn straight I wouldn’t have.”

“Then this is awesome.”

“Payback. That is what you are getting.” I brush into her on my way over to the table, partly because I am so off balance from her subjecting me to this type of torture.

Ethan and the other man slip out of the booth to greet us. Claire gets enveloped in her man’s strong arms. And I try desperately to avoid being touched.

“Hi, I’m Adam,” the brown-haired man introduces. He is average in height, has strong jaw bones, and looks to utilize the gym on the regular. “Wow, you look even better than your profile picture.”

I turn to Claire and silently demand clarification. She slips out of Ethan’s arms and leans over to whisper in my ear. “I may have been under the influence of flavored vodka and was watching a Hallmark movie and signed you up for College Connection.”

“Unfuckingbelievable,” I mutter.

“But I gave you a cute profile pic. So that should count for something,” she says nonchalantly.

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