Page 55 of Study Buddies

“No, it’s not.” His eyes looked serious. “If we’d put that asshole in his place the first time, then you wouldn’t have needed to go back there again.”

None of this was his fault. It was all Todd’s. “I didn’t even know my necklace was missing the night you and Lucas took me there for my journal.”

“I still wish we’d handed him his ass,” Jayden said with a sigh. “I take it that Kyle did?”

“Thoroughly.” I hadn’t seen Todd afterwards, but I’d watched the way Kyle threw him around in the entryway. “I think I’ve finally seen the last of him, thank god.”

“You don’t think he’ll call the police on Kyle?” Jayden looked concerned. “Though I guess if he was going to, he would have already.”

“I don’t think so. I think he’s scared. With good reason,” I added.

Jayden folded his arms, lost in thought. Then his lips twisted into a smirk. “He probably thinks that you have an endless supply of men to send to his house.”

My eyebrows raised as I thought it over. “Yeah. You three, and Hailey’s roommates.” At his questioning look, I elaborated. “They came to pick me up when I first found the camera. So that’s six guys.”

“Seven,” Jayden said. “Don’t forget about Roger.”

“Oh yeah.” I couldn’t help grinning. “No wonder Todd didn’t call the police. He probably thinks you all will just keep coming.”

“Like your own personal army.” Jayden grinned. “And how was the rest of your evening?”

“It was nice.” I opened the oven door and peeked inside. The cheese wasn’t melted all the way, but it smelled really good.

“Just nice?” Jayden asked when I closed the oven and straightened up.

“More than nice. Lucas took me to a lovely restaurant, and we talked and had a good meal.”

“But?” Jayden prompted.

“Well, the evening didn’t start off very well, with the whole thing with my necklace. And then… I don’t know, it was weird. It was almost like Lucas and Kyle were working together.”

“Thatwouldfeel weird,” Jayden said. “But they both wanted to help you, so maybe not too surprising.”

“Yes, I know.” What I didn’t know was how to explain it better. “It was just a bit unsettling, like cops and robbers on the same side.”

Jayden nodded, but he was staring past me, his gaze unfocused. “I sometimes think that if the thing with Natalie hadn’t happened, and if their parents hadn’t gotten married, maybe they would have—” He cut himself off with a sigh. “But they didn’t get along even before all that.”

“High school students aren’t exactly known for befriending kids who aren’t like them.”

“And yet you still want to teach them.”

I smiled. “Yeah, I do.” Because maybe, just maybe, I could teach students both what they needed to know to become good writers—and how to be a little kinder, and more tolerant of each other.

“You’ll be good at it. Should we check the taco cups?”

“Yep.”

He opened the oven, and I was pleased to see that the cheese had melted evenly. I took the trays out and set them on the counter to cool off.

“Something smells good.” Kyle entered the kitchen, a six pack of bottled beer in each hand.

He put them in the fridge and then came over to the counter to explore. I slapped his hand away when he reached for one of the mini taco cups. “They need to cool down.”

He still looked like he was going to grab one, so I pushed him away. God, his stomach muscles were firm. He looked amused at my attempt to move him out of the way.

“Okay, but when they’re ready, I’m going to have one for quality control.”

“You can have more than one,” I told him. He had on a navy t-shirt that fit snugly over his chest—and brought out the blue of his eyes. His tight black jeans emphasized how long his legs were. “No game tonight?”

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