Page 31 of Get Even

“What? What’s wrong?” I said, my eyes jumping to her immediately.

“It’s okay, I’m okay. But I can tell you’re not.”

“Me?” I looked at her incredulously, my jaw slack with shock. “You’re the one who–”

“Yeah and I can practically feel the heat waves coming from your brain right now as you think about everything you could have done differently. Don’t. I’m fine, we’re all fine, and you helped me.” Liv looked away, her voice soft as she blinked moisture from her eyes rapidly, “Nobody from my life before would have done what you did. You put yourself at risk for me and I’m grateful, I just wish you weren’t in that position to begin with.”

I sighed and tucked her under one arm and Kat under the other as we made our way back to the apartment. “You’re impossibly sweet, Olivia. Now shut up and let us take care of you.”

The rooms were dark in the apartment when we walked in, so we moved around and turned on all the lights, checking each room as a group until we all felt relaxed enough to settle in for the night. I lent Kat some oversized PJs and we set-up camp in the lounge, turning onPirates of the Caribbeanand stuffing ourselves with popcorn until we dozed off, wrapped together on the couch. It was good to have friends.

“Jamie? Kat?” Liv whispered softly in the blue light from the TV.

“Yeah?” we whispered in unison.

“Thank you.”

CHAPTERFOURTEEN

I FEEL LIKE I’M DROWNING - TWO FEET

Cocoa& Rum’sfunction room was absolutely packed by the time I made it to the department mixer on Friday. I’d borrowed a pretty pale pink dress from Liv, more subdued than anything I had in my own closet, and she’d used her straighteners to smooth the usually jagged ends of my hair into a sleek look. Honestly, if Ryan did show up he might not even recognize me. I hated these events, they inevitably held one every year for everyone who was on the History course to give us a chance to ‘network’. Why I needed to know some scraggly-ass freshman I wasn’t sure.

I tried to pay a little attention to who was around me as I attempted to delicately shrug off the tiny jacket Liv had also loaned me – it was definitely for fashion rather than practicality but I was absolutely sweltering. Warm hands fell on my bare shoulders and smoothed down my arms, disentangling the jacket before tugging me around.

I smiled up at Ryan, feeling more than a little relief that I wasn’t lingering in the corner by myself any more, cursing my inattentiveness in class that led to me knowing nobody but Nick. And Xander, too, I supposed. “You came.”

His lopsided smile appeared and he tucked my arm into his as he moved to my side and looked out at the room. “I told you I would.”

“I know, I just…”

“Wasn’t sure you believed me,” he rolled his eyes.

I gave him a slightly sheepish smile in response. Ryan was thoughtful, kind and smart and he was present. Aaron would have likely checked his phone at least twice during just this conversation if it had been him here with me instead of Ry.

“So,” he said looking around, presumably for Xander, and I took the chance to dip my gaze and check out the gray blazer and jeans he was working. Ry made stuffy academia lookgood. “Point out all your friends and we can go and say hi.”

I raised an eyebrow and followed his gaze around the room until I saw Nick by the refreshments, “Look, there’s Nick.”

“I’ve already met Nick,” Ry said and I laughed sharply.

“Yeah, well, not all of us have a massive friend group.”

“Fair enough,” he said and nudged my side lightly, “that’s okay. Do you want to go over and say hi?”

“Sure,” I muttered, friendship (or my lack thereof) was somewhat of a sore subject for me. Especially since I’d lost both Taylor and Aaron, but I’d gained Liv and Ry and that was more than enough. I’d even become closer to Kat – really, Aaron had done me a favor. “Oh hey,” I said as we made our way across the room, my uncomfortably low, sensible wedges making an annoyingclackagainst the hardwood floors. “What was all that about the other day with Nick and Kit? I felt like I was missing something.”

Ryan chuckled and slid me a smirk, “I think I’d rather let you figure it out yourself, you’re going to kick yourself later.”

I sighed and looked longingly at the glasses of some kind of punch at the table, just far enough away from the laptop sitting there that it wasn’t a hazard. This was already unbearable and we hadn’t even run into–

“Well, well, Miss Silver. Glad to see you could join us,” Professor Dick’s grin stretched grotesquely over his face like his skin was too tight and I gave him an equally painful smile as Nick spotted us and closed the remaining distance.

“Oh yes,” I said stiffly, “I was sopleasedto receive an invitation. Wouldn’t have missed this for the world.” Stilted silence fell between us and Nick hesitated on the threshold of our conversation before spinning around and heading for Xander by the drinks. Traitor.

Davis’ cold eyes burned into me like he was trying to dismantle my soul and I grit my teeth as he opened his mouth but huffed in surprise instead when Ry thrust out his hand.

“Ryan Sommers,” he said with what had to have been his best charming smile because even I was feeling a little gooey at the edges. “I’m here with Jamie, it’s nice to meet you.” Wow. So Ryan was apparently a smooth talker –note taken.

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