Page 28 of Fall Hard

I nodded. “Sounds good to me.” I pointed sternly at her. “Now order us some comfort food to get through these last few episodes.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

For some reason, the words sent a hot shiver over my skin and I walked away before Bryn could see and ask me about it because, honestly, I wasn’t sure what I would say.

I stopped in the hall on my way to the bathroom as someone knocked on the door and nearly tripped answering it on an errant heel one of us had left lying around after we’d got home last night.

“Hey.” I leaned against the door and then quickly stepped back as Kat bustled past me. “What’s up?”

She seemed agitated, her hair a mess like she’d been running her hands through it, and two spots of color were visible on the high points of her cheeks. “Nothing.”

“Okay,” I said slowly as I closed the door. “Um, you want to hang out?”

“What?” She blinked her green eyes like she barely even registered I was there before she nodded. “Oh, yeah. Sure.”

I snorted. Only Kat. “We’re watching TVD.”

That caught her attention, but for the wrong reasons. “We?”

“Bryn and me. She’s never seen it before.”

As if saying her name had summoned her out of thin air, Bryn poked her blonde head out around my bedroom door and quirked an eyebrow when she saw Kat. “Oh, hey! You want pizza?”

“God, yes. Put everything on it.”

Bryn nodded and ducked back into the room as Kat and I followed. She kicked off her shoes and flopped onto my bed as I wedged myself in the middle of them both. Kat sniffed delicately and I tried not to laugh.

“Duvet Day,” I said by way of explanation and she nodded like she understood—was this just a thing everyone but me had known about?

“Was I just mega drunk last night or did I hear Xander say that you’re going to play basketball with him and Ryan this week?”

I groaned. “Don’t remind me. Bryn thinks I need a new hobby.”

“You might love it,” Bryn said as she finished ordering the food on her phone.

Kat and I shared a look before she opened her mouth and agreed with Bryn, the traitor. “I think it’ll be good for you.”

I rolled my eyes. I wasn’t sure how basketball with Jamie’s boyfriend was going to solve all my problems but it would at least give me something to do seeing as I still hadn’t been to class last week. Though, I had done a virtual taster session via online lecture of a couple of different courses Winters had sent to me—they had been… fine.

“I thought you didn’t have any plans today?” Bryn asked as she tipped her head over to re-do her messy bun.

“I didn’t,” I said honestly, darting a glance at Kat and found her oblivious as she frowned at her phone in her hand, thumbs furiously tapping out a message.

“So what are we watching?” Kat threw her phone down and turned it over so she couldn’t see the screen. Something was definitely going on and I would bet money that it had to do with Max and the smear of lipstick I’d seen on his collar last night.

“The Vampire Diaries,” I told her again. “We’re close to finishing season two.”

Kat’s eyes lit up and she clapped excitedly. “Oh my god, yes! This is such a good season. But, oh, poor Je—”

I clapped a hand over her mouth. “No spoilers!”

Bryn shook her head, lips parting in dismay. “Jeremy? Jenna? What have you done to me?” She glared at me accusingly and I laughed. She was going to lose it. Not that I could blame her, it was a killer finale.

“No more talking,” Bryn warned us, waggling a finger between us before going to grab the food from the delivery guy who’d just knocked at the door.

“What’s going on with you two?” Kat looked directly at me, pinning me down as soon as Bryn was out of earshot.

“Nothing except friendship.”

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