Page 56 of This Is Love
I nod, my lip wobbling. “I know. I don’t like to worry you, though, and I know you get irritated when I do dumb shit like this.”
“No,” he says softly. “Not irritated. Concerned. But you know what, it sounds like you are well aware of the problem it caused you today.” He pauses, but I know what’s coming next. His voice takes on a gruffer tone as he demands, “Tell me what happened with Hazel, because frankly, she’s starting to piss me off.”
27
LOGAN
Hazel is now officiallyon my shit list. Over the last few weeks, I’ve questioned what exactly has been going on between Rya and her roommate. The text messages from Hazel to her supposed friend after the drugging had been obnoxious at best. I get that she didn’t know what was happening, but even if Rya had just been overly intoxicated, they were in poor taste. I don’t think there’s any denying there’s an undercurrent here that none of us really paid too much attention to before. I always figured Hazel was just being Hazel. Only now, I’m not quite seeing it that way. Her behavior has been disturbing.
According to the description Rya gave us of what happened in class today, Hazel went too far this time, and that’s what finally sent Rya over the edge. It’s one thing to be concerned for a friend and talk to them privately about a perceived issue. But when the potential problem is a delicate matter—which food and body image are for Rya—anything in that vein should have been handled with the utmost care in private. Instead, Hazel opened her big mouth and just let shit fly, not only embarrassing the hell out of Rya, but doing it in front of their entire ballet class and, worse, the head of the dance department. No wonder Ryais freaking out. It’s merited, and I feel awful that Jaxon and I weren’t right there to catch her.
When we got off the phone with her, she’d promised she was okay. She wasn’t. I could tell by the shake in her voice and the way she’d gotten quiet. I never should have let her hang up with us. She internalizes so damn much and is way, way too damn hard on herself. I hate to think this whole time as she’s waited for us to get back that she’s been going over everything in her head. I know her. And I know she’s bound to be beating herself up over something that was a mistake.
But what Hazel did? I have the distinct impression based on everything else I’ve seen out of her lately that she was coldly calculating when she let knowledge of Rya’s demons loose for the entire class.
So, fuck yeah, I’m pissed. And so is Jaxon, though as I peer at him from my peripheral vision, he’s almost unnaturally calm.
“I’m gonna strangle Hazel if we run into her,” Jaxon growls under his breath as the bus pulls into the parking lot.
I internally laugh. Okay, so he simply hasn’t fully uncorked his patented rage yet. And for once, it’s not aimed at me. I nod. “Same.”
“Did Rya say where she was?”
“Actually, no.” My brow furrows as everyone begins to unload from the bus. Our eyes meet, and I exhale hard. “With it being her roommate causing trouble, it’s gotta be a fucking uncomfortable situation to be stuck in.” I wet my lips. “Thoughts on what we do once we find her? As far as how to handle Hazel, I mean?”
“I say we leave it up to her, but we have options, I guess. I don’t know that they work long term, though.” Jaxon shakes his head, motioning that we should exit, but before we can, Coach Kimball pauses in front of our row, blocking our way.
“You two. You’re giving me hives with all this congenial behavior toward each other.” My lips twitch, and I glance at Jaxon, whose expression is as innocent as can be as he focuses on the big guy giving us the hairy eyeball. He gives him a wry smile with a shrug. “You might say we’ve decided to set aside our differences.”
Coach’s eyes narrow, shifting from Jaxon to me. “Is that right?”
“Correct. We recognize that our bad attitudes toward each other weren’t helping anyone—least of all ourselves.” I give him a tight smile and wait as he squints at us. I can practically see what we’ve said rolling around in his head, as if he can’t quite connect the dots.
But… who would ever guess the truth?
He clears his throat and nods, stepping out of our way. “See to it that it remains like this.”
The second those words come out of Coach’s mouth, I grab a handful of Jaxon’s ass and squeeze.
He makes a strangled noise that he disguises under a cough as he glances back at me with wide eyes. Snapping his head back around, he grinds out, “Yessir,” with a nod. “You’ve got our word on that.”
I shoot Coach a smile, but don’t dare say a damn word because I’m ready to bust a gut.
“It’s nice to see you’ve got each other’s backs.”
I smirk as Jaxon glances at me. “Or something like that,” I murmur as I hook my arm around my stepbrother’s neck as we quickly head for the dorm.
He laughs, shaking his head and shoving me away from him. “Dick.”
“You don’t wanna even know what I almost said about us having each other’s backs.”
“Yeah, I figured as much.” He rolls his eyes, then gestures toward the building. “Not to break up our decent mood, but where do you think we should look first for Rya?”
“Her room. But I’m betting she’s not there. And there’s a chance Hazel will be. And I kinda don’t wanna commit murder tonight, but I don’t know what we do about that.”
Jaxon leads the way to the elevator, and we’re quiet while the thing shakes and shudders its way to the third floor. Moving quickly now, almost as if we sense the urgency the closer we get, we turn left off the elevator and proceed down the hallway and past my room. At Rya and Hazel’s door, I rap lightly, but there’s no response. Jax gives me a perturbed look, then slams his fist against it three times.
Nothing.
