Page 74 of The Jester and His Outlaw: Part 2

“Riggs…” Kai’s aggravation spills over and the air grows thick. Foxy slaps his shoulder, but he shrugs her off, his hazel eyes pointed heavily at me.

“Fuck… bro, she had a goddamn panic attack.” I shake my head, running my fingers up under my ball cap so it pops off my head. They are our friends—family—but I feel like I’ve betrayed her.

Foxy and Jensen both sag, but Kai is vibrating with tension. He curls his fingers into fists then lets them out. Jensen puts a hand on his shoulder, snagging Kai’s attention. Some sort of understanding passes between them, one that even settles me when everyone says nothing. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so upset. Maybe he has taken her strength for granted, like I have. “When?”

“Last night when we heard the news that someone killed Wethersby.”

“What?” Foxy gasps. “What did you say?”

I pause, cocking my head to the side. “What, you didn’t see the news?” They all shake their heads, and Kai shoots me another look of impatience. “Someone found Aaron Wethersby dead yesterday. Stabbed multiple times.”

“No shit,” Foxy exclaims.

“Are you serious?” Jensen asks.

Kai simply tenses further.

“I mean, unless the news got it wrong,” I mutter, shoving my fear back and trying to ignore the fact that my girl is a little late getting to lunch.

“This had to have been Jonas. What, did he kill him because he hurt Charley? Was Jonas really not a part of the attack?” Foxy ponders. “Fuck. Jonas is deranged. Has anyone heard from our girl?”

“Yeah, she said she’s on her way,” I confirm, but you can clearly tell how unsteady my voice is. My phone is sitting on the table and hasn’t gone off, but I tap the screen twice to turn it on, anyway. Nothing.

“There she is.” Jensen tips his jaw across the cafeteria. Following his line of sight, I glance over my shoulder to confirm, then leap to my feet. I can’t wait for her to make it through the line.

I need to have her in my arms now, so I stalk across the dining hall despite hundreds of eyes on me, wondering what the hell I’m doing. Eyebrows raise when I make it to a surly-looking Charley and slam into her. I wrap her in my arms and bury my face in her hair. An overreaction for sure because she’s obviously fine, but I can’t help myself.

“You’re late,” I growl.

“Take it up with him.” She turns us so I’m facing Chandler. “Apparently the professors and staff have turned into hussies… They stopped us three times on the way here so they could proposition him. I want to scrape the images from my mind.”

The guard chuckles. “You’re so damn dramatic, Chuckles. Is my dating life that bad to talk about? You should be happy for me.”

“You’re like my second father,” she says, voice dry and no nonsense. “It’s gross. I know for sure what was on those minds when they stopped us. It’s not dating.”

“That’s part of it.”

“I’m starving,” she gripes, ignoring him. I take the time to calm myself. She is here, she’s fine and in a seemingly good mood. A vast improvement from last night. “I really am sorry I’m late.”

I compose myself, pulling back to take her in my arms. I kiss her, letting my lips linger on hers for a moment. Her hand comes to my cheek, and the relief is damn near instant. “I’ve missed you.”

Her face tweaks with concern for a second, then eases to be replaced with a smile. Her voice is barely a whisper, keeping the conversation just between us when she says, “I’ve missed you, too. So much. Are you good?”

“Don’t worry about me, Outlaw, I’m fine. Let’s get you some food.”

“Yes, let’s. I’m so hungry.” I carry her tray for her through the line, all eyes plastered to us as we move along. Whispers carry through the room, but we ignore them completely. This isn’t the first time we’ve spent lunch together, but it is the first day of classes after the guy who recently attacked her was killed. I can only imagine the things they are thinking, especially with Chandler, who is clearly not a student, hot on her heels everywhere she goes.

Charley makes it through the line, then sits and eats her lunch, mostly in silence. Our friends are quiet as they watch her. After a while, she finally looks up. “He told you about last night.”

Foxy’s face twists into a cringe, but she’s remorseful, same with Jensen. Kai’s expression is blank as he meets her eyes. He’s clearly pissed that she isn’t coming to him. I’m going to have to tell her she can’t keep him out of the loop with how she’s feeling. She’s always told him everything, and this isn’t like her.

“I’m sorry, Outlaw, it really was a slip.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m not hiding anything from them.” She covers my hand with hers and gives me a smile meant to ease me. At this point, nothing will ease me. She’s here, sitting next to me, eating, happy, but I can’t shake the worry that something bad is going to happen. I’m ready for this day to be over with. Aaron is dead. The dean kicked Layla out of the University. Jonas’ crazy ass isn’t here. I should be able to shake this gloominess, but I can’t.

A particular group of girls that I haven’t seen Charley interact with, even though they play hockey together, keep tossing glances our way and chatting animatedly amongst themselves. Charley doesn’t seem to notice, but I haven’t missed a glare yet.

It’s only adding to my anxiety.

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