Never Have You Ever (The Love Game Book 1) Page 7

  Just as I was about to follow Toby, there was another knock on the door. I swung it open and saw an annoyed Aniyah and a smirking Xander with his left arm around her shoulder.

  She slowly panned to look at the offending appendage before looking straight ahead again. “If you have even the tiniest desire to keep that arm, you will remove it from my body.”

  Xander’s cheeks looked ready to burst with holding back his laugh. He was clearly trying to get under her skin, but I thought he’d maybe want to choose a less volatile adversary next time.

  “It’s cool,” he said. “I’m right-handed anyway.”

  “Xander,” she warned with a clear desire to murder him.

  He withdrew his arm. “Everybody’s so touchy. Or, more accurately, not touchy.” He stepped inside the apartment, and Aniyah followed after, rolling her eyes.

  After I shut the door, I quickly introduced Sophia, who said pleasant hellos before excusing herself to her room.

  Aniyah took in the apartment. “Nice place.”

  I shrugged. “I like it.”

  She looked around but didn’t ask any questions, and then she and Xander followed Toby’s lead and prepared to get to work.

  “Anyone have anywhere particular they want to begin?” I asked.

  Toby cleared his throat. “I think it would be useful for us to answer the ethical dilemma questions first. Then we can have a solid foundation from which to evaluate our case.”

  “Makes sense to me,” Aniyah said.

  “Me too,” Xander agreed.

  So that was what we did for the next hour or so until a pounding on the door interrupted us.

  Sophia rushed out of her room to answer it. “Sorry,” she said to my group. She threw open the door and planted her hands on her hips. I imagine the glare she sent Carter matched her stance. “Why are you banging on my door like you’re trying to break it down? And where the hell have you been?”

  “Dude, you would not even believe what the last hour of my life has been like.” Carter skirted past Sophia like she wasn’t radiating anger and hoisted himself up on a ledge in the apartment. “Have you ever been at the wrong place at the wrong time?” he asked everyone in the room.

  “Every second of my life, man,” Xander replied without looking up from what he was typing on his laptop, his beanie pulled low.

  “Carter,” Sophia said as she grabbed his arm and tugged on him. He didn’t budge an inch. “They have their own work to do.”

  “No, we don’t,” Xander said. “Not until we hear why Carter was late.”

  “My car wouldn’t start, and when I finally got it going and started to reverse, there were nuns in my rearview mirror. And I’m not gonna tell some nuns to move, so I just let them continue with their conversation, but I’m pretty sure one of them said ‘Fuck you,’ so I don’t even know if they were real nuns. They could’ve just been some chicks in costumes—”

  “Okay, you can take him now,” Xander told Sophia.

  Sophia grimaced. “And we need to get started if you’re going to pass the quiz tomorrow.”

  “I don’t know why he has to quiz us every week,” said Carter. “Like, what’s the psychology behind the stress he puts us under? It’s gotta be damaging, right?”

  We all looked around at one another. He kind of had a point.

  “Maybe you can ask him tomorrow,” Sophia answered. “I’m sure that’ll go over well. Now come on. We can study in my room.”

  “Fine, fine,” Carter muttered before sliding off the ledge and retrieving his backpack where he’d dropped it. He cast another look at us and then did a double take. “Hey, wait, you’re that guy,” he said, pointing a finger at Xander.

  Xander squirmed, looking uncomfortable under the scrutiny. “I am a guy, yes.”

  Carter rolled his eyes. “No, you’re the guy. The one who tried to set the library on fire.”

  My brow furrowed, but it seemed everyone else knew what Carter was referring to because they stared at Xander, mouth agape.

  “That was you?” Toby asked, his voice sounding accusatory.

  “Holy shit,” Aniyah breathed. “You’re not just pretending to be an asshole. You actually are one.”

  “Hold on a damn minute,” Xander barked as he put his laptop on the ground and sat up straighter. “One, I’m not pretending.”

  “I know, that’s what I just said,” Aniyah quipped.

  Xander stared daggers at her. “And two, I didn’t try to set the library on fire. It was a cycle of unfortunate mishaps that nearly collided to form a devastating disaster, but thankfully this school’s security team isn’t a bunch of asshats, and everything worked out just fine.”

  “The top floor of the library was closed for a whole semester. We lost an entire section of primary sources about the Balkans,” lamented Toby.

  “Oh,” Xander said. “Then you’re welcome, because that sounds boring as fuck.”

  “What the hell are we talking about, libraries?” My question was treated as if it were rhetorical, but I truly wanted an answer. None came. “This is why you didn’t want to meet there to work on our project, isn’t it?”

  “It’s not as much about my wants as it is about school-mandated restrictions. They refer to it as probation, but I like to consider it more of a guide for avoiding prison. They said in exchange for my complete cooperation, they’d keep my identity under wraps, but”—Xander raised his hand in Carter’s direction—“apparently not.”

  “I know everything,” Carter explained. “It’s a gift.”

  “How’d they find out it was you?” Sophia asked. “Were you caught in the act?”

  “It was the librarian, wasn’t it?” Carter asked. “She framed you.”

  “Framed in the sense that I was in the frame of the camera they have monitoring that floor,” Xander answered. When everyone continued looking at him in silence, he groaned in frustration and rubbed a hand over his face. “It was an accident. Sometimes I get a little…frazzled. It’s hard to turn my brain off. But I’ve found that watching a flame flicker can help me zone out. It’s like meditation.”

  “No, being a pyromaniac is what it’s like,” Aniyah said.

  Xander shook his head like he was used to people not understanding. “I don’t usually even set things on fire. Watching the flame of a lighter is typically enough, but it ran out of fluid, so I had to use matches. The librarian must’ve seen what I was doing and came up the stairs screaming. She startled me—”

  “Damn librarian in that section’s a nuisance,” Carter chimed in, his voice dripping with disdain, like it was her fault the library almost burned down.

  “Yes,” Xander said, clearly happy to have someone on his side. “She is. Not for this, necessarily, but she’s not an innocent. I’m pretty sure she makes voodoo dolls of students when she’s not stirring her cauldron and collecting cats. Anyway, the match dropped onto a notebook I had on the floor, the paper caught fire, and I panicked, so I kicked it toward the stacks. Since she was focused on yelling at me, she didn’t notice what was happening at first, and I froze for a second. That’s all it took for the fire to spread to the shelves and the Balkans were history. Literally. It was a total accident.”

  “I can’t believe they let you stay enrolled here after that,” Sophia said. “No offense.”

  “None taken. And they wouldn’t have, except my dad said he’d pay for the repairs and a few other upgrades. And hey, it gives him another way to tell me I’m a fuckup every time we speak. It’s a win for everyone.”

  “Doesn’t sound like much of a win for you.” Aniyah’s voice was low and soft. She sounded almost…compassionate.

  Xander shrugged. “I get to stay in school.”

  “True.”

  “Well, in my opinion, you didn’t do enough damage.” Carter walked over and held out his fist for Xander to bump. “Not all heroes wear capes, my man.”

  Xander looked at Carter’s fist curiously before giving it a soft bump. “Thanks. I think.�
��

  “Okay, Carter, story time’s over,” Sophia admonished. “We have work to do.”

  “Coming, Mother,” Carter whined as he winked at us. “You guys going to be here a while? We can hang out after Professor Scrooge is done with me.”

  “Hey, you’re the one who wants my help, jackass.”

  Carter turned to look at Sophia. “Can we be real here? When I asked you to study with me, what I meant was will you let me copy your homework, write all my papers, and let me look over your shoulder on quiz and test days? I never expected any of this actual studying crap.”

  She put both hands on her hips. “Why would I ever agree to that?”

  “Because I’m a football player and you’re super hot.”

  “How do either of those things translate into me doing all your work for you?”

  “It’s unwise to ask questions you don’t want answers to,” Aniyah warned.

  Sophia put her hands up. “You’re right.” She squeezed the bridge of her nose and turned back to Carter. “Just…we either do this my way, or you can find a new study partner.”

  Carter sighed. “It’s too late. All the other smart girls are taken already.” He looked truly devastated by this fact. “See you guys later,” he said to us as he made his way down the hall.

  “This campus has some really interesting characters,” Aniyah said.

  “Yup,” I said. And it seemed I was destined to meet them all.

  S O P H I A

  Carter kept staring at the door like a puppy who needed to go outside to relieve himself.

  I smacked him on the arm. “Come on. Focus.”

  “I’m trying.”

  “You’re not usually this all over the place.”

  “I know, but I had a shitty day, and the people in the living room seem way more entertaining than learning how my brain developed. Who even cares, as long as it works, right?”

  “You need to stay eligible,” I reminded him.

  “I know,” he replied miserably.

  “Tell you what. Give this your undivided attention for twenty more minutes, and then we’ll go out there and get a drink.”

  “Yeah?”

  I nodded before pointing to his notebook. “Now read over your notes again and tell me what doesn’t make sense.”

  And that was how we passed the next twenty minutes. Carter wasn’t a dumb guy, despite the things that came flying out of his mouth. He just didn’t care about psychology. He was only trying to fill a general requirement, and for that reason, he resented having to put so much effort into understanding the material.

  When we emerged from the room, it seemed Drew’s group was also taking a break. Carter immediately began mingling with the others, and I sidled up next to Drew.

  “How’s it going?” I asked.

  “Really well. We all have similar beliefs in terms of the role of ethics in business, so that’s making the process a lot easier.”

  “Ah, you’re the good guys, huh?”

  Drew looked surprised by my assessment. “How do you know we’re not ruthless future moguls?”

  I tapped a finger against my top lip. “Hmm, let me see. That guy looks like he’s going to spend his life driving only electric cars and have solar panels on his roof, and the girl, while slightly intimidating, seems like she’s going to be a crusader for Greenpeace.”

  “What about Xander? He almost burned down a library.”

  “As a form of meditative therapy,” I pointed out. “What a shark.”

  Drew snorted out a laugh at my assessment, which made me smile in return. “And then there’s you.”

  “Me?”

  “Yup. A guy who goes to school all day, soaking up every bit of information he can, while also holding down a full-time job and helping hapless sorority girls out of bad situations. Total monster.”

  When Drew didn’t reply, I turned my head to see him watching me, a weird look on his face that I couldn’t decipher.

  “What?” I asked.

  He shook himself slightly as if he’d been in a daze. “Nothing.”

  Before I could press for a real answer, Aniyah walked by us and stared at a painting on the wall. “This is fascinating. Who’s the artist?”

  Her question was directed at Drew, and he shoved his hands in his pockets and stared at the painting on the wall like it was going to rip his face off. “Oh, that. It’s uh…”

  “God, you don’t remember anything,” I teasingly scolded him so I could save him from having to answer. “It’s a Paul Castle. His work is amazing. I stumbled across his Instagram page a couple of years ago and had to own some of his work. I bought this for Brody last Christmas.”

  My story was true. I’d bought Brody the vibrant painting on a whim but later worried it might get buried in a closet somewhere. Work like Paul’s was created to be displayed, and it would’ve broken my heart a little to think that no one would get to see it. When I’d moved in and found it hanging on the wall, I was pleasantly surprised.

  And as I stood there admiring the painting with Aniyah and Drew, my body filled with affection for my brother who knew fuck all about art but had hung the painting anyway. Maybe it was because he thought it made him look cultured, but I preferred to think that he hung it because I’d given it to him.

  “I’ll have to look him up,” Aniyah said before moving back to where everyone else was congregating.

  Drew held his palm up in front of me. “Thanks for the save,” he said.

  I quietly slapped his hand. “Anytime.” I possibly should’ve been worried about how much I meant it.

  “Sophia,” Carter called. “What’s going on with Aamee? Have you figured out a way back into the sorority house yet?”

  Aniyah’s head whipped in my direction. “You’re in a sorority?” Her tone was a mix of accusation and disbelief.

  “Yup. Zeta Eta Chi.” When her face scrunched up, I asked, “Not a fan?”

  “When I was a freshman, my roommate rushed with them. I went to some parties with her, but…it’s not for me.”

  I nodded. I got it. For how close most of the sisters were, some didn’t always extend that friendliness to outsiders. Hell, some didn’t extend it to their sisters either—hello, Aamee. Cattiness sometimes went looking for a target, and I wouldn’t have been surprised if freshman Aniyah had been one before she’d built all that armor she cloaked herself in.

  To answer Carter’s question, I said, “I think I found something that’ll get me back in the house.” I left out Drew’s new hobby of scouring sorority handbooks in his free time. “I’m going to call for a meeting to discuss it. Fingers crossed it goes in my favor.”

  “Well, I hope it works out for you,” Carter said. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”

  “Thanks. I will.” I cast a look at Drew, who was giving me a smile I couldn’t help but return. It was nice of Carter to offer, but I had a feeling I already had all the help I’d need.

  Chapter Ten

  S O P H I A

  “This meeting will come to order,” Aamee shouted over the chatting sorority sisters who were all gathered in the large living room.

  The day after the cramped study date at Brody’s place, I’d sent Aamee and Macy, our sorority secretary, an email requesting a formal meeting. I knew Aamee would try to block the meeting, which was why I’d also sent it to Macy. A formal request had to be taken seriously, and she was gung ho about her secretary role in the sorority.

  Macy then sent an email to all my sisters, telling them to mark their calendars for Tuesday of the following week. Everyone was told to make every effort to be there.

  Once everyone was quiet, Aamee continued. “Sophia Mason requested this meeting, but she hasn’t shared what it will pertain to. Though I’m sure we can all guess.” Her smile was smug, and I couldn’t wait to wipe it off her face. “So at this time, I’ll turn the floor over to Sophia so we can all get back to our lives.”

  Aamee walked over to a chair that she banned anyo
ne else from sitting in during meetings. She considered the floral upholstered monstrosity some kind of throne.

  I moved to the front of the group. “I know everyone has other commitments, so I’ll be as brief as possible. You’re all aware that I’ve been removed from the house due to a misunderstanding and an arcane rule that has been unfairly enforced.”

  “Here you go with this again.”

  I could practically hear the eye roll in Aamee’s words.

  “But as it turns out, Zeta Eta Chi isn’t a tyranny,” I continued. “The rules don’t begin and end with the president.”

  Aamee sat up straighter in her chair, her lips pressing into a thin line.

  “A sister has the right to appeal a decision if she feels she’s been treated unjustly.”

  Aamee scoffed. “And you think appealing to me will get me to change my mind?”

  I turned to look at her. “No. I don’t appeal to you. I appeal to them.” I gestured toward the roomful of women. “My sisters can reverse your decision if they feel it was made with bias.”

  Aamee launched herself from the chair so quickly, I expected to see a jetpack attached to her ass. “This is such horseshit. You know you were in violation of the rule. There’s no arguing that.”

  I shrugged. “Lucky for me, I don’t have to, because the first motion I would like to make is for us to hold a vote as to the merit of that rule.” I turned toward my sisters. “We’ve all had boys in our rooms. The fact that Aamee chose to enforce it only with me shows her clear bias against me, which guarantees me the right to appeal her decision. But rather than putting all of you into the awkward position of overruling her, I’d rather turn our focus to striking the rule from the handbook entirely. It would come down to a simple majority vote.”

  Aamee stepped closer to me, rage emanating from her. “And just who the hell are you that you think you can go around changing rules that have been in place since the founding of our chapter? Your mother would be appalled.”

  Her words stung, but I refused to let it show. The fact was, my mother would be appalled. As a former president, she held high regard for the position, even if a complete nitwit was currently occupying it.