“Did we win?” A yawn starts as my eyes flicker closed.
“We won.”
“When can I play again, Cap?” Sleep’s already pulling me under.
“I dunno, rookie. I really don’t know.”
CHAPTER 7
Victoria
(TEN WEEKS LATER)
“You’re still staring at that fucking phone.”
Jazz points at the device that’s been all but surgically attached to my hand since the day I met the elusive Loki. She’s not wrong. Part of me still hopes he’s going to reach out. As much as I didn’t want to get attached to the stranger at the fundraiser, I thought we connected.
Can’t say I thought he was going to betheone, but I figured he’d be a good booty call. Dude was talented with his light saber.
With a groan, I push my lunch away and drop my forehead to the table.
“Still nauseous?”
My forehead makes a squeak on the table as I try to nod. “That’s what I get for eating cold leftovers three days in a row for breakfast.”
Jazz’s eyes narrow. If her head tips slightly to the right, I’m in trouble. She’s got this shrewd awareness that I envy. The stink-eye, head-tilt combo means something’s brewing in her brain. I’m not normally on the receiving end of her deep thoughts.
Her head tilts.
Oh no.
“What?”
“Gimme ten. Don’t move.” With that, she disappears out the door of the cafe.
I must fall asleep, because when someone’s hand touches my shoulder, I bolt upright in my seat. “Ugh.”
Moving too fast brings a new wave of nausea. The half-bagel I managed to force down threatens to make a reappearance.
“Come with me.” Jazz holds her hand out, and I stare at it for what feels like an entire minute before I meet her eyes.
“Are you kidnapping me?”
“You wish. I left my duct tape in my other backpack.” She shimmies her shoulders at me. “Plus, we both know I don’t need to kidnap you. Come on, princess. On your feet.”
The very fact that she’s helping me stand up has alarm bells ringing in the back of my mind. She’s never this maternal. Do I look that bad?
I must if she’s so determined to be nice to me. Maybe she needs something. Maybe she wants my notes from class this morning. She was distracted by the guy two seats in front of her.
She doesn’t stop until we get back to my dorm room. It takes three tries to get the key in the lock, and as soon as the door opens, I drop my bag and make a beeline for the bed.
“Ah, ah, ah.” Jazz intercepts me, redirecting my trajectory to the bathroom. She turns me to face her, cups my cheeks in both her palms and her face softens.
Am I dying? I’ve never seen her be so concerned. She’s all party all the time. What the fuck is going on?
“When was your last period?”
“I had one last month. It’s been about four weeks.”
