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After a round of Cokes, Flo, one of the girls, said, “How about something better, ladies? I have two sixers in my mini fridge.”
Sixers? I had no idea what a sixer was, though I assumed it was alcohol. Classes began the next morning, so I didn’t want to stay up too late. I went along, though. I needed to stretch my wings and make friends other than Brad, Patty, and Ennis.
A sixer turned out to be a six-pack of beer. I wasn’t crazy about beer, but I took a can, determined to drink only one.
“What do you guys want to do?” Flo asked.
“Truth or dare!” her roommate, Stacey, offered.
“Yeah, let’s do that!” Patty agreed.
I’d never played truth or dare before. My social life had been nonexistent the past two years. At least I’d heard of it. I wasn’t that much out of the loop.
“You go first, Stacey,” Flo said.
Stacey took a long swallow of beer and eyed each of us. “I choose…Patty. Here’s your question. Did you fuck your first nighter?”
Patty nearly spewed her mouthful of beer on me but luckily caught herself in time. “What kind of question is that?”
Funny. I was the most inexperienced girl on campus—well, maybe not anymore—and even I saw that one coming.
“Truth or dare,” Stacey said teasingly.
“Geez, all right.” Patty took another drink. “Yeah, I did.”
Really? She slept with that asshole, Rex? I liked Patty, but she needed to be a little more selective.
“Patty…” I said.
“I know. I know. You don’t like Rex. He wasn’t very nice to you that night, but he was really sweet to me after you and Jason left.”
“Why didn’t you like him, Daphne?”
“He seemed like a pig to me is all,” I said.
“He’s one hot-looking pig, though.” Patty laughed. “I guess it’s my turn. Flo, you’re the one. Truth or dare. Have you ever done drugs?”
Flo reddened. “I’ve smoked pot, and once I did a line of coke.”
Who were these women? I must have had that written on my face, because Stacey said, “What’s the matter, Daphne?”
“Nothing. I just wouldn’t even know where to get pot or coke.”
“Such a sheltered babe,” Patty said.
“Yeah? What drugs have you done?” I asked.
She giggled. “Actually, none, unless you count alcohol.”
“Such a sheltered babe,” I mocked.
Flo laughed. “Okay, okay. My turn. Daphne, you’re the one.”
I went rigid. No reason to be nervous. Just go with it.
“Where were you over the weekend?”
I wasn’t ashamed of what I’d done or where I’d gone, but I hardly knew Flo and Stacey. My weekend with Brad had been so special, and I didn’t want to taint it. If I told them, they’d make a big deal out of it, tease me for spending the weekend with a guy I hardly knew.
It was too beautiful to share just yet.
“I… I’ll take the dare, I guess.”
Flo’s eyebrows shot up. Clearly she wasn’t expecting that. “Okay, a dare. Hmm… I know.” She smiled mischievously. “You have to go downstairs to the guys’ floor and take off your shirt for one minute.”
Was she kidding? No way. Except I’d taken the dare. I thought quickly.
“One minute. Anywhere on the guys’ floor?”
“Yup. And you’ll need a witness. Patty, you go with her and time her.”
I drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Okay.”
Chapter Forty-Four
Brad
I hadn’t lied to Daphne. I was attending to business tonight, just not ranch business.
I had to tell Murph what was coming. My father had made arrangements with a licensed psychotherapist to have Wendy committed. The psychotherapist would be calling Murph about the assault.
I threw Murph a bottle of beer. “Let’s talk, dude,” I said.
“What about?”
“First of all, are you okay? After the incident with Wendy?”
“Yeah, I’m good.”
“You sure? Getting threatened like that is kind of a big deal.”
“I know, but it was Wendy. I know her.”
“Wendy can be pretty scary, Murph.”
“No shit. It’s got me thinking about stuff. But I’m good. I’m good.”
I nodded. “All right. Then I need you to talk to a guy. He’ll be calling you.”
“I’d rather not.”
“Why? Did she threaten you?”
“No.”
“Then let’s do this. A psychotherapist is going to call you about what happened. Just tell him the truth. He’s on my dad’s payroll. We’re going to get Wendy committed.”
“No shit?”
“No shit. It’s been a long time coming. She’ll be gone for good, and neither one of us will have to deal with her anymore.”
He didn’t say anything.
“This is good news, Murph.”
“Yeah. Yeah it is.” He hedged a little. “Like I said, though, I’ve been thinking… I found a new place. I’m moving out.”
Brick to gut. I hadn’t seen that coming.
“Wendy’s a part of your life,” he went on. “I love you, man, and we’ll always be brothers, but I can’t live with you anymore.”
“Murph, you’re safe here. Wendy’s days as a free woman are numbered.”
“My safety’s not the issue. You’ve got baggage, Steel. Major baggage, and I can’t be around it anymore.”
