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Paling, she pulled her hand back like I’d bitten her. “I wanted to ask about Frankie.”
I stared at her a beat. Was she for real right now? Shaking my head once, I turned and walked away.
“C’mon,” Sharon said, jogging after me. “We all know what happened. I just want to know…”
I kept moving.
“She was my friend, too, you know.” Her voice took on a shrill note, and it carried. I wasn’t the only one who stopped. Because really, she was Frankie’sfriend?
“Is that a joke?” I rounded on her. “Really? You’re making jokes?”
“It’s not a joke…it’s—” She broke off whatever she was going to say and paled further as she took a step back. “I’m not the one who did it, Bubba. Why are you so pissed at me?”
“I don’t give a damn about you.” Harsh but true. “I thought about apologizing to you once. You don’t deserve it. The only thing I’m sorry about is I ever asked you out. Forget my name. Forget hers. Go away. I don’t care what you do, but leave us alone. You’re like a bad rash, and they make antibiotics for those these days.”
“Nice.” Coop slung an arm around my shoulders. I had no idea where he came from, but he looked right at Sharon and then through her before he glanced at me. “Just wave off the plague flies and keep walking. They eventually run themselves into doors.”
Yeah. Fine. That fit.
I nodded and turned away.
“Really? You treat me like I’m some kind disease? What does it matter what he did or didn’t do? She’s already putting out for all of you. What’s one more?”
Silence seemed to rock across the quad, and for the first time in my life, I wanted to punch a woman. Her yelp, however, had me spinning.
“Holy shit,” Coop said with a snort, and there was Sharon on the ground, nose bleeding and Rachel stepping over her. “Problem, Rach?”
“Just tripped. Nothing to see here,” she said with a smirk. “Rodent problems. This school is really going downhill.”
We were far from alone though, and a lot of people were staring, so I stared back. One perk of being on the football team, most of them didn’t know what to do when I glared at them, so they hurried away.
“C’mon,” Coop said. “Jake’s waiting.”
I didn’t bother to see if Sharon was all right, and honestly, I found it hard to care. Why had I ever dated her?
“What the hell is wrong with me?” I muttered as we reached the first row of cars.
“You want the list alphabetically or in order of highest to lowest?” Rachel. Shit, I forgot she was there.
“Not helpful, Rach.” Coop’s easygoing demeanor was enviable, even if I knew he was as worried as I was, if not more.
“I don’t know, I think if it saves shit for brains a trip to the proctologist, I can be very helpful. How is my girl?”
“She’s fine,” Jake said from behind as he swept past. “I’ll tell her you asked about her.”
Undeterred, Rachel stuck with us all the way to Jake’s car. “I’ve texted her but she hasn’t answered, and I’m not pressing because I know she’s got a lot on her mind.”
“Thanks for that,” Coop said as he dragged open the back door and tossed his stuff inside.
“I know she’s notfine.” The last she spat out with a glare at Jake. “So do me a favor, tell her I’m here if she needs someone else to talk to.”
I could argue she had us, but… “She’ll probably text you when she’s ready,” I offered her instead, and Rachel swung her dark-eyed gaze in my direction and stared at me. “It’s been a long week, and her wrist hurts.” Not to mention her other bruises. Bruises that made all of us livid, and she knew it. So I was trying not to react to them, but that just seemed to backfire, too.
Rachel compressed her mouth into a thin line and nodded. “Thanks. Just…tell her I’m here. I don’t want to bug her, but I also don’t want her to think she’s alone.”
I felt every word of that statement. “I will.”
“Let’s go, Bubba,” Jake said. He already had the SUV started, and Coop leaned between the seats from the back.
