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“I’m sorry.” She whispers.
I exhale in relief. “I’m just really worried. You mean more to me than anyone, and I don’t want something to happen to you.”
Her body tenses slightly. “I’ll get better. Just promise you won’t tell anyone else.”
“I promise.”
THE FOLLOWING FEW DAYS I notice she is actually trying. However, she’s also been going out with Bree a lot more than she used to. I can’t say I blame her. She probably feels like a child, being watched by Dawson while she’s at work and by me when she’s not. Jo said she probably just needs space, and that’s more than understandable. I just hope I haven’t pushed too far.
I’m standing in my kitchen, watching the party go on around me. Seeing people all over each other makes me wish Kayleigh was here. Instead, she said she was going out with Bree and her friends Paige and Addison. I was a little disappointed when she told me but I didn’t say anything about it. She’s allowed to have a life outside of me.
“Hey Holden?” Landon, a freshman in our fraternity, says to me. He’s the same one I had check on Kayleigh at the coffee house a couple months ago.
“What’s up?” Normally the new guys don’t talk to us at parties, too intimidated and afraid they’ll say something wrong.
“I, uh.” He stops.
I start to get annoyed. “Just spit it out dude.”
“Your girlfriend is at Phi Sigma Alpha.” He blurts, his eyes widening when he realizes what he just said.
My blood boils as Jason, Caleb, and Jesse all stop to look at me – they heard it, too. Phi Sigma Alpha is our rival fraternity on campus. It’s not because they’re another frat. We get along with everyone else just fine. No, it’s because their parties are known for getting out of control. The house is like a drug den and girls go there needing to be fully aware that they may get slipped something and wake up in the morning not knowing what happened. The thought of Kayleigh being there has me on the verge of vomiting.
I grip the countertop as Landon shows me a picture someone posted on Instagram. Sure enough, you can see Kayleigh in the background, sitting next to Bree and talking to some girl. It seems innocent enough but I don’t like that she’s there in the first place.
“What are you going to do?” Jesse asks, placing his hand on my shoulder.
I mentally sort through my options. I could go there and force her to leave, but the chances of me getting into a fight with someone are high and Kayleigh may hate me for embarrassing her. That’s out. I could text her and tell her I know where she is – make her come home. Then again, I’m already pushing my luck with how intrusive and controlling Dawson and I have been lately. Fuck, I can’t win.
“Alright.” I focus my attention on Landon. “Grab one of your friends. I want you both to go over there and keep an eye on her.”
“You’re not going to make her leave?!” Caleb balks.
I shake my head. “I’m her boyfriend
, not her father. She brought herself there on her own free will. I just want to make sure she doesn’t get hurt.” I turn back to Landon. “You tell no one who you are. Come up with a fake name. Don’t let her see you, either. She may recognize you. If she’s in any kind of danger, you call me.” He nods and quickly goes to walk away. “And Landon!” He stops, turning back around. “Change your fucking shirt.”
He looks down at the big Kappa Delta Phi symbol stretched across his gray t-shirt and chuckles at his own stupidity before running up the stairs. Damn freshman.
Chapter Twenty Six
I sit in my car as I wait for Jordan to show up. He texted, asking to meet because he has something to tell me. I find it kind of odd. We’re friends and all but he’s never asked to talk about something in person. A part of me wonders how serious it could be.
It’s been a week since Kayleigh went to the party at Phi Sigma Alpha and I haven’t told her I know anything about it. She lied about where she was, of course, but from what Landon saw, she didn’t do anything bad. By the time he got there, she was dancing with some girl and ended up leaving with Bree later that night. She slept at her dorm but that’s probably because she didn’t leave until nearly two in the morning and she didn’t want me to ask questions.
Jordan taps on the passenger side window, pulling me from my thoughts. I unlock the door and he climbs in. He looks more nervous than I’ve ever seen him.
“What’s up? You okay?” I question.
“Yeah, yeah.” He waves it off. “I just…” He stops and changes the direction of his words. “You’re dating Kayleigh Jacobs, right?”
This is about Kayleigh? “Uh, yeah.” I answer hesitantly.
“Then there’s something you should know.” My stomach drops as I wait for him to continue. “Your girlfriend is doing coke.”
A small laugh bubbles out of my mouth. It slowly builds until I’m cracking up hysterically. Is this some kind of sick joke? Are we talking about the same Kayleigh Jacobs? The girl who barely drank as of a couple months ago? Jordan watches as I get my laughter under control.
“Sorry, man, but you’ve got your information twisted. There is no way in hell she’s doing that shit.”
