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Well, not all I can think about. Because every time I think about her advice, I think about Leo. I know nothing about him except his name, the fact he was going to pledge the Kappa house, and he's a freshman. I could ask around, see if anyone knows him, or I could go straight to the Kappa house and find out how to get in touch with him.
Neither idea sounds appealing.
My brother would hear about both. I'd get a lecture. And who knows what he'd do to Leo.
"Evie! Wait up." My legs won't move any faster. This isn't the first time she's hollered my name. It's not going to be the last. She won't stop until she catches up with me.
I spotted her coming out of the library. Wanting to avoid any interaction, I decided to take a sharp left instead of continuing back to my dorm to resume hiding. I haven't returned her phone calls or texts. I get that makes me a bad person. A horrible sister. I'll admit to both.
"Evie Isabella Palmer. Stop running away from me." Her voice is close enough I know I won't be able to escape, so I slow down and wait for her to fall in step with me. When she does, I can feel the tension rolling off her. Wrapping her arm around my shoulder, she pulls up to a stop and then turns so we're facing each other.
"There's my favorite little sister."
"Your only sister," I correct her.
"Doesn't mean you’re not my favorite." I give Lo a shrug and avert my eyes. "Haven't seen you in a while. Where have you been hiding?"
"I've been busy, not hiding." Lie number one of the day. If this conversation continues, it'll be far from my last.
"That's not the story Sierra told me when I stopped by the other day. She said you've been a sad sack, moping around, and watching a lot of bad reality TV."
Damn her.
She warned me she wouldn't lie for me if anyone asked.
"I've also been doing homework, studying, and acclimating to college life."
"By staring at the four walls of your room?" And my ceiling, but I don't say that.
"That's not all I've been doing." My defenses rise with each accusation, no matter how true her words are.
Willow gives me a knowing look. There's not much I can hide from her.
"Listen, I'm not sure what happened, but I'm here if you want to talk. Whatever it is, don't let it ruin this for you. Your freshman year is supposed to be fun. You're finally out on your own. You’ll make friends that will last a lifetime. Have new experiences."
"Like Max will ever let that happen."
Willow's eyes light up. "That's what this is about. What did he do this time?"
"The same bullshit he always does." My voice rises, attracting the attention of a few people passing, earning us curious stares. "He wants to control my every move."
"Yeah, been there, done that."
"And how did you get him to stop?"
"I didn't."
Closing my eyes, I groan in frustration. Why? Why is he like this?
"You just have to stand up to him, Evie. Or if you really want to piss him off, ignore him. But don't let him win. And if you stop living your life because you are avoiding Max, he wins."
Willow places her hands on my shoulders and holds me at a distance. I can feel the tears stinging my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall. I want to be stronger than that. Iamstronger than that. And starting today, I'm going to prove it to myself.
"You found him?"
With a little hard work and some minor stalking on social media, yes, I was able to find him. Not that Sierra offered much help. She said she'd ask around, but never reported back to me. Which is probably why she sounds so surprised right now.
"He lives in the co-ed dorms on the other side of campus."
