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6
MAREN
Cris was waiting in the hallway, dressed, and talking to that girl again.
I felt him watching me, but ignored both of them and went to my room to dress. Checking my Insta, Jude and Toya still hadn’t responded to me.
Amber: I checked the back of my car, but nothing there. Troy said your purse is at his house. He moved it into his bedroom, and he said to check his closet. Just inside the door on the right. Jude didn’t show up for breakfast, but Luis was there. He said he didn’t see anyone carrying your stuff from the bar. Keep me in the loop. I can meet up with you later and help you search.
Amber: Also, Toya is acting weird. Luis and Troy keep glaring at her so I’m wondering if she hooked up with someone she doesn’t want us to know about? The theories that are in my head right now. LOL Ok. Bye. We’re off to the music store.
This was all annoying, especially having Cris back in my life. How had that happened? I hadn’t cared to ask questions this morning because I’d been in half of a panic, just needing to get away from him. He wasn’t letting that happen and letting him fuck me, bad move. He’d be insufferable now, but I still needed to search his truck.
He was still talking with that girl when I left the room, pocketing the key and moving their way.
He held out his hand. “I’ll take that, thank you very much.”
I glared. “It’s a key to my room.”
“It’s Ryan’s key, and once we find your things, you’ll have your own key back.”
I continued glaring at him.
He raised an eyebrow, waving his fingers at me to drop it in his palm. “Come on. If we can’t find your stuff, I’ll give it back.” He cocked his head to the side, so smug, taunting me. “Promise.” The crooked grin he flashed me told me he was lying. He wouldn’t give me the key, but I also didn’t want to stand in the hallway and argue with him.
“Fine,” I huffed, slapping it into his hand. He caught my hand before I could yank it away and tugged me to him, turning me around in a smooth move, pulling my back to his front. His arms crossed in front of me.
“Chavez,” I growled, a warning.
I felt his chest laughing behind me, but he didn’t let it out. “Just relax a moment. Let me introduce you to Lauren here.”
The girl had been waiting, watching us until that moment. She held her hand out. “Hi, I’m Lauren. I was at the bar last night.”
She had dark brown skin and was wearing a shirt that hugged her curves. Her jeans had paint splotches on them, but the kind where it could’ve been because she was a painter or because she bought them that way since they looked trendy at the same time. Big bright eyes that were skirting between Cris and me, as she was trying to hold back a grin. Her dreadlocks were pulled back with a hair band so they fell down her back.
I shook her hand, but also felt weird about shaking her hand. What college student shakes hands with another student? But it seemed normal to her.
“You were at the bar?”
She nodded, eager. “I went with Mac.”
I stilled. “You know Mac?”
“We had a class together last year and we got to talking yesterday. You came up in conversation.”
I tried taking a step backwards, but Cris was there and his arms tightened. “I came up? How’d I come up?”
Some of her slight grin faded. “We were talking about roommates and she mentioned your boyfriend’s name. I have a friend who’s obsessed with Hell Skate.”
That was Jude’s band.
“Oh.” Some of the tension faded, until the other part of her statement clicked. It took a nosedive. “Mac saw me like that?” My voice broke.
I missed my roommate. I really missed her.
What had I been doing the last few months?
Lauren and Cris were quiet, letting me process.
