Page 7 of Don’t Leave (Stay #2)

Before I can nod in agreement, she’s dragging me away from Cole and toward a long stretch of hall.

I let Cole know what’s going on before getting towed behind her.

It takes effort to shove our way through all the zombies, ghosts, and sexy devils packing the hallway.

The line for the bathroom is ten deep and it takes at least fifteen minutes before we’re able to lock ourselves in the small space.

As Brooklyn uses the toilet first, I turn toward the mirror to assess the damage.

Like I assumed, it’s bad. My face is all red and sweaty from dancing.

I look like I’ve just run a marathon. I’m glad I decided to wear scrubs and nothing heavier.

Even though it’s the end of October and there’s a chill in the air, it’s hot as hades in here.

All the people crammed inside the house don’t help matters either.

After Brooklyn finishes up, we change places. She checks herself out in the rectangular mirror hanging over the sink. Unlike me, she’s not all sweaty or red faced. I narrow my eyes. Instead of sweating, she looks more like she’s shimmering.

Or glistening.

Bitch.

“So,” I clear my throat, “Austin…” Unsure how to finish that sentence, my voice trails off.

Her expression becomes pinched. “What about him?”

“Does it bother you that he’s here with someone else?” It’s doubtful she’d admit the truth even to me.

Brooklyn doesn’t miss a beat before answering. “Nope. Not at all.”

She slicks a bright red tube of lip stain over her mouth. Where she pulled that from is a total mystery because that bodysuit is more like a second skin. “I told you before, we’re through. He can see whatever slut wants.”

I smirk, unable to help myself. “I think the only slut he wants to see is you.”

She snorts before sliding the tube back into a well concealed pocket at her hip.

With a quick flush of the toilet, I wash my hands. Instead of arguing with her, I say, “Then I’m glad you’ve both moved on.”

She brushes off the comment. “If we’re finished up here, there’s a hot Kappa waiting for me.”

With a smile, I roll my eyes before we head back out into the hallway where everyone is smashed together like sardines. Brooklyn nudges me before nodding to the right. “Speak of the devil…”

One brow lifts as a grin curves her lips. Apparently, all thoughts of Austin are long gone.

With her attention focused on the Kappa, Brooklyn mutters from the side of her mouth, “Does my hair look okay?”

“Sexy. Just like the rest of you.” Brooklyn’s hair is her secret weapon—long, blonde, and lustrous with an enviable amount of wave.

I’m sure there’s a secret underground society of Brooklyn haters here at Western who would seriously enjoy scalping her.

Hell, if she weren’t my best friend, I’d be half tempted to hate her.

She straightens her shoulders as her gaze stays locked on her target. “Wish me luck, I’m going in.”

I lay a hand on her shoulder as she’s about to take off. “You don’t need luck. You’ve got great tits.”

One corner of her lip quirks as her glittering gaze spears mine. “Damn straight I do.”

“Try not tear him apart with your teeth. It’s such a mess to clean up afterward.”

A chuckle bursts free from her. “I’ll be as gentle as I can.”

I have no doubt that he’ll follow her around campus like a lost puppy dog come Monday morning.

With a swing of her hips, she strides over to the Kappa to chat him up. For a few seconds, I watch in awe because there’s no way I’d have the confidence to walk up to a random guy and flirt with him.

Already the guy in question looks a little dazed and confused by her attention.

It’s almost impressive how she can weave a spell around the opposite sex.

The smile lighting up her face is much better than the crappy mood she’s been in because of Austin.

As I turn away from Brooklyn and her conquered Kappa, I slam into someone.

My hands shoot out to steady the person I’ve knocked into.

“I’m so sorry!” I say as heat fills my face.

“It’s fine,” the girl says. “No damage done.”

Her easy demeanor has relief flooding through me.

Thankfully this girl isn’t going straight to bitch-mode because I accidently bumped into her.

I’ve seen it happen. The drunker some of these females get, the nastier they become.

Claws are unsheathed in the blink of an eye.

It’s a slice first, ask questions later kind of situation.

With a tilt to her head, she studies me. “I saw you earlier with a friend of mine—Cole Mathews.”

Any friend of Cole’s is a friend of mine. Especially since she seems so cool. “Yeah, hi. I’m Cassidy.”

Her smile never falters. “Jackie.”

One word. That’s all it takes for my heartbeat to stutter.

Jackie .

As in Cole’s ex-girlfriend, Jackie?

He hasn’t exactly been very forthcoming with information about her or their previous relationship. Even though I want all the details, it would be hypocritical to call him out for keeping secrets when I refused to tell him anything about my past.

From the little I learned from Sammy, Cole’s cousin and one of my hockey teammates, Jackie really messed him up. I’m sure that’s why he doesn’t want to talk about her.

I’m a little surprised to find her at this party, dressed as a super sexy nurse.

“Um, hi.” My mind blanks.

Is it at all possible that this girl isn’t Jackie-the-ex-girlfriend and is Jackie-the-friend-I’ve-never-heard-of-before?

Probably not.

It prompts me to ask, “How do you know Cole?”

The closed off expression that flickers across her face has my belly dropping to the tips of my toes. Even before she says a word, I know this is definitely Jackie-the-ex.

Damn.

“Cole and I grew up together.”

That’s all the confirmation I need to know who I’m talking to.

My gaze rakes over her with new interest, attempting to take in everything about her all at once. She’s taller, towering over me by at least four inches. Unconsciously, I throw my shoulders back and straighten my spine.

It probably doesn’t help.

Where my hair is long, straight, and black hair, she has a nutmeg-colored mane that tumbles around her shoulders in big, soft curls.

Even with the dim hallway lighting, I can tell that she’s beautiful.

And thin. Except in the boob department.

She’s definitely more stacked than I am.

Even with my padded bra, I feel woefully inadequate.

Her breasts practically spill out of the skimpy costume she’s wearing. One deep breath and her cleavage will pop the seams.

This is the first time since arriving, I wish I’d listened to Brooklyn and put on something a more flattering than these blue, shapeless scrubs.

The realization that I’ve come up short in comparison to Cole’s ex—literally—has me feeling churlish.

If nothing else, this girl gets a zero for creativity.

There have to be at least a dozen, if not more, sexy/slutty/skanky nurses floating around.

I almost wince at catty thoughts as they swirl through my head.

You know who’s to blame for the corruption?

Brooklyn. She’s such a bad influence.

Jackie nips at her lower lip before asking, “I was hoping we could go outside and talk for a minute.”

My brows rise at the unexpected invitation.

Even though every instinct is screaming for me to find Cole, I ignore it and give her a tight nod.

Without another word, she turns down the hallway.

I follow until we’ve woven our way through the crammed kitchen and out the backdoor in the brisk night air.

My gaze reluctantly drops to her ass. Of course, she’d have an amazing one on top of everything else.

As we step into the darkness, my eyes quickly adjust as silvery moonlight falls over us. There are a few groups of people standing around talking, laughing, and smoking cigarettes.

By the skunky scent that permeates the atmosphere, they’re probably smoking other things as well.

We find a secluded spot near an old wooden garage at the back of the property line. When we’re far enough away from everyone else, she turns to face me before wrapping her arms around her middle.

“I didn’t think it would be so cold out here,” she says with a shiver.

It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell her that if she’d worn actual clothing, she wouldn’t be cold. Instead, I bite back the comment. This is someone important from Cole’s past that he doesn’t talk about. I want to find out everything I can.

Unable to keep the words locked inside, I blurt, “I know you dated Cole.”

Her eyes widen in the bright moonlight that filters down on us. “Yeah, I did.” Glancing away, she shifts. “You know who I am?”

Is it my imagination or is there a hopeful note tinging her voice? “Sammy mentioned you.”

“Oh.” Her lips wilt at the corners. “You’re friends with Sammy?”

“We play hockey together.”

One brow rises as her gaze slides over me. “Sammy’s kind of a bruiser. You don’t look like the hockey-playing type.”

My spine automatically stiffens. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

She huffs out a breath before shaking her head. “It didn’t mean anything. Sorry.”

My eyes narrow, uncertain if I should take the apology at face value. And I’m not even going to examine why it makes me feel a little better to know that she and Sammy weren’t BFF’s.

“Are you sure about that?”

“Yeah. You seem so small.” Her expression turns to one of bemusement. “I’ll just bet he loves that you play.”

Instead of responding to that comment, I remain silent.

I don’t want her knowing anything about our relationship.

Only now do I wonder if coming out here with Cole’s ex wasn’t such a great idea after all.

I get the feeling that Jackie is sizing me up, trying to figure out if I’m competition.

When she makes another slow sweep of my body, I know I’m right.

“Why did you drag me out here?” I’m itching to get back inside and away from her. Not only that, I want to find Cole so we can take off. I don’t want him anywhere near this girl who once upon a time meant something to him.

For a long stretch of moments, she remains silent before saying, “Maybe I wanted you to know that I still love him.” There’s a pause. “And I want him back.”

Even though her words pierce my heart like a knife, they don’t surprise me.