Page 27 of Exes That Puck (The Honey Badger Puckers #4)

My phone buzzes while I’m staring at a project that is so close to being done. I need to finish this last part and send it off to the next person to finish it.

Ava:Can you come while I grab my stuff? Safety in numbers.

I don’t even hesitate. Anything to get out of homework right now.

Kara: On my way.

When Zeke’s truck pulls up in front of my dorm, I smile at Zeke and Ava sitting in the front and then I open the door and sitting in the back is… the girl Zeke used to sleep with. Also known as Ava’s friend.

“Sorry,” I say, shutting the door because she just stared at me. I awkwardly walk behind the truck and get in behind Zeke. I catch his eye in the mirror.

“Kara, this is Brianne,” Ava says, turning around. “My best friend. Brie, this is Kara.”

Something cold settles in my stomach. Brianne. I’ve never met her, but I heard that name before from Zeke’s mouth when I asked him to list all the girls he’s ever slept with. Bad idea by the way to go through a list of who he was in and who was in me.

Brianne smiles politely but there’s something assessing in her eyes as she looks at me.

“Nice to meet you,” I say.

“You, too.”

I pull out my phone and text Payton quickly.

Kara:Did you know that Zeke’s ex was in town?

No immediate response.

Zeke is watching me in the mirror, but I just smile at him.

Willy’s apartment smells like stale beer and that cologne he wears too much of. Zeke stays in the truck to avoid any confrontation. Ava wasn’t sure if Willy was going to be here.

Ava moves through the space grabbing clothes from the dresser and books from the nightstand. Brianne and I follow her lead, packing toiletries and picture frames into boxes without much conversation.

“So, you and Zeke, right?” Brianne asks quietly while Ava’s in the closet.

I glance over at her, not expecting her to talk to me. “Yeah,” I say.

She pauses. “Ava mentioned you and Zeke have been on and off.”

Heat creeps up my neck. “Yeah, we’re figuring things out.”

“That’s good. Zeke’s a good guy when he wants to be.”

Something in her tone makes me look at her more closely. There’s familiarity there, the kind that comes from personal experience.

Before I can process that thought fully, keys jangle in the front door.

“Shit,” Ava mutters.

Willy walks in and stops short when he sees us, his expression cycling through surprise, hope, and something that might be panic.

“Baby,” he says automatically, the endearment slipping out like muscle memory. “I’ve been waiting for you to come back. Can we talk? Are you packing your stuff? Please don’t leave like this. Talk to me.”

My chest tightens reflexively from his desperate tone, the pet name, the immediate plea to talk. It’s so familiar it makes my skin crawl. I grab a box and hold it close.

“We’ll be out in ten minutes,” I say calmly.

But Willy’s not listening to me. His focus is entirely on Ava, who’s gone very still in the doorway of the bedroom.

“You read my messages wrong,” he says, voice rising slightly. “Those girls didn’t mean anything. You’re overreacting.”

I watch Ava’s resolve start to crumble. Her shoulders drop, and for a moment she looks like she might actually engage with his bullshit.

“We don’t need your version today,” I say, keeping my voice low but firm. No lecture, no scene. We’re grabbing her things and leaving.

I’m watching Ava nearly fold, and all I can think about is how many times my friends have had to pick up my pieces after fights with Zeke. How exhausting it must have been for them to keep putting me back together.

I text Zeke quickly.

Kara: Willy showed, but we’re fine. Don’t come up.

When I look up, Willy tries one more time with Ava. He reaches out to her. “Baby, please—”

Ava jerks away from his touch. “Don’t touch me.” Her voice is steady now, stronger than it’s been all day.

We finish packing in tense silence, Willy hovering nearby making occasional comments that we all ignore. When we finally leave, loaded down with boxes, Ava is shaking slightly but her head is held high.

In the stairwell, she stops and leans against the wall, breathing hard.

“I didn’t cry,” she says, half-laughing. “I wanted to, but I didn’t.”

“That’s huge,” I tell her, and I mean it because I would be a freaking mess. She lived with him, so I can’t imagine how much guts it takes to breakup with him.

When we reach the parking lot, Zeke’s truck is idling at the curb. He stays inside. He doesn’t storm the building or demand to know what happened with Willy. Just waits.

He gets out only when he sees us with boxes, silently helping load everything into the truck bed. No questions, no protective posturing. Ava catches my eye and mouths “thank you, girls” to both me and Brianne.

The ride back to campus is quiet, filled with a tension I can’t quite identify. Maybe it’s just the aftermath of the confrontation, or maybe it’s something else.

They drop me off at my dorm with promises to hang out soon. Zeke just waves at me with tension in his jaw. When I reach my room, Payton’s getting ready to go out.

“How was it?” she asks, applying mascara in the mirror.

“Willy showed up, but Ava handled it well.” I pause. “Did you get my text about Brianne?”

Her eyes widen. “Shit, I forgot to text back. Sorry, I was in the middle of doing something, and I completely forgot.” She’s throwing her arms around animatedly, clearly guilty.

“It’s okay,” I say, plopping on my bed and grabbing my laptop.

Her lips pull to the side, showing her teeth. “How was that?”

I shrug. “Today wasn’t about me and Zeke. Ava asked me to be there for her, so I was, and it was fine.”

Payton returns to her mirror and says, “Well, if Ava is treating you well. It’s a good sign.”

I didn’t think of it like that. “Yeah. You’re right.”

“I’m always right,” she says with a grin, then returns to her mirror for lipstick.

I open the project I’ve been avoiding all day. It’s so close to finished that I force myself to focus, typing while Payton gets ready on her side of the room.

“What time will you be back?” I ask as she grabs her purse.

She grins mysteriously. “Probably tomorrow.”

My eyes widen. “Payton! Are you getting some tonight?”

She scrunches her nose and laughs. “See you later.”

“With who? Is it Wolf Boy?” I call after her, but she just presses her finger to her lips and disappears into the hallway.

I’m still smiling when I pick up my phone.

Kara:Guess who has her dorm all to herself?

Zeke:I’ll be there in 20.

I toss my phone aside and dive back into my project, fingers flying across the keyboard. Only a few more paragraphs and I’ll be done. The thought of having Zeke here for the entire night makes it impossible to concentrate properly.

When there’s a knock at my door, I scramble with my laundry that’s been sitting in a pile for almost a week. I shove it in my closet, close it up, and then walk to the door. When I open it, Zeke is standing there with his hands in his pockets. My stomach fills with butterflies as he blinks.

“Hey,” he says.

“Hi,” I say, fixing my posture. “You gave me only fifteen minutes.”

He points behind him. “I can come back in five.”

I laugh, stepping aside to let him in.

“So,” he says, walking in. “What were you going to do with the extra five minutes?” He sits down on my bed and says, “I want to watch.”

I press my lips together, catching his attention when I start chewing on my bottom lip. I walk to my desk and start organizing.

He stands behind me and says, “You don’t have to clean for me.” His breath on the back of my neck. “I already know you’re messy.”

“Hey,” I say, elbowing him. He grabs my elbow and starts tickling my ribs. I burst into laughter, trying to push him away. “Stop!”

He smiles, shaking his head. I knock down almost everything on my desk, trying to get away from him.

Then he’s cupping my cheek and kissing me. I grab his face and kiss him back. Our tongues slip out, tangling together.

Then I bite his lip, pull back, and moan. When I let it go, he smirks at me.

“You’re the best ex-boyfriend, you know that?” I whisper.

He lets out a low laugh. Then he’s looking at the ceiling and groaning. “Ahhhhhh.”

He’s a lot taller than I am, so seeing him from this angle means all I see is his Adam’s apple, which I love, so I kiss it. I pull at his neck.

“You’re much better as an ex than when we were together.”

He grabs my hips and rests his face on my shoulder near my neck. “Okay.” He takes a step back and pops his lips. “What’re we eating for dinner?”

I shrug. “I’ll find something in the communal kitchen.”

“And me?” he asks.

I shrug. “I’ll feed you some noodles.”

He lets out a small laugh as he wipes his mouth. “Okay. What’re we doing tonight?”

I rest my weight on one leg and say, “Suddenly we have to be doing something?”

He purposely frowns, glancing at me. He looks annoyed as he says, “I just thought we could watch a movie or something.”

I nod. “Yeah, we can do that.”

My phone buzzes, so I pick it up and see a text from Annie. “Uh…” I say, reading her text. I put my phone on my desk and say, “I’ll be right back.” I open my closet and grab a few novels that Annie let me borrow. “Annie needs these.” I wave them in the air.

He nods quietly.

I look at my phone, wondering if I should leave it or take it then a knock on the door distracts me.

“I’ll be right there,” I call out.

When I open the door, Annie is walking to the next door. I shut the door behind me quickly, trying to hide that my ex is in my room right now.

“Hey,” I say, holding out the books.

She knocks on the next door and says, “Shit, I’m knocking on the wrong doors.”

We start laughing as I hand over the books.

“Thank you,” she smiles, taking the books. We’re quiet for a moment and then she asks, “How are you doing?”

I offer a smile. “I’m good. You?”

She ignores my question and says, “I heard about you and Zeke. Are you okay?”

I nod once, not knowing how to react. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that outside of my bubble, the world thinks I’m broken up with Zeke.

“I’m good. Yeah. How are you?”

She rolls her eyes, holding up the books. “Just the usual. But hey, if you wanna go grab a bite sometime, I would love to catch up.”

I nod as she starts walking away. “Thanks for letting me borrow the books.”

When I turn around, my dorm room door is opening. And when I see Zeke’s face, my stomach drops.

“What is it?” I ask. Something is really wrong. He’s pissed.

He shakes his head at me.

“Zeke,” I say, reaching for him, but he yanks away from me.

“Look at your phone,” he mutters, and my stomach clenches.

My phone?

“Zeke,” I call out. “You’re going through my phone?”

He waves me off and storms away.