Page 9 of Palm South University: Season 3
“This isn’t a good idea,” Ashlei says, her voice soft, but neither of us have time to respond before Clinton pushes through the crowd to join the three of us.
“What’s going on?”
I nod up to the freshman. “I think he’s going to jump from the roof down to the trampoline.”
“What?” Clinton turns, and then his eyes widen as he screams out, “No!”
But it’s too late.
The pirate jumps to the roar of at least a hundred people, all of them throwing their red plastic cups full of beer into the air with approval. He hits the trampoline, body flailing as he tries to gain control, but the bounce is too high. He flies forward as the cheers turn to gasps, and then he hits the concrete with a sickening crack.
“Oh, my God.” Ashlei covers her mouth with her hands as Clinton curses and pushes through the screaming crowd, rushing to the side of the freshman and hollering for someone to call an ambulance.
Skyler pulls out her phone. “You guys gather up any KKBs you see and get out of here. There’s too much underage drinking going on and Erin will flip her shit if any of our sisters get caught here.”
“What about you?” I ask.
“I’m going to stay back with Bear. Don’t worry,” she says when Ashlei and I both start to protest. “I’ll be out of here by the time the cops show. I just need to calm Bear down.”
We both nod, jogging off in the opposite direction as she runs toward Clinton and the now lifeless pirate. We gather all the sisters we see, ditching drinks and shoving them toward the door until we’re all stumbling back up Greek Row. When we get to the house, we all take our shoes off and tiptoe inside, retreating to our rooms or to the chapter room where sisters are camped out in sleeping bags for recruitment week.
“You going to be okay?” Ashlei whispers when we make it upstairs. “I’m going to wake Erin and tell her what happened. She needs to know before the morning and I can tell her we got all our sisters home safe.”
“Yeah, I’m going to wait up for Skyler. I’ll see you in the morning.”
We hug, both of us sobered up from the chaos, and then I retreat to my room, chucking my heels into my closet and falling onto my bed with a sigh.
The silence is deafening, my ears ringing from the music blasting all night as my thoughts race to the sound. I hope the freshman is okay, I hope Skyler gets out of there, I hope the Omega Chi brothers don’t get suspended. That last one is a futile hope, because after the shit they pulled during Spring Break last year, the ice they’re skating on is thin enough to crack with a finger flick.
My phone lights up with a text from Skyler that she’s safe in Clinton’s room but that she can’t leave yet. I sigh with relief, firing a text back and telling her I’ll wait up, then I find Jarrett’s number and request a video chat.
“Jess?” he croaks out, voice thick with sleep as his dark screen comes into focus. He flicks on a low lamp beside him and sits up in bed. Shirtless. “Everything okay?”
“Oh, shit, I’m sorry,” I whisper. “It’s late, I can call you in the morning.”
He leans up more, a sleepy smirk on his beautiful face. I trace every feature — the stubble on his jaw, his lazy, sexy brown eyes. I’ve missed him, and seeing him sends an ache through my chest at the realization that this may be theonlyway I see him for a long time.
“I’m up, beautiful.” His face falls a little. “Are you okay? Are… areweokay?”
I sigh, propping my head on one palm as I balance my phone in the other. “We’re okay. I’m sorry I even made you think otherwise. I was being a selfish, whiney bitch and I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry,” he says, rubbing a hand over his smooth head. “It’s a lot to think about. For both of us. I know I should have talked to you about it sooner, but it was a decision I needed to make on my own.”
“I know,” I assured him. “And you made the right choice. I support you, Jarrett. One-hundred percent.”
Jarrett smiles, his eyes soft on mine until he trails them down to where my cleavage is in full view of the camera. “You went out tonight.”
“I did.”
“You look amazing,” he says, shaking his head. “God, I miss you.”
“Hold that thought.” I pause our video chat long enough to text Skyler, asking for an ETA. When she says she’ll be there for at least another hour, I smirk, pulling the video chat back up as I slide one strap of my dress down off my shoulder. I bite my lip, eyes on Jarrett’s as I slide the other strap down and shimmy the fabric down to rest just below the hem of my bra. Jarrett swallows, running a hand down his chest and abs before it disappears out of camera view and he moans, flexing his hips.
“Show me just how much you miss me.”
Jarrett moves his phone down, the new angle showing me his hard-on through his boxer briefs as he strokes it under the fabric with one hand. I groan, eyes on his tattoos as I flip until I’m on my back and slip one hand under the lacy fabric of my panties.
We tease each other with our words and touches, sending chills through the airwaves with our moans, all the while fucking ourselves and imagining we’re fucking each other.
And maybe this is all I have for a while, but I’m okay with it. Because Jarrett is mine, and I’m his, and that’s all that really matters.