Page 12 of The Casualty of Us (Philosophies of the Heart Duet #1)

Chapter Six

The rest of August and September pass with everyone falling into a rhythm together.

Ollie and Hayes start up football even though they both moan about being second-string and third-string respectively.

One as his lifelong dream of being a college quarterback, and the other as a dimpled wide receiver who doesn’t seem to care quite as much.

Marley quickly becomes busy with training for the soccer season to start up after winter break, but we make sure to do dinner together most nights in our dorm still.

On the nights she’s busy, I typically end up in the guys’ dorm, sometimes staying the night after we eat or watching a movie, but I still make sure to not sleep over more than a couple times a week.

And sometimes, I even skip a week here and there.

Everything about the school, from its rigorous academics to its picturesque scenery, makes it easier for panic to slide away from me some.

My mom would be proud, I think, if she knew about it all, that is, but our brief conversations mainly center around my classes and her bugging me for details about our group of friends.

Holden and I end up together more often than not when the others are busy with their sports, and I quickly decide that he’s going to be my marshmallow.

It takes a bit longer for him to warm up to me, but after about our third trip to the library and my exemplary literary names joke about us…

he quickly shows me that soft, gooey center.

He tells me that he’s one of ten scholarship students the school admits and that his mom named him Holden before she bailed when he was about three, leaving him living in rural Virginia with a dad who doesn’t sound too bad all around, besides maybe liking to unwind from his day by drinking a bit too much.

Our platonic friendship helps me out in more ways than one, though. It seems to puzzle Hayes enough to give him pause when it comes to the flirting and eases some of the worry on Ollie’s face.

Two birds with one stone, I guess.

It’s on one of these days when Holden and I are tucked away on the second floor of the library at a table we found in the back corner that we’re interrupted.

“I’m fucking dead,” Ollie gasps, making me look up in time to catch him and Hayes dripping sweat and collapsing across from me at the study table. “I think Coach is determined to kill me.”

I wrinkle my nose at his griping and groaning as they lean back in the chairs. “You stink.”

“I know,” Ollie snorts. “But this is important.” He looks around, taking in the ceiling-high shelves with the occasional chandelier hanging beside them and the fireplace in front of our study table. “Hey, this place is pretty nice.”

The increasingly surprised expression on his face makes me frown. “I’m really going to have to crush Mom’s Voltaire dreams when we get home.”

“What?”

“Nothing.” I shake my head as Holden chokes on a laugh beside me. “What’s so important?”

“The Ruins.”

I glance over at Hayes’s answer, catching the mischief in his eyes with it. “And what exactly are the Ruins?”

“Apparently.”— he leans closer to me across the table—“there’s an old church back in the woods that the upperclassmen use to party at instead of having to trek all the way to the nearest town.”

“And let me guess.” I look between the two of them. “You two want to go.”

“Yeah.” Ollie nods seriously. “Problem is it’s invite-only.”

“Count me out of this,” Holden mumbles.

“Nope.” I pop the p on the word, giving him a harsh look. “If I’m getting dragged into this, then so are you, mister, and you need to have a little fun.”

“I need to keep my scholarship,” he grumbles.

“Do you trust me?” I wait until he looks up, staring thoughtfully for a minute like he’s truly considering it before giving me a single nod. “Then don’t worry, I’ll make sure you keep your scholarship.”

He pauses again before sighing. “Fine.”

“Perfect.” I grin, looking back at the other two to find them watching us with rapt attention. “And you two couldn’t manage an invitation, why?”

They look back and forth at each other a couple of times before it clicks into place and has me calling them out. “You didn’t even try.”

“We were about to!” Ollie whispers back indignantly, pointing to a guy sitting by himself a few study tables away from us. “That’s Graham Bettencourt. He’s a first-string wide receiver on the team and the guy who told us about the Ruins in the first place. Apparently he’s the one in charge.”

“And you just…what?” I cock my head at him. “Stood there mutely when it happened instead of asking for an invite?”

“It wasn’t the right moment.” He leans back, crossing his arms. “You had to be there.”

“Right,” I scoff, looking back down at my history notes. “Well, good luck to you now. Can’t wait for the party. I’ll make Holden do a shot when we go.”

“What—”

Holden’s voice cuts out suddenly from what I’m guessing is one of the guys giving him a look before silence descends. Allowing me to answer a couple more questions for next week’s workbook on my tablet before the sounds of arguing start to intrude.

“You play the same position as him,” Ollie whispers irritably. “You should be the one to ask him.”

“No way, dude.”

“Why?”

“Because I’d like to move up one day, and he could very possibly make my life hell if I get on his bad side.”

“But—”

“It should be you,” Hayes counters. “You’re the one he was talking to when he mentioned it.”

“He was talking to both of us—”

“For Christ’s sake.” I drop my tablet with a scowl, looking up to find both of them staring back worriedly at me. “I’ll do it.”

Ollie’s mouth moves a couple of times before forming actual words. “W-what?”

“I said.” I reach up, finagling my tie looser and pulling it off quickly. “I’ll do it.”

Ollie frowns. “Uh, no, very cool of you, but I’ll pass on the help this time.”

“Too bad.” I undo a couple buttons on my blouse, trying to lessen the librarian look a bit. “I have homework to do, and I’d like to secure an invite to this place before we graduate, so what’s this guy’s name again?”

“Dude.” Ollie looks over to Hayes. “Help me out here.”

“Not sure I can.” Hayes’s eyes drop down to where I’m fingering another button in debate. Not at all to get a reaction out of him. “I’m having a lot of really conflicting feelings right now.”

“Goddammit.”

“His name is Graham Bettencourt, and he’s a junior who plays wide receiver, in case you forgot,” Holden supplies cheerfully. “Go get him, O.”

“Thank you, Holden.” I smile widely, standing up from my chair and shrugging out of my jacket. Not that my B cups are anything to write home about, but still. A girl’s gotta work with what she’s got.

“Ophelia!”

I ignore Ollie’s angry whisper and hang my jacket on the back of the chair, waiting until I’m already walking away to meet Hayes’s gaze and throw him a wink.

“Fuck.”

“Sit back down!”

Hayes’s groan and Ollie’s furious order both follow me away from the table, keeping the grin on my face in place while I assess my target.

I quickly take in his laid-back demeanor as he sits typing away at his computer with a couple of books spread out around him.

His short black hair is well kept and the gray sweater he has on is pushed up to his elbows, highlighting his brown skin that’s all cool undertones.

There’s a balance to his entire bearing and vibe that’s without a doubt attractive too and explains the guys’ reaction to me coming over here.

“Hi there,” I start, making sure to snag his attention before sliding into the chair across from him. “Graham, right?”

“Yeah.” He smiles back openly, closing his laptop while continuing. “And you’re Ophelia Fitzroy.”

“That I am.” I pop my chin in my hand, cocking my head at him. “So you’ve heard of me?”

“Everyone in the county has heard of you.” He chuckles.

“True,” I agree with a shrug. “But what have you heard specifically?”

Because it never hurts to have all the information.

“Depends on who you ask.” He shrugs, brown eyes considering me. “Younger girls say you keep to yourself mostly, but the older girls…stuck-up and some other not nice words are typically what’s thrown around.”

“Rude,” I snort.

He lifts his hands into the air. “Their words, not mine.”

“Forgiven.” I nod in understanding. “So listen, Graham, I need a favor.”

“And what’s that?”

I drop my hand to the table, making sure to keep our gazes locked while leaning closer to him and whispering, “The Ruins.”

“Ha!” He punctuates the sudden laugh with a quick shake of his head. “No way, you’re ballsy, I’ll give you that, but no way.”

“Come on,” I pout. “Why not?”

“First years aren’t allowed, they’re too messy and it’s a chill place.”

“Hmm,” I muse, narrowing my eyes at him and quickly trying to catalog enough for a viable assessment. “You have any sisters, Graham?”

“Yeah.” He nods, clearly confused but willing to play along anyway. “Two.”

“Right.” I take a short breath. “I’m going to be straight with you. I’ve had a bitch of a year, as I’m sure you’re aware, but living through a kidnapping can do that.”

“I…” He swallows. “Yeah, I’d imagine.”

“Now, imagine,” I push on, dropping my hand with a sigh. “Imagine if one of your sisters had lived through the bitch of a year that I’ve had and all she wanted was to get an invite to a party.”

He scoffs. “That’s not—”

“I’m not done.” I scowl. “This is truth time, Graham. Now, do you see the guys at the table over there by the fireplace?”

His eyes drift over my right shoulder before quickly coming back to mine. “Your brother and Hayes?”

“Yeah,” I agree. “So here’s the thing: if I go back over there without an invite to the Ruins, I’m going to have to deal with them moaning about it for the rest of the year, which really isn’t on my agenda.”

“I—”

“What is on my agenda,” I cut him off quickly. “Is being a normal girl. Do you know what that means, Graham?”

He shakes his head, and I take advantage of the loss of words he seems to be experiencing.