“That’s okay,” I said. “He’s all yours.” I winked at Chase, and his smile told me he didn’t mind that I’d practically pawned him off on my inebriated roommate. I took a sip from the glass in my hand, and nearly choked. God only knew what Grady had put in there, but it was strong enough to knock an elephant on its’ ass. I relaxed, and looked around as we all filled up our small living room.
My non-date date with Chase was actually pretty pleasant, and I could see him becoming part of our little group. Sitting back, and watching the mayhem continue, I couldn’t fight the smile on my face or the warmth in my chest.
Because for the first time in forever, I knew what it felt like to belong.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Kennedy
IT WAS WELL past lunchtime by the time I arrived back from my trip into Brighton. The only class I had on Tuesday was cancelled, and after my date with Chase last night, I decided to take the morning for myself, and drive into town. I woke up feeling happier than I had in months, and the end result was a new haircut, some new clothes, and a new outlook on life. I came to the realization that I’d already lost so much, but that wasn’t an excuse to lose myself too.
I’d left a note with Jade, letting her know where I’d be, and switched my phone off before I even left the apartment earlier this morning.
I opened the door and found Jade pacing the living room with her phone pressed to her ear, while Grady sat on the sofa nursing what had to be a killer hangover. The drinking games continued, even after I’d gone to bed and Chase had left, and I wasn’t surprised to see that my friends looked like shit. Jade’s black hair was tied up into a knot on top of her head, and she wore nothing but an oversized Brighton U T-shirt. Grady’s hair was sticking up every which way, and he looked like a complete zombie.
“Reid, I’m not being silly. It’s been over four hours, and I still can’t reach Kennedy!”
She sounded frantic, and close to losing it. With a frown, I cleared my throat. “Jade?”
Her head whipped around, and her expression morphed into one of relief.
“Oh thank God! Reid, she’s here!” She ended her call, and crossed the floor to engulf me in a hug.
“Where the hell have you been?” She asked, her voice cracking. She pulled back, and looked at me with watery eyes. “I’ve been trying to call you for hours, and your phone was off, and I was worried sick, and why – what did you do to your hair??”
Jade switched gears from worried to shocked faster than I could blink, and I fought the laugh bubbling up in my throat. She was obviously worried, but I couldn’t understand why.
“I went into town. Didn’t you get my note?”
“No,” she sniffled, letting go of her vice grip on my arms. “I thought you went to class, and then when I couldn’t get ahold of you I panicked. Anyway,” she shook her head, “We have something more pressing to deal with right now. What’s up with your hair?”
My mouth tipped into a face-splitting grin. “Do you like it?”
Grady hadn’t spoken yet, but he rose from the sofa, and joined us where we’d congregated at the front door. “Honey bee, whatever the date with my brother did to you, it looks fabulous!”
“Good,” I replied confidently. “It was time for a change.”
And what a change it had turned out to be, for my hair at least. I’d gone to a salon, and after going through hair magazine after hair magazine, the hairstylist, Ziggy, had convinced me to be a little more daring than I’d originally planned. He dyed my hair what he called Marilyn blonde, making it look lighter than my natural hair color, and tinted the ends a light purple. I’d never been adventurous, but when I saw my reflection, I fell in love with the new look.
“Don’t you like it?” I asked Jade. Not that it really mattered. It was the first time I’d ever done something for myself, and while it might have seemed insignificant to other people, it wasn’t to me.
With pursed lips, Jade folded her arms across her chest, and replied, “I don’t know. I’m trying to decide.”
Grady rolled his eyes. “Ignore her. She’s grumpier than usual this morning. I’m still trying to figure out what crawled up her ass and died.” He sauntered to the kitchen, and started making a fresh pot of coffee.
I smiled, undeterred by Jade’s less than enthusiastic response, and placed my shopping bags next to the kitchen counter. “Does your mood have anything to do with why you drank so much tequila last night?”
Jade plopped down on the barstool next to me. “No. I just wanted to have a good time, why’s that such a bad thing?” She snapped.