Her lips purse together. “I don’t think that’s fair to Adam. He doesn’t know about this sick game and he shouldn’t have to be involved like that.”

I can’t help but feel the sting from her words paired with the glare she’s giving me right now. “Little, I’m not trying to hurt anyone. Adam will be fine, we’re friends and we have been since the first time we broke up. He will probably feel the same and it’ll be mutual just like before.”

She rolls her eyes. “Whatever. Keep digging yourself deeper and deeper into your shitty hole, Big.” Cassie takes one last chug from the bottle and jumps off the bed, storming out the door and down the hallway.

“What the hell was that about?” Jess asks. I stare at the door thinking the same thing as her words settle around me. I know she’s right about me digging a hole too deep to get out of. My mouth is the shovel and apparently it doesn’t know when to say stop. I feel the light disappearing, the dirt rising higher and higher all around me, threatening to close me in completely.

I clutch my chest, suddenly feeling short of breath. Jess turns back to me and her eyes grow wide. “Shit, Sky, are you okay?” She rushes over to me and grabs my shoulders in her hands.

“I’m fine,” I say, holding up one hand as I use the other to hold my forehead. I’m falling apart and I absolutely hate it. I need to pull it together, but I don’t know how. “I’m going to turn in for the night. I have class early and Bear is meeting me for breakfast beforehand.”

Jess and Ashlei look at each other and frown before turning back to me. “Okay, girl,” Jess says, letting my shoulders free. “You know we’re here if you need us, right?”

I nod, standing and walking toward the door. “I know. I love you girls.”

“And we love you too, Poker Star,” Ashlei says. I smile but don’t even bother turning around to let them see it as I walk through the door and down the hall to my room. Climbing into my bed, I pull the covers up over my head and inhale deeply. I will my mind to be quiet, to let me sleep, but it races with thoughts of Kip and Erin. Flashes of her laughing and him holding her hit me hard and I squeeze my eyes closed tighter. I imagine his lips that felt so perfect on mine touching hers instead and I groan, rolling over and pulling the covers up more.

Trying to focus, I draw in a breath and push it out completely, letting the hot air fill the space under the blanket. Slowly, my thoughts drift to me and Kip on the beach, the sun warm on our skin as we walk the edge of the water. I think of his eyes, his smile, his hands. I feel him pull me closer, his body flush against mine as he bites his bottom lip. I inhale sharply, wetness pooling between my legs as I remember the way it felt to have his fingers inside me, the way it felt to come apart at the touch of his tongue. I remember the way he felt in my hands, the perfect, husky groans he made when I stroked him. My hand drifts down below the hem of my sweatpants and I image it’s his again, letting my fingers graze the lace of my panties. A moan escapes my lips and my eyes fly open, panic setting in as I realize what I’m doing. Quickly, I remove my hand and throw the covers off, letting the cool air attack my sensitive skin.

Shit.

It’s going to be a long night.

“Gah!” I huff, my arms crossed tight as Clinton and I enter the cafeteria. “How is it that it was seventy-six degrees yesterday and then this morning it’s forty-eight?! I can’t handle this.” I rub my hands together and bounce a little as we find the end of the line. The smell of fresh coffee and bacon mix together in a magical combination that makes my mouth water. I haven’t eaten very well in the past few days and I doubt this morning will be any different, but at least I have an appetite.

“Psh, Floridian.” Clinton laughs, tucking his hands in his coat pockets. He towers over every other person in line and I glare up at him before sticking out my tongue. “You wouldn’t last ten minutes in a Pennsylvania winter.”

This time of year in Florida is always so strange. Random cold fronts still sweep through from time to time while spring tries desperately to push through. Half my sorority sisters are getting sick from the constant back and forth. But, honestly, as much as I hate the cold, I do enjoy the break from the insane humidity that always lingers in this state. Anything that makes a nice hair day easy to come by makes me happy.

“You’re damn right, I wouldn’t. Who wants to live in Pennsylvania, anyway?” I tease, nudging him with my shoulder.

At that he laughs. “Hell if I know. I got out of there as soon as I turned eighteen.”

“My point, exactly.” I smile, grabbing a blueberry muffin and dropping it onto my tray. We move through the line quickly and grab a small table by the window facing the fountain and library. Taking a bite of my muffin, I try to keep up my smile and focus on eating. Clinton is like a big brother to me and I know he’s worried. The least I can do is try to convince him he doesn’t need to be.

“So, how are you?” He asks, building a sandwich with the bacon, eggs, and toast on his plate. “I’m still kind of pissed that we haven’t hung out since Rush week.”

“I know, I suck and I’m sorry. But I’m good. Counting down the days to Spring Break. You?”

Clinton narrows his eyes. “Cut the shit, Sky. I know what happened Friday night, everyone on Greek row is talking about it. So are you going to tell me how you are for real or am I going to have to tickle it out of you?”

I smile, shaking my head. “Please don’t tickle me. Didn’t you learn your lesson last year, Bear?” Clinton has a thing for finding my weak spots and tickling information out of me. Last year, though, he didn’t stop in time and I ended up peeing myself. It was hilarious since it was just the two of us, but he’s laid off the tickle-method since.

We both laugh, but he takes a bite of his sandwich, waiting for me to talk. I sigh, picking at my muffin. “Bear, honestly, I’m okay. I’m not good and I’m not bad, I’m just okay. That’s all I can really say right now. I love you and I know you’re here for me, but I just really don’t want to talk about it. I got involved in something I never should have agreed to and now I’m paying for it. It’s my fault, so it would be stupid to ask for sympathy from anyone. Even you.”

Clinton offers a small smile. “I’m sorry, Sky. I don’t know what you got yourself into, but I know you don’t look like someone who just blew off a guy after using him to get back at an ex. You look like someone who was on the other end of the break up, actually.”

I shrug. “Well, there’s a lot behind the situation that nobody knows.”

“You like him, don’t you? All that shit about Adam was bull crap. I know you and you were over Adam the week after you broke things off.”

My chest feels heavy and I cross my arms, tucking them into my chest for protection and warmth. “Yeah, I do like him. But it doesn’t matter because Ex is into him and they have a past. And now they’re talking, which was what she wanted from the start. So, whatever, my part is done I guess.”

Clinton lifts a brow. “So you were playing him for your Big? Shit, I should have known. No one has a better poker face than you.”

I laugh, shaking my head. “Yeah, well, my poker face pretty much goes to shit when I’m around him. I’m pretty sure he knows I fed him a lie, but he doesn’t know the truth so he won’t call me out completely. But then again, he moved on to her pretty quickly, so maybe that was his plan all along, too.”

Clinton chews his food while digesting that little tidbit and I take a sip of my orange juice. After a moment, he looks up at me again. “I don’t think it’s like that. I mean, I don’t know the kid, but I saw him at the auction and the bonfire. He put himself out there for you and, to me, it seemed like he didn’t give two fucks about what anyone else thought. Including Erin. I think he’s just trying to get to you by talking to her now. Does he know you know about their past?”