“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Good, because I meant it as one.”
Spurred by the warm fuzzies this conversation is giving me, I shift the subject, hoping maybe I can find out more about him. “How’s it been going at home? You know, with your family and all?”
“We’ve been ships passing in the night, but I guess that’s a good thing.”
“Even your sister?”
His voice takes on a detached tone. “It’s not like it used to be.”
I stop prying.
He asks, “How is it going for you?”
I tell him about the visit with the O’Learys, all the seeing and being seen. But when I notice he’s making sympathetic noises, I realize I’m whining, and I don’t like it. So I get him laughing instead, as I tell him about going shopping with Mom for Rush Week outfits.
“She wanted to buy me this atrocious pink suit.” Because pink and gold are KPT’s colors. “It made me look like a Jordan almond.”
He laughs. “You didn’t let her buy it, did you?”
“No. I put my foot down on that one.”
Before Leo and I say goodbye, his tone becomes serious. “Betts?”
“Yeah?”
“You know you’re not an ornament, right?” I have no idea what he’s trying to say. Something about Christmas trees? But before I can ask, he adds, “So don’t let people treat you like one.”
He hangs up and leaves me alone with my tree.
What the hell?
For all his steady, comforting energy, Leo has a way of unsettling me. Why does he always have to be so cryptic? The first night I ever talked to him, he had me parsing his every phrase. Is he coming on to me? Criticizing me? Helping me?
Now, months later, I’m still confounded. What does this man want from me?
And how much of myself am I willing to give him?
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
In the weeksince we’ve returned for spring semester, Liv has referred to Braden as her boyfriend four times. And on each of those occasions, I’ve had to bite my tongue. I still have my misgivings. He called her twice over the break. “Called, Betts, not just texted.” But that’s not enough to convince me they’re exclusive. I’ve heard enough locker-room talk at the O-Chi house to know what the Braden-type is looking for. If, for the time being, he’s guaranteed a wild night with a beautiful girl, he’s going to take advantage of it. As long as she’s adoring, convenient, and satisfying, he’ll keep stringing her along.
As she flits around our dorm room, ignoring the stack of homework on her desk, I try to share in her excitement. There’s a “welcome back” party at O-Chi tonight, and next week is Rush. She’s a live wire of nervous energy.
“I think it’s all gonna be fine,” she says of Peyton’s threats. “Braden says he’s seen Peyton, like, a million times, and she doesn’t seem mad at all.”
God, I hope that’s not because he’s sleeping with her again.
Liv holds a plum suede skirt Mom bought me to her waist andinspects herself in the full-length mirror. “If you’re not gonna wear this next week, can I?”
“Sure.”
She goes back to my wardrobe and, over the scrape of hangers on metal, whines, “She bought you so many pretty things. Must be nice. Mom and Dad still don’t want me to Rush. They keep reminding me I’mon probation.” She rolls her eyes and makes air quotes.
“Because of your grades?”
“Yeah. And they weren’t even that bad. I mean, I pulled out a C in Spanish and a B-minus in chemistry, but is that good enough for them? Noooo.” She curls her lip at me. “Not all of us can get straight A’s.”
