Bender (The Core Four #1)(66)
“Rough day?” he asked.
“Very. These finals are going to kill me.”
Reaching around me, he slid my bag from my shoulder and placed it on his own. He did little gestures like that for me now all the time. “Better not, I have some new things I’d like to try with you before you bite the dust.”
I slapped his arm. “Shut it, Brooks.”
Chuckling, he grabbed my hand and started walking me through campus to the parking lot. We talked about the human body, and surprisingly, because of Camden’s job, he knew quite a bit of how things worked physiologically speaking. If we were talking about anything else, well…he was also pretty well versed in those subjects. Looks like I’d be hitting him up as a study partner later this week. We were almost to my car when I heard someone calling my name from a distance. Stopping, I turned around to see who it was. I brought my free hand up and shielded the sun from my eyes to try and get a better look. No way. Of all the people…was he serious right now? Luke was jogging across the field to where Camden and I had stopped. I risked a glance up at Camden and checked to see if he looked as furious as I was feeling. All I saw was indifference. What the hell?
As Luke drew nearer, he appeared exactly the same way that he always did. I don’t know why I would have assumed he looked any different. It had only been a few weeks since the Halloween party.
“Keegan, can we talk?” he asked, as he halted in front of me.
I frowned. “No, I don’t think so. I have nothing to say to you.”
He looked from me to Camden, then down to our joined hands. Camden still seemed calm and collected. “Wait, are you two an item now?”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but yes, we are,” I answered.
Luke shook his head. “Unbelievable. You went from me to Brooks, in let me guess, no time at all.”
I was quickly unraveling. I had hoped I’d never have to see him again, but apparently the universe was feeling extra cruel today. Every word out of his mouth was serving to fuel the fire within me to throttle this asshole across campus. “For starters, it doesn’t matter how long it was until Camden and I began our relationship. And another thing, I’m pretty sure you lost any say when you decided to play me in your fucking little fraternity games.”
He sighed a frustrated breath. Dragging his hands through his hair he said, “See, that’s why I wanted to talk to you. I need to apologize for what happened—”
I held my hand up. “Save it. I don’t want to hear your shit excuses. You knew what you were doing from the start. It was like ‘oh let’s pick the vulnerable girl and see if I can make her fall for me’ wasn’t it?” When he didn’t answer, I shouted, “Wasn’t it!?”
He looked down at the ground. “When I first spoke to you, yes.” He brought his familiar blue eyes up to mine. “But then I got to know you, Keegan. You weren’t at all what I was expecting, and I started falling for you.”
I think I was possessed. I released Camden’s hand and brought it behind me in a swing so hard that when it connected with Luke’s face I felt the reverberations up my arm. Tears were forming in my eyes from the rage I was feeling. His head twisted from the blow, and he looked genuinely shocked.
“No you weren’t, Luke. You were afraid of your little bitch of a girlfriend dumping you because you couldn’t win a bet. This was never about me, and frankly you could’ve cared less who you trampled on in the process. So fuck you, and fuck those assholes that you live with. People’s lives aren’t a game. Grow up.” I turned to walk away, completely blinded by the white hot anger rippling through me. Luke’s hand shot out and tried to grab my upper arm when Camden finally stepped in.
Taking a hold of Luke’s wrist, Camden bent it at an awkward angle causing Luke to shout in pain. “Alright asshole, you’ve stated your peace, and now I’m going to state mine. That girl you chose to fuck around with and hurt,” he pointed to me. “She’s mine now. You so much as look at her, blink at her, breath the same air that she breathes, or attempt to contact her again, I will break you. There will be nothing that she says that will stop me from putting you in the ground. You feel me?” Camden leaned in close causing more tension on Luke’s arm. “And for the record, she was never yours. Whatever feelings you think you may have had…they’re gone now. You didn’t know a good thing when you had it, so run along to your little buddies and tell them that this goes for them too. This shit is done. If I ever hear of another party like this, none of you will survive it.” He released him and Luke cradled his wrist. “Oh and just so we’re clear, your gym membership…it’s been revoked.”
Camden turned around and took several strides in my direction. Without so much as a backwards glance to see if Luke was still standing there, he cupped my cheek tenderly. I leaned in to his touch as his thumb swiped away a stray tear. I sniffled. “Sorry.”
“Huh uh. Nothing to be sorry about, Blue. But this will be the last time I want to see you crying over him. He doesn’t deserve your tears.”
“I’m not crying over him, I’m crying because of how I let myself feel. It doesn’t matter though, he means nothing to me. I have you, and I’m happy.” I tried to give him a reassuring smile.
Grabbing my hand, I winced. “You gave him one hell of a slap. Do I need to get you some ice?” He smirked.