Fallen Crest University (Fallen Crest High #5)(90)

My phone was now locked away. It was just Sebastian and me—until Mason would join us. I didn’t know how long that would be, but okay, here I went.

Sebastian was watching me as I stepped inside. He slid a drink across the counter to me. “I’m surprised you actually put the phone away. After Logan and the board meeting, I would’ve assumed you wouldn’t trust me at all.”

Yes, a sane person would have that reaction.

I let out a shaky breath, rubbing the palms of my hands down my legs. “Yeah, well, as you apparently know, a little craziness runs in my blood.”

“Yeah, about that.” He stopped, waved me in, and said, “Shut the door, please.”

I did, a full knot forming in my gut. “I’m in. Now, start talking.”

He opened his mouth, started to lift his drink, and then paused. “No.” He put it back down. “You start talking.”

“Excuse me?”

His eyes narrowed, and his nose crinkled up. His eyebrows furrowed together. “Why are you here? My friends and I beat the living shit out of Logan, someone who you call family and claim to love. What’s the plan? I’m protected here. There’s no way Mason can come in and punch me.” His lip curled up in contempt. “I doubt he’ll set fire to this house.”

Ah, f*ck. We were doing truth talk, huh? Okay.

I nodded to myself, stepping forward. “Fine, yes, your sister told me that she was supposed to invite me to this party, but she wasn’t going to. She was honest about that—right before she left.” I pretended to check my invisible watch, tapping my wrist instead. “And right about now, she should already be in New York.”

He straightened from the bar. His face instantly dropped to an impassive mask. “Bullshit.”

“I see the word is a family favorite.”

“My sister wouldn’t go to New York.”

“She did, and she went with your mother.”

A savage curse slipped from him.

“And I can see that she told the truth about that. Your mother’s not a big fan of yours?”

“She’s inconsequential.” Anger was glaring back at me. His eyes were almost sparkling from the emotion. “What did you say to my sister? She never would’ve left otherwise.”

“Nope.” I clipped my head from side to side. “Not going there. You can’t put that blame on me. I liked your sister, even after she’d told me she was your sister. She went on her own free will. Apparently, when she saw what you did to Logan, that was the last straw for her. You know, because she actually liked us and liked Logan, too.”

His head lowered. He kept his eyes pinned on me. “I don’t believe you.”

“I don’t need you to. It’s the truth. She’s gone, Sebastian.”

“Then, why are you here?”

I countered with, “Why did you invite me? I didn’t see any of your fraternity buds out there.”

He smirked. “Because this has nothing to do with the fraternity. I used my fraternity to go against you guys. This party?” He indicated the door behind me. “All of that is completely separate from the fraternity—or the lack of a fraternity, thanks to your boyfriend. As for why you were invited?” He grunted, lifting a careless shoulder. “You heard my grandfather. I was given orders to invite you. Though I’m shocked as hell you came. I hoped you wouldn’t, and all my problems would have been solved.” He relaxed back against the bar and picked up his drink.

The small satisfaction that I had been feeling went away. “You mean, you didn’t think I would come?”

“I mean,” he gave me a chilling smile, “I was banking on the fact that you wouldn’t, but here you are. And whatever you have planned, it won’t work. What am I going to do with you now?”

It clicked with me. Whatever his grandfather wanted, Sebastian had his own agenda.

I said, “You’re not going to do what Gerald wanted, are you?”

He shook his head, finishing his drink. “Nope. How did you say that? ‘Not going there. You can’t put that blame on me.’” He laughed shortly to himself. “Yes, my grandfather will be upset, but there isn’t a thing they can do about it. For one, they never reach out to do their own bidding. It’s the grandchildren who reach out. The elders, and even my father—those guys all think it’s beneath them. You see, it’s during college. That’s when the bonding happens. That’s when people are supposed to become friends, do stupid shit together, and all for the main purpose of f*cking up. You,” he fixed me with another glare, “are supposed to be brought into the fold, and we are supposed to become the best of buds. Well, Summer was supposed to be the best of buds with you.”

“What are you talking about? I thought you were the one who got Summer to befriend me?”

“I was, and here’s where everything goes sideways. Summer doesn’t even fully know what’s going on. She knows a little bit. She knows that your father is close to our family. She knows about your grandfather, but she doesn’t know everything. She was supposed to be initiated with you. And everything was supposed to be all happy, happy, joy, joy for the next four years until both of you learned the real truth.” He gestured around the room. “Look at this place. Look at the walls.”