Jaden (Jaded #3)(48)

“What did you think we would throw?”

I recognized that voice and whirled around, already smiling. Carolina stood behind me. Her eyes warm as she said, “My sorority knows how to do classy events. The wild and rowdy parties are reserved for next weekend.”

“Hey.” I couldn’t stop grinning.

“Hey, yourself.” Then she stepped in and gave me a hug.

It felt good. This was a friend, another friend. She wasn’t looking at me with judgment. She wasn’t yelling my name around to get attention. I sighed inwardly. I’d missed her.

“Looking good, Jeneve.”

I laughed softly, pulling away. “How’d you know it was me?”

“Raimler texted me, said to look for Zorro. I came down the stairs and here you are.” She shook her head, her eyes roaming all over me. “Shit, woman. I’ve missed you.”

“Ha! Aren’t you Greek royalty? Are you allowed to curse?”

She gave me the middle finger. “We can do that, too.” A group of people entered the kitchen, and Carolina moved around me. Grabbing two bottles of wine, she said, “Come on. Let’s go to my room where we can talk freely.”

“Perfect.” But I grabbed one of the cheese trays before following her up the stairs. When we got there, I didn’t waste any time. “Have you heard anything? What about Grace’s sorority?” My chest was tight.

Carolina was opening one of the wine bottles, but paused at my question. She shook her head. “What sorority?” She laughed softly to herself. Picking at her fingers, she added, “More than half of them transferred to a different school and different charters. The ones who are still here don’t do a thing. It’s like the entire sorority died with Grace. With what they did to you, then her murder, no one wanted anything to do with them. Whoever is left just goes to school and that’s it. They’re not invited to any party in the Greek system. It’s like they aren’t even here anymore.”

“That’s . . .” Karma? Ironic? Justified? I ended with, “Sad.”

“Yeah, well.” Carolina rolled her eyes. “I don’t mind.”

I looked at her.

She amended, holding her hands up in the air, “I’m sorry about Grace’s murder. I am, but I’m not about the house. They vandalized your house, then used her to get to you and made your friend be the one to shove you into that glass table. That’s cold. It’s karma.” She lifted a finger. “Not for Grace. She lost her way and got caught up. I believe that. I feel bad for what happened to her, but I’m not about the sorority. They hurt you, Sheldon. They deserved what happened.”

“Yeah, well.” Grace was still dead. That was all I cared about. “None of it matters anymore.”

“I know.” She frowned. “We’ve been asking questions, and no one knows anything.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, you didn’t kill Grace. We all know that, and we’ve been asking questions, trying to see if anyone knows anything, but they don’t.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry.” She sat next to me on the bed and looked down at her hands. Folding them together on her lap, she pressed them between her legs. “I know that’s why you’re here, seeing if we know anything. That’s what Corrigan said, but I told him the same thing. There’s nothing on campus about you. There are lots of rumors and guesses, but that’s it. No one knows a thing.”

That was . . . extremely disappointing. I couldn’t lie to myself. I bit down on my lip and tried to swallow the disappointment. It was a hard pill to shove down. I murmured, “I see.”

“If it’s worth anything, people are changing their minds.”

“What do you mean?”

“After your impromptu press conference, people are starting to rethink things. More supporters are coming out for you. A lot of people still think you’re guilty, but you’ve got people believing in you.”

“Believing in me?”

She nodded. “Yeah.”

I blinked a few times. No one believed in me. No one except Corrigan, Bryce, and Denton. Grace had believed in me, once upon a time.

She was gone.

Being with Carolina was harder than I expected. She brought memories back, memories of what she had already talked about. The sorority approaching me, wanting me, but getting Grace instead. She’d been so excited.

‘You're wrong, Sheldon. I like these girls. They like me. Is it really that big of a stretch for people to like me?’

She’d been so excited to be accepted, to be liked. That conversation was the first time she covered for them. She had lied to my face, saying she hadn’t noticed a thing when she had been the one who shoved me into that glass table, for them, because of them, to protect them.

Oh, Grace. I wish things had been different.

I drew in a breath. Feeling a tear, I could almost imagine her response. I smiled to myself, letting a second tear fall. She would’ve laughed at me. She would’ve said something about how things had to happen.

Never regret. Never forget. Only remember, learn, and keep jetting on.

That’s something she would’ve said.

God, Grace. I’m sorry.

“Sheldon?”

Carolina placed a hand on my arm, bringing me out of my thoughts. I jerked back, then smiled to cover myself. “Sorry. Sorry.” I shook my head, laughing at myself. “I feel like I’m being haunted by Grace half the time.”