Tempted (House of Night #6)(41)

Hi, Erik, Venus. Well, you guys have definitely come to the right place if you're hungry. Everything smells super-good. Erik's smile faltered for just an instant, but his acting skills were way up to the task of making it look as though he'd moved on, like, fifteen seconds after we'd broken up. Hi, Zoey. Didn't see you over there. As usual, you're surrounded by guys. Damn, it always was crowded around you. With a sarcastic chuckle he pushed past me, bumping Stark with his shoulder. If I shot an arrow and thought about an ass, would it surprise you that I hit Erik? Stark asked me in a pleasant, nonchalant voice. Wouldn't surprise me, Heath said. I can tell you boys, from personal experience, that Erik does have one nice ass, Venus said as she moved to follow Erik into the dining room. Hey, Venus, I have two words for you, Aphrodite said.

Venus hesitated and glanced over her shoulder at her ex-roommate. Aphrodite smiled her best mean-bitch sneer and said, Re. Bound. She paused and gave a bitchy smirk and then said, Good luck with that. It was about then that I noticed every eye in the dining room was turned to us and all the conversations had skidded to a halt. Erik made a possessive little motion with his hand and Venus practically trotted up to him. Slipping her arm through his, she mashed her boob against his elbow. And then the whispers started like someone had lit them with a match. "Erik and Zoey broke up!" Erik's with Venus! "Zoey and Erik aren't together!" Well, hell.

Chapter Nineteen

I never did like him. Heath kissed me on the top of my head and then ruffled my hair like I was two years old. You know I hate it when you do that! I said, trying to smooth back my hair that was already too poofy because apparently nuns didn't believe in flatirons. I never liked him, either. Stark took my hand and kissed it. Then he looked Heath in the eye. I don't like it much that you and Zoey are Imprinted, but I don't have a problem with you. I'm cool with you, too, dude, Heath said. But I don't like it much that you slept with Zo. Hey, just part of the job description of being her Warrior, keeping her safe and all. Okay, vomit, Aphrodite said. By the way, testosterone dorks, you should know Z dumped Erik--no matter what kind of spin he tries to put on it. Keep in mind she could do that to either of you if you get too damn annoying.

She unwrapped herself from around Darius, marched over to me, and looked me in the eye. Ready to go in there and face the pain-in-the-ass masses? In a sec. I turned to Sister Mary Angela. How's Grandma this morning? Worn out. I'm afraid she did entirely too much yesterday. Is she okay? She will be. Maybe I should go to her and-- I started to walk away from the dining room, but Aphrodite caught my wrist. Grandma's going to be fine. Right now I can promise you she'd rather have you figure out what we're doing next than stress about her. Stress? Did someone say they were stressin'? Stevie Rae jogged around the corner of the hallway with Dallas at her side. Hey there, Z! She enveloped me in a big hug. Sorry that I snapped your head off before. I guess we both have been stressin' too much lately. Forgive me? she whispered. Of course, I whispered back and tried not to wrinkle my nose as I hugged her.

She smelled like basement and earth and something else stinky I couldn't identify. Hey, I said quickly under my breath to her. I dumped Erik and he's hooked up with Venus-- in front of everybody. Well, that sucks like your mama forgettin' your birthday, she said out loud, not paying any attention to our audience. Yeah, I said. It definitely sucks. You gonna go in and face him, or turn tail and run? she asked with a wickedly cute smile. What do you think, Ado Annie? Aphrodite said. Z doesn't run from a fight. Who's Ado Annie? Heath asked. Dunno, Stark said. That's a character from the musical Oklahoma! Sister Mary Angela said as she tried to stifle a giggle by clearing her throat. Shall we have breakfast? Smiling, the nun headed into the cafeteria. I sighed and had the urge to run shrieking down the hall in the opposite direction.

Come on, Z. Let's go in there and get somethin' to eat. Plus, I got stuff to tell y'all that's gonna make your boyfriend issues seem like nothin'. Stevie Rae grabbed my hand, and swinging it, pulled me into the dining room. Trailed by Stark, Heath, Darius, Aphrodite, and Dallas, we found seats beside Sister Mary Angela at the same table where Damien, Jack, and the Twins were already sitting. Hey, Z! You're finally up! Check out the seriously yummy pancakes the nun cooks made us, Jack bubbled at me. Pancakes? My world instantly brightened. Yeah! There're plates and plates of this stuff and bacon and hash browns. It's better than IHOP! He glanced down the table and yelled, Hey! Pass the pancakes! Platters started to clatter our way, and my mouth began to water. I seriously heart me some pancakes. We like French toast better, Shaunee said.

Yeah, it's not as mushy, Erin said. Pancakes aren't mushy, Jack said. Merry meet, Z, Damien spoke up, obviously defusing a pancake debate. Merry meet, I smiled at him. Hey, except for your poofy hair you look lots better than you did before, Jack said. Thanks. I think. I said it through a big bite of pancake. I think she looks amazing, Stark said from where he was sitting a little way down the table. Me, too. I like Zoey's bed head, Heath grinned at me. I was rolling my eyes at both of them when Erik's voice drifted across the room to me. Really, really crowded over there. His back was turned to us, but that didn't stop his voice from projecting obnoxiously. Why couldn't breakups be easy? Why couldn't Erik just not be a butt? Because you really hurt his feelings flitted through my mind, but I was sick of being worried about Erik's feelings.

He'd been a possessive jerk! And what a damn hypocrite. He'd called me a ho, but it'd taken him less than a day to hook up with someone else. Jeesh. Wait, Erik's with Venus? Jack's voice caught my attention. We broke up last night, I said, nonchalantly forking pancakes onto my plate and waving at Erin to pass me the platter of bacon. Yeah, that's what Aphrodite told us. But now he's with Venus? Just like that? Jack repeated, staring at Erik and the aforementioned Venus, who was spider monkeying all over him so much that I was shocked that he could eat. I thought he was a nice guy. Jack sounded totally young and disillusioned, like Erik had just burst his perfect-guy bubble. I shrugged. It's okay, Jack. Erik's not really a bad guy. We're just bad together, I said, hating how upset Jack looked. Wanting to change the subject, I announced, Aphrodite had another vision.