3 Conjuring Read online

  “This is good for you. That is just some congealed cheese on a plate.”

  “Don’t forget the pasta.”

  “Fine. It’s congealed cheese and pasta on a plate.”

  “And it tastes good,” Kelsey said, happily digging into her own dinner. She usually ate a balanced diet, but she did have certain indulgences.

  Aric shook his head but started picking at his own plate ruefully. After a few bites, he turned back to me. “I would have taken you out to dinner.”

  “My parents paid for the meal plan, I might as well use it. Stop complaining.”

  “I’m not complaining.”

  “You’re complaining and it’s bumming me out,” Kelsey muttered. “It’s bumming us all out.”

  “See,” I teased. “You’re bumming us out. Shut up and eat your dinner.”

  “Yes ma’am.”

  After that, dinner conversation turned to the mundane. We chatted about our first day of classes and plans for the weekend – which seemed like a long way off. Aric listened to our chatter, smiling through most of it, until something behind my back caught his eye.

  “What is it?”

  “Don’t turn around,” Aric said grimly.

  “Why?”

  “Just don’t turn around.”

  Of course I turned around. I immediately wished I hadn’t. “What is she doing here?”

  “Jessica!” Laura got to her feet and waved. “Over here!”

  “What is she doing here?” I hissed.

  “I invited her,” Laura said slowly. “We’re going to go to the computer lab after dinner. I didn’t think it would be a problem.”

  Jessica flounced over to our table, fixing me with an icy glare when she realized I was seated with Laura. She shifted her expression to one of flirtatious joy when she caught sight of Aric. “What are you doing here?”

  Aric placed his hand over mine comfortingly. “Just having dinner with my girl.”

  “Your girl?”

  “That’s what I said,” Aric said coldly. He wasn’t even pretending to be amiable anymore.

  “Wow,” Jessica said sarcastically. “You must be something special.”

  “She is,” Aric answered for me.

  “Well, I guess we should all just bow down to her then,” Jessica shot back.

  “If you think that will help,” Aric replied smoothly.

  I glanced at Kelsey, who had fixed her green eyes on Jessica in an open show of hostility. They reflected a mixture of hate and curiosity. “What’s your deal?”

  Jessica glanced at Kelsey dismissively. “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Yes you do,” Kelsey challenged. “You’re over here trying to cause problems. We’re not stupid.”

  “I’m sure you’re not,” Jessica said, studying her manicure disinterestedly. “I’m just making chit chat.”

  “You’re being a bitch,” Kelsey corrected her. I was really starting to like her.

  “Who is being a bitch?” I glanced up and frowned when I saw Brittany suddenly making room for herself at our table, squeezing between Laura and me without asking if she could join us. I shifted a little closer to Aric, who had left his hand on top of mine as a show of solidarity.

  “Jessica is being a bitch,” Kelsey plowed on.

  “Oh, I just figured you were talking about Zoe.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I didn’t mean it that way,” Brittany said contritely. “I just … so how was everyone’s first day of classes?”

  “Fine.”

  “You’re a journalism major, right?” Jessica asked, turning her evil eyes back in my direction.

  “How did you know that?” Aric asked suspiciously.

  “I saw her in a design class today.”

  “You two have a class together?” Aric didn’t look like as though the thought thrilled him.

  “No,” Jessica shook her head. “I stayed after my class to talk to the professor and I saw her there when I left.”

  “Don’t you mean throw yourself at the teacher?” I asked.

  Jessica furrowed her brow angrily. “I was not hitting on Professor Blake. I was just trying to get insight from him on the upcoming semester.”

  “Sam Blake?” Aric asked in alarm.

  “You know him?” Jessica looked surprised.

  Aric exchanged a wary glance with me. “I’ve heard of him. You didn’t tell me you had a class with him.”

  “I didn’t know,” I replied. “The class listing just said ‘Staff.’ Trust me, I wouldn’t have taken it if I had known.”

  “Did he say anything to you?”

  “Why would he say anything to her?” Jessica asked.

  “No,” I shook my head. “He pretended I wasn’t even there.”

  “I wonder why?” Aric was lost in thought.

  “It probably has something to do with our last conversation,” I said.

  “Am I missing something?” Jessica asked.

  “Nothing that’s any of your business,” I shot back.

  Jessica rolled her eyes. “Laura, are you ready to go to the computer lab?”

  Laura looked torn. “I … um … yeah, let’s go.”

  The two of them started to leave the table, but Jessica suddenly turned back. “When you get tired of her, as I’m sure you will, why don’t you give me a call?” Jessica winked at Aric. “I’m sure you still have the number in your phone.”

  “Well, I don’t see that happening any time soon,” Aric replied. “I’m relatively happy, so you should probably look elsewhere.”

  Jessica wrinkled her nose disdainfully and then turned around and left with Laura.

  “I don’t like her,” Kelsey announced.

  “I don’t think she likes herself,” Matilda replied. “Why else would she act like that?”

  “Probably because Aric is so hot,” Brittany interjected matter-of-factly.

  Great. Here we go.

  “Speaking of,” Brittany turned to me. “You and I need to have a little talk.”

  “Paris already informed me of what you want to talk about, and I really don’t care.” I flipped my blonde hair over my shoulder.

  “You don’t care that I’m going to date Will?”

  Aric looked interested in her announcement, suddenly sitting up straighter in his chair.

  “Nope.”

  “Well, good,” Brittany said. “Because we’re going out Thursday.”

  And the hits just keep on coming.

  Eight

  The next week was a blur.

  Between classes and Aric I didn’t have a lot of time to think, which was probably a good thing for Brittany. Now that we had put our most recent spat behind us, Aric and I were back on the same page, and that pretty much meant we were together every chance we got. We didn’t spend every night together, but we did try to see each other at least a few minutes every day.

  “I can’t believe they actually went out,” I lamented to Paris as we walked back from our final class on a Friday afternoon. “It just boggles the mind.”

  “Well, it was a week ago yesterday and I don’t think she’s heard from him,” Paris replied, closing her eyes briefly to soak up the sun that would soon be in short supply as fall descended on mid-Michigan. The fading sun gave her pale features an otherworldly look I found appealing.

  “What makes you say that?” I asked, although I was trying to pretend that I really didn’t care.

  “She’s been rushing to the little notepad next to the telephone to see if there’s a message waiting for her every day when she gets back from class,” Paris said. “I don’t take that as a good sign, do you?”

  It was a good sign for my sanity. “Wouldn’t he just call her on her cell phone?”

  “Brittany is convinced that her cell phone has started dropping calls – even before they’re actually made apparently – and that’s why she hasn’t heard from him,” Paris explained.

  “And what did you say to her?”

 
“I told her she was probably right.”

  I rolled my eyes. “So you lied?”

  “I didn’t lie,” Paris countered. “I just let her think what she wants to think.”

  “You lied.”

  “Oh, I totally lied,” Paris agreed.

  “So you think it’s done?” I tried to keep the hope from creeping into my voice. I didn’t want Will, but that didn’t mean I wanted Brittany to have him.

  “No,” Paris shook her head.

  I felt my heart plummet to my stomach. “You don’t think it’s done?”

  “Not even close,” Paris said. “I think he’s out to make you jealous, so he’ll actually step up his game and not slink away from it.”

  “Why wouldn’t he call her then?”

  “Because he doesn’t really like her,” Paris replied. “He’s not going to call her until he can set something up that he’s sure will upset you.”

  “I think you’re giving him too much credit. Maybe he actually likes her.” Stranger things have happened – like the Kardashians being considered “stars.”

  “Maybe he does,” Paris replied sagely. “Maybe I’m totally wrong.”

  “Maybe.”

  “I’m not wrong,” Paris said. “You know I’m not wrong. You’re just trying to act all humble – which isn’t like you, by the way.”

  “I’m not acting humble.”

  “You’re acting humble.”

  “I am not.”

  “Why are you arguing with me? Oh, wait, you want to pretend that Will isn’t still interested in you because you don’t want Aric to get all worked up. That’s it, isn’t it?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I stuck out my bottom lip petulantly.

  “That is it. I knew it.”

  I blew out a sigh. “Fine. That is it. Things between Aric and me are really good right now. Really good. I don’t want him to fly off the handle and beat the crap out of Will. That’s just going to force me into a situation I don’t want to be in.”

  “But you admit that Will still has feelings for you? And how good are we talking? Between you and Aric, I mean?”

  I ignored her question about Aric. She was obsessed with our sex life. It was starting to get a little uncomfortable. I couldn’t help but wonder if Mark was coming up a little short in that area. “I don’t think he still has feelings for me,” I said finally. “I think he has nostalgia for what we used to be. He looks at his life and how bad it is and he remembers a happier time and I just happen to be in that happier time. He convinces himself that I’m what he needs to get back to that happier time, so he then convinces himself he still has feelings for me. He doesn’t really have feelings for me, though.”

  “That’s some convoluted logic,” Paris mused.

  “That’s my story and I’m sticking to it,” I replied stubbornly. “Why else would he be dating Brittany? It’s like he wants to emotionally flog himself or something.”

  “That’s a nice image – but you could be right.”

  “Of course I’m right.”

  “You’re not always right,” Paris reminded me.

  “Close enough.”

  Now it was Paris’ turn to roll her eyes. “So, do you think you’ll start speaking to her at some point? Maybe some point soon?”

  “Nope.”

  “Nope?”

  “Nope.”

  “Zoe, by freezing her out like this you’re just reinforcing the fact that she’s getting to you.” Paris was trying to manipulate me into her way of thinking.

  “Well, she should be happy her little campaign worked then.”

  “It’s making it hard on me, though.”

  “You’re the one who decided to live with her.”

  “I know, but I was mad at you when I made that decision and ... .”

  “And now you’re seriously reconsidering the wisdom associated with that decision,” I replied knowingly.

  “I don’t believe Brittany is a bad person.”

  “Do you believe Brittany is a good person?”

  “I think Brittany is a confused person.”

  “We’re all confused people. We’re in college. It goes with the territory.”

  “Yes,” Paris sighed. “Brittany is more confused than most, though. She’s just so buttoned up that she can’t help but lash out occasionally. And, since you’re the one who’s mean to her so often, she tends to lash out at you.”

  “I am not mean to her,” I argued vehemently.

  “You’re mean to her,” Paris said. “I don’t think you always set out to be mean to her, but she frustrates you to the point that you can’t help but be mean to her.”

  “That’s her fault then, not mine.”

  “I hate it when you get like this,” Paris grumbled.

  “Then why did you bring up Brittany?” I countered.

  “Because I hoped you would be the bigger person.”

  “Did you just meet me?”

  “Okay, maybe hoping you would be the bigger person is stretching it too far. Can’t you just ease up a little? Just a little? It would make things so much easier on me.”

  “Why?” I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. “What is she saying about me?”

  “Nothing,” Paris said hurriedly.

  Somehow, I didn’t believe her. “Tell me what she’s been saying about me.”

  “Nothing worse than you’ve been saying about her – actually, not nearly as bad,”

  Paris replied. “She just thinks you’re being irrational.”

  “You don’t date your friend’s ex.”

  Paris raised an eyebrow questioningly. “Laura dated my ex and you took her side.”

  “Laura apologized and knew she did wrong,” I countered. “And she didn’t date your ex. She got drunk and made out with your ex. You had a right to be mad. However, it’s not like she’s still seeing him. There’s a difference.”

  I was almost sure there really was a difference, and it wasn’t just that this time it was happening to me.

  “I forgave Laura,” Paris pointed out.

  “You haven’t forgiven her,” I scoffed. “You’ve decided not to overtly hate her. It’s not like you talk to her.”

  “My mom doesn’t want me to.”

  “Your mom doesn’t want you to do a lot of things and you still do those. The problems between you and Laura are different, I get that, but that doesn’t mean that my problems with Brittany aren’t viable.”

  “So, you’re saying you’re not going to lighten up on her?” Paris looked pained.

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

  “Fine. Be stubborn.”

  “Fine.”

  “Fine.”

  I decided to change the subject.

  “You want to have dinner with Kelsey and me tonight?”

  “Just the two of you?” Paris asked.

  “Yeah. Matilda and Laura have later stuff going on and Kelsey wants to eat early because she has a lot of studying to do. She’s a math major. I guess they get a lot of homework. Anyway, I told her I would eat early with her.”

  “You two seem to have hit it off,” Paris mused.

  “She’s not as bad as I thought,” I admitted. “I think she just takes a while to warm up to new people. She’s actually really smart and really dedicated to her school work.

  I’m hoping it will rub off on me. So, do you want to eat with us or not?”

  “Sure,” Paris said after a beat. “I could eat.”

  “Cool. I want you to get to know her.”

  A HALF AN HOUR later the three of us were seated at a table by the window enjoying Friday’s pizza bar offerings. Paris and Kelsey were happily chatting away, and I was glad to see that the two of them were starting to hit it off. It was strange, but when I reflected on the past week, I realized I had spent more time with Kelsey than with Laura.

  “So, you’re going to keep punishing Brittany?”

  “Huh?” I glanced over at Kelsey and found her staring a
t me questioningly. She repeated the question. I frowned in Paris’ direction but didn’t deny Kelsey’s query.

  “I’m going to keep punishing her until the day I die. Or, more preferably, the day she dies.”

  “Told you,” Paris sighed.

  “I agree with Zoe,” Kelsey countered. “You don’t go after someone’s ex-boyfriend.”

  “See.” I stuck my tongue out teasingly at Paris.

  “Yes, but Zoe doesn’t want Will. She has Aric. Why would she want Will?”

  “She doesn’t have to want him to not want Brittany to have him,” Kelsey countered.

  “Brittany should show a little loyalty.”

  “Agreed,” Paris hedged. “But Brittany is boy crazy. She doesn’t mean to be such a pain.”

  I raised my eyebrow.

  “Okay, she doesn’t mean to be a really big and purposely hurtful pain,” Paris ceded. “She really thinks she’s in love with him.”

  “Matilda is boy crazy, too,” Kelsey pointed out. “She would never go after an ex-boyfriend of mine, though. She’s not that disloyal.”

  I fixed Paris with a hard stare. Paris finally gave in and held up her hands in defeat.

  “Fine. I get it. I’ll continue to suffer.”

  “Better you than me,” I said. “This past week has been great without her.”

  “She’ll force the issue at some point,” Paris said sternly. “You know that, right?”

  “I can’t wait,” I replied grimly.

  “I can,” Paris muttered.

  I looked up when I saw Laura and Matilda approaching the table with trays in their hands. A glance at the clock on the wall told me that they were earlier than I had originally expected. “Hey,” I greeted them. “I didn’t think you guys would be done for another hour.”

  “Why didn’t you wait?”

  Laura’s question took me off guard. There was a level of recrimination in her voice that I hadn’t quite expected. “Kelsey needed to eat early,” I offered. “You knew that.”

  “But I thought you were going to wait for me.”

  Why was she so upset?

  Paris exchanged a wary look with me but she didn’t chime in.

  “I’m sorry,” I said, honestly confused. “I thought we had agreed that Kelsey and I were going early and you and Matilda were going later.”

  “And I thought you were waiting for me,” Laura pressed angrily.