Second Snowfall (Elton Hall Chronicles Book 2) Read online

  A soft moan escaped my lips as he groped my breast. I pulled him tighter against me as if the slight space between us was too much. Then we heard it.

  “Damn, Kingsley, at least wait until you get her back to your room!”

  I froze because I knew that voice. My eyes closed and I prayed this was a sick dream, because if that voice was there, then it was an almost guarantee that a certain someone was standing there too.

  “Kyle, you know how it is. Sometimes you can’t wait, and with this one, I sure as hell don’t want to.” Kingsley had stepped away from me and turned to look at the guys.

  Against my better judgment, I looked and saw Kyle and Jason standing in the hallway. Embarrassment flowed through me as if my dad had just walked in on us. “I’d better go,” I murmured, and turned on my heel to head to the door leading out into the courtyard between dorm buildings.

  “I’ll walk you,” Kingsley told me, and draped his arm around me.

  “No, it’s okay. You’re already here. I’m just gonna go. Text me later?” I asked—almost begged—him.

  “Of course.” He gave me a light kiss and then turned around.

  I practically ran out into the courtyard and refused to stop when I heard Jason calling my name.

  Finally, he grabbed my arm and turned me around. “Annabelle, what are you doing with that guy? You told me you weren’t going out with him.”

  “I just wanted to see if there was anything between us before I rejected him.”

  “Well, a few minutes ago, there wasn’t anything between you two since he was all over you.”

  “We were kissing. Since when is that a crime?”

  “You may have been just kissing, but he was doing a lot whole more than that.”

  My face flushed bright red and embarrassment flowed through me. “You weren’t meant to see that.”

  “Then maybe you shouldn’t have been doing it in the hallway. It’s like you were trying to piss me off or something.” He threw his arms in the air and took a few steps away from me.

  “What? Why are you making this about you? I went out with Kingsley because I like him. He makes me feel good, and pretty, and appreciated. Why is that such a bad thing?”

  “Because you lied to me about it.”

  “And I’m sorry. I was just—”

  “I know, you were just trying to hook up with a hot guy.”

  I jammed my finger into his chest. “You listen here, I am not with him just to hook up, and how dare you say that. I’m not the kind of girl to do that.”

  “From what I saw in the hallway, you could have fooled me.”

  “You know what, Jason, you don’t get a say in who I date. You know why? Because you have a girlfriend. I’m sorry she doesn’t have time for you anymore, but that’s not my fault.”

  His face changed and he nodded slightly. “So that’s what you think. Thanks for making it so clear to me. As your friend, because that’s what I thought we were, I was just trying to look out for you. Next time, I’ll know better than to get involved. In fact, I’ll just stay out of your way.” He turned around and headed back to his dorm.

  I collapsed on the closest bench and tried to calm down. That was harsh. I really didn’t mean to say that, but it just came out. Why couldn’t Jason see that Kingsley was actually interested in me? Was it such a strange idea for a guy to want to spend time with me? I was the one who had pushed things to get physical. He had no right to get involved in any of this. Yet, there he was, just assuming the worst of me.

  After I took a few deep breaths, I took my phone out and called Violet.

  “Oh my god! It’s about time. The date must have been great.”

  “It was until we got back. He invited me back to his room, and while we were heading there, we kissed and Kyle and Jason saw it. Then Jason and I got in a huge fight and he said some awful things to me and then I said some even worse things back. It was just a mess.”

  “Right, hold on a second.” Violet was whispering with Berneli but I really couldn’t hear what she said.

  “How do you feel about a sleepover?”

  “No. Berneli just came back and I don’t want you to come back.”

  “How about if you come here? You can take me back to school in the morning and we can talk about what happened and watch the dating show on David’s flat screen.”

  I heard Berneli groan in the background and I had to laugh a little. Here was this serious literature professor about to have to watch reality television while his girlfriend’s best friend cried on her shoulder. I doubted this was what he had in mind when he planned a quiet night in for the two of them.

  “I really don’t want to bother you guys. I’m sure there are several other things you’d rather be doing tonight.” Violet was more or less a sex addict and I knew she needed her fix.

  “Yeah, we already did that, twice, so you’re good for another couple hours.”

  “Speak for yourself,” Berneli quipped in the background.

  “Annabelle, you were there for me last night, so let me be there for you now. Let’s get you off campus and away from those awful boys and into a new carton of ice cream that David just volunteered to go pick up.”

  “By volunteered you mean that you just volunteered for him, right?”

  “When you get in a relationship, you’ll understand how volunteering your man for things is the right you get for giving blow jobs.”

  ***

  Fifteen minutes later, I was in the car on the way to Berneli’s apartment. It felt really weird, and I was pretty sure there was no way it wasn’t going to be unbelievably awkward. Even though he and Violet had been together for months, I’d still never really hung out with him. They only did things together and in closed off spaces, to minimize the chance of anyone finding out about them. It wasn’t like they hosted game night every Thursday.

  But if he was going to be in her life, I’d have to start looking at him in a different way. I knocked on the apartment door and Violet eagerly opened it.

  “Hi, honey,” she greeted, and handed me a drink.

  “Um, what’s in this?” I didn’t like to drink alcohol and thought Violet knew that.

  “It’s either vodka, rum, tequila, and bourbon, or a cup of ginger ale.”

  “Ha-ha,” I said before smelling the drink. Realizing it was soda, I took a big a sip. She did know me. Ginger ale was my favorite.

  “So, I called Jason,” she started, and my face fell. Of course she called Jason. I felt a little betrayed but I knew why she did it.

  “What? Is this going to be one of those awful intervention things where he comes out of the bedroom and you make us talk until we are friends again?”

  “Um, no, but you need to stop watching so much TV. I just wanted to hear his side of the story. From what he says, you were practically having sex in the hallway,” she relayed, giving me a judgmental look.

  I rolled my eyes and put my drink down. “You do know that he’s full of crap, right? That’s not what happened.”

  “That’s a shame. I kind of liked that part.”

  “Shut up,” I said, trying not to smile. “No, he was just sort of feeling me up.” I buried my head in my hands. This was so embarrassing to talk about.

  “Under the shirt or over it?”

  “Over it. My hands were around his neck and he had pressed me against the wall.”

  Violet nodded and a wide grin formed on her face. “Okay, Miss Thing.”

  “But that’s not the point. I was embarrassed they caught us kissing, and of course he knew I was lying about the date and he got upset and then I got upset. It was a disaster.”

  “Well, I—”

  “Don’t you dare say you told me so,” I interjected.

  “Well, what did you expect to happen? You did lie.”

  “I know, but he had no right to get involved in my relationship. I don’t say anything to his face about how ridiculous his relationship with Janice is.”

  “No, you’re right, y
ou don’t, and he shouldn’t be butting in, but are you really surprised?”

  “When you told him about Berneli, Jason didn’t say anything negative, right?”

  “He warned me to be careful. Wasn’t that kinda what he was doing with you?”

  “No, he flat out told me that it was a bad idea to date Kingsley. It’s different.”

  “So, Annabelle, I hope you don’t mind, but Violet told me what happened and I have an opinion,” Berneli offered, walking in from the bedroom.

  “Uh, sure, what do you think is going on?”

  “Well, it’s really both of our opinions, but David kind of confirmed it for me,” Violet piped in.

  “Well, yes, but I’ve thought it for a while now. Even before the fight,” Berneli added. “I’ve seen you all around at EET for a semester and heard stories about you from Violet. It wasn’t hard to deduce.”

  “Well, maybe one of you could share it with me and then we’d all know.”

  “Ah, yes,” Berneli began. “So we think the reason Jason got so upset about you and Kingsley is because he’s in love with you.”

  Chapter 5

  “What?” I stared at the two of them in utter shock. “If he was in love with me, why would he be dating Janice? That doesn’t even make sense. That can’t be it.” I shook my head, refusing to believe them. It was just Violet guessing again. She probably told him her point of view, which was wrong, and he’d obviously agreed.

  “Okay, so I’ve been keeping this to myself for a while, but I feel like it’s time I get it off my chest.” Violet took a breath and then continued. “You and Jason are my best friends and I like to think I know you pretty well. The both of you have been in love with each other since you met. He’s talked to me about how he feels. He’s been with Janice for so long that he feels like he owes it to her to try to make it work. And you’re comfortable with the friendship, but not happy. As soon as one of you bends, then you could really be something great, and I want that for you both.”

  “Listen, I’m with Jason all the time. He doesn’t treat me any differently than he treats you. He hugs you, he buys your lunch when you’re together, he helped buy you a present for Christmas, but I didn’t get one.”

  “Okay, yes, Jason hugs me and buys me lunch, but that’s because he’s polite. You bought me a present and he was with you. But he stares at you longingly when you aren’t looking, he pretty much always leaves a room when you do, and oh, oh, do you really think he likes decorating? He spent how many hours trying to help you with the homecoming decorations?”

  I shook my head. “He only did that because he’s my friend. If you remember correctly, you were there, and so was Kyle.”

  “Okay, you know what, you don’t have to believe us, but you need to decide what you want to do about it. Jason is still one of your best friends and isn’t going anywhere. From what I got from you, neither is Kingsley. But you may not be able to have them both.”

  “I don’t know just yet.”

  “Well, you need to talk to Jason. That’s the bottom line.”

  “I’ll figure something out. Now, where is the ice cream?”

  ***

  Berneli ran to the store to get the ice cream and Violet and I settled in on the couch.

  “Did Jason say anything else?”

  “Oh, no! I’m not getting in the middle of this with you two. I’ve said all I am going to say about my conversation with him.”

  “What about girl code? Aren’t you supposed to be on my side?”

  “I’m Switzerland. You’re my friend and he’s my friend. I told him the same. You know my opinion and it’s just a matter of what you want to do about it.”

  “Wait, what did you tell him about me? Did you say I had feelings for him?”

  “No, but I told him he needs to figure out what he wants when it comes to you and Janice.”

  “What did he say? Did he say he had feelings for me?”

  “No, he didn’t. But I don’t think that means he doesn’t.”

  “It doesn’t matter anyway. I have feelings for Kingsley. If what you say about Jason is true, then he waited too long.” I was done with this conversation. I didn’t want to talk about Jason anymore. I was frustrated that I’d lied to him in the first place because now everything was worse, but it was even more annoying that I felt like I had to lie him. I grabbed the remote for the TV and started flipping through the on demand shows to find the reality dating show we were obsessed with. “So, I think Louis should pick Courtney, don’t you?”

  ***

  Berneli only had one bedroom, so I spent the night on the couch. Frankly, I could fall asleep just about anywhere, so it wasn’t long before I was passed out.

  I awoke to Violet shaking me within an inch of my life.

  “Come on, sleepy head, we need to get back to campus. I want to stop by my room for a minute. I left my schedule there.” Violet looked bright and shiny and I wanted to strangle her.

  “Why don’t you just print another schedule?” I had put everything in my phone because I was afraid of losing mine.

  “I have information about the books and where to find the rooms. Come on, I’ll make you a cup of coffee if you sit up.”

  “If you don’t make me a cup of coffee, I’ll fall asleep driving you back to the dorm. I’ve never been in a car accident so I’d like to avoid that,” I grumbled as I slowly rolled off the couch and managed to find my feet.

  It wasn’t long before a glorious scent filled the apartment and I started to see colors again. I grabbed my bag and shuffled to the bathroom to change while the nectar of the gods continued to brew. I had just put on my favorite sweater when Violet started yelling my name.

  “Annabelle, come on. You’re the one who is constantly on time but you’re running late.”

  I rolled my eyes and headed to the kitchen. She handed me a thermos full of coffee and some milk to throw in it. Violet gave me a big smile and started to gather her things.

  “Okay, it’s not fair for you to give me so much crap right now. It’s early and I didn’t have any morning sex to improve my mood.”

  She shot me a sneaky grin. “Touché, but we really need to move.”

  “I’m ready, let’s go.”

  Violet said goodbye to Berneli and I downed most of the thermos before we even made it to my car. We had a pretty quiet ride back to campus. I didn’t want to talk about Jason anymore and it was nice that Violet wasn’t trying to push me.

  As we parked the car and headed to our dorm, Violet spoke up. “So when are you seeing Kingsley again? Do you guys have plans?”

  “Yeah, he said during our date that he has something big planned for this weekend, but I have no idea what is.”

  “Aww, that’s exciting. I love that he’s trying to plan things.”

  “You liked him, right?”

  “Um, I didn’t really get to know him. He was pretty focused on you and I love that. To be honest, he seemed a bit cocky, but he may have just been trying to show off for you. I’m also not a fan of the drugs thing.”

  “Well, no sign of drugs again last night. Besides, I think he was just a little nervous the other night. If he was showing off to impress me, is that such a bad thing? He was really sweet during our date.”

  “All that matters to me is that he treats you well and you’re happy,” she assured me as she opened the door to our building.

  “I know, but I want you to like him.” I was about to tell her more about him when we both stopped dead in our tracks. There was something sitting on the floor in front of Violet’s door, and it was only too familiar.

  “Annabelle, is that what I think it is?” She grabbed my arm for support and looked like she was going to faint.

  “Let me grab it.” I shook her grip off and walked to the door, but there was no mistaking the violet waiting for her. “There’s a note.” I handed the sealed envelope and flower to Violet.

  She quickly shoved it back into my hands. “I can’t. You read it.”
>
  I took the note and slowly opened the envelope. A photograph of Violet and Berneli kissing was the first thing I noticed. It looked like the picture was taken outside his apartment after one of their sleepovers. The sky was a little dark and Violet’s overnight bag was on the ground next to her. I slipped the picture back in the envelope and pulled out the letter.

  My beautiful Violet,

  The last time I set eyes on you was in the courtroom, and that was far too long ago. I think of you daily and of the life we will have when I am released in a few years. However, I’m devastated to hear that you haven’t been as faithful to me as I have been to you. I think it’s time I remind you of the consequences of your so-called relationship. Come and visit me in jail or I’ll be sending a copy of this picture to the dean.

  Yours forever,

  Samuel Finn

  After I finished reading the note, I looked at Violet. “I think we should go in my room before you read this. I also think we should call Berneli.”

  “Is it that bad?”

  “Yeah, it is.”

  I opened my door and Violet rushed to my bed. She took her phone out and texted Berneli. “Okay, I’m ready to see the letter.”

  I gave it to her and braced myself for the breakdown that was sure to follow. Her hands shook as she read line after line. She was already looking pale, but she turned an even lighter shade of white and the slight tears turned to heaving sobs.

  “Annabelle, I can’t see him. It was hard enough in court when there were tons of people able to keep him off me.”

  “I know. We’ll think of something.” I hugged her as I desperately grasped at straws. If she did go see him, he could mess with her head or she could play into his hands, creating more drama. He would know exactly what to do to play her like a fiddle. But at the same time, there was no mistaking who was kissing in the picture. It was obviously Violet and Berneli.