Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 88646 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 443(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88646 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 443(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
She stiffens. “What is he doing here?”
I clasp her hand. “I can deal with him. This is my house. Don’t worry.”
“I haven’t seen him since the incident at the Kappa house.” Her brow furrows as she sucks in her lower lip. She’s a little scared of him and I hate it.
“Stay here.” I make my way toward Parker and he does the same, meeting me near the bar.
“What are you doing here?” I say quietly, but there’s no doubt of the menace in my tone.
“Parties are my thing. There are so many people. Important people. Do they know your little secrets, I wonder?”
“I don’t have any secrets,” I mutter.
I feel Julia sliding up next to me. She clings to my arm as her chest rises rapidly.
“Hey, Ju-Ju,” he croons. “Nice dress. You look fuckable.”
My hands clench. If we weren’t surrounded by my father’s colleagues, I’d take him by his collar and drag him to the door. “Don’t even look at her.”
“Don’t make a scene, Parker,” Julia says in a hushed voice.
“Never, Ju-Ju. I’ll be as quiet as a mouse.” He smirks at me. “I’ve done a lot more than look at her, Hansen. I’ve fucked her. And she’s not even that good. For a whore.”
Blood boils in my veins and I grit out my words. “Get out.”
“Calm down.” He motions to a passing waiter and takes a glass of champagne, his sip slow and easy. “I came here to deliver a message.”
I glare. “Then deliver it.”
“Not to you.” He rolls his eyes. “Where’s your father?”
My gaze thins. “What do you want with him?”
He rocks from his heels to his toes, his voice rising. “I heard the news that you got into law school. Congratulations.” He glances around as if to see if anyone is listening. “Damn, I love an audience.”
“If it wasn’t for them, I’d knock your teeth out,” I say.
He makes a tutting noise. “You’re getting red in the face, Hansen. People are starting to stare.”
They are. Eyes flit to us then bounce away.
“I had someone look up your application,” he calls loudly. “I can do that, you know. There are plenty of Kappas on the board of admissions at Hawthorne Law. Your application wasn’t very impressive. Dude, you’re stupid.”
Anger burns brighter. On my skin. In my bones.
He smirks. “Of course, the admissions committee was shocked to learn of your violent streak. Five Kappas have come forward and filed complaints against you for assault at our house. We caught it on tape. It shows you storming onto our property with fists flying, and when a few good Samaritans tried to break it up, you assaulted them as well.”
“Guess it didn’t show the part where it was ten of you on top of me, did it?”
He gives me a dark smile. “Your admission has been put on hold until it can be investigated. It’s possible it will be rescinded, and good luck getting another law school to even look your way. You’re going to be blackballed from every serious school in the US.”
My mom and dad break through the crowd and join us. “Eric? Parker? What’s going on? What’s this about a fight?”
Parker’s eyes never leave mine. “Sorry, Mr. Hansen, I assumed the family knew.”
My father’s lips compress as he looks from me to Parker. “I’m sure this is just some disagreement between fraternity brothers. There’s no need to file complaints.”
Parker laughs. “Mr. Hansen, I was shocked to hear from my father that you think Eric is a Kappa. He was kicked out years ago—for hitting me actually. I let that one go as, like you said, a disagreement between frat brothers, but clearly that was a mistake. He hasn’t learned his lesson.”
My father’s eyes drill into me like flints of rock. “Is this true?”
“I was defending Boone, Dad. He’s my friend—not that you’d know this. They nearly killed him during pledging. They left him in the cornfields overnight without clothes, and drunk.”
My father frowns, confusion on his face. “But wait, you’re not a Kappa?”
“No,” I admit with a resigned sigh.
Parker nudges his head at Julia. “His girlfriend is a stripper with a druggie mom. I mean, I’m just sharing this because I thought you’d want to know, Mr. Hansen. Eric is making bad choices.”
My mom gasps and darts her eyes to Julia, her brow wrinkling. “Oh. And I showed her around the house.”
Julia’s breath hitches.
“Merry Christmas,” Parker says, then turns and saunters away from us.
I blink to push the tide of emotion away. There’s so much boiling inside of me that I don’t know how to react.
Julia trembles, her face reddening as she looks up at me.
Shit.
It’s not just me that got humiliated.
“Don’t let him get to you, okay?” I say softly.
“Everyone heard him,” she whispers, then glances at my parents. She undoes her hand from mine and pulls away. “I-I need to leave. Are you ready to go?” Her eyes plead with me.