Page 70 of Cruel Promise
He doesn’t.
“Nah,” he says. “If you’re serious about trying to lock down my sister, Kasey’s going to fuck you up way worse than I ever could.”
“She already has, man. She already has.”
* * *
With the Aaroncrisis set aside, I move on to tracking Kasey down, but she doesn’t answer her phone and she isn’t returning my calls. After taking a shower and grabbing something to eat, I swing by the Kappa Mu house to catch her there. I don’t want there to be any more questions between us. We’re going to figure things out.
But when I pull up into the small lot where her car is supposed to be, I find her parking space empty and don’t bother going inside.
News broke this morning that I’m being taken before the draft to join the Richland Royals, and my phone has been ringing nonstop since, but none of the numbers are Kasey’s.
My father calls four times, but I ignore each one. I know what he wants, and he won’t get it from me. I’m done doing what he wants.
Roman’s name flashes on my screen and I look down, not seeing any message, but instead there is an attachment. Clicking on the thumbnail, a photograph someone snapped of me and Kasey at the McIntire dinner pops up on my screen, followed by a text.
Roman: This is circulating around. Handle it.
I sigh.
Me: Already on it.
It was sharedin the news, too. Broadcasters speculate Kasey and I are in a romantic relationship and several have left me messages asking for a comment.
I wanted to talk to Kasey about everything first, but I’m running short on time, and I need these vultures off my back. When the next call comes in with a number I don’t recognize, I take a leap and go for broke. There’s that saying that actions speak louder than words. Maybe if I combine the two, things with Kasey will lean more in my favor.
“Dominique, do you have any comment regarding rumors of your relationship with Suncrest U freshman, Kasey Henderson?” a chirpy reporter asks before I even get the chance to say hello.
“Yeah, she’s my girl,” I grunt, straight to the point.
“Oooh. Tell me more.”
“What do you want to know?” I keep the call short, confirming we’re in a relationship and have been since high school. It’s not a complete lie. We’ve had this strange back and forth since then, anyway.
Ending the call, I flip my phone to silent and park my car on campus. I know I’m not the only one being hammered with questions like this, and if she’s not home, the only other place she can be while she hides from me and the rest of the world is here.
You can run, baby girl. But you can’t hide. Not forever.
TWENTY-THREE
KASEY
It’s after five when he finds me. I’ve kept myself holed up in the school’s library most of the day. I saw the picture of myself in the news this morning and knew things were going to turn into a shit show.
“Hey, baby girl. What are you working on?” His voice is casual as he walks over to the table where I sit, my books and notes strewn all over.
“Hey.” I turn back to my notes and ignore the way my heart is now racing inside my chest.
A wooden chair scrapes across the floor when he grabs one from another table and pulls it over to where I’m at. “Studying?”
“Mm hmm.”So you should leave me alone and let me finish.
But of course, he’s not interested in doing that.
“We need to talk.”
A lump of dread clogs my throat, and I keep my gaze locked on my papers as I scribble out random words on my notes. “About?”
