I heard the footsteps flying up the stairs before the door flew open.

“Get lost, Mal!” I yelled as he barged into my bedroom, unannounced even though I’d known he was coming. “I could have been naked in here.”

“Like that would affect me in any way,” he retorted, flopping onto my bed and reaching for the earth science text sitting on my bed table. “Aren’t you dressed yet? We’re meeting the group in ten minutes.”

“Well I’m not going to go any faster if you’re hanging out in my room,” I snapped but I turned back to the mirror and ran my fingers through my hair. I’d just gotten a new haircut, taking four inches off my usually long hair and it felt strange but I thought it flattered my face better.

Idly, I wondered when I had become so interested in flattering my face.

I caught Malcolm watching me in the reflection. That now-familiar blush crept up my neck as I met his sooty eyes but I grimaced.

“What are you looking at?” I growled, waiting for him to make a smart-ass remark. To my surprise, he grinned.

“Your hair looks nice.”

“Shut up, Mal.”

I turned and face him angrily. I wasn’t in the mood to be mocked by him.

“You could have waited for me downstairs.”

“Yeah but where’s the fun in that?”

We stared at one another for a long minute and I sighed. When had we come to this? It had started so gradually, Mal completely disregarding my request to be left alone, both in Sterling and on campus. To make matters worse, he had two classes with me, something which stunned and confused me.

“Why are you taking science classes?” I demanded. “You’re a jock!”

I didn’t miss the look of annoyance on his face but I couldn’t imagine how he’d have any interest in taking biology or chemistry with what I knew about him.

Begrudgingly, I admitted over time that I knew a lot less about Mal than I’d thought. He was actually a lot smarter than I had ever imagined. Of course he didn’t need to know I’d barely changed my view on him. No matter how intelligent he might be, it didn’t change the fact that he was still a man-whore.

It was bad enough that we had the group project together which meant that even outside of classes, I was stuck seeing him. It wasn’t like we were buddy/buddy but we certainly saw more of one another than I would have liked.

“You never did answer me,” Mal said as I finished checking myself out in front of the mirror.

“Probably because I wasn’t listening to you,” I retorted. “What?”

“Are you going home for Christmas?”

I eyed him, grabbing for my knapsack and keys.

“Mal…” I groaned. “We’re not friends. Why do you care?”

Did I see a look of hurt in his face? It didn’t matter—the last two years, every time I’d gone home, his presence had caused friction with my parents.

“Are you dating Malcolm Laurier?” My mom had shrieked one day when she’d overheard me calling him by name and I balked at the words.

“Are you kidding?” I retorted. “Of course not.”

“Good,” Mom replied curtly. “One Laurier in the family is enough, no matter how temporary it might be. I can’t go down this road again.”

“That boy has a bit of a reputation, doesn’t he?” Dad added like I needed another reason not to date Mal. “Bit of a ladies’ man?”

I groaned.

“Dad, first of all, people don’t say ‘ladies’ man’ and haven’t since like the thirties. Secondly, Mal isn’t even a friend, let alone a boyfriend.”

Why did I get shivers when I said that? I probably had meningitis or something.

“He’s been calling you, hasn’t he?” Dad insisted and I wondered when they had started paying such close attention to my social life.

Grayson really did screw up everything for me now. Mom and Dad are going to be on me constantly because of him and Ella. Thanks a lot, Grayson.

I chewed on the insides of my cheeks. I needed to tell Mal to screw off before my parents got on my ass any more than they already were.

“We go to the same school,” I told my parents lamely. I could have told Mal to stop calling but I probably privately liked it. I mean, when did I ever get the attention of the hottest guy in school?

Pure ego, that’s all it was, even though I knew Mal was bad news—and not just because he was related to my wicked sister-in-law.

Things between Gray and Ella were growing worse from what I had heard. The police had been called to their place, a little hovel on the outskirts of Sterling but the details were vague. I doubted my brother had laid a hand on her but who really knew what was happening between closed doors?

I asked Mal about it but bringing up Ella and Gray seemed to be a very sore spot for him so we avoided the topic.

“I’m just asking if you’re going home,” Malcolm muttered defensively, bringing me back to my bedroom. “So I know whether I’m supposed to ignore you or not when I see you around in Sterling.”

I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Mal,” I told him crossly. “I’m not sure why you ever got the impression that you wouldn’t but let’s face it—even if I liked you, which I don’t—I don’t want to listen to my parents go off about your family every time you call and frankly, I feel guilty hiding my calls from them.”

To my annoyance, Malcolm smirked.

“You’re such a goody-goody, Blake. Have you ever done anything against your parents?”

“Of course I have!” I lied. “Anyway, if I’m going to defy them, I’d rather do it for a worthy cause, not putting up with you.”

We eyed one another but there was an unmistakable buzz of amusement flowing from him toward me and it irked me even more.

“What are you smirking at?” I snapped, spinning to leave my bedroom. My face was hot. I didn’t bother to see if he would follow me but I could sense him close behind me.

“So?” he drawled when he caught up with me outside. “Are you?”

“Am I what?”

He used the key fob to unlock his Saab and I glared at the car as if it was somehow responsible for my irritation. In some way, it was. It must be nice to have his parents pay for everything when I still had to work part-time at the Flying Pig to purchase my texts.

“Going home for Christmas?”

I sighed heavily and slipped into the passenger seat as he held the door open for me, barely noticing that it was an act of chivalry. I guess I’d gotten used to it over the past couple years. I didn’t think myself special—he did it by rote. To Mal, any female in his car had to be easy prey. He didn’t mean to put on airs for me—he was just thinking with the wrong head as always.

“So what if I am?” I sighed. He wasn’t listening to me at all. “You need to stop calling me.”

He closed the door without responding until he got into the driver’s side.

“You texted me first,” he reminded me but I had no idea what he was talking about.

“What? What does that mean?”

It sounded like a childish, stupid cop out but I was curious to know what he meant.

“That first summer—you texted me first. Looking for Grayson after the cops got called to their place.”

My spine became a steel rod.

“That was your sister being a drama queen,” I told him stiffly and he frowned, backing out of my driveway.

“Your brother has a temper,” he retorted. “The neighbors had every right to call the cops on him.”

“They made it into a bigger thing than it was!” I insisted. “Your sister just turned on the waterworks and they took her side as all idiot men do!”

“Your brother is an asshole!” Mal exploded.

“Your sister is a bitch!”

We glowered in silence for a long moment and didn’t speak again until we parked in front of Trevor’s house. Mal turned off the car and looked at me but I already was reaching for the door handle. It was suddenly suffocating inside the vehicle but before I could move, Mal spoke.

“Blake, this is kind of stupid, don’t you think?”

I stared at him, my fingers still entwined in the handle.

You’re kind of stupid, don’t you think? a childish voice in my head countered but I managed to suppress it.

“What? That your sister is a diva? I agree.”

The corners of his mouth tucked in and he lowered his eyes. I could see he wanted to fight but to my surprise, he managed to keep his composure.

“It’s not really on us to argue about Ella and Grayson’s relationship, is it? We’re not there. We don’t know what’s happening behind closed doors and they keep going back to it so they must love each other.”

“Your sister has him wrapped around her little finger!” I exploded. “Of course he keeps going back! He wants to make it work because that’s the kind of guy he is! I wouldn’t expect you to understand that!”

Malcolm’s eyes grew smaller.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

I smiled mirthlessly.

“Really? I need to spell it out for you? You’ve never been in a relationship in your entire life. To you, women are dispensable, replaceable.”

Mal scoffed at me.

“At least I experience life, Blake. I don’t hole myself up and let the world pass me by. At least I’ve been laid!”

My mouth parted but no words came out as I gaped at him in humiliation. My first instinct was to lie and tell him that I had been laid too but I didn’t. Maybe man-whores like Malcolm Laurier could smell a virgin from a mile away. Anyway, it was none of his damned business. We weren’t even friends!

Instead of answering, I reached to open the door and let myself out but I heard Mal sigh behind me.

“Blake…”

I didn’t turn around. He could screw himself or one of his rolodex of insecure sorority girls for all I cared. I was done talking to Malcolm. I had no idea why I’d wasted half of my college career indulging his stupid calls.

“Hey, I’m sorry!” he yelled out but I had already slammed the door and made my way up the steps toward Trevor’s house.

“Finally!” our host announced, looking over my shoulder where Mal was getting out of the car. “Matt’s already here. What took you so long? Did you two finally get it on?”

I glared at him and pushed my way inside.

“Not likely,” I growled. “I wouldn’t touch him with a ten-foot pole.”

“Yeah right,” Trevor chuckled. “I see the way you two look at each other.”

I was stunned by the words but I didn’t say anything, mainly because I didn’t know what to say to that.

We didn’t look at each other like anything. He was a Laurier. I had no interest in falling into the same trap as my brother—especially not with a jerk like Malcolm.

“You’re wrong,” I finally managed to say, kicking off my shoes. “Where’s Matt?”

“Living room.”

I turned toward the living room, deliberately casting my eyes away from both Trevor and Mal. I wanted to put as much distance between me and them as possible. If I could have, I would have turned from the house and left but I cared about my grade too much. As far as I was concerned, they could both screw each other. I was done with Mal—for good. I didn’t care how many times he called me. He and his sister were the devil as far as I was concerned.

I had more important things to worry about.

Like graduation in five months.