Dirty English

For the next five minutes we made small talk about the weather, classes, and what we were doing the following weekend. Nadia’s voice was slightly shrill at times as she threw question after question at us. Digging. She wanted to know if I was shagging Elizabeth. I was ready to snap, especially when the waitress came by and set down coffees for both of them.

Nadia speared Elizabeth with her gaze. “Hey, don’t you date Blake?”

Elizabeth shook her head. “We’re just friends.”

“But you do spend a lot of time with him, right?” she asked pointedly. “I see you with him everywhere on campus. It’s not surprising people assume you’re dating.” She traced her finger on the table. “Does he know you’re not dating?”

“Enough with the questions,” I snapped, yet, at the same time, I waited for her response. Blake was something we hadn’t really touched on, but I knew she had strong feelings for him as a friend. I hated the motherfucker. Okay, maybe that was a tad extreme, but if he wanted Elizabeth as his, he was going to have to go through me to get her.

Shit. I scrubbed my jaw. I sounded like a Neanderthal—or a possessive boyfriend.

Elizabeth straightened her shoulders and cleared her throat. “The truth is, I made a pact freshman year to never date while at Whitman.”

“So … there’s no one you’re seeing right now?” I asked, trying to keep my voice even.

She licked her lips, eyes darting away from me. “No. I—I don’t do serious. That’s how college should be, right?”

Everything in the restaurant zoomed out and anger sliced through me at Elizabeth’s glib attitude. I clenched my fists under the table and tried to catch her gaze, but she was poking at the food on her plate.

Did our night mean nothing to her?

Didn’t I have the answer right in front of me?

Fuck!

I exhaled and grabbed my coffee before I said something I’d regret in front of Nadia, who’d eat that up.

Nadia smiled broadly, looking smug, her eyes going back and forth between us, picking up on the obvious cues. “How fascinating and very modern of you.” She touched Elizabeth’s hands to get her attention. “And in case you didn’t know already— I mean, who doesn’t?— Declan and I dated for over six months, and even though we didn’t end up together,” she paused on a nervous laugh, “I can attest that being friends was the best thing.”

Elizabeth nodded. “Of course.”

“In fact, Declan’s the only person who understands how my mom having cancer is ripping me up inside. Isn’t that right, Declan?” Nadia insisted.

I shrugged as Ninja Turtle stiffened.

Nadia focused back on Elizabeth. “So where are you from, Elizabeth? I’m dying to know more about you.”

Elizabeth muttered something under her breath.

“I didn’t catch that,” Nadia said.

“I said Petal, North Carolina.”

She nodded, a superior look on her face. “I’m from Raleigh. My parents own the Ridgley Hotel chain. I guess we’re kind of Whitman royalty around here. But Petal, North Carolina … hmm … small town, I’m guessing, but now that I think of it, it does ring a bell. How far is it from here?”

“Give the girl a rest. You’re getting on everyone’s nerves,” Donatello snapped as he pulled out his phone and began to check it.

Elizabeth exhaled. “No, it’s fine. Petal is a small town a few hours east of here, close to the coast.”

Nadia snapped her fingers. “Colby Scott! He’s from Petal! He’s Senator Scott’s son, and we used to play together when we were kids and our parents hung out at the Raleigh Country Club. You know him? He’s going here now.”

My entire body went on alert. Colby Scott? What the hell? The guy who’d been at her door that night? After the incident, I’d run his name past the campus police and even the Raleigh Police Department, but his record had been clean. I’d tried to dig around for his address, but so far I’d gotten nothing.

Had she outright lied about knowing him?

“I know him.” Elizabeth’s face had turned ashen.

Nadia clapped. “Small world. Whatever happened to him? Is he as handsome as he was when he was ten?” She giggled. “I need to call him up, remind him he promised to marry me when we were kids.”

Elizabeth didn’t answer but looked down, her curtain of blond hair hiding her face.

“You okay?” I asked softly.

She lifted blue eyes to mine briefly before she dropped them again, but not before my heart stuttered at the pain I saw etched in her gaze.

“Did you go to high school with this Colby guy?” I insisted. “Is he the one who came to your flat?”

“Yes.” Her voice was whispery.

The tension ramped up.

I found myself leaning over the table to study her closer.

I looked at the bangles on her wrists. At the scars underneath. “Is he the one who did that?”

Nadia cocked her head, sniffing a secret. “One what? Did I miss something?”

Elizabeth seemed to gather herself, her hands fluttering around her face as she pushed hair back. She squirmed in her seat, fiddling with her purse and then drinking a sip of water. “I—I used to date Colby. It was a long time ago, and I’m sure he’s forgotten about me now.” Her throat worked, the only telltale sign she was lying through her teeth.