18. Camille

Chapter 18

Camille

A fter my disastrous confrontation with Ty in art class, fate decided I hadn’t suffered enough. As I was making my way across the quad, I saw Kage leaning against a building. I sucked in a breath when I met his gaze, but he made no move to bridge the physical distance between us. I flexed my hands by my sides. Despite knowing he was far from fully recovered from his gunshot wound, he certainly looked like he was back to normal, his clothes impeccable, his stance one of arrogant confidence. Part of me wanted to run to him and throw my arms around him and tell him how glad I was that he was better, while the other part of me wanted to scratch his eyes out.

Although it took everything I had, I turned my back on him.

My phone immediately buzzed with a notification, his name flashing on the screen. I realized then I probably should have gotten a new number along with my new phone. My thumb hovered over the notification, a mix of curiosity and trepidation churning within me. Ultimately, I slid the phone back into my pocket, the message unread. He’d already had enough of my brain space these last few days and despite the fact I’d let him fuck me in Dante’s house, I hadn’t changed my mind about ending things between us.

The rest of the morning passed in a blur of lectures and notes, my mind drifting back to Kage’s silent stare and the unread text burning a hole in my pocket. I loved him, even now – but the version of him I loved had been an illusion. If he’d kept the engagement from me, no matter how much he claimed it was just business, what else could he be hiding?

Luckily, telling Bianca about the Halloween progressive had prompted her to text me an invitation to meet for coffee, one I accepted. I met her at a coffee place right off campus.

"Hey," I greeted her as I slid into the booth opposite her. Bianca’s eyes were sharp, missing nothing, but her smile was warm.

"Hey yourself," she replied, her gaze softening as she took me in. "How are you holding up?"

I shrugged, a non-committal gesture that said everything and nothing. "Surviving," I finally said, forcing a smile. "You know how it is."

"Yeah, I do. But we're tougher than we look, right?"

We paused our conversation to head to the counter. The barista smiled. "What can I get for you today?"

"I'll have a latte," Bianca ordered, her voice confident and clear.

"And for you?" the barista turned to me.

"Um, just a black coffee, thanks," I said, feeling suddenly underdressed for the complexity of the cafe's menu.

"Coming right up," the barista said, her smile never waning.

Once we got our coffees, we headed back to our booth. Bianca leaned in, her expression turning serious. "So, talk to me. What's going on? I know there's more than just planning for the Halloween party and 'surviving.'"

I hesitated, the floodgates of my troubles with Dante, Kage, and Ty creaking open but I slammed it shut. Bianca and I were just starting to be us again. I wasn't complicating that with my insane relationship troubles. "Honest, Bianca, there's nothing much to tell."

Bianca stared at me then burst out laughing. She shook her head. "Nice try, Camille. But you're not fooling anyone." She took a sip of her drink. “God, I’ve missed this coffee,” Bianca groaned.

“They didn’t have coffee in California?”

“Not like this.” She studied her cup with narrowed eyes. “Maybe they lace it with something to keep us drinking it.”

“It’s coffee,” I told her, laughing. “It’s addictive without anything nefarious.”

“Right. Well, let's try this again. Any update on your little love triangle? Or is it a square now, given that Italian housemate of yours was part of the trio that saved you from Silas. What's his name, Mateo?”

Shit. She was pinning me in place with her blue eyes, the suspicion in them overflowing. I cleared my throat. "Actually...he goes by Ty and he's the guy I met in Italy."

Her eyes widened. "Holy shit. That's what I was afraid of." She shook her head then reached out and took my hand in hers. "Babe, you must have shit bricks when you saw him, let alone found out you were going to be housemates. I'm so sorry."

I let out a sound that was part laugh and part sob. Her hand in mine, the caring expression on her face, it made me feel ashamed for not telling her the truth to begin with. Maybe if I had, she wouldn't have gone to California in the first place. "Shitting bricks is an understatement. He was the one that pulled me and Ava out of the water. He saved me, B, but I was so out of it when I woke up, I thought maybe I'd hallucinated him. Then...well, I was just struggling to process it all—Ava, Ty, Kage, Dante."

"I get it," she said. "I’ve learned Mateo has quite the scandalous past. And Ty is a first-class dick. Yet he helped save you."

I gave a watery laugh again. "Yeah. He's complicated like that."

"Seems we like them hot and psychotic.

When I said nothing to that, hating that she would even dare compare Ty to Silas, she sighed. "So, you and Ty..."

I sighed. "We're nothing. The guy hates my guts.”

"I'll repeat—he saved your life.”

“I’m sure for his own purposes, even if just to keep me around so he can find ways to make me even more miserable than I am.”

“Kage and Dante allow that? You allow it?”

"I'm planning on moving out soon. Dante's been wonderful but Kage is engaged, Bianca. He says it's just a business arrangement but..."

Bianca winced and squeezed my hand again before letting go and sitting back. "But it doesn't make a difference. Not to my closet romanticist sister who still believes in monogamy and true love."

"Don't you?" I said. "A part of you, at least?"

Bianca looked away before clearing her throat. "No. I really don't, Cami. Listen, about what I told you that night at the hospital. About me meeting a guy?—"

A group of male students walked into the coffee shop and passed us on the way to the counter. They made a show of snickering and glancing our way. I did my best to ignore it—I was used to people talking about me. Only this time, it wasn’t me who was their focus. It was Bianca.

“I heard she fucked the husband of the woman she was interning for and that’s why she got demoted to Tier Three,” one guy said loud enough for us to hear. He wanted us to hear it—a power move to push Bianca even further down the social scale.

“Eww, shriveled up old man dick,” his friend replied with a cringe. “I heard she ran off with him, then he had a heart attack and died while she was fucking him.”

“Guess murdering people runs in the family,” the first guy piped up. “I’m surprised all they did to her was drop her to Tier Three. I’d have expelled her ass.”

I put my hand out, urging Bianca to let it go, but she shook me off and stalked over to the group.

“Hey,” she snarled at them and the first one to talk about her shot her a dismissive look. She reached out and grabbed his hair, yanking him around to face her, eyes blazing with fury. Damn, I’d forgotten how scary she could be when you got on her wrong side.

“If you’re going to shit talk me, at least have the balls to do it to my face,” Bianca hissed. Then she slapped him hard.

The guy’s face flushed red right before he swung at her, but Bianca was too quick. She ducked out of the way, grabbed his arm, twisted it behind his back and flipped him onto the ground. He landed with a hard thud, yelping in pain when she put her heel to his throat. The coffee shop had grown silent, all eyes on her, but Bianca was utterly focused.

“Fuck, I’m sorry,” the guy gasped, struggling to breathe. “Please don’t hurt me, I won’t say anything about you ever again.”

“You better not,” Bianca growled, her dark eyes flashing. “Don’t talk shit about me, my sister or my family.”

The guy hastily nodded. “I-I got it, I promise.”

"Let this be a lesson to you," Bianca said, her voice low but audible enough for the crowd to hear. "I don't go down without a fight, and I certainly don't let little snakes like you get the best of me. And old man dick is better than anything you or your fucking cronies could hope to give a girl. Say it.”

When the guy didn’t do as she said, she stepped on him harder. He squealed then said, “Old man dick is better than what I or we could give a girl.”

“Good boy.” She yanked him to his feet then with a push, she released the guy, who stumbled forward, rubbing his arm and looking around at the gathered students, his bravado shattered. Bianca straightened her jacket, her demeanor as composed as if she'd just finished a casual stroll rather than a confrontation.

The guy and his friends left without buying coffee, and soon the coffee shop was filled with whispers of Bianca's badassery. When she strolled back to our table and sat down, I was still stunned. "That was something," I managed to say.

Bianca flashed me a grin, the adrenaline of the encounter still bright in her eyes. "Just another day at Crimsonvale," she quipped.

As the last sips of our coffee disappeared, I said, "You were saying...about what you told me at the hospital..."

Bianca nodded then looked around. "Later. I shouldn't have brought it up here." She studied me for a moment. "I assume you don't want to talk about Kage anymore."

"No. Given everything we're both dealing with already, let's talk about something utterly boring."

She looked like she was going to deny my request and push me, but instead she shrugged. “Boring like the room you’re decorating for the Halloween progressive party? Only if you recruit me to help.”

My eyes widened. “You want to help? I mean, I’d love that. You're exactly the kind of energy I need. I just didn’t think you’d be interested.”

“I’m not, silly. But I fucked up and I want to spend some quality time with my sister. If she’ll have me.”

Grinning, I said, "Alright, let's do it. But if we're going to make this happen, we need supplies. Shopping spree?"

And just like that, we found ourselves heading to some stores and picking up bits and pieces for the party. It felt good, laughing and joking with Bianca. We debated over decorations, lighting, and even sound effects, each of us bringing our own ideas to the table. It was like we were kids again, spinning a ridiculous fantasy out of my planned room theme.

"This is going to be epic," Bianca said, tossing more supplies into the car.

"I can't believe how much I've missed this," I admitted as we checked out.

"Missed what? Spending money?" Bianca teased, nudging me with her elbow.

"Missed us .”

We headed to a clothing store next. Something about Bianca wanting a dress to match a new pair of shoes. "So, what are you thinking? Going solo, or do you dare venture into the dangerous waters of couple costumes? I know you don’t want to talk about them, but Kage, Ty, and Dante... They could provide some serious eye candy for your room. Quartet, triple, couples... The possibilities are endless."

She threw out ideas ranging from the outrageous to the downright hilarious. “You don’t even have to stick to the theme for costumes. You guys could do a mean Goldilocks and the three bears,” Bianca cackled.

“Even if things were good between all of us, I doubt they’d dress up for Halloween. They hardly seem the type.”

“Yeah, well you never know. Maybe they’ll surprise you.” She pulled a dress off the rack and held it against herself. I wasn't the fashion maven she was, but I wrinkled my nose and shook my head. She put it back.

“Trust me," I said, "they surprise me on a daily basis, but Halloween costumes would be the least of it. No, I don’t want them involved in this. This is supposed to be my escape just as much as my creative outlet. And the guys…” I smiled sadly and shook my head. “They’re the ones I need to escape most.”

“Hmm,” Bianca said. “Alright, Cami. Forget I even mentioned group costumes.”

“Done. What about you? Who are you going as?”

“I’m not sure.” She pulled a short, black dress off the rack and studied it thoughtfully. “I’m still considering my options. Maybe someone batshit crazy, so people take the hint and get off my back about dropping down two tiers.”

“Batshit crazy, huh? So, you’re going as yourself, then?”

“Watch it, squirt. I’m not above teaching you a lesson or two,” Bianca joked. “Although from what I suspect, those boys must have ‘lessons’ well-covered. But you want nothing to do with them. Dante, too?”

My gaze dropped to the ground. “More like I did something that pissed him off. But it’s probably for the best, right? I’m sure it’s hard for you to even imagine me juggling three guys.” I forced a laugh, but Bianca just shook her head.

“I think you can do anything you want to do, Camille, with splendid results.”

I swallowed hard and took her hand. “I hated it when you were gone.”

“I hated it too, Cami. And the last thing I want is to have distance between us again, but have you thought about what I said? About leaving CU?"

I sighed. The idea of leaving had crossed my mind more than once, especially given my new resolve to separate myself from the guys. With everything that had happened, the thought of starting fresh somewhere else wasn't without its appeal. But as I looked at Bianca and remembered the laughter we shared today, when I thought about the missing students and yes, even my complicated relationships with Kage, Ty, and Dante, I knew I couldn't leave. Not yet.

"Yeah, I've thought about it," I admitted. "But I'm staying. I can't leave you or the others. There's too much at stake, and I want to help. I'm part of this, for better or worse."

Bianca nodded, her expression serious. "Alright. Let's head back to my dorm. We'll talk more about what I know so far, which isn't much more than I've already told you. But maybe we can figure this out together."