Corrupt Me

Chapter 10

I threw my arms around Sam the moment she stepped out of the car. "You're here," I squealed, putting on a smile for my best friend as I banished all thoughts of last night. At least for a little bit. I needed to give my mind a mental break.

Sam hugged me back. "And ready to fucking party," she sang, excitement shimmering in her winter gray eyes. We jumped in an excited circle on the side of the street, hugging for another minute as we basked in the glow of beginning a new chapter together.

Standing on the curb, her gaze scanned the house behind me, brows furrowing as the already hot sun shined down over her aqua hair. She wore a pair of tattered black fishnet stockings, a short skater skirt, and a graphic tee also in black. From head to toe, she was so Sam. "This doesn't look like the dorm in the picture," she commented, brows bunching in confusion.

I turned so we were shoulder to shoulder, staring at the housing for upperclassmen. "Because it's not," I replied, my conversation with Tristan last night popping into my head. Would Dean Harris really deny my request? Was it worth the risk to find out? Then I remembered the stupid picture Tristan had taken last night and frowned. Shaking my head, I looped my hand through Sam's arm and said, "We need to talk."

She lifted a single brow, angling her head slightly to the side in my direction to study me. "What the fuck is going on?"

"Do you want to know before or after we unload your car?" I asked.

She glanced behind her at the used Mazda packed with shit. Far more crap than she needed, but Sam liked to be prepared for every impromptu situation that might come her way. She was also a bit of a hoarder with things like makeup, clothes, shoes, purses, and accessories, and she was messy as hell. Having her as a roommate would be maddening but never dull.

I couldn't wait. I was so ready for some of my best friend's craziness to add color to my world. For the last six months, my life had been nothing but shades of gray. Occasionally a glimmer of pink, blue, red, and yellow would peek through, but never long enough to make a permanent impact on my life.

Grief could be all-consuming. It could shut out all those feelings you took for granted and only let in the ones that crippled you. That's what I would have described the first month after my mother's death—crippling.

My father had been no better—worse even. It had been Sam, Preston, and even Tristan in his own way who had helped me get out of bed, who pulled me back into the world, who made me want to start living again.

And now, I only had Sam.

It didn't matter that Tristan lived in the same house as me. He was the enemy now, and I still didn't know why. What had I done to make him want to toy with me, especially after everything I'd been through. There were nights when Preston hadn't been around. When I had gone to the Malone's to find Preston but found Tristan instead. Those nights I had never been more vulnerable. Something about Tristan crumbled my walls. He could see past the forced smiles and the fake automatic responses and see the pain and hurt I tried desperately to keep at bay.

I knew that if I called Preston, the first thing he would do was try and convince me to get back together. Right now, I had to keep my distance from him and Tristan it seemed.

"Tell me now," Sam quickly answered. "You know I can't wait. Show me our room and let's get to the dirt. The car will be here later." She waved a dismissive hand to the Mazda.

We stepped inside Thorn Hall and Sam gasped. "You've got to be shitty me. We are living here for the year? God, Ever, sometimes I think the best thing that happened to me was befriending you."

I laughed. Sam and I hadn't been instant friends. It had taken a few incidences before we grew on each other. And now, I couldn't imagine having a better friend. Sam was fucking loyal to a fault. She didn't have an agenda. She didn't give a shit that I came from money or lived in a big house. I cared even less that Sam came from a lower-income family. Money had never been a factor in our friendship, but that didn't mean Sam didn't appreciate the benefits.