Page 38 of Disobedient Pawn

I looked to Blake for help. He’d been oddly quiet, and so far, there had been no teasing comments. He just shrugged.

“Is there any place you want to shop,” I asked Blake as Ivy speed-walked away.

“Not really. I order most of my stuff online,” he said.

“Okay.” We lapsed into silence as we followed Ivy. The first store was huge, with clothes, shoes, and a wide assortment of other items. Ivy had already disappeared among the racks.

“She’s that way,” Blake said, pointing. I envied all those taller than six feet. It must be nice to reach shit on the top shelf in a kitchen without needing a stool.

I wasn’t going to say it to Blake, but I was happy to get off the property, too. It had been less than a week, and my roommate was showing more of her crazy with each passing day. She had zero consideration or empathy for anyone else. After Mrs. Frey found me Saturday night, which wasn’t a great moment for me, I was brought to my bedroom, where I stayed under the blankets all day Sunday. Vicky paraded so many people in that I lost count. Each had a rude comment or sarcastic remark about the fact I wasn’t up or how my side of the room looked sparse. A few went so far as to sit on the end of my bed, pretending to jump and scream when I asked them to move.

That got Vicky laughing the loudest. I wasn’t sure if Vicky was really bad at hiding her true intentions or if pretending to be oblivious while talking about me was part of her bitch act. Honestly, I didn’t have it in me to care anymore.

I figured I was entitled to my mini-break. There wasn’t time for me to process all that had happened or how quickly the investigation was wrapped up before we buried my mum. The police said that it was a robbery that got out of control, and there had been several in the area. They would let us know if they found who killed my mum, but then they released the body, and before I had time to catch my breath, the funeral was planned, completed, and we were on a plane. Five days had passed from the day my mum was murdered to us leaving everything I knew behind.

As it turned out, Mrs. Frey had taken all the brushes home to give them a thorough cleaning. As soon as she understood why I was in the middle of a breakdown, she pulled the bundle from her bag with an elastic around them. I clutched them to my chest as if they would somehow transform into my mum. Relief washed over me, and the sheer terror that had gripped me faded.

Of course, she wanted to report the incident, but I begged her not to. I’m sure she did anyway, but the fact that they didn’t knock on my door and cart me off in a white jacket gave me hope that she’d kept her word.

“Where was Myles this morning,” I asked.

“What?” Blake’s eyes took a moment to focus like he’d been off on a totally different plane.

“I was asking where Myles was this morning. We had a tutoring session, but he didn’t show up and then missed class.”

Blake shrugged. “Despite popular opinion, I don’t always know what he is up to, but we were out really late after the tourney on Sunday, so he probably slept in.” Stopping at a rack, he thumbed through the dresses, and I assumed he was looking for a gift.

“What does she look like? I can help you find something,” I offered and went to another rack close by that was a whole boho collection. Why I was offering help, I had no idea. I seemed to have that problem a lot lately.

“About five feet.” I nodded. “Really pretty, has a great smile.”

“Do you know her size or style?” I asked and pulled out a fun dress. It had an embroidered flower pattern and little tassels that lined the deep V of the neckline. It was the kind of dress you could wear on its own in the summer or put on a pair of tights with boots for the colder days.

“This is stunning.” I held it up, and as Blake looked but didn’t say anything, it dawned on me that most guys preferred short tops, skintight pants, or skirts that left nothing to the imagination. I put the dress back on the rack. “I’m going to help Ivy and then find some shirts for school.”

My stomach knotted as I walked away. The last thing I needed was to give this group of overly popular jocks something else to make fun of me over. I may not care, but why give them ammunition on a silver platter. I was no fool, and he was not my friend.

Ivy had completely disappeared, and even jumping up and down, I couldn’t see her dark hair among the rows. Ugh. Marching toward the large hanging sign that said tops, I scanned the racks and the walls for anything that passed for a plain white dress shirt. You’d think something so simple would be easy to find, but I felt like I was playing a game of Where’s Waldo.

“Isn’t this incredible!” Ivy exclaimed behind me. I jumped, clutching my chest. I hated that this was happening to me. I’d never been skittish, but lately, I ducked or jumped at the slightest noise.

Turning around, I smiled as Ivy spun in a skirt and top outfit that was both sexy and adorable, just like she was.

“I love it, Ivy. Are you going to get it?”

Her smile fell. “No, my dad doesn’t like me spending money. He gets pretty mad about it.”

“I’ll get it for you.” She shook her head, but I cut her off before she could refuse. “Girl, I would’ve been lost without you. You made an entire binder to help me fit in, so the least I can do is get you a gift to say thank you. This way, it’s something you want.”

She smoothed her hands down the material. “I don’t have anywhere to wear this. I don’t want you to waste your money.”

“We will book somewhere to go so you have someplace to wear it. I’m buying it, no arguments.” Ivy rushed me and gripped me in a hard hug.

“Thank you!”

Ivy sprinted off for the dressing room, her ponytail bobbing behind her. I’d never seen anyone this excited about shopping before. I couldn’t relate unless it was art supplies. Then I was in a little slice of heaven.

I tried not to make it obvious as I glanced around for Blake. “You looking for me?”