Page 22 of #PhiThetaForever

"She good?"

"Yeah. She's good."

Bo nods and then reaches over to turn some rock music on. If this is as crazy as this trip gets, it will be fine. This is something I can handle. Everything else that has happened, not so much. For a moment, I find myself silently praying that nothing bad happens.

I can get through this without any screw-ups.

I know I can.

24 Lena

I watch Declan through the front door of the dorms. I worked really hard to make sure he didn't think I was upset. It's total crap. I'm devastated he's not coming home with me for the holiday. It's probably stupid and irrational, but I feel how I feel. My dad and Jas were really looking forward to seeing us, and now I'm showing up without him. Sitting down in the dorm lounge, I stare across the room, wishing I wasn't going home alone and trying to figure out how to explain things to dad. He paid for both our tickets and now I have both and am only using one.

"You okay, Lena?" My head snaps up, and Justus is staring at me, his brows pulled together. "Why are you crying? What's wrong?"

I run my fingers under my eyes, unaware that tears were even running down my face. "Nothing. I'm good."

He sits in the chair across from me and rests his forearms on his thighs. "Come on, I know better. I saw Declan heading out. I thought you guys had a flight this morning."

Clearing my throat, I sit up and will the sting in my eyes to stop. "Flight got pushed back, but he's not coming. He, uh, ended up getting a pledge event for the holiday, so he's heading out with Bo and the guys. I'm heading home."

Sadness or pity fills Justus' eyes. I'm not sure which. "Oh."

I nod, pressing my lips together tightly for a moment. "Yep."

Justus sighs and runs his hand through his hair. "Well, if the invitation is still open, I'll come with you."

My eyebrows shoot up. "Really?"

He smiles sweetly. "Sure. Not like I have anything to do here. Everyone else is pretty much gone already."

Before I know it, I'm launching out of my seat and hugging him around the neck. "Thank you."

His hands rub up and down my back, his quiet laughter vibrating against me. "You're welcome. When do we have to leave?"

I let go of him and slide back onto my chair, pulling my phone out. "An hour."

Justus stands and smirks at me. "I'll meet you back here in an hour."

I can't contain my grin as I watch him walk away. Justus and Sandra have become two of my best friends, and I'm so blessed to have them. He has helped Declan a lot over the last month, and I couldn't be more grateful. He's a really great guy. I pull out my phone to find a text from Declan. My face heats a little, and the butterflies in my stomach do a little practice flight. He texts just to tell me he loves me and reminds me not to be late.

I start to tell him that Justus is going with me but delete it. Declan has been doing much better, but his jealousy has been a little out of control since hanging around Bo. I'm not sure if it's just a side of Declan I'm now realizing or if Bo's constant comments have brought this out. Justus says it Bo's comments mixed with the drugs and alcohol, but whatever the reason, Declan struggles to reign it in.

He knows I'd never cheat on him. But, that doesn't stop him from getting angry and upset when someone hits on me or looks at me for too long. The last thing I want to do is ruin his pledge weekend or make him angry to the point he feels like he has to come back and join us. Nothing is going on between Justus and I, and never will. I hate this notion people have that girls and guys can't just be friends. They think that there always has to be something sexual or romantic involved. That's not the case.

Jackson and I are best friends, and he's amazing. But I'm not attracted to him in any way, yet I can still admit that heisattractive. Just like Candice says, Declan is hot, and she loves him, but she isn't romantically or sexually interested in him. I don't find anything odd about all that, but apparently, there are people, a lot of people, in the world that do.

Once I finish texting Declan, I hit the speed dial for my dad. He picks up on the second ring.

"Hey, babygirl," my dad says in his deep voice.

I smile and hold the phone tight to my ear. "Hey, dad. So, small change of plans."

"What?" The panic is evident in his voice. "Is everything okay? What's wrong?"

Chuckling, I sigh dramatically. "Nothing is wrong. Will you calm down? So, Declan isn't coming with me."

"Why not? You guys okay?"