Page 105 of Sticks and Stones (Shadow Valley U)

I turn and rush up the stairs, holding back tears of anger and fear. I gather my blankets and pillow, because I wasn’t kidding when I said I wasn’t sleeping beside a liar. My entire body is trembling, but I still tiptoe over to the window and glance down into the street.

I wouldn’t be surprised if I saw my dad standing on the sidewalk, waiting to welcome me home with open arms.

CHAPTER36

STONE

I thinkI underestimated how long Wren would stay pissed at me.

After she tried to hide—a pathetic attempt if I’ve ever seen one, in which she gave a startlingly accurate impression of a disgruntled cat, claws and all—she then thought sleeping in the Harry Potter closet was her best option.

Needless to say, that didn’t fly.

But it’s been five days ofnothing, and I’m about at my breaking point. She’s given me blank stares—if she deigns to look at me at all. Otherwise, she avoids me until she climbs into our bed at night, and then she spends the next hour avoiding my touch.

Like now, she’s asleep next to me, so far away her arm is touching the wall. And I’m nearly on the opposite edge, trying to be nice and respect her boundaries.

Sort of.

I heave a sigh, and she responds by elbowing me in the ribs.

“I thought you were sleeping.”

“Your silence is so loud it woke me up,” she replies.

Ouch.

She pushes the blankets off her legs and shimmies to the end of the bed. I watch her move around the dim room, gathering clothes off the floor and out of her dresser. And I stay where I am as she gets dressed robotically. There’s no expression on her face.

As soon as her shoes are on, she’s out the door.

The bathroom door closes down the hall with a littlesnick, and I throw my arm over my face for a moment. A moment to allow my frustration to bubble up, to nearly choke me.

But a moment is all I get. On the next inhale, I force myself up and down the hall to Grant’s room. I knock twice and enter.

His room is darker than mine, the blackout shades he installed over the windows pulled down into place. He’s flopped in the middle of the bed, and there’s a girl curled into his side.

Naked.

Lovely.

“Grant,” I call.

Nothing. Ah, well, I tried. I grab the glass of water on his nightstand. I don’t feel the slightest bit bad for dumping it on his head.

He and the girl both wake up almost instantly. He roars, swinging, and I leap out of range. His soaked hair is plastered to his head, and he looks ridiculous. I burst out laughing before I can stop myself.

“Fuck, Foster,” Grant snaps groggily. “What the hell are you doing?”

The girl is barely covering her tits with the sheet. Not that I care for her tits. They’re not Wren’s, so I ignore her and focus on my housemate.

“Wren’s going to class early. You need to go with her.”

We stare at each other for a long minute.

“Fine,” he grumbles. “Just because you somehow fucked up with her…”

I wave him off. “Better get dressed. Pretty sure the university has some policy about shoes and a shirt.”