You're the Reason - J. Nathan Page 0,2

once they realized how they sounded.

I lifted my hand. “Hey.”

Chantel closed the door behind us and bottles of wine were passed around. A few girls asked about my sophomore status and where I lived, but besides that, I sat back and listened to them chat about guys, their summers, who they planned to hook up with this year, and rush week coming up soon. It was obvious Chantel was their leader. She ruled the conversation, and they all quieted when she spoke.

“So, Maine, huh?” the only other brunette in the room asked as she sat down beside me on the floor.

“Yup.”

“Didn’t like the cold?” she asked.

I shook my head, realizing I’d have to have the same conversation with each new person I met. “Not at all.”

She laughed. “I’m Valerie.”

“Sophia.”

“Yeah, I know. Chantel filled us in before you got here.”

I cringed.

“Don’t worry,” she smiled. “It wasn’t bad.”

“I heard she was supposed to have another roommate. I hope she’s not too upset she got stuck with me instead.”

I expected Valerie to laugh and tell me Chantel was excited to have me, but she didn’t. She shrugged.

My eyes widened. “She is pissed.”

Valerie grinned. “She would’ve loved a single.”

Freaking great.

A short time later we walked across campus, the loud cackles from the large group carrying through the darkness. I felt like an outsider as I followed behind, trying to politely listen to their conversations but saying very little.

We moved toward a large white house with black shutters. A big Greek K hung on the peaked roof above the second floor. The rumble of loud music playing inside the house vibrated the pavement beneath our feet as we moved up the sidewalk.

“Hey!” called a guy from the front door.

The girls waved or called back to him.

He turned his head and shouted inside, “The Alpha Phis are here. Lock the door to the roof.”

Knots of unease formed in my stomach. Had he actually just made a joke about Sydney Lane’s death? I glanced around and none of the girls seemed angry about his comment. My eyes collided with Valerie’s. Her twisted lips told me she was the only one who understood my surprise—and disgust.

We reached the front door, held open by the jerk who’d made the comment. The girls all filed inside, greeting him as they passed by. I moved through the doorway last, purposely stepping on his foot on my way by. “Oops.”

His death glare told me he knew I’d done it on purpose. Huh. He was smarter than I gave him credit for.

Chantel led the way as I trailed the girls, wondering why I agreed to go to a party in the first place. This really wasn’t my thing. We walked down a crowded hallway where guys and girls drank from red cups, turning their bodies to make room for us to move by. Guys ogled the Alpha Phis, while the other girls—who probably just realized they’d have competition—looked away in disgust.

We passed through an open door at the end of the hallway that led down a small set of stairs. Music reverberated through the tight stairwell which eventually opened up to a large basement. Guys and girls danced in the middle of the tiled floor while others drank and mingled around the room or at the bar that lined the back wall.

Many heads turned when the Alpha Phis paraded in. The girls definitely loved the attention, but I wondered if they loved each other. They were friendly, but I couldn’t tell if they were friends or just acting the part.

I veered from the group and took a spot by the wall, checking my phone.

“You need a drink?”

I glanced up to find a guy with a shaved head holding out a cup.

I eyed the cup. “No offense, but I’ve seen too many Lifetime movies to know there could be something other than flat beer in that cup.”

He laughed, downing the contents of the cup to show he hadn’t laced the beer.

“One can never be too safe. Predators come in all shapes and sizes,” I assured him.

He laughed again. “Let’s get you a cup straight from the keg.”

I nodded.

He walked me to the bar, calling to a guy to pour me a beer.

I watched the guy pour it before he handed it to me. “Thanks,” I said before turning to Mr. Shaved Head. “I’m Soph—” But he’d disappeared.

O-kay.

I moved back to the side of the room and drank my beer as I watched Chantel and her sisters dance on the dance floor, some with guys