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Ari stared. “Yeah, so… I’m gonna go now.”

“Me too. Bye, psychos.”

Roxxi waved a finger. “We need to have a girl chat when you get home, Sanj. No boys allowed.”

Cade sighed heavily. “Sexism. Alive and well.”

“Cry about it,” Cloe said sweetly, reaching to end the call.

I hit the button just as Nick muttered something about needing protection.

For a few seconds, the silence after the call ended actually felt kind of peaceful.

Until my phone buzzed again.

.

CHAPTER THIRTY

SANJANA

I trudged down the basement stairs with three pizza boxes stacked in my arms, the buttery smell of garlic and melted cheese trailing behind me. Shakira followed closely, carrying two more boxes and a wobbly tower of paper plates and napkins, her fuzzy socks nearly slipping on the last step.

It was the norm for us to do a game or movie night when we came home, and then the Vosses would host a late lunch before we headed back tomorrow. If the others were back this way, they’d come too. Tonight was supposed to be my last bit of normal, but the last text I’d gotten had ruined the tiny bit of levity the call with everyone had brought me.

I pushed through the double doors of the cinema room, the kind of space that looked straight out of a design catalog—oversized loungers, a ceiling that glowed like a starry sky, and more Marilyn Monroe pillows than anyone needed. I didn’t slow until I reached the back table near the fridge and candy rack, setting the boxes down with a huff, doing my best to keep my expression neutral. If Shakira noticed anything off, she didn’t say.

She dumped her stack beside mine and squinted at the food. “Do you think this is enough pizza?”

“For us? Probably,” I said, straightening. “For Cade? Not a chance.”

She grinned, trying to keep it casual. “Is he seeing anyone?”

I snorted, pushing my hair back. “That’s generous. ‘Seeing’ implies consistency.”

I said this in good fun. Cade was single, safe, and not doing a damn thing wrong.

It’d be hypocritical of me to side-eye him for having fun when Roxxi used to do the exact same thing, and I loved it for her.Used tobeing the keywords, because ever since the guys had caught on, they shut all of that down and became her personal chastity patrol. The double standard was ridiculous, but Roxxi had a workaround. It helped that she was a man-eater. She took what she wanted and swiftly moved on. Roxxi and Cade were two sides of the same coin, really. As much as we all joked around, their sex lives were no one’s business but their own.

Shakira rolled her eyes, a faint blush creeping up her cheeks. “Whatever. He’s still freaking gorgeous.”

“Yes, he is pretty, but you realize that’s like crushing on my brother?”

She shrugged. “You’re in love with mine, then.”

“Touche.” I laughed and busied myself by unstacking the plates and napkins.

Shakira dropped onto one of the oversized loungers, tucking her feet beneath her. “Oh, I heard the annual Hunt kicks off tomorrow.”

“By heard, you mean half of Hemlock is acting like it’s a national holiday?” I tried to keep my tone light.

She shrugged. “I mean, yeah. People are going crazy on social media. Even Mom’s been talking about it.”

It suddenly dawned on me she hadn’t mentioned anything about my locker room incident. In fact, no one had.

This was something the girls would’ve been all over to fact-check. More than likely, Crowsfell has already buried it since it was a violation of their expected conduct. It was disturbing how cutthroat the university could be when necessary.

“What did Mom say?” I asked.

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