Page 9 of Too Safe

Grateful for the reprieve, I head back down the narrow hall, finally fishing out my phone. I grin when the screen lights up.

Emo Boy: I’ll see you Wednesday in class, right?

I smirk. And here I was assuming he’d act too cool or play hard to get.

Hot Girl: Maybe?

Three little dots appear instantly.

Emo Boy: Say yes. Give me something to live for, Hot Girl.

I snort. I love that he has no chill.

Hot Girl: Yes. I’ll see you then.

Emo Boy: I want to see you Friday, too.

Biting back a smile, I make my way into my room and perch on the edge of my bed.

Hot Girl: Sorry. I don’t have any classes on Friday.

Emo Boy: Sorry? Why are you sorry? That means you’re wide open and can come to the party at my place.

I scoff. I walked right into that one. We’re well beyond the point of inevitable. But that doesn’t mean I still don’t want to play the game.

Hot Girl: Send me the details. I’ll consider it.

With that, I stash my phone under my pillow, still grinning. I really do need to get started on my reading. Especially now that I’ve got plans this weekend.

Chapter 4

Josephine

“Hey,girl!”Hunter’srushingout the garage door before I even put Honey in park.

I checked the address twice before pulling into the driveway. Her house ishuge. It’s one of those regal Southern homes with white colonial columns, a circle driveway, and two sets of stairs leading up to the front door.

Though I thought it was a coincidence that neither of us had class on Fridays, it turns out that LCU only offers classes four days a week. A perk I didn’t even know about.

At lunch on Tuesday, Hunter invited me to spend today with her so we can get ready for the party together.

According to her, the party Locke invited me to athis place, which, as it turns out, is a lakeside mansion owned by Decker Crusade, istheplace to be. She gave me tons of other scoop, too—on Locke and Decker, and on their roommates Kylian and Kendrick.

Pretty sure I learned more during Hunter’s course on Lake Chapel 101 than I did in all of my classes this week combined.

“I’m so glad we’re doing this!” She wraps her arms around me.

At her embrace, I make a concerted effort to not go stiff. I don’tnotlike hugs. I’m just not used to the frequency and intensity in which they’re doled out in the south.

“Slight change of plans for today,” she says, spinning back toward the house.

We weave through a garage with six bays filled with cars, a few motorcycles, and even a boat.

“I thought we’d have the house to ourselves, but my stepbrother and his teammates showed up an hour ago.” She glances back at me over her shoulder and rolls her eyes.

“Let me grab a few things from my room, then we can head out. I made appointments for us at the med spa. My treat!”

I open my mouth to argue but close it again the second we step inside. The sheer amount of noise in the house means there’s no way she’d hear me anyway. We’ve walked into chaos. No less than ten guys are hanging around the kitchen. A few lean against the countertops, stuffing their faces, while the others kick a soccer ball across the hardwood floor.

---