so she could look at me better.
“Yeah.”
“Are you going to Charlotte? Do you want me to take you?” Juliet offered, mirroring Cara’s movements.
“I’m not sure. My mom’s supposed to update me in the morning.”
“I’m so sorry. Is there anything we can do?”
“No. I think I’m going to take a walk.”
“A walk?” Cara asked. “Now?”
“Yeah. I need to move.”
“I’m in then.” Cara slipped on her flip flops.
“Same.” Juliet put on her sandals too.
“It’s okay. You guys can finish the movie.”
Juliet stood up. “Not a chance.”
“I appreciate it, but I need some time alone.”
“You sure?” Juliet asked.
“It’s getting late. Will you get back before dark?” Cara fidgeted with her necklace. It was a ‘C’ with a small diamond.
“I won’t be gone long. I appreciate you guys offering to come though.”
They nodded. I loved that my friends were awesome enough to offer their company, but they also knew me well enough to know when I needed them to back off.
I put on my favorite black flip flops and headed downstairs. A few of the girls looked at me, and I fake smiled. “I’ll be back later.” I figured my roommates could fill them in on the rest.
I wasn’t sure where I was going, but I needed the fresh air. My feelings about my father were already conflicted, this just made it worse. I decided to head to Waterfront Park.
I still remembered the day Dad left Gasden. He’d kissed me goodbye and promised I’d still see him all the time. Ten years later, I saw him once a year if I was lucky. He was an exec at Piedmont Capital, one of the largest banking institutions in the U.S. I was his small town daughter. I had nothing to offer him, and he made that crystal clear. My mother made the best of it when he decided he was tired of commuting back and forth. In other words, he was tired of us.
I wasn’t paying attention to where I was when I heard my name.
“Mallory?”
I kept walking, ignoring him. Was my luck really that bad? Colt happened to be sitting on the Kappa porch with his pledge class?
“Mal! Wait up.”
I slowed, he’d catch up anyway.
“Are you okay?” He put a gentle hand on mine. His eyes were equally gentle, and for some reason, that made me lose it.
“Hey. What’s going on?” He pulled me into his arms. He just held me and let me cry. I appreciated that he didn’t attempt to make me talk again.
I let him hold me for a few moments before I could regain my composure. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. What’s going on?” He looked at me with concern.
“My dad had a heart attack.”
“What? When?”
“Tonight. My mom called a little while ago.”
“Is he all right? Are you going to Charlotte?”
“I don’t know.”
“Let me drive you if you do. You shouldn’t do it alone.”
“No. I’ll be fine. You’ve got your pledging and everything.”
He laughed dryly. “Like that would stop me. I know how hard this has to be for you.”
He was one of the few people who did. He was the only one at Harrison who knew the truth of how strained my relationship with my dad was.
In college, having the exec dad was helpful for once. It made it easier to shed my small town image. No one cared about what town I was from once they figured out who gave me my last name. They assumed it meant I had money, and that put me in a different category.
Colt ran a hand down my back. “Have you talked to Davie?”
I shook my head. “No. I figured he’d call if he wanted to talk.”
“Yeah. He’s not the biggest talker.”
“You can go back to whatever it was you were doing.”
“It’s just a stupid pledge thing.” Concern still marred his face.
“Go on. I want to be alone anyway.”
“Are you positive?” He watched me warily. “I really don’t care if I miss anything.”
“Go. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. I’ll have to loop back to the house soon anyway. My friends will freak if I’m
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