Crushed (Rushed #2) (29 page)

I leaned forward and kissed her on her forehead. Her hand squeezed mine so softly, like the pressure of a butterfly landing on a flower. But real. I smiled and squeezed back just as her hand went limp and her heartbeat flat-lined. I screamed for help and begged her not to go. To come back.

A nurse came into the room and put her hand on my shoulder as I sat crying. "I'm sorry."

I nodded through my tears, holding my grandma's limp hand, patting it like she could feel it.
 

"Do you want a few minutes?"

It took me a second to realize the nurse was speaking to me.

I shook my head. "No, she's gone."

The nurse took my arm and helped me up. "Your boyfriend's waiting for you." She led me to the waiting room.

Dak took one look at me and knew the truth. I nodded and flew into Dak's arms and buried my head in his chest. He held me while I sobbed and soaked the front of his shirt with my tears. He held me while I shook with the despair of losing her.

"Give her time," the nurse said.

He stroked my hair, making reassuring noises. Finally, he spoke. "Your dad will want to know."

I realized I was being selfish. I nodded.

"Do you want me to call him?"

I shook my head. "No. It's my responsibility."

Dak handed me a tissue. I pulled my phone out of my pocket. "Dad, it's me, Morgan. She's gone. Grandma's gone."

"What? But how do
you
know?" He sounded stunned and in shock.

"I was with her." I was shaking. "You knew I would be." I took a deep breath. "She wasn't alone. Dak drove me. You should thank him. She wasn't alone." I began to cry again.

Dakota

The storm raged all night. The roads around the city were all closed. There was no place to go. No hotels nearby. We slept on a hard sofa in the lobby, Morgan in my arms, our coats rolled like pillows. A kind nurse threw a hospital blanket over us. We were part of a small army of stranded visitors. As I held her, my conviction grew—she was the woman for me. Lavaliering her for her birthday was what I wanted. I could see myself eventually marrying her. I loved her more than anything.

When we woke in the morning, the storm had finally cleared. The skies were blue. And the plows were out. We went to the bathrooms and freshened up. I took Morgan to the cafeteria for breakfast. Her dad texted. He'd finally gotten a flight out. He was coming to town to make arrangements.

He met us in the cafeteria just as we were finishing. Morgan threw herself in his arms. He held her like she was his baby. Like they needed each other. Then he thanked me.

"You shouldn't have done it." He slapped me on the back. "But I'm glad you did."

Morgan needed to be with her dad. I felt like a fifth wheel. I had to get back to school. I offered to wait and take her back with me when she was ready. She decided to stay with her dad and help him. He promised to send her back on the bus. She promised to call.

"You're really driving back." She looked worried. "You shouldn't. What if you're caught?"

"Why would I be caught?" I grinned at her.

"You won't speed?"

I sighed. "Not even five over."

"You'll drive carefully?"

"Cross my heart." I made the motion.

"What if you slide into a ditch?"

I shook my head. "You worry too much."

"Only about you." She kissed me. "Seriously. Drive safely." She leaned in and whispered in my ear. "I told Grandma she was right—you're the one."

It seemed almost disrespectful, but I couldn't help smiling.

As I drove out of town and saw the piles of drifted snow, I realized we'd been lucky. It would have been easy to have driven off the road and been stranded. I wondered if I'd been heroic. Or foolish. Only a girl like Morgan could have made me risk everything for her.
 

I thought about the lavalier necklace with my Tau Psi letters in the jewelry box in my room at the frat. This was going to be the best birthday ever.

Chapter Twenty-One

Morgan

Grandma's funeral was a week later. Just two days before my birthday. She'd left a gift for me. I brought it back with Dak and me on the bus. I'd been clinging to Dak's hand like it was a lifeline. "I'm glad you came with me."

He looked so handsome in his suit it made me want to cry with joy in the face of my sorrow. He was my guy. I could barely believe it.

He squeezed my hand. "Glad to."

I gave him a shaky, emotional smile.

It was just after eight in the evening when Victoria picked us up at the bus station. She dropped Dak off at the frat.

He gave me a quick kiss. "I'll change and come right over. See you in a few."

Dakota

A couple of my frat bros were lounging in the living room playing video games when I came in.

"Dak, there you are, buddy," Brett said. "A girl was here looking for you. She seemed upset and desperate to find you."

I frowned and my mouth went dry. "Who the hell would be desperate to find me?"

"That's what we were wondering." Brett went in for the kill in his game and blew something up. "She wanted to stick around until you got back. We told her you were at a funeral with Morgan and should be back around now. We thought you'd go directly to the sorority house. That's what we told her. She took off."

I made a fist. "Did she leave a name?"

Kirk looked up from his game momentarily and shrugged. "Maybe. I don't remember. Didn't recognize her."

I didn't know what made me ask. I already knew. "What did she look like?"

"Besides pissed?" Brett laughed.
 

My heart stopped.

"Dark hair. Average height." He paused and looked up like he was thinking. "Kirk, here, has the memory capacity of a pea. She said her name was Jordan. Or something like that."

Shit.
I swore beneath my breath. "She just left? How long ago?"

Brett glanced at me. "I don't know. I lose track when we're playing. A few minutes, maybe."

Or way too long. I raced out the door.

Morgan

I was emotionally fatigued and weak with relief as I walked into the house, carrying the gift from my grandma, which looked suspiciously like a jewelry box. I was tempted to open it. And yet I wanted to savor it. I knew she'd left me things in her will. But this was the last true gift she would ever give me. I had an idea what it was. I would wear it forever.

A dark-haired girl sat on the sofa in the living room, apart from the clusters of my sisters who were sitting around studying and chatting. She stood when Vicki and I walked in. It might have been my imagination, but she glared at me. Her eyes were hard and her icy persona filled the room and killed the conversations going on around her.

"Morgan Peterson?" She stared directly at me like I was the girl who'd killed her dog or something. Hatred glittered in her eyes. She looked like a jealous girlfriend. Which made absolutely no sense. I hadn't even hooked up with anyone but Dak in ages.

I'd done a lot of crappy things in my life. Like trying to chase Alexis away from Zach. But even she didn't stare at me with such sparkling malice. Like she was in the right, and justified in whatever she was about to say.
 

I frowned, trying to place her. I came up with nothing. "Yes?"

Victoria came up beside me, ready to intervene, as the girl took a step toward me.

The last murmurs in the room fell into stone-cold silence. A group of people, including Sarah, Katie, Kayla, Kelly, Alexis, and Zach, came around the corner from the study room.
 

The girl got in my face. "I came to warn you to stay the hell away from my boyfriend." Her face contorted with rage.

"You must be confusing me with someone else." I stared back at her with pity. "I don't have your boyfriend, whoever he is."

"Damn right you don't have him."

She must be drunk or high
, I thought.
 

The door to the sorority flew open, bringing with it a gust of cold air. Dakota stood in the door, his cheeks pink from the cold. Even still, I thought he paled when he saw the girl.

Another group of my sisters heard the commotion and came down from upstairs. They froze on the steps.

The girl pointed to Dakota. "Dakota has been mine since high school." She smiled at him. "Tell her, baby. We're off. We're on again. But we always get on again."

"Jordan—" Dakota took a step toward her.

I felt sick, dizzy with fear as I realized he knew her. And was afraid of what she was saying.

"You're just his cover girlfriend." She spat the words out and laughed like it was all a joke. Like I was a joke.

My sisters let out a collective gasp.

"So he could be with me," Jordan said. "His parents don't approve of him dating a girl like me. A working-class girl. They want a blond sorority bitch with family connections like you for him. Or a girl like Alexis." She turned and grinned evilly at Alexis. "Tell her, Alexis. Tell her how you pretended to be Dak's girlfriend so you could sneak around with Zach and Dak could be with me."

All around me, my sisters were wide-eyed with shock.
 

Everything moved in slow motion. I looked at Alexis and saw the truth written on her face.
 

Jordan wasn't lying. The truth felt like a sucker punch to my gut. Everything made sense now—their crazy friendship, the way Zach and Dak had remained friends after his "betrayal." Everything.

"Jordan, stop!" Dak came toward her.

Jordan took a step back from him.

He pleaded with me. "Don't listen to her. It's over between her and me."

"He was dating me. And playing you, making you think you were something special." She put me between her and Dak. "I'm not mean. Just trying to save you time and heartbreak. He always comes back to me. We've been together over four years. Tell her, Zach. You know as well as Dakota. We've all been buds since high school. I'm his girlfriend back home."

The room spun. Dak took a step toward me. Victoria caught my arm to steady me.

"No!" I shook my head and fought back tears. "Stay away from me!"

Dakota reached for me. Victoria stepped between us. I ran for the stairs. My sorority sisters on the stairs broke rank and let me pass, forming a wall behind me.
 

Dakota ran after me. "Morgan! Morgan! Come back. I can explain."

He tried to push his way through, but the girls held him back.

"You need to leave, Dakota," I heard Kelly say. "And take her with you."

I didn't hear any more. I ran to my room, shut the door, and threw myself on the bed in a gale of sobs. I'd just lost two of the people I loved most.

I let Victoria, Kayla, and Kelly in. Vics was my twin, after all.
 

"He's gone," Victoria said.
 

Kayla sat beside me on the bed and leaned her head against my back, circling me in a hug. "Alexis would like to talk to you. When you're ready. Everyone's stunned." She hugged me tighter. Kayla's gift was her compassion. "We're your sisters. We're all on your side."

I let out a sob.

"You should see Alexis," Victoria said. "It would help to hear the whole story." She paused. "You and Dakota were so good together."

"I know he loves you." Kelly sounded fierce.

How could she be so sure?

"There has to be an explanation."

"Such bad timing. She just got back from her grandma's funeral. She needs time to recover from the shock. Time to think. Get her a glass of water, will you, Vics?"

Dakota

After Kelly asked me to leave, I grabbed Jordan and dragged her out of the house and down the street. "What the fuck were you thinking in there? Why are you here?"