Secrets & Surrender 2 by L.G. Castillo Page A

thought he was a friend. I thought Mandi was just uncomfortable dancing on stage. She had told me she didn’t want to do the show. She had been fighting against Julian, and I had basically pushed her toward him.
    “Come on, sweetheart. It’ll be fun. It’s just a little mud.”
    “No, I need to find my friend, Nic.”
    I looked back at the mud pit. A big frat guy with a mullet that was way too long had a thick arm around Kristie. She was giggling as he slowly moved her toward the pit.
    “Here, have another drink.” Mullet-head took what appeared to be an empty cup from her hand and replaced it with another.
    “Your so...so...” She hiccupped. “Sweet. Bobby.”
    “Robby,” he said as he fingered the top buttons of her blouse. “Aren’t you warm? Let me help you cool off a bit.”
    “What are you doing, Bobby?” She giggled. “I mean, Robby. Bobby. Robby. Nice and blobby. Ooh, I made a rhyme.”
    “Just trying to cool you off, sugar.”
    “No. I want to keep my shirt on. Stop it!”
    “Aww, come on. Stop being such a freshman. The other girls are having fun. Don’t you want to have some fun?”
    “The lady said hands off,” I growled, shoving his hands off Kristie.
    “Nic! Here’s my friend. Nic. He’s quick and has a big stick. At least I think he does. I think Mandi’s seen his stick. She has, hasn’t she, stick? I mean, Nic.”
    “Get in the car, Kristie.”
    “Now wait a minute.” Mullet-head placed himself in front me, his gray eyes narrowed. “She’s with me.”
    He jerked Kristie back to him, and she lost her footing, falling into the mud.
    That’s when everything happened all at once. I swung, aiming for his face. He caught my punch and, in one swift movement, twisted my arm behind me.
    Kristie leaped up, covered with mud.
    “Leave him alone!”
    He laughed at her as she swatted his arm, her fingers leaving mud smears. With a flick of his hand, he shoved her back to the ground.
    Cursing, I swung around and sucker punched him. Tackling him to the ground, I pummeled my fist into his ribs.
    I barely noticed the crowd around us as I threw everything I had in into this asshole. People yelled in the background, encouraging me to go on. Among them was Kristie’s high-pitched voice cheering me on.
    When he finally stopped moving, I grabbed hold of his muddied shirt and brought him close to me. His face was inches from mine. Dark eyes replaced his gray ones.
    Julian .
    “She’s mine! Leave her alone!” I roared before throwing him one final blow.
    * * *
    “A re you sure you don’t want me to take you to the emergency room?” Kristie’s voice came from the other side of the bathroom door.
    “No,” I called out from the shower, wincing as the water hit against the open cuts on my hands and face. “I’m fine.”
    “I’m so sorry for barfing on you...and your carpet. Are you—”
    “I said I’m fine, Kristie!”
    There was a small whimper and then silence.
    I groaned. Tonight was a fucking disaster, and I was making it worse by taking it out on Kristie. None of this was her fault.
    It was miracle we made it back to campus in one piece. I shouldn’t have driven, but I didn’t want to risk leaving the Porsche at the frat house, especially since I basically knocked out one of the frat brothers. The fact that it was almost three in the morning and the streets were pretty empty helped. I vowed never do that again.
    Kristie was a sobbing, muddy mess by the time I got her into the car. I didn’t want to leave her alone, so I brought her back to my dorm room.
    “I’m sorry, Kristie. I didn’t mean to yell at you. Don’t worry about the barfing. It’ll wash out.”
    “I didn’t mean to get you into a fight. It’s all my fault.”
    “It’s not your fault. The guy was a jerk.”
    “Are you sure I can’t do anything? Oh, I know. I’ll put your clothes in the washer with mine. Okay?”
    “Yeah, sure.” For once I was glad that Mother was a control freak. She had insisted on