Playing the Game (Providence University #6) - Ali Parker Page 0,83
push it.”
“Smart move. And what if he’s not even there? Did he maybe go home?”
“No, he wouldn’t go there.”
“Any other family he might visit?”
“His only brother passed away. They were really close.”
“You can’t worry yourself sick. He’ll come around when he’s ready. You just keep trying to call him and maybe leave him a message. He’ll listen to it eventually.”
“His voice box is full. I keep wondering if he left alone. After what I did, I can’t even blame him. I practically pushed him to cheat.”
Clara frowned. “That’s bullshit, and you know it. He’s probably just off venting. Or maybe he’s home already.” Clara picked up her keys. “Come on. I’m taking you there. I’ll call Dillon and see if he can call around and find out anything. He’s got friends all over campus and beyond. Someone is bound to see him.”
“Okay, just give me a minute.” I got up and went to put on my shoes and checked the mirror to see how bad I looked. My hair was still barely curled from the night before, and my miracle eyeliner had been cried off hours ago.
I brushed my teeth and washed my face, and when I was ready, I found Clara in the kitchen, pacing the room. “Are you sure it was him? Because that doesn’t sound good.”
My first instinct was that something bad had happened. “What’s going on?” I asked as my heart raced.
She pulled the phone away. “It’s Dillon. He said one of the guys saw Seth coming out of the liquor store with four bottles of vodka.”
“Shit.” Four bottles? That couldn’t be right. “Was he with someone?” If he was partying with some other girl, I didn’t even want to bother.
“No, he was alone.” She turned her attention back to Dillon, and when she ended the call, she gave me a regretful look. “Dillon said we have to go get him first. He doesn’t want us to approach Seth alone. Especially if he’s been drinking that much.”
“When was he seen at the liquor store?”
“He’s not sure. The person he heard it from, heard it from someone else.” That sounded about right.
I was suddenly unsure about our lead. “You do realize it’s probably not even true. It could have been anyone in a Jeep for all we know.”
“Well, that’s what I thought, but Dillon said just to be safe, he wanted to drive us over.”
“I just want to talk to him. That’s all. I just have to know he’s okay. And tell him that Britany explained things and how sorry I am.” It still didn’t feel like enough. Would he ever forgive me for what I’d done?
When we got to my sister’s apartment to pick up Dillon, he walked out with a look of concern on his face. “Are you okay, Avery?” he asked as Clara slid over and let him in the driver’s seat.
“I’m good. I just wish you would have called and told me what happened when you found out the truth.”
He threw his hands up. “I know. I’m sorry. I just thought it was best if Seth handled it. I didn’t know you’d try to give him a dose of his own medicine. And with Ben?” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “You can do so much better.”
“Ben?” Clara thought a minute. “Oh, no. You didn’t.”
“Nothing happened. I didn’t even kiss him. I just stood there and talked. He did something to upset me a while back, and I figure if Seth was going to punch some guy in a jealous rage, he was deserving.”
“Well, I can’t really disagree with you there,” said Dillon. “That guy does wear on a person.”
I looked out of the window as we drove over to Seth’s apartment. “I still don’t think the vodka story is true. I just hope he’s home.”
Dillon slowed the truck to make the next turn. “No, it was him. I asked around some more when I got off of the phone with Clara. My friend said it was definitely Seth, and he was looking really rough. But it wasn’t four bottles of vodka. It was only two. One was orange juice.”
“That’s not much better. I don’t think Seth drinks mixers.” He most likely had a girl with him. The pit in my gut was like an open wound screaming in pain. “He’s not alone.”
“I’ll go to the door, Avery. You don’t have to. We’re going to fix this. You two just have to talk.”
“Communication is so important,” said Clara, taking his hand.