On the Sideline (BSU Football #3) - J.B. Salsbury Page 0,49
with her back toward me, her brown hair in the signature French twist, and pearls strung along the back of her neck, I’d recognize her anywhere. “Mom?”
Her head turns on a slow swivel and disappointment twists her features even before her gaze slides along the length of my body. “Dear God, Bexley, what on earth are you wearing?”
I tug on my shirt, smoothing the fabric as if it’ll somehow do something to make me look more presentable. “What are you doing here?”
“I called her.” Riley leans to the side for me to see her fully from her spot across from my mom. “We needed someone to come and get your things.”
At the mention of my things I’m reminded of why I raced down here in the first place. Reminded of how I want to toss my cousin headfirst through a window. I cross to stand at the edge of the table and glare down at Riley. “Where are my snakes?”
“That’s what you care about? Your stupid snakes?” Riley says.
“Would both of you lower your voices?” my mom hisses. “Bexley, sit down. You will speak like civilized women, not street trash.”
I don’t sit.
“Your things are safe.” My mom adjusts the gold buttons on the cuffs of her pale green silk blouse. “I had a moving company take your things to an apartment at The Weldon. What you should be more concerned about is how your lapse in judgment is going to affect our family.”
I blink and stumble back at the absurdity of her words. “My lapse in judgment?”
“Not a single Thunderbird in our history has ever been removed from their fraternity or sorority.” Thanks to a liberal amount of Botox and filler, it’s hard to tell just how angry my mom really is, but her voice turns venomous as she spits, “How could you do this to your cousin?”
“What exactly did she tell you I did?”
“Would you please sit down—”
“No, mom. I won’t sit down.” I swing my gaze to Riley. “You humiliate me in front of our entire sorority and their dates, you kick me out of Eta Pi, call my mom to clear out my things…. All because a guy chose me over you?”
Her cheeks flush cherry red. “You were having sex with my boyfriend!”
“Riley, keep your voice down,” my mom spits through tight lips.
“Is it too much to ask that you let me win this one time? Just this one time.”
“Oh please, don’t start with the pity speech.” She rolls her eyes.
“Everyone has always loved you best. Our family, friends, not a single person we know would pick me over you and you know it.”
“Playing the victim is so unattractive,” my mom says shaking her head. “You seduced Riley’s boyfriend, which is a flagrant disregard to the Eta Pi oath you took when you joined.”
“Seduced?” I chuckle. “Look at me, mother.” When she doesn’t do more than give me a cursory glance, I snap, “Look at me!”
Her pale brown eyes fix on mine in shock.
“Do I look like the kind of woman who could seduce a man away from her?” I shove an accusing finger at my model-gorgeous cousin. “You think by my power alone, I could get a man to walk away from her to be with me?”
My mom doesn’t answer, she doesn’t have to. Her silence says enough. Riley shifts uncomfortably in her seat as she sees her argument dissolving in front of her.
Chapter Sixteen
Loren
I’ve been racing around the sorority house looking for Bex ever since I went to her room and found it empty.
“Amy! Have you seen Bex?” Amy is one of the nicer sisters, and I had her in a class last year. “I can’t find her anywhere.”
She looks around as if checking to make sure we’re not being spied on. “Sunroom. Go past the living room and hang a left.”
I take off in the direction she indicated in such a hurry I don’t have a chance to thank her. My feet skid to a halt when I hear Bex’s voice.
“Loren chose me. I’m sorry if that hurts you. But he was not your boyfriend when he did.” Her voice is shaky, whether with rage or tears, I don’t know. “I begged him to go to the formal with you. He did it for me, not because he was into you.”
I step into the doorway and spot Bex standing near a table where Riley is sitting with another woman. An older woman.
“That’s absurd,” the older woman scoffs. “The young man needed to be convinced