Loving Me, Trusting You (30 page)

“There's a party at one of the frat houses tonight, do you want to go?”

“Which one?” I ask. Lacey, my roommate, doesn't know because she doesn't give a shit about frat houses. She doesn't give a shit about men at all. I wish I was like her. Maybe if I was into girls, I'd have an easier time falling in love with someone that wasn't a complete piece of shit? But then again, Rick isn't a complete piece of shit, and I don't want to fall in love with him either.

Lacey shrugs and takes off her sweater, tossing it over her computer chair.

“It's tonight at six, do you want to go?”

“Any party that starts at six is a party that I'm not interested in,” I tell her as I stand up and stretch. Lacey gives me a weird look, and I notice that my skirt's ridden up a bit. I push it down and gather up some clothes. I feel disgusting. I didn't change last night, and I can feel that guy's sweat all over me.

“Come with me, please,” Lacey begs, and I know she's afraid to go alone because her girlfriend might ignore her and run off with some frat boy. It's happened before. “I'll give you twenty bucks.”

“Keep your money,” I tell her as I grab a towel and the basket that holds my shampoo. “I'll go, okay? I'll meet you here tonight.”

“Five thirty,” Lacey says to me with a smile as she brushes a comb through her pretty, blonde hair. “I don't want to be late.” I try not to roll my eyes and tell her that nobody gives a fuck if you're late to a frat party.

“Sure,” I say as I leave the room in a hurry, rushing to get to the bathroom before everyone else does. There's this communal atmosphere that descends over the room when there's more than three girls in the bathroom at one time. I don't understand it, and it makes me uncomfortable. I never join in the conversation and have to use the stall at the very end, the one with the broken faucet, so I don't have to look at them looking at me and wondering what the hell is wrong.

I get to the bathroom just in time and manage to shower, get dressed, and put on makeup before anybody else comes in. When they do, they're all wearing blue and yellow face paint and talking about
the game.
I don't know if it's football or basketball or baseball, but what I do know is that it's an integral part of their lives that I don't understand. I leave as quickly as I can and head back to my room, toss my stuff on the floor next to my bed, and stand there for a very, very long time.

When I spy the book on the desk next to my bed, I feel a sense of relief. Reading. I can get lost in a world and spend days there. Besides, reading a book gives me a goal. It's that sense of purpose that puts a temporary bandage over my uncertainty and lets me waste away the rest of the day without anymore negative thoughts.

Books by C.M. Stunich


The Seven Wicked Series


• First
  

• Second
  

• Third
  

• Fourth
  

• Fifth
  

• Sixth
  

• Seventh
  

Houses Novels


• The House of Gray and Graves
  

• The House of Hands and Hearts and Hair
  

• The House of Sticks and Bones
  

The Huntswomen Trilogy


• The Feed
  

• The Hunt
  

• The Throne
  

Indigo Lewis Novels


• Indigo & Iris
  

• Indigo & The Colonel
  

• Indigo & Lynx
  

Never say Never Trilogy & Never too Late Series


• Tasting Never
  

• Finding Never
  

• Keeping Never
  

• Never Can Tell
  

Triple M Series


• Losing Me, Finding You
  

• Loving Me, Trusting You
  

• Needing Me, Wanting You
  

A Duet


• Paint Me Beautiful
  

• Color Me Pretty
  

Hard Rock Roots


• Real Ugly
  

• Get Bent
  

• Tough Luck
  

Stand Alone Novels


• She Lies Twisted
  

• Hell Inc.
  

• A Werewolf Christmas (A Short Story)
  

• Fuck Valentine's Day (A Short Story)
  

• Clan of the Griffin Riders: Chryer's Crest
  

• DeadBorn
  

• Broken Pasts
  

• Crushing Summer
  

About the Author

C.M. Stunich was raised under a cover of fog in the area known simply as Eureka, CA. A mysterious place, this strange, arboreal land nursed Caitlin's (yes, that's her name!) desire to write strange fiction novels about wicked monsters, magical trains, and Nemean Lions (Google it!). She currently enjoys drag queens, having too many cats, and tribal bellydance.

She can be reached at [email protected], and loves to hear from her readers. Ms. Stunich also wrote this biography and has no idea why she decided to refer to herself in the third person.

Happy reading and carpe diem!

www.cmstunich.com

Table of Contents

• Table of Contents
  
• Title Page
  
• Copyright
  
• Dedication
  
• Chapter 1
  
• Chapter 2
  
• Chapter 3
  
• Chapter 4
  
• Chapter 5
  
• Chapter 6
  
• Chapter 7
  
• Chapter 8
  
• Chapter 9
  
• Chapter 10
  
• Chapter 11
  
• Chapter 12
  
• Chapter 13
  
• Chapter 14
  
• Chapter 15
  
• Chapter 16
  
• Chapter 17
  
• Chapter 18
  
• Chapter 19
  
• Chapter 20
  
• Chapter 21
  
• Chapter 22
  
• Chapter 23
  
• Chapter 24
  
• Chapter 25
  
• Chapter 26
  
• Chapter 27
  
• Chapter 28
  
• Epilogue
  
• Excerpt of Tasting Never
  
• More Books By
  
• About the Author