She Likes It Irish

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

“It’s nice having you home,” Zoe said. “I never see you anymore.”

“What are you talking about?” Kristin kept her eyes glued to her laptop, fingers flying over the keys. “I see you every day.”

“No, I mean we never get to just hang out together. You spend all your free time with him.”

She stopped typing and looked at Zoe. Just thinking about Sean brought a smile to her face. “I love him.”

Her roommate’s face turned white and her mouth dropped open. She dropped her gaze to the chemistry textbook in her lap. “So you’re in love. That doesn’t mean you dump your friends.”

Kristin heard the melancholy in her friend’s voice and realized, for the first time, how much she looked like an abandoned puppy. Guilt pricked her conscience. “I’m not dumping you.”

Zoe hung her head. “Feels that way.” She wiped a tear from her cheek.

Kristin knew how dramatic and manipulative her friend could be when she was trying to get her way. But she also knew she really seemed upset. Setting aside her laptop, she joined Zoe on her bed, ran her hand down her hair, and laid her hand on her arm.

“I’m sorry you feel like I’m dumping you. I’m really not. How about we set aside a day, just for us, and do something fun together.”

Zoe grabbed Kristin’s hand and smiled. “I’d like that.” She shifted onto her knees and leaned forward. “And I know just what we can do. You’re going to love me for this! My mom said she can get me tickets and backstage passes for your favorite band!”

“Oh, my God! You mean…!” She grabbed Zoe’s hands.

Zoe nodded, squealed again, and grabbed her phone. “We’re going to have so much fun this weekend!”

Kristin’s smile faded. “Wait—they’re here this weekend?”

“Yes!”

She put her hand on Zoe’s phone to stop her from dialing her mom’s number. “I’m sorry. I can’t do it this weekend.”

Guilt sliced Kristin across the heart as she watched the sheen of happiness fade from her friend’s face and her body deflate like a balloon.

“And I bet I can guess why.” Angry sarcasm dripped from her words.

Kristin nodded. “Sean and I already made plans, but next weekend—”

“Yeah, sure. Whatever.” Zoe pushed her books and homework and notebooks and pens off her bed onto the floor, lay down, and pulled the covers over her head.

“Don’t be like that.” Kristin rubbed her hand across her friend’s back. These childish tantrums were wearing on her.

Silence from the lump on the bed.

“I’ll make it up to you.”

“How?” came the muffled response.

“Next Friday, we’ll find a party, or go to a club and get totally shwasted.”

“You hate parties and clubs, and you don’t drink.”

“Yeah, but I want to do something you like to show you how much you mean to me as a friend. C’mon. Say yes.”

Zoe rolled over, lowered the covers from her head. “What if there’s something I’d like us to do instead of parties. Something we can do right now.”

“Name it,” Kristin said.

She took Kristin’s hand and pressed it against her breast. “I want to have sex with you.”

Kristin jerked her hand away and stepped away from the bed. “I’m with Sean. I don’t have sex with anyone but him.” She climbed into her own bed and grabbed her laptop.

“It’s been so long since I’ve tasted your pussy. I’m dying for it. I need it, Kristin. I need you.”

“I won’t cheat on Sean.” Sean would never forgive her for cheating; he had said as much last night. Lindsey’s betrayal had really done a number on him.

Zoe left her bed and climbed onto Kristin’s.

“It’s only cheating if you have sex with another guy.” Her hand slid up Kristin’s leg. “This is just you and me—doing what we’ve always done for each other.” Her fingers had reached her knee and circled the sensitive flesh on the back that she knew drove Kristin crazy. “Helping each other out. There’s no cheating involved.”

Kristin caught Zoe’s wrist as her hand slid up her thigh and moved inward.

“It is cheating.” She moved Zoe’s hand aside. “I know how it feels to be cheated on and I won’t do that to the man I love.” Setting her laptop aside, she stood. “I’m going to take a shower and get ready for class. When I get back, we can talk about which day we can get together to do something other than sex.”

****

She came back from the shower and Zoe was still sitting on her bed.

“You going to class today?” Kristin asked as she put on her makeup.

Zoe didn’t respond. Didn’t look at her. She sat curled up in her bed, her head down, staring at her fingernails, picking off the chipped polish.

Kristin turned to her. “Zoe?”

Zoe burst into tears, covering her face with her hands.

“What’s wrong?” Kristin asked.

“I have something to tell you. And you’re going to hate me.”

Cold enveloped Kristin’s body. “What did you do?”

“You know how someone stole my laptop?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I, uh…”

“Just say it.”

“I…recorded us—you and me—having sex. The video was on the laptop.”

Kristin’s heart spiraled into her stomach and she tasted bile in her mouth. “Are you kidding me? You recorded us? Why?”

“Just for me. So I could watch and remember.” Tears rolled down her cheeks.

“And now it’s in the hands of some stranger, who could put it on the internet? Dammit! How could you?”

“I’m sorry. I never thought—”

“You never think things through before you do them, that’s the problem.”