29. I Know What You Did Before Summer
Dillon
"You're kicking me out? What the fuck has gotten into you?"
Dillon had known that Todd wouldn't take this news lightly but it had gone too far now. Realizing that Todd wouldn't stop bothering Libra or change his lazy ways around the apartment he had eventually phoned his father and told him the truth; that he'd taken in a roommate after all. His father had been less than happy but something in his tired voice had told Dillon he already knew about it.
Their phone call had been filled with formalities and Dillon hadn't told his father that Libra was here and that they had become sort of friends. Knowing Jonah, his father, telling him would've allowed him to worry more than he already was and Dillon didn't want to give him another excuse. Instead they had discussed how well Dillon was doing and that ended up persuading Jonah to take care of the problem for his son. He informed him that since Todd hadn't signed a lease there was no proof of him living there and that was evidence enough in this scenario.
Dillon had worried about squatter's rights but had then thought of the idea to put Todd in Jack's one bedroom apartment and have Jack move in with him, seeing as he only had one year left before his graduation. Jack had happily agreed to sign over his apartment to Todd but still, Dillon knew that Todd liked the space in this apartment and the privileges of living with a rich roommate.
"No Todd, what the fuck has gotten in to you," Dillon asked and pointed a finger at his chest, "you continue to harass Libra despite me telling you not to and you have barely paid rent for this apartment, or groceries! I can't afford to carry like this, dude."
"But we're friends, Dillon. You know money is tight for me and I don't have a rich mother and father to take care of me like you do â cut me some fucking slack." Todd pleaded angrily but Dillon shook his head no.
Jack would be arriving tomorrow evening with his things and he needed Todd to be packed up and ready to go by that time. Sure, he was going to tell him about Jack's arrival but not after he'd calmed down. At this point even Dillon wasn't sure about what Todd would do unless he was in a calm state.
"I am done 'cutting you some slack' Todd. I have paid for the two of us for a while now and I can't afford to do it anymore, my parents aren't some ATM I go to for cash you know. Now, I have hooked you up with another place to stay at, it's available from tomorrow evening â I'd like you out by then."
Todd laughed and threw the towel he was holding at the wall. His frustrations couldn't be masked anymore and between clenched jaws he let out a muffled scream. Dillon told himself he was doing the right thing by kicking Todd Smith out and especially for Libra, he couldn't have Todd hanging around now that she most likely would be spending time at his place â the thought of that sent shivers down his spine.
"You know what dude? Just text me the address I'll be moving to and I'll be out of your hair rich boy," Todd mumbled and pushed past him, but quickly turned around again, "Wait until Keith and Austin hears about this, man, they'll fuck you up for it â if I won't get to you first."
Dillon grinned and stepped forward to Todd, not showing any fear in his eyes. If Todd thought he could threaten him he was sorely mistaken. He had been Todd Smith just a few months ago and knew exactly how to handle a guy like him.
"Don't threaten me Todd because I might not be this nice next time. I could've put you out without a place to stay but I wouldn't do that to you or anyone else for that matter, so either take it or leave it. Now get out of my face."
The two became standing like that for a while, meeting each other's eyes with vengeful looks but eventually Todd wandered to his room and slammed the door loudly. Dillon's heart was beating loudly for an hour afterward. I'm not leaving the house today. He didn't want to give Todd a chance to mess up the apartment as a little 'moving out present' and decided to chill in front of the TV until Todd's leave â tomorrow evening.
Jack had shown up late the following evening with multiple boxes and not alone but with Sophia and Libra. He had been surprised when he'd seen all three of them standing with boxes and bags in each hand but he'd mostly been happy. Libra was wearing a yellow off the shoulder summer dress and her hair was up in bun on her head. One single lock was dangling on her left side, touching her cheek, one lock he wished he could tuck behind her ear. Dillon wondered how long their friendship would last.
"You weren't joking when you said you had a lot of stuff. Come in you guys." Dillon helped grabbing some boxes and gave Libra a coy look before continuing inside the apartment.
Jack rushed into his new room and soon Sophia followed, as if she had known Libra and he needed some time alone. Since their date things hadn't been the same between them, but not in a bad way. For the last few days they had casually been texting back and forth and Libra had relaxed a little bit. It was like North Haven high and his former glory days had never happened and they were just two people meeting for the first time in college. The guilt he'd always felt was beginning to simmer slightly since they'd become friends and maybe one day it would be gone all together.
"How have you been doing?" Dillon asked when he got her alone. A smile was visible on his face and he couldn't have hid it even if he wanted to.
What the hell is she doing to me?
"It's been alright. We have a huge assignment in Fiction this week, I have to share a story of mine in front of the whole class, and it's a bit scary."
"Don't worry about it; you're a good writer so you'll do great." Dillon assured her and hesitated to touch her.
He wasn't certain if Libra felt the same heavy attraction that he was but he was hoping for it. His thoughts of kissing her and curiously explore her body had begun taking over his dreams at night and probably soon his daydreams too.
"You haven't read anything I've written, Dillon." She made him snap back to reality by speaking and his eyes shot back to hers. It was true what she had said but he hoped to change that one day â he hoped to change a lot of things.
He closed the distance between them a little and smiled, "Maybe one day you'll let me." He mumbled low to make sure Sophia and Jack didn't hear how he tried to flirt with her.
Libra muffled a giggle and excused herself with the line that she wanted to see Jack's new room and Dillon was left alone in the living room area. He knew that he'd most likely lost Austin and Keith by kicking Todd out but he could get used to having Sophia and Libra around â and Jack of course. He pulled out his phone and decided to surprise them by ordering pizza and hope they'd stay for a movie â but his phone alerted him he had a message to look at first.
A cold feeling reached his body when he opened the message that was leaving notifications on his screen. The room stopped and Jack's loud voice felt like an echo from somewhere far away. Someone had finally found him out and now it was only a matter of time before they told Libra. He was busted, he was done for. He re-read it again to make sure he had actually read it correctly and yet again the cold washed over him.
Oh little bad boy Dillon Holden; what did you do in high school?
It was sent from Laura's phone.
"What are you doing? Come on and let's help Jack unpack." Sophia said.
Dillon hadn't noticed her presence and clutched his phone hard. Whatever Laura had found out it couldn't have been much, only the little tiny article that their local newspaper had printed. Dillon hadn't even been mentioned by name and neither had Libra since they had both been underage. But what had been featured were that 3 boys from the school were suspected and one of them was the school's football star. In the small town everyone knew it was Dillon but for anyone outside of North Haven they had to dig deeper to find that out â maybe that's exactly what Laura had done.
"I was just ordering us some pizza â I thought you guys would want to stay for dinner and a movie." Dillon faked a smile and walked toward Jack's new room.
Whatever Laura had found out he needed to silence her somehow â Libra couldn't know any of this.