Garrett had put up a fight, but after an hour of arguing, she'd worn him down. She shoved his phone in his hands and nudged him into a chair. Hovering over his shoulder, she watched as he typed a refusal to his roommate. He glared at her as he pressed the send button. "Happy now?"

She fluttered her lashes and gave a wide smile. "Thrilled." She watched in fascination as he huffed and threw his phone on his desk. "Is he always this grumpy when he doesn't get his way?"

Marcus and Stephan, who were sitting on Garrett's bed with their backs to the wall, nodded. Stephan added, "You should see him when he hasn't had food."

Garrett wadded a piece of paper and hurled it at him. "That's you, asshole."

Stephan caught it with one hand and immediately tossed it back. "Which is why we should eat. My stomach's starting to growl."

"Oh, that's you?" Arianne asked. "I thought it was Garrett's mood."

Laughing, Stephan jumped on the bed, looking a million pounds lighter since Garrett sent the text. "You like Indian? Our treat."

Shaking his head, Garrett insisted, "We should stay here and discuss how we're going to find the email leaker instead. We can get food later."

"Or we can multi-task. No one has good ideas on an empty stomach," Stephan shot back. He nudged Arianne toward the door. "Let's go."

Indian food had a lot of spices. She glanced at Garrett, then down to his stomach. "Can you eat...?"

He covered it with his arm. "I'll be fine," he assured her, but something in his tone put her on alert.

"What if we went to the bistro on the opposite side of campus? They'd have a better selection of stuff you could eat. I read they have this amazing sweet potato dish which is supposed to be good for ulcers..." She blushed as she realized what she'd revealed. "I mean, sweet potatoes are healthy in general, not just for..." She petered out, wishing she could rewind the last minute and start over. She never wanted Garrett to know how much research she'd done on ulcers or the fact that she'd looked up restaurants in the area and analyzed their menus, dissecting which would have the most options for him.

Marcus came to her rescue. "I love sweet potatoes. Let's go. We always eat where Stephan wants, anyway. About time we go somewhere different."

She sent him a grateful smile, and proceeded to the door, avoiding eye contact with Garrett. As they bustled out of the building and onto the sidewalk, Garrett positioned himself next to her, giving his friends a hard glare when they moved to walk beside her. Grinning like fools, they hurried in front. She went to follow, but Garrett touched her arm, the feeling searing through her.

"Ari," he murmured, the low timbre of his voice sending a shiver across her skin. "Won't you look at me?"

Pressing her lips together, she peeked up at him through her black lashes. Her heart pounding so hard, she swore she could feel it down to her fingertips. "It's weird, I know."

"Not in the slightest. You don't think I researched everything about herpes?"

She grimaced an ache in her gut. "That's not what a girl wants to hear from the guy she likes. It's embarrassing."

"Only if you let it."

She let out a humorless chuckle. "Welcome to Arianne's life where everything, even her sexual experiences are highly public and up for debate." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a girl point and stare. Cheeks flaming, she covered her face with her hands. "I hate this so much. I want to be with you, but I can't. We can't."

"Says who?" He gently withdrew her hands and kissed her forehead. "The STD is not who you are. Don't let it define you."

"But we can't...you know."

"We can take that day by day. It's not everything."

Unsure, she glanced at his chest, drawing circles on his shirt. "But..."

"What happened to the boss girl who walked into my room and told me not to take crap from anyone? Don't let this STD tell you how to live or who to be. What do you want, Arianne?"

Her throat constricted, the words too big to let out. Choking back a cry, she buried her face against him. He held her there, his embrace warm and so very right. How had she, a girl who had promised never to fall for another boy, end up here? When he smiled, she felt a tug in her chest. She wanted to forget the outside world and get lost in his eyes. Feel the way his skin rubbed against hers. An erotic brush that begged to be explored.

His chest rumbled as he talked. "We don't have to talk about it right now, but I want you to think about it, okay?"

She placed her ear against his heart. It remained a steady beat that never wavered. "What about you? What do you want?" she asked.

There was zero hesitation. "I want to meet you for lunch every day and walk you to class. I want to see in the stands of my baseball game and know whether I win or lose, you'll be cheering me on. I want the chance to get to know you better. To be with you without reserve. Without a weight hanging over us."

She rubbed her cheek against him, enjoying a moment of comfort in the surrounding chaos. "That sounds nice." A smarter person—a better person—would stay away, wouldn't take the chance of infecting of him, but Arianne had used up all her common sense a long time ago.

"It can be a reality, but only if we choose it to be." He kissed the top of her head and released her. "Think about it."

***

After their food arrived, Arianne took out the small notebook has always carried, and turned to an empty page. "Where do we start?" The guys were already shoveling down their food, so she had to wait until they swallowed.

Garrett took a sip of water. "The only way we're going to find the person behind the leak is to figure out where they overheard it."

She gave Garrett and his friends a look. "Assuming none of you told—"

"Which we didn't," Stephan interrupted.

Arianne gave Garrett a look. "Can you be one hundred percent positive no one overheard when you were telling your friends?"

Garrett shook his head, emphatically. "No one was in Stephan's dorm room except us three."

"Not even someone peeking their head inside?"

"No. His room is a rectangle, not an S shape so we would have known."

Arianne let that sink in, her mind turning. "Okay, so chances are then that someone overheard at B-Bash. A baseball player or their date." All three boys' faces turned to stone, their thoughts broadcasting loud and clear.

"What about your roommate?" Garrett asked.

"Morgan?" Arianne shook her head. "No way. She's a locked vault when it comes to secrets." And her outrage and surprise when they read the email was genuine. Besides, Morgan had confided her deep dark secrets in Arianne. Why piss off the person who could bring to light what you wanted to stay hidden?

"I don't like this," Stephan stated. He wiped his mouth with a napkin and sat back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest. "We can't just go around accusing our teammates."

Arianne rolled her eyes. "It's not like we're going all Salem Witch Trials on their ass. We find proof."

"But how?"

"That's the question, isn't it?" Arianne murmured, tapping her pen against the paper. "We could search Instagram and Facebook photos to see who was in the garden area." She could still smell the flowers perfuming the night air. "There weren't that many people when we were there." She turned to Stephan and Marcus. "Who were you with when Garrett and I left?"

Stephan chewed on his bottom lip. "I'm still not convinced it's anyone from the team."

"But don't you think this is all a little too coincidental? I mean, we go to B-Bash, I tell Garrett about my—" even now she had a hard time saying it, "—about my past. The email gets sent. And then someone offers Garrett a deal to throw the game in exchange for the identity of the leaker."

"Sounds pretty suspicious when you lay it out like that," Garrett admitted gruffly.

"But why would anyone from the team want to sabotage the game? It doesn't make any sense."

"I agree," Garrett commented. "Hurting the team would only hurt oneself. But maybe it's not someone from the team. It could be their date."

An idea dawned. "Did anyone have eyes on Harmony when Garrett and I went into the gardens?"

Marcus and Stephan looked uneasily at each other. "I don't think so," Marcus answered slowly. "But it's hard to say. There was a lot of people milling around."

Stephan squeezed his eyes shut. "I remember seeing Jordan and Eli laughing it up with Gus and his girl. But I don't remember Harmony being with them."

She jotted down Harmony's name and put a huge question mark next to it.

"Not seeing her isn't proof of her guilt," Marcus pointed out.

"No, but she does have a motive for wanting me out of the way." She raised an eyebrow and looked at Garrett.

He put down his fork, which was halfway to his mouth. "Hey now," he protested, "you know I've done everything besides take out a sign to discourage her."

"Maybe you should have," Stephan muttered.

Garrett scrunched up his nose. "Do you think she would go as far as emailing the entire student just because of a crush?"

"I think it goes beyond a crush." She thought of their confrontation in the bathroom. There had been an escalating sense of desperation in Harmony's eyes. Plus, what had she cried out?

You've stolen everything from me.

At first, she thought Harmony meant Garrett, but could it have been something more? "Does anyone know if she has access to the administration building?"

Garrett shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know that much about her. Gus or Jordan would know." He waggled his phone. "Want me to text them?"

She loved that Garrett asked and let her take the lead instead of taking over. "I don't want to involve anyone else except us."

His mouth parted in surprise. "You suspect Jordan?"

"I suspect everybody." She couldn't afford not too, but deep down did she think Jordan was involved? No. He wasn't that type of person. Gus, on the other hand, was a different story. Maybe he was in cahoots with Harmony. After all, his girlfriend was Harmony's best friend.

She thought back to her conversation with Jemmye. "Harmony's dad lost his job, and the grant she needed for a fellowship fell through."

"Don't mean to be rude, but so what?" Stephan asked. "How does needing money have anything to do with you and Garrett?"

She added dollar signs next to Harmony's name and placed an arrow between them. The pieces started to click together. "I know betting on teams happens in professional sports, but do people do the same in college?"

"All the time," Marcus replied. "But Harmony gambling? I have a hard time picturing that."

"It adds up, doesn't it? Get Garrett to lose the game, all the while she's betting on the opposite team." Arianne scratched the back of her neck. Harmony's comment about stealing everything still didn't make sense, but there was only one person who could provide answers.

She searched Harmony's Twitter and Instagram accounts. Found you. "I got to go. I'll pay you back for the food." She stuffed her notebook and pen in her bag and stood up.

"Wait—" Garrett pushed his seat back, but she was already halfway to the door. "Ari!"

She lifted a hand in goodbye and raced to the soccer fields. Heart pounding, she waited on the sidelines, watching as Harmony kicked a line of balls into the net. The minute Harmony caught sight of her, she paled.

Got you, she thought to herself as she gave a tight-lipped smile. Harmony kicked the last ball, and walked over to her, dragging her feet. The confident girl who acted like a queen was gone.

"You were in the gardens the night I told Garrett," Arianne accused. She was surprised when Harmony gave a barely perceptible nod, refusing to look her in the eye. She expected Harmony to put up more of a fight but perhaps the guilt was eating her alive. Arianne took another stab in the dark. "You also work in the administration building."

Harmony nodded again, and Arianne felt a thrill of victory.

"But you know what I can't figure out?" Arianne started, her mind running a thousand miles a minute. "I can't figure out why you would target me of all people. There are tons of ways for you to get the game thrown but using me? An innocent bystander? Why? Is it revenge for Garrett choosing me over you?"

Harmony lifted her head in disbelief. "You think it's over a guy? How shallow do you think I am?"

"Do you really want me to answer that? And let's not forget you're blackmailing Garrett to win whatever bet you have on the game."

She laughed bitterly, the sound harsh even to Arianne's ears. "You have no idea what's going on. I'm not blackmailing anybody. Quite the opposite, in fact."

Arianne's gut clenched. "You're being blackmailed? Why? By who?"

"For control. Why else? Garrett's cute and everything but do you truly think I would chase after someone like a hound in heat when they made it perfectly clear they're not interested? I have dignity," she spouted, chin up. "Or at least, I used to."

"What were you being blackmailed into doing?"

"Trip up Garrett. Find something to bring down his game."

Unbelievable. "So I was what? Collateral damage?"

Remorse was stamped across her face. "I'm sorry."

Arianne shook, ire coursing through her. "Sorry isn't good enough. Do you know the damage you've done? People talk shit about me wherever I go. I'm the Hester Prynne of Eason. I might as well sew an A and go by STDGirl."

"I didn't want to," Harmony insisted, she kicked the ground with her cleats. "I had no other options."

Squinting, Arianne rolled onto her toes and got up in Harmony's face. "That's such bullshit, and you know it. You have friends who could have helped you."

She turned bright red, matching her hair. "You don't know what I could or could not have done. I was backed into a corner. And I am sorry for what happened, but if I had a choice, I'd do it again."

What a selfish bitch. "Who's blackmailing you? What do they have?"

Her jaw clenched. "That's not any of your business."

Eyes flashing, she jabbed at Harmony's chest. "After blasting my personal business all over campus, you bet your ass it is. You owe me the truth." Harmony stared back at her, her expression stone, but after a couple of tense moments, she nodded, conceding the point. "Were you gambling and in debt?" Arianne asked. "Is that why you had to fix Garrett's game? For the bookie?"

"Bookie?" Mouth dropped in shock. "No. I've never gambled in my life."

Then what the hell was going on? "I need answers, Harmony."

A shiver skittered down Arianne's spine as Harmony warily looked around. Her tone cautious as she whispered, "You can't tell anyone."

The irony angered Arianne. "Oh, you don't want your secrets splashed around campus? Imagine that!"

Harmony reared back. "Look—"

Scowling, Arianne advanced on her like an avenging angel. "I'm not here for a friendly visit. I'm sure it sucks to be you, but frankly, after the week I've had, I give zero fucks. Now, tell me what the hell is going on."

The muscles in Harmony's jaw clenched and unclenched. "It's Gus. He has evidence that I cheated on an exam and has been holding it over my head ever since. If people found out, I'd lose my fellowship." Harmony threw her head back, her ponytail whipping behind her. "Happy?"

Ecstatic.

"He told me I had to pursue Garrett. Get his head all screwed up so he couldn't pitch. When that didn't work, he told me I needed to find something that would throw Garrett off his game." Her perfectly shaped eyebrow arched. "And what a better way to screw with him than mess with his girlfriend?"

"Not his girlfriend," she automatically denied.

"Does it matter? In his mind, you are."

"Did you purposefully follow us out to the garden or was it all by chance?" Arianne was curious how far her deceit went.

"I followed you two. Thought I could catch you in some scandalous positions but what I got..." Apologetic, she lifted a shoulder. "I had to tell him. He was getting more desperate as the season went by."

She refused to let Harmony off that easily. "You could have told Garrett or Jordan. They would have helped."

"I couldn't take the chance of the news getting out. I need that fellowship."

"I thought you lost the grant."

Startled, Harmony looked over. "I did. But my advisor said if I work in the administration office and show how hard of a worker I am, I might be able to change the board's mind." She hesitated, then asked, "Are you going to tell anyone?"

Arianne pressed her lips together. She didn't know what to do at the moment. Up seemed down, and right looked a hell of a lot like left. "I don't know. I need to talk to Garrett."

Frowning, she said, "Why do you need to tell him?"

"Because he should know what a snake Gus is," Arianne exclaimed in exasperation. Did Harmony believe she'd let this go? Garrett had every right to know his life was being manipulated.

Frantic, Harmony grabbed her arm. "Absolutely not. Gus can't know I told you. He'll expose everything!"

She wrenched her arm away and glared. "You don't get a vote in this decision, Harmony. You lost that chance the moment you conspired with him. Willingly, or not."