Sherry had never been one to hold back when she had something to say so she couldn't understand why she was allowing Rob Jarvis to deceive her friends. She suspected it was because they were her two best friends who also happened to be best friends with each other and, if she pointed out what was going on then they'd both end up hating each other. Well, more like Genevieve would hate Jacinta because Cinna was a big part of the problem.

"You've got to stop seeing him."

Cinna looked up, her eyes full of mischief. "Why?" She lifted her foot and wiggled her toes. "How do you like this colour? I'm hoping it matches the new bra and panties that I bought especially for Rob."

"Because." Sherry pushed Jacinta's foot down and sat heavily on the edge of the bed. "I don't care about the fucking colour of your toenails or your new underwear; I care about your friendship with Gen. You've got to stop seeing Rob. If she finds out, that will be the end of you and, I'm sorry but I'll be siding with Genevieve when the shit hits the fan."

"He doesn't care about her." Jacinta put the little brush back in the pot and screwed the lid closed. She tossed the bottle onto the bedside table, swung her legs over the side of the mattress and planted her feet on the floor with a huff. "I don't want to talk about this."

"You have to," Sherry insisted and clamped a hand on Cinna's elbow pulling her down. "Sit."

Jacinta did as she was told, hung her head and fiddled with her fingers. "I don't want to give him up." She looked up at her friend with eyes full of pleading. "I know I'm doing the wrong thing. At the beginning it was a game and I never meant for it to carry on for as long as it has but, I like him. A lot."

"Fuck!" Shooting to her feet, Sherry clutched her head, and then spun to look down at Jacinta. "You've fallen in love with the prick?"

"Yeah..." Jacinta lifted her shoulders, and then let them slump. "I think I have."

"That's two of you. What the fuck?" Sherry opened her palms out to Jacinta. "Why? He's an arsehole who is never going to commit to either one of you."

"What do you mean he's an arsehole? We all like him."

"Yeah, we did, before he turned into a complete jerk. Calvin struggles to stay friends with him and Brett hates his guts," Sherry impressed.

Jacinta huffed. "Well I love him." She looked up at Sherry with hopeful eyes. "He says he prefers to be with me. He says he's going to break it off with Gen so he and I can label it."

"Wow!" Sherry shook her head and chuckled. "Are you for real? Gen's biggest complaint with him is that, he, won't, label, it, and you think he's going to do that with you." She put her hands on her hips and stared at Jacinta. "Let me point out some red flags, Cinna. One." She held up her pointer. "The guy had a girlfriend and lied to her so he could hook up with Gen in Melbourne." She let out a cynical laugh and added, "A feather in that girl's cap for beating him to it, which tells me she knew he was going to be unfaithful to her. So that to me is red flag number two." Sherry added a finger to the first, and then lifted another saying, "Three. He won't label his relationship with Gen so he ain't going to label it with you. And..." Sherry forgot about her fingers, opened her palms wide and stamped her foot. "The biggest red flag of them all! He's fucking two girls at the same time! Wake up, Jacinta!"

"Who's fucking two girls at the same time?"

Jacinta jerked her head up as Sherry spun around to see Calvin standing just inside the door of the four bed dorm room that the girls shared with Gen. The fourth bed had never been filled and came in handy when they snuck in the occasional visitor.

"Ah... oh..." Sherry let out a nervous chuckle saying, "My brother. I was just telling Cinna what an arse he is because he's playing two girls at once."

Calvin narrowed his eyes and cocked his head as he stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. "Sherry. You don't have a brother."

Shit. She'd forgotten that she'd told him she only had sisters. What to say now? Sherry gave him a goofy look. If she said Rob, Calvin would, as sure as shit, realise one of the girls in the triangle was going to be Jacinta and she knew Calvin really liked Cinna and had been trying to get her to notice him forever. "Calvin," she said. "I really don't want to tell you because if I do you'll lose respect for me because I've just realised how stupid I've been."

"You. Stupid." Calvin shook his head and smirked. "I don't think so, Sherry. You're the most switched on of us all so stop trying to dim my hazard lights and tell me what's going on."

"It's Rob. And me." Sherry threw her arms up in the air and added, "There. I've said it. I've been sleeping with Rob while he's been sleeping with Gen and I was confessing my stupidity to Cinna and now you know too." She brought her hands together as if in prayer and begged, "Please don't tell anyone. I'm going to end it because my friendship with Genevieve means more to me than he does."

"You're doing what?" Calvin flung his hands out at her and yanked his head back. "What the fuck, Sherry?" He stopped mid-lecture and pressed the pads of his palms to his eyes as he murmured, "The fucking bastard."

Sherry couldn't believe the rage on Calvin's face as he dropped his hands and looked from her to Jacinta, and then back at her.

"Sherry. You're the worst liar I've ever met but, thanks." Calvin pushed out his lower jaw as he slowly moved his head up and down. He dragged in a long deep breath while fixing his gaze on Jacinta without saying a word.

"I'm sorry." She sprang to her feet and stepped toward him. "Calvin. You and I aren't a thing. Not a proper thing."

"Hell... no..!" Sherry dropped her jaw and swung her head like a fete clown. "Fuck, Jacinta. Please tell me you haven't."

"It was just a couple of times." Jacinta blurted. "You know. For fun." She focused on Calvin with a bright smile on her face. "It was for fun, wasn't it, Cal?"

"So, did you fuck him before, after or during our couple of, fun, times?" Calvin's face burnt red as he emphasised the word, fun. "Forget it," he growled. "It doesn't fucking matter now." He turned, yanked the door opened so hard that it hit the wall and bounced off as he strode away.

"I better go after him," Jacinta said more as a question than a statement. Her mouth twitched as she added, "I didn't think he was seriously asking me to be his girlfriend and I thought I'd been completely open about how I felt about having serious relationships with anyone." She paused and pointed toward the door. "Should I? Like... should I go after him?"

"Oh... go fuck yourself, Jacinta," Sherry scorned. "You and Rob Jarvis deserve each other."

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