If Only She'd Loved Him

Friday 10:45 pm

Dangling in Paul's grasp, Sean kicked his feet, trying desperately to touch the ground. "I don't know where the cabin is," he whined. "You have to believe me. I don't know. He only talked about it. He never told me where it was."

Paul responded by giving him a vicious shake, but Sean just started sniffling again. "Wozianowski, you're going to find out where that cabin is, and we're going to help you, right?"

Matt turned away in disgust. "Yeah, this is doing us a lot of good," he said. "Terrorize him some more, man. You're doing a great job of it."

"Hey, she was my girlfriend!" Paul dropped Sean on the ground, hard. "Move, and you're dead,"

"Was your girlfriend? Don't you mean is your girlfriend?" Matt retorted, willing to pay back Paul a little. Jean had gotten so mad, so fast, he couldn't help but believe it had something to do with the way Paul had told her about him and Kerolyn. "Or did she find out about Kelli, and that's why she disappeared in the first place?"

"Shut your face, Taylor! Shut up!"

"No, I want to hear this," Jean demanded. "Is what he said true? Were you screwing around on Megan?" Even in the pale light from the lamp-posts, she could see the guilt in Paul's face. She turned her back on him. "I always knew you were an asshole," she muttered.

"Thanks, Taylor. Thanks a fucking lot!" Paul glared at Matt, then he looked back down at Jean. "Look Jeanie, I saw Kelli, maybe once, twice. What's the big deal? It's not like Megan and I were getting married."

Jean spun back around. "The big deal is, you idiot, that she trusted you. She even told me she was falling in love with you! Though how she could ever be that naive, that blind, beats the hell out of me," she added under her breath.

"She said that, really?" Paul looked pleased. His voice changed, softened to the tone he used to defend students whom he knew had violated the school's honor code. "Look, Kelli doesn't mean anything to me. It was just a one time thing." He shot her a pointed smile. "You can understand that, can't you?"

Jean looked away, though her nails dug into her palms. "You were with her while you were seeing Megan?"

"No, well, uhh I," Paul stuttered. Tossing him a wry look, Matt took Jean's arm. "Jean-Genie, don't forget what's important around here."

Jean shook his arm off. "Yeah, you're right, but after we find Megan—" She turned back to Paul, gloating in her bitterness. "I can't wait to tell her what a special guy you are."

Paul stood her down. "Do, and you'll regret it."

"I don't have time for this right now," she replied. Sean still huddled on the ground like a shaking terrier, not even listening to the conversation above him. Leaning over, Jean picked him up by the elbow. He let himself be lifted. For a girl she sure was strong. "C'mon," she told him. "We're going back to your room to see if your ex-roommate left behind anything important."

"That's long shot, Jean," Matt pointed out.

"Got a better idea?" she asked.

"No."

"Then let's go."