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The Cousins' Freshman Year Through Renee's eyes (Part 3)

Renee wasn't entirely surprised to find Nicky on her doorstep Friday night. Luckily for him, Dan was at Abby's house with Matt and Allison was next door drinking with Seth when he dropped by. Monday was the only day the Foxes had erupted into a full-out brawl, but the entire week had felt toxic. Without Wymack or Abby around to intervene, and with Nicky's fierce cousins nowhere in sight, there was a good chance Nicky would end up hospitalized should he be caught in the dorm.

If Nicky knew what he was risking by being here alone, he gave no sign of it. "Heya," he said brightly. "Gonna be hot where we're going. Got anything less, uh, good Christian daughter-ish?"

"I might have one or two things, if you don't mind waiting while I check."

Renee motioned for him to come in so she could at least close the door behind him. She slipped the lock into place with her thumb and left Nicky poking around the living room while she changed out of her plain gray sweatshirt. She pawed through her closet one-handed, checking and dismissing her usual shirts in a glance. Dan didn't remember much of her night out with the cousins except that they'd gone to a club in Columbia. It wasn't a guarantee they would take Renee to the same place, but the crackers and speedballs they'd fed Matt would've been easier to hide in a place like that.

Renee didn't go out much, but she tended to pack a couple dressy shirts just in case. She found them in the bottom drawer of her dresser near her winter pajamas. She tugged on a pink silk undershirt first. The x-shaped straps across her back did nothing to hide the colorful marks across her shoulder blades, but she found a short-sleeved black jacket to pull on over top. Her stray coin purses were in with her underwear and socks, and it took no time at all to transfer her cards and gum from her purse.

Nicky put down the photo album he'd been flipping through when she reappeared. "All set?"

"All set," Renee agreed with a smile.

She locked up behind her, glanced down the hall to make sure the other suite doors were closed, and followed Nicky downstairs. His cousins were waiting for them out back, Aaron propped against the hood and Andrew sitting on the trunk. Despite Nicky's warning to dress light, Andrew was wearing yet another long-sleeved black shirt. It was all Renee had seen him wearing since he'd shown up—even when he wore his jersey he had a black undershirt on. He was playing catch with a pack of cigarettes, but he crammed the pack in his pockets when he noticed Renee and Nicky.

"Oh, good! Hello." Andrew slid off the trunk and put a hand up in greeting. "We are, of course, thrilled beyond the telling that you could join us tonight. Nicky didn't think you would, see? Shows what he knows."

"Thank you for inviting me," Renee said.

Andrew waved that aside and turned away. "We're leaving!"

Nicky had the keys and Andrew claimed the passenger seat, so Renee ended up in the back with Aaron. Aaron didn't bother to buckle and had even less interest in answering her polite hello. He propped his elbow on the windowsill, perched his chin on his hand, and stared out the window like he didn't know she was there. Renee weighed the pros of pursuing a conversation, found them unsurprisingly slim, and decided to let it go.

Nicky flicked the radio on before pulling out of the parking lot and sent her an apologetic grin over his shoulder. "I don't think any gospel's on at this hour."

"That's all right," Renee said. "I'm not a fan."

"Surprise, surprise," Aaron muttered.

"No?" Nicky asked. "What're you into, then?"

"These days, orchestral pieces," Renee said. "Instrumental soundtracks and such, like the sort you hear in movie trailers. Epic music, I think some people call it?" She considered it a moment, then gave up with a slight shrug. "I like music that's meant to be felt."