by Mj Hendrix
On Friday, my World History teacher is droning on, but thankfully, I’m getting little twinges of excitement every time my phone vibrates.
Adam: I can’t stop thinking about your eyes. How’d they get so blue?
I try not to let my face show too much happiness. There’s nothing to smile about when you’re learning about Hitler.
Harley: How’d you get so muscley? Hey, will you send me a shirtless pic??
I doubt he’ll do it. He’s such a good boy. Inspiration hits me, and I run to the bathroom so fast that everyone probably thinks I’m having diarrhea. Luckily, tattooed skin is automatically a little sexier in pictures, and the emerald-green silk cheeky panties I’m wearing don’t hurt. I snap one from the side of my hips and butt, just barely revealing enough.
He texts back right as I hit Send.
Adam: I’m in class right now…
A second later, he texts again, four times in a row.
Adam: You’re making my pants uncomfortable.
I never knew tattoos could be so sexy.
I saw those panties the first day I went to your dorm…
You are trying to kill me.
I smirk as I sit back down in my seat, thankfully hearing the professor assigning the homework.
Harley: Meet at my dorm?
I send back as everyone starts to pack up.
I walk and check my phone six times without a response. It’s lunchtime, but I want to take my backpack back to my room before meeting Kenna at the cafeteria. Maybe he’s waiting for me there.
My steps quicken, and I take the stairs, unwilling to stand and wait for the elevator. Rounding the corner, I see a tall male figure, and my heart beats faster.
Then, it crashes at my feet as I realize it’s not Adam.
It’s someone I never wanted to see again, someone I’ve been running from.
Someone who’s found me.
“Hello, beautiful.” His face curves into a sly grin as his gaze leers over my form. He licks his lips. “Been looking for you, baby.”
“Lenny,” I say, opening the door and letting him in.
I pray Adam doesn’t stop by.
20
Adam
I decide to walk to her dorm. I’m incapable of looking at my phone without staring at the picture my brain has already memorized.
My nerves are shot. Harley has no idea how badly I want her, how I’ve been picturing it for over an hour. In reality, if I’m honest with myself, I’ve been picturing it with her since the first time we met. Each subsequent interaction has only given me more material to add to the perverted recesses of my mind.
I’ve never been with a girl, and I know she has experience. It’s only normal for me to feel inadequate about it—I hope. I don’t love that she’s been with other guys, but it doesn’t make me see her as any less desirable. What makes her beautiful and perfect and her has nothing to do with her past experiences.
As expected, a girl lets me into the dorm as I approach. I’m tempted to tell her it’s a terrible idea for them to just allow any man who wants inside to walk in here. Why even have a lock on the door? Maybe she’s seen me around campus and knows Harley and I are…friends.
On the elevator, the girl keeps smiling at me and playing with her hair. The women at Ole Tex are all really nice, much nicer than the guys.
I walk down the hall, hearing raised voices. It’s a man’s voice, and I get concerned for whoever he’s screaming at.
Then, I’m in front of the door with the number thirty-four, and I realize the shouting is coming from behind it. My heart rate accelerates as my entire body tenses. I don’t bother knocking, barging through it.
Harley is sitting on the bed in a tight ball, knees pulled to her chest. She looks surprisingly younger than usual, almost like a child.
A middle-aged man is standing over her bed, and he turns to face me as the door bursts open.
“Who the fuck is this?” he spits at me.
His dark eyes are wide, the whites standing out. He’s wearing a black suit that looks cheaply made.
“Who the fuck are you?” It’s the first time the F-word has passed my lips, but I don’t stop to think about it.
His mouth forms a sinister grin as he runs a hand over his stringy hair.
“I’m Lenny, her agent. You’re interrupting a meeting with my client. We’ll be finished soon,” he says, dismissing me and turning back to her.
She’s looking up at me with wide blue eyes, her lip trembling. Anger rises inside me, my fists clenching.
“Leave. Now,” I grit out through my clenched teeth.
He laughs, facing me more fully.
“Who exactly are you? This isn’t some game, pretty boy. She’s a great actress. Has she told you about her contract? The one she breached?” he asks, his face turning to stone.
“I don’t care about whatever it is. Get out. Now.” I take a step toward him, my worn cowboy boots toe to toe with his leather dress shoes.
I stand at least five inches taller than him, and I stare down into his black eyes. My mouth forms into a hard line, chest puffed out.
After a few tense moments, he begins to laugh out loud, his shirt pulling against the belly hanging over his waistband. “Ah shit, Harley, got this one all wound up about you, eh? All right, well, I’ll be back, sweetheart, so we can discuss business without this little Chihuahua nipping at me.”
He grabs a gray fedora off of the desk, placing it on his head sideways. “You know, we could try to work something out where Victoria won’t be getting a cut. Better for you, baby.”
He licks his lips, looking over me one last time before quietly walking out and shutting the door. My blood is boiling, and I’m on the verge of following him out to make sure he leaves when Harley makes a sobbing sound.
She’s buried her face in her hands, collapsing sideways on the bed. I sit down next to her, completely unsure of how to help or comfort her. My heart rate is steadily returning to normal, but I still feel the rush of adrenaline in my veins.
Sitting next to her on the bed, I reach over, instinctively pulling her into my arms. Her body is cold, trembling against me. The moisture of her tears dampens the front of my pale blue T-shirt. I don’t know how long I hold her for, but my arms go stiff.
She pushes back to look at me after a while. My brow is creased in concern, and I reach for her hand.
“Are you okay?” I ask, unsure of if I should voice all the other questions sprinting through my mind about her visitor.
Her thick lashes rest on her cheeks as she looks down at our joined hands.
“That was…my modeling agent,” she says quietly, gripping my fingers tighter.
“You’re a…you’re a model?” Relief washes over me, and I realize yet again I have assumed the worst about her.
She lets out a slow sigh. “I was before I came here. My foster mom got me into it when I was fifteen.” She’s looking at me again, a question in her gaze.
“So, you…quit, and now, your agent is mad at you?” I question, attempting to understand what the big deal is for an eighteen-year-old girl to go to college and quit modeling.
She looks around the room, chewing on her lip. “Yeah, I guess. He wants me to come back. I sort of quit in the middle of a…session, and he wasn’t happy about it. The company I modeled for wasn’t happy either. I’d already been paid half,” she finally says, looking back down.
“Well…if it’s money you need, I have—”
She puts a finger to my lips. Her shoulders straighten. “No. I appreciate it, but I don’t need your help. I’ve got it. Lenny’s right. Maybe if I go back and finish the session, this will all go away…”
Her lip is still trembling, and I get the feeling there’s something she isn’t telling me.
Lenny made my skin crawl. He was the kind of person you didn’t want to turn your back to. The way he had her huddling on the bed made my blood boil. I wish I had heard what he was saying to her before I barged in.
“You can…tell me anything about your past…you know that, right?” My voice is calm as I attempt to get her to open up.
How do you help someone trust you when they’re so closed off?
She nods her head, attempting a weak smile. “Thanks, I know. I…I just hated modeling. Like, hated it. It made me feel so…like a bug under a microscope. All those cameras on me, always having to…anyways, it wasn’t for me, but I know it’s the right thing to finish what I started. Don’t you think?” She asks it like my answer is the only thing that matters.
I hesitate because I do think if you were paid for a job, you should finish it. At the same time, I don’t trust Lenny. She was obviously afraid of him.
“I mean…you seemed to really be nervous around—”
She interrupts me, “Oh no! No, no, no…I just was scared because I knew I’d quit and taken the money and…yeah, he was just mad. Lenny was…so great.” She’s nodding her head, like she’s trying to believe it.
“Will you let me go with you if you go to finish it? I could drive.” I know that’s a big step for our relationship.
Her face pales, and she shivers. “No way. I already feel so exposed. Yeah, no way, ha-ha.” She stands up from the bed, walking over to her desk, keeping her back to me. “So, how was your day?” she says casually.
Why is she changing the subject?
“It was fine. Are you sure you shouldn’t take someone if you go back to finish the shoot? Maybe Kenna could go and—”
She whirls around. “Look, I said no, okay? I don’t like people watching me. It’s really no big deal. Could you let it go?” She smiles and crosses her arms over her chest. “Is your family coming for Family Weekend?”
“Uh, yeah, they are. I was going to ask if you…wanted to meet them.”
I hold my breath after rushing out the last statement. It’s too soon. I know it is. She’ll think I’m crazy. Especially after pushing too far about the photo shoot.
Her eyes widen a fraction, but she recovers quickly.
“Umm, like, as a friend you mean?” She’s studying me as she speaks.
“Well…as a friend that I want to take out on a date next weekend since this weekend, they’ll be here.” I stand up and walk over to her, brushing my fingers through her ebony waves. “I know it’s a big step. I just want them to get to know you a little bit. We can leave out the date part, if it makes you feel better.” My stomach is tight, and I can’t decide if I want to leave it out or not.
“Yeah, sure, whatever you think. Maybe that’s best.” Her eyes close as my hand caresses her scalp, and she leans into the contact.
I lean forward to press a kiss to her forehead. She sighs, wrapping her arms around me.
“Will you stay with me tonight?” she murmurs against my chest.
I wish I had the willpower to resist her.
“If you wish,” I whisper, turning her face up to kiss her mouth.
21
Harley
“I just realized something,” I say, walking toward Kenna’s Jeep the next morning.
“What’s that?” she asks, clicking the unlock button.
She roped me into wearing another girlie dress, insisting that if I’m meeting Adam’s family, I should look more “feminine.” I asked if she had any long-sleeved turtlenecks, but she didn’t think it was funny. The blush-pink ruffle around the bottom edge feels a little short as it bounces in the wind, but the longer sleeves help me feel more comfortable.
Why do I care what his family thinks?
“Texas feels more like home than anywhere else ever has,” I confess, my voice a little thick.
“Awww.” She stops as we reach the Wrangler, engulfing me in a floral cloud. “I’m so ecstatic to hear that! You make Ole Tex feel like home to me too.”
She extends the hug a beat too long, which I allow because she has turned out to be a good friend. She pulls back and grins at me, green eyes popping against the mint-colored sundress she’s wearing.
She drives just over the speed limit as we make our way to the brunch spot in Greencity’s downtown area to meet her parents.
“My mom will absolutely love you. She was one of those wild childs who was swept up by a sweet guy. She always says my dad made an honest woman out of her.”
I can tell she’s obsessed with her family by the way she brags about them, voice lit with the smile on her pretty face. I wonder what it’s like to have people in your life who you can always depend on.
“He just laughs and says he couldn’t resist the urge to tame her! Ugh, I miss them so much, it’s insane.”
I notice she increases our speed a little in anticipation. A Stop sign looms ahead, but she guns straight through it without a second’s hesitation.
The blaring sound of a siren makes us both jolt in the tan leather seats.
“Oh shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.” She panics. “Stay calm, Harley. Stay calm. Don’t even worry about it.”
The enormous Jeep screeches to a halt on the edge of the street. She’s nearly hyperventilating, wide eyes darting from her wallet to the rearview as she scrambles for her license.
“Hey, it’ll be fine. You didn’t see it so—”
She breaks into my words with a shrill voice, “Oh no, no, no! It will not at all be fine!” She starts to cry, tears trailing through her foundation.
I put a hand on her forearm, stilling her frantic movements.
“Let me talk to him. Just sit there and smile,” I attempt to reassure her as the blue uniform struts up to the vehicle.
“Hello, Officer,” I begin in a high-pitched voice, bending over enough to let my cleavage show. Flashing my best coy smile, I let my eyes drift down and back up at a calculated speed slower than a normal blink.
He clears his throat. My eyes take in his thinning hair and a beer belly, fingers nervously scratching his neck. This shouldn’t take but a minute.
“Uh, miss, are you aware that you just ran straight through a Stop sign?” he asks Kenna, his voice a little tight.
I laugh, tossing my hair over my shoulder. “You are kidding! Did she really? Wow, I was so caught up in her story about the hot-tub bubble party at the Kappa Betas last night that I didn’t even notice!” I turn my eyes to Kenna, hers widening at me. Leaning in toward her ear, I whisper loudly, “He kind of looks like Robert Pattinson.” Glancing up, I bite my lip just to nail the coffin shut.
He physically jolts, closing his mouth and wiping his hand over it.
“Uhh, you girls go to Ole Tex?” he stammers, swallowing.
Kenna has finally regained control of her emotions and caught on, contributing to the cause. “Oh, yes, we are freshmen this year! Wow, this Texas heat sure is no joke. I can hardly stand to wear anything but a swimsuit most days.” She’s masked her obvious Southern accent, thankfully, by mimicking my Northern one pretty well.
His face is the color of the Stop sign she ran, and Kenna’s smile widens.
“We really are in such a hurry though. The girls needed us to run out and grab more…tampons.” She stutters a bit, and I hope she hasn’t ruined the entire charade.
If possible, his color deepens as he starts to back away from the vehicle. “Well, uh, I understand how pressing these…issues can be. You ladies have a nice day.” He nearly sprints back to his cruiser.
She starts to inch out of the space, barely breaking the twenty MPH on the speedometer.
“Tampons? Really?” I ask, starting to laugh.
She burst out in hysterics, her body shaking with laughter. “Oh my—oh, I will never forget the look on his face!”
We’re looking at each other and laughing, remembering his nervous jog back to his police car.
The laughter dies out, but she’s still driving like a granny and snickering.
“When in doubt, I always bring up tampons. Men can’t handle it. It’s like they want to pretend the female anatomy only has one purpose.”
She shakes her blonde head as we begin to pull into a narrow space. Ten
minutes later, she’s finally managed to squeeze her giant car into a miniscule parallel parking sliver. The interior has most likely never heard such inappropriate speech from its owner’s mouth.
“Gahhhhh,” she screeches as we finally make our way toward The Yolk. “Parallel parking can suck my—Daddy!” she screams, deafening me.
A tall, handsome George Clooney look-alike approaches. An equally attractive golden-haired woman, who can’t possibly be old enough to have given birth to Kenna, smiles beside him.
“My sweetums! You look ravishing, as always,” her father greets her, bending down to press a kiss to her flushed cheek.
After a hug to her mother, they part, and a little boy who must be around eight or nine jumps into her arms.
“Kens! Kens!” he chants as they laugh, embracing.
I stand as still as a telephone pole, shifting my feet awkwardly as I observe their reunion. Awkward and envious, if I’m being honest. A lump has formed in my esophagus, and I wonder why I bothered to come.
“This is my roommate, Harley! She’s the best person I’ve met at OTU.”
They all turn to beam at me, her mother making the first move to reach out.
“My dear, you are something! What beautiful skin and hair! I always secretly wished I could be a dark-haired vixen.”
She approaches with a kind and approving smile, drawing me in for a hug—like mother, like daughter.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I croak as I attempt to combat the emotions welling in my chest.
Her father is smiling widely at us, arm draped around Kenna.
“We are so thrilled to meet you, Harley. You’ve been such a close friend to our Kenna.” He reaches out a large hand to grip mine.
“You’re hot,” her younger brother blurts out.
Kenna laughs out loud while his mother scolds him.