by Katie Dunn
If only she knew how dangerous he could be. How dangerous they all could be.
Chapter 2
I found myself having to get up early for my first set of classes and groaned. College was supposed to eliminate the early mornings, but Freshmen didn’t get that luxury I supposed. I dragged myself out of bed and walked over to our little sink near the door and brushed my teeth and fixed my hair before leaving the room to go to the bathroom that was thankfully only three doors down. I hated how it was a communal bathroom, but I figured it was better than having to clean my own.
Once I was ready, I grabbed my backpack, shoved a couple of notebooks in and raced out of the room. Shawna was already gone, being a morning person, she had scheduled a 6am Yoga class and got up two hours ago. I didn’t have time to stop by the dining hall for breakfast, so I raced by it on my new bike and reached the Math building. Unfortunately, I had to take Math and English as a Freshman, so I put those as my first two classes to get them out of the way. I really just wanted to get right into my Engineering classes but basics first.
I arrived ten minutes before class and the large room only had a few seats left. I chose a seat near the door to make a quick getaway afterward and put my bag under my seat, deciding not to pull out a notebook because it would probably be a day of getting-to-know-you stuff. A body fell into the seat beside me, but I didn’t look to see who it was. I didn’t feel like making small talk with anyone, especially in the morning since I was not fully awake yet.
“Hello, Phi,” a deep grumbly voice greeted me from my right.
I closed my eyes, hoping I imagined the voice but when I opened them and looked over, Trevor stared back with his deep blue eyes. I pursed my lips and gave him a small wave before crossing my arms and turning back to the front. That was two of them in less than twenty-four hours. I had a bad feeling I would be seeing them more often than I wished.
“Why are you in this class? I would have thought you would have tested out,” I grumbled, still refusing to look at him.
Trevor was an amazing mathematician and had always talked about going to school to study Math and Economics. I would have expected him to be starting out in a 300-level class rather than the beginner course.
I saw him shrug from the corner of my eye, but he didn’t say anything more. Trevor had always been a quiet guy and he had a boyish charm about him that attracted all kinds of girls, but I knew underneath all that he could be hella dangerous.
Three guys during junior year in high school accidentally bumped into him at lunch once causing his tray of food to crash to the floor and splash cheese ravioli everywhere, including all over Trevor. Both the splatter and what followed was not a pretty sight. I shuddered at the memory.
I heard him unwrap something then a moment later a peanut butter cracker appeared in front of me. Trevor didn’t say anything, just laid it down in front of me and started munching on one of his own. Usually I would not accept anything from him, but I was hungry. I quickly snatched up the cracker and stuffed the whole thing in my mouth, feeling like a chipmunk with stuffed cheeks as I chewed. Trevor chuckled and continued eating, sliding me another one when I finished the first. Begrudgingly, I picked it up and held it like it was a precious item.
Food was heaven.
The professor walked in, announcing himself to the class, causing everyone to quiet down. He continued by spending the whole class period explaining his course, introducing himself and forcing us to play a game. When it got to the game, I shrank down feeling nervous about people knowing something about me. It was two truths and a lie and thankfully he started at the other end of class. I racked my brain trying to think of something to say. My truths could be that I was from Philadelphia and I liked working on machines. The lie was harder because that required me to think of something that was near truth in order to fool people. However, I didn’t need to put so much effort into such a silly game so I just picked three random things and sat back to wait for my turn.
Trevor rumbled next to me making me look up to see the cause. The professor looked straight at him, but Trevor stayed quiet.
“Why don’t you tell us your name,” the professor suggested.
Trevor glared at him before answering, “Trevor Jackson.”
The professor waited for him to say more but when Trevor didn’t continue, he prompted, “What are your two truths and lie?”
Trevor scowled and crossed his arms. He didn’t want to do that activity any more than I did. The whole class continued staring until finally Trevor ground out, “I ride a motorcycle, I have two brothers, and I have three tattoos.”
The professor smiled and turned to the class to have them try and figure out his lie. I glanced at him, knowing he technically spoke two lies and a truth. He did have a motorcycle, well I assumed he replaced the one I burnt down, but he only had one tattoo and the two brothers he referred to were not truly related to him.
“Is your lie about your tattoos?” the professor asked still trying to get him engaged in the dumb game.
Trevor shrugged. “Sure.”
It wasn’t really an answer, but the professor decided to move on anyway. That meant it was my turn. I took a deep breath and calmed my trembling hands. I hated being the center of attention, too many eyes and judging stares.
“My name is Phi Bronson, and I am from Philadelphia, I like working on machines, and I have a brother.” I decided to get it over with fast and not prolong the inevitable.
The professor tapped his chin thinking about my responses. A girl from the other side of class raised her hand and guessed that I was lying about working on machines. I shook my head making her frown.
“Are you lying about having a brother?” the professor guessed.
Tears sprung up and nearly fell. That hit me harder than I thought it would. Crying on my first day would be the icing on the cake of embarrassment. I pinched myself and forced the tears down, refusing to break down during my first week of college. I nodded and looked away to let the professor know he was done torturing me now and could move on. The professor called on a girl behind me, but I didn’t hear anything she said, too focused on holding my emotions at bay. A hand settled on my arm and I looked up to see blue eyes shining with the same emotion. Trevor gave my arm a squeeze then pulled his hand back and continued to eat his crackers.
The professor called the end to class and I sprung up and rushed out, wanting to leave the Math building as fast as possible. I unlocked my bike, jumped on and raced to the Language Arts building not too far away. I really hoped that Math class had not set the mood I would be in for the rest of the day. I thought about calling my mom and telling her how I was feeling but knew she wouldn’t be any help. My parents weren’t really the comforting type these days.
Thanks to my speedy exit, I arrived fifteen minutes early, just in time to find a good seat in the back and calm my breathing. This class I could actually enjoy. I loved reading and didn’t mind writing essays about interesting topics. Plus, I only had to take it for one semester then I would never have to see an English class again. I spun in my chair, fascinated by the fact that our desks were part of our chairs and could be rolled around. If I were more extroverted, I might have tried to convince someone to play bumper desks.
The professor walked in with a briefcase and started setting up near a podium at the front. He was much older than the Math professor, with white frizzy hair and a suit that had patches on the elbows. I smiled, instantly liking him.
Then my smile dropped when a tall, gorgeous, annoying and frustrating man walked through the door. You have got to be freaking kidding me. This theme that was going on was going to be the end of me if it continued. Liam stopped at the door and looked around, as if searching for someone. When his eyes landed on me, a slow grin spread over his face and his eyes narrowed. Out of all three of the guys, Liam Griffiths, was the most dangerous.
He was considered the King of our high school and got the reputation by conquering every club and sport in th
e place. He also had a habit of getting into fights.
He stalked toward the back of the room, causing my heart to race with panic. I nearly jumped up and ran out, but I was able to contain the urge. Liam stopped by my desk and stared hard into my eyes, smirking at me as if he knew how uncomfortable I was near him.
“Hello, High Phi,” he said in a low, deep voice. He snatched a rolling desk nearby and pulled it over so he could sit next to me. This close I could see the stubble peeking through along his jaw and his more hazel than brown eyes shining with arrogance.
I grumbled at his use of my old nickname. When I was ten, I enjoyed using my name as a pun and went around asking people for high fives but instead of saying it like that I would say high phi. Liam liked making fun of me for it and started calling me High Phi.
“How have you been?” Liam asked in a smooth voice that felt like velvet across the ears.
He had his head propped up on his hand and stared at me with his constant half smile, made even more attractive by the stubble beard. He always seemed to be in on a joke that no one around knew about. Knowing him, he was probably up to something and that was what made him amused.
I ignored him, knowing if I said anything, he could use it against me later. The most innocent comment could be turned around and used as ammunition. I pulled out my phone and stared down at it, not focusing on it too much, but enough so I could ignore him. A piece of paper dropped onto my desk drawing my attention away from my phone. I stared at it, knowing it was from Liam but not wanting to pick it up. Curiosity got the best of me and I lowered my phone and grabbed the note, carefully opening it so only I could see what was inside.
What’s your phone number?
I crumbled up the paper and threw it at Liam. “None of your business.”
The last thing I needed was for him to have my number so he could bother me with tons of messages. I had made sure to change my number after I burned their motorcycles so that they could not reach me. Liam grinned at my response and leaned toward me.
“I got a new bike.” He waited for me to react, but I gave him nothing.
By bike, he meant motorcycle and that did not surprise me. They loved motorcycles. Once upon a time I would have had one too, but that was all in the past. If he expected me to get mad about that or pale at the idea of it then he was wrong. Liam would not get a reaction out of me today. The professor called our attention and Liam sat back, deciding to leave me alone for the time being. Even though, I was facing the teacher, I couldn’t help but watch Liam from the corner of my eye. He had the kind of presence that demanded attention. I glanced around the classroom and noticed more than a few curious glances in his direction. He would definitely have his share of interested ladies this year.
I gave a mental disgusted snort and focused back on the professor. He was outlining the course for us by going through his syllabus one detail at a time. The usual first day stuff. Thankfully he did not make us play an ice breaker and class was over before I knew it. As soon as he dismissed the class, I stood up, knocking my rolling seat back and dashed for the door. I only had twenty minutes to get to my next class, which was finally an Engineering class, but it happened to be back near my dorm, so I had to book it.
That and I really did not want to talk to Liam.
“Phi, wait,” Liam called out.
I did the opposite and walked faster. I got to my bike and started to unlock it, but I didn’t do it fast enough. Liam came to stand by me and grabbed my arm to stop me from leaving.
“Phi, we need to talk,” Liam gave me an earnest gaze, the cockiness from before gone, and I deflated a little.
“Maybe next time.” I sighed and shook off his arm. “I have to go to class.” I hopped on my bike and gave him one last solemn glance before riding off to the Engineering building.
The Engineering building was packed, with students running around all over the place trying to get to their classes. I walked up to the second floor and entered the room I needed to be in. I had high hopes for Engineering Design and found myself sitting near the front rather than hiding in the back. A low squeal sounded and a girl with curly brown hair flew toward me.
“Yay, we have this class together,” Shawna exclaimed and threw herself into a seat next to me.
I gave her a genuine smile, glad that I finally had a class with someone I enjoyed being around. The guys set me on edge, but I could relax around Shawna. The class was fantastic, although today it was mainly about introducing everyone but the plan for the semester sounded fun. There was an ice breaker but at least this time it only involved saying our name, major, and one thing about ourselves. By the end of class I was excited for the rest of the semester and planned on getting ahead in the work as soon as possible.
“What do you have next?” Shawna asked as we gathered our stuff and headed out of class.
I looked at my schedule and grinned. “Nothing until two.” I was glad I had a couple hours until my next class. College may be great after all.
“My Religion Studies class is at one, but I could get a quick bite if you want to,” Shawna suggested. “There is a great chicken wing place near here.”
That sounded absolutely amazing. Hot wings were the bomb. I nodded enthusiastically and let her lead us there. It was in the same building as the on-campus dining hall but instead of turning left we went straight ahead until we came across a line in front of a mini wing take-out place. We ordered our food and sat at a table nearby. I opened my takeout box and inhaled the tangy aroma of buffalo sauce, my mouth immediately watering in response. Shawna chuckled at me and bit into her chicken sandwich.
I dipped some of my French fries in extra sauce and closed my eyes as the delicious flavor settled on my tongue. “This is officially my favorite food place.”
We ate in silence for a while, well I did while Shawna chattered on about her morning classes, until we were scraping the bottom of the containers. I knew Shawna would have to go in a minute which meant I would have to find something to do for an hour.
“So, I’m not sure how you feel about parties,” Shawna said slowly as she gathered her trash to throw away, “but there is one happening on Friday if you’re interested.” Shawna stared at me carefully, wondering what my answer would be.
She looked like she wanted me to say yes but as my friend wouldn’t push it if I truly wished not to go. I had been to parties before in my Sophomore and Junior year of high school. About a year ago though, I quit going out completely and had turned into something of an introvert. I studied my friend’s face and realized she was excited about the party. How she found out about one so fast, I had no idea. If anything, I could go just to hang out with her. I didn’t need to drink or talk to others.
“Sure, sounds like it might be fun.” I smiled at her excited squeal and had to catch myself from falling over when she launched herself from her seat to give me a hug. I laughed at her excitement and patted her back.
Shawna pulled back and shouldered her backpack. “Alright, girl, we will have to get you some kickass clothes before then. I gotta run, see you later.”
I waved as she left, packing up my own things to leave and cleared the table for someone else. I was not looking forward to dressing up, but I knew Shawna would not let me go in jeans and a t-shirt. I tossed my trash away and started to leave but had to stop as I was suddenly blocked on all sides by three huge dudes.
“Are you stalking me?” I directed to Liam but cast my glare on all three.
They gave each other a look then shrugged at me. I gaped at their almost admission to stalking and crossed my arms.
“I have somewhere to be,” I lied, hoping they would move and let me go on my merry way.
No such luck it seemed.
“We need to talk,” Liam repeated his comment from earlier.
“Did you say you are going to the party on Friday?” Trevor asked with an accusatory tone.
My mouth dropped at his tone and the fact he heard me. “So, what if I am. Who do y
ou guys think you are anyway? Stop stalking me.” With that I pushed passed them and walked away as fast as I could without drawing attention.
It didn’t matter. Everyone seemed to be looking at the guys, not even giving me a second glance. Thank God for that. I picked up my pace and got my bike unlocked before they caught up to me.
“You can’t go. It’s dangerous,” Kaden said, putting his hand on my bike to stop me from leaving.
I guffawed. “Dangerous? The only danger to me is you three.”
He visibly flinched at my words. I almost felt bad but didn’t take it back. They were practically harassing me after all.
“Let go of my bike,” I bit out.
Kaden held his hands up to show he meant no harm and I got on my bike, ready to ride off far away from them.
“You really shouldn’t go to that party,” Liam called out.
I ignored him and rode away. I was fuming by the time I reached my dorm. Who did they think they were? They weren’t my brothers. I almost choked on a sob at the thought but let the anger push it away. If I had any doubts about attending the party, they were long gone by now. I was going to let Shawna dress me up and I was going to show them that they had no control over me.
Chapter 3
The week passed by in a blur. I was already up to my neck in homework and had spent every waking moment either focusing on classwork or avoiding the guys. Even though the work was piling up and we were already assigned projects, I thoroughly enjoyed it. College was my time to learn about what I wanted so I wouldn’t complain about the work. However, it was Friday night now and I faced a whole new dilemma.
“Mini skirt or leggings?” Shawna asked, holding a jean skirt in one hand and a pair of pants in the other.
“For me or you?” I grimaced at both options. I preferred my legs covered but not restricted.
Shawna rolled her eyes and walked over to me, holding the skirt against my hips to see how it would look. I swatted it away, already determined that skirts would be the last option. Shawna put her hands on her hips and frowned at me.