Hybrid

by TJ Hines

  Ah, crap. Get a grip, Kinsey. He is your best friend. I blushed and turned away from him, in an effort, to compose myself. "Yeah. Sorry. I was just thinking about something." Technically, not a lie. I was thinking about something—him.

  "Okay then. So, you ready for your Spanish midterm?" Well if he had noticed my freakish gawking, he wasn't going to bring it up. Good. That was one thing that I did not have time to deal with today—or any day for that matter.

  "Um. No. I told you last night that foreign languages and I have a love-hate relationship. They love to make my life miserable and I hate them for it."

  He walked over to me and gave me a reassuring hug. "I'm sure you will do great. Remember to think positive. It's all about confidence. So, where's Abby this morning?"

  "She is probably getting ready for class. I may have upset her this morning." I pulled back from his embrace to flash my ‘I'm an innocent angel grin'.

  He snorted. "Uh-Oh. What did you say this time?" He always seemed amused by the little mini-dramas in my life, especially when it concerned Abby. He thought she was a little conceited. And by a little I mean the size of Massachusetts. Nevertheless, we were roommates, so he never said anything too harsh about her. Unlike Abby, who talked bad about Will all the time.

  I scowled at him. "I'll tell you later. We got to go, or we are going to be late. Again." I grabbed my backpack off the counter and pushed Will through the door.

  Our apartment building was only a few blocks from campus, so on nice days, we walked to class. Today was gorgeous with beautiful blue skies and a gentle breeze. The sun was out but not in an obvious way. It was as if it was dancing with the clouds. That was surprising because three days ago it was below freezing. Most people would find the lack of seasons weird. But in the South, especially Alabama, it was the norm to have strange, unpredictable, and erratic weather. One day the temperature could be forty degrees outside and the next day it might be seventy-five. The only constant season was Summer. Which sometimes seemed to never end—starting in mid-April with eighty-degree weather and lasting until the beginning of October.

  Some days when the weather was being really crazy, like raining for three days straight and in the mid-thirties to being in the seventies two days later, I wondered why I ever decided to attend college this far south. I grew up in Pennsylvania, where it may be frigid in winter, but we still had all four seasons. And they were normal for the most part.

  However, my worries about my school choice, the weather, and the accents were pushed away when I thought of the decision to move to Alabama to attend college. No one I knew was coming this far south to go to college, which meant no one here knew who I was. Therefore, no one felt like they had to walk on eggshells around me and pity me. The last two years of high school was like my own personal hell. If it hadn’t been for Caleb, I wouldn’t have survived it.

  I decided to bring up the Halloween party on the walk to school. Mostly because I hoped it would distract me from my thoughts. Also because the longer I waited the less time I would have to convince him to go with me.

  "I wanted to ask you if you wanted to go to the Halloween party at the Delta Chi house with me." I sensed his hesitation, so I quickly added. "Please, for me." It was wrong to manipulate him, but I wanted to go to the party and I really, really wanted him to go with me.

  He groaned. Hook, line, and sinker. "You know I can't say no when you say it like that. All needy and whiny." He added the last part to tick me off. He knew I hated girls like that.

  "Hey." I shoved him. "But thank you for agreeing. I owe you."

  "Yeah, you do. I can't help being all chivalrous." He grinned at me and gave me a playful wink.

  "You are a lot of things…chivalrous wasn't the first one that came to my mind." I said glancing down at my phone. I still hadn't heard back from Jack. How long could one meeting take? Especially at 7am. I was beginning to think he was trying to avoid talking to me.

  "Are you waiting on another man to con into going to the party with you? Isn't one victim enough for you?"

  "Haha! I’m waiting for a phone call from Jack. He is supposed to call me when he gets out of his meeting. But it should be finished by now." I shoved my phone back into my pocket. I shrugged. "I really need to talk to him."

  "Hey, is everything okay?" I read the concern in his eyes. He knew me so well.

  "Yeah, I guess. I had a nightmare last night and it really scared me. Even more than usual. I wanted to see if Jack could make any sense of it."

  "Nightmare? Your nightmare? Or was it a different one?" Will knew all about my messed-up life and my recurring nightmare. He was one of the few people in my life that I knew would never feel sorry for me.

  "Yep. My nightmare. Only…this time it was…," I hesitated because I was afraid, he would think I was crazy.

  "This time it was what?" We had stopped in front of Jeter Hall, which was where our History class was located.

  "Something was different this time." I looked at his face hoping to see some sign that he believed me. All I saw was confusion. "Never mind, it's hard to explain."

  I started to turn away, but he grabbed my shoulders and made me face him. "Try. Please. I promise to listen and not judge."

  I could see the sincerity in his eyes. What the hell? What's the worst that can happen? Will thinking I am crazier than I already am. I can live with that, I guess. I told him how my dream had changed for the first time in almost five years. I also told him how real the dream felt, even more so this time.

  Will waited a few moments before he said anything. He must have been trying to choose his words carefully, so that I wouldn’t take his next statement as sarcasm or mockery.

  "You definitely need to tell Jack everything you just told me." He seemed agitated, but as soon as he saw my expression of bewilderment, he changed his tone. "But don't let it get you worked up."

  I started towards the door and I thought I heard him mumble to himself, "At least not yet."

  We took our seats right as our professor walked into the classroom. We sat near the back because it was much easier to look interested while not really being interested. Our professor, Dr. Hammond, was a middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair and one of the dullest, most boring persons I have ever met. I absolutely loathed the class because the man made History so lifeless and abysmal.

  History should be an exciting class. There was so much to love about it: the wars, the heroes, the passion, the drama. And yet, here I sit, three days a week, bored to tears and always on the verge of passing out or punching our professor. Either option was better than listening to one of his monotonous and mundane lectures.

  Today, I preyed on the dreary lecture to study for my Spanish midterm, which now was only a few hours away. With about ten minutes left in class, Will shuffled a piece of paper towards me. At first, I thought it was my lecture notes, but realized I was not that lucky when I began reading it.

  So, tell me more about this party? You've made me curious. Parties are not typically your thing.

  My face twisted into a grimace. What was I going to tell him? If I told him the truth, I was sure he would try to bail on me. If I lied to him, he would be so mad. Honesty was one trait that Will valued above all else in any type of relationship. And so, did I. I have always tried to be truthful with people. Therefore, I opted for giving as few details as possible.

  I wrote my reply and handed it back to him without looking at him. I was sure if he saw my face, he would definitely know I was holding back some key piece of information.

  I just want to go to the party. They are raising money for Children's Hospital and it’s a worthy cause and I want to show my support. Plus, we haven't been out in a long time.

  I tried to act unruffled by looking back at my Spanish book in a not so subtle attempt to hide my discomfort on the party subject. I snuck a quick glance at him when he wasn't looking to see if he bought my reasons. He had an amused smirk on his face. Well, damn, that didn't work. Stupid best friend who k
new me better than I knew myself.

  He laid the sheet of paper on the top of my notebook. Then he tapped it twice with his index finger.

  You are a horrible liar—even on paper. If you don't tell me the whole truth, then I’m not going.

  I sighed heavily and wrote down the truth—the whole truth. I knew I was a horrible liar. My parents always joked about how horrible I was at lying. They said they could read the lie on my face. Ugh! I can't even lie on paper. How pathetic is that?

  It's a costume party, okay? Happy now. But you already said you would go with me, so you can't back out—you promised.

  Before he could write back anything, Dr. Hammond dismissed class. As we gathered our stuff up, Will looked at me with a playful grin on his beautiful face.

  "I do not recall promising you I would go."

  "But…" I started to protest but he silenced me by putting a finger over my lips. I could have melted onto the floor with that touch. That beautiful soft touch made my body quiver and my heartbeat so very fast.

  "But I’m still going with you. I may not enjoy it, but if you’re happy then so am I. You know I wouldn't abandon you. Especially when I may have to protect your innocence."

  "You are the best." I went to give him a quick hug, but he held onto me and whispered in my ear. "Kinz, you know I would do anything for you. Plus, I can't wait to see you in your costume."

  I was wrong before about melting with a single touch. This is how I wanted to die, with his strong arms wrapped around me while he whispered in my ear. I felt like I was about to faint. He chuckled and let me go, so we could walk to the dining hall for lunch.

  CHAPTER THREE

  After lunch, we walked to our next classes. This was the only class we had this semester that we did not share. I said bye to Will at the Art building and headed off to face my impending doom—the dreaded midterm. As I walked along the brick pathway, I repeated what Will told me this morning. Stay positive. Yeah, like that would help.

  I walked into the classroom and found a seat near the back. The anxiety and fear I was feeling were mirrored on my fellow classmate's faces. Well, at least, I was not alone. I took advantage of every valuable test-prepping minute. I hadn't even noticed him until he tapped me on the shoulder. I looked over my shoulder startled at the touch.

  "Would it be okay if I sat next to you today?" Tyler, my very own personal Greek Warrior, asked.

  Tyler was male model gorgeous. Beautiful tan skin. Dark chocolate eyes and chocolate brown hair. Tall and muscular. I had to blink twice to make sure it was him.

  He laughed at my expression. I do not even want to think about how I must have looked to him. Dorky and ridiculous were a few of the words dancing through my mind. "Well…can I?"

  "Can you what?" Wow. You are doing great today Kinsey, I thought to myself. Why could I not think today?

  "Sit next to you."

  "Oh. Sorry. Yes, of course. But I should warn you…I'm horrible with foreign languages, so I wouldn't cheat off me if I were you." That was a little better. At least I was putting together semi-coherent sentences.

  "I'm sure that's not true." He smiled at me. It was one of those long, slow, sexy smiles that made you feel like you had to go to confession because of the impure thoughts running wild in your mind. And I wasn't even Catholic, and I still felt the need to confess.

  I felt the blood run straight to my cheeks at the sight of that smile. "It is, unfortunately. I took German in high school and I nearly flunked it. I even had my brother's help and he’s fluent in German."

  Tyler laughed and I joined him. "This test shouldn’t be that difficult. Next time, if you want, I could help you study. I took Spanish in high school. Honestly, this class is a GPA booster…to make Coach happy."

  "Seriously? You would help me. That would be great. I could really use your help." I smiled at him. That was so sweet. I felt a little better about the test now.

  "It would be my pleasure to help you with anything."

  I blushed again. I did love flirting with this guy. He was so adorable. I should forget about my non-existent love life with Will and go out with Tyler. I was about to ask him about the party when Profesora Flores began passing out our exams. I finished my exam in an hour, about half of the class was still working on theirs which immediately made me panic. ‘Stay Positive'. I handed in my exam and walked out of the classroom. I think I passed—hopefully. Well, it's over now, no matter what the outcome. I wasn't one of those people who dwelt on trivial things like grades. I had bigger problems in my life.

  I walked down to the Art building to wait on Will. His teacher was a pain, so I knew he would be in there for at least twenty more minutes. I sat down on one of the benches next to the steps leading up to the front door. I was digging around in my backpack to find my MP3 player. I had downloaded a lot of new songs last night at the station, in hopes of changing up my playlist for tonight. I let out a little scream when someone plopped down next to me on the bench.

  "Sorry, I keep doing that to you. I saw you sitting over here, and I wondered how you did on your test?" Tyler asked.

  Of course, it would be him. And of course, I would scream like a little girl. How could this day possibly get any worse? Well, I could trip and fall—that's still something to look forward to, I thought sarcastically to myself.

  "It's okay. I’m just a little on edge today. I think I did okay on the test. I blanked on some of the translations, but I did well on the conjugations."

  "See. I told you everything would be okay. So, what do you have planned for the rest of the day?"

  Is he, Tyler—the Greek Warrior, actually asking me out? No, of course not. He must be trying to make small talk.

  "I’m waiting on Will to get out of his class."

  "Oh," he said dejectedly. Well, maybe, I was wrong. He was asking me out.

  I tried to alleviate the awkwardness by changing the subject. "So, are you going to the Delta Chi Halloween party?"

  As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized I could not have sounded any more stupid. What was wrong with me today? Of course, he was going to the party. Abby already told me that this morning. Not to mention the fact that he was a Delta. Smooth, Kinz. Real smooth.

  "Well…yeah." He smiled at me trying to hide the amusement in his voice.

  "Sorry. I forgot. I guess you got to be there. I’m really out of it today." I knew my face was turning red from embarrassment so I looked down at my MP3 player in hopes he wouldn't notice.

  "It wasn't a silly question," he said giving me one of those famous smiles. "I don't have to go to the party—it's not mandatory…but I want to go because I was kinda hoping to see you there."

  "Oh." That was the only response I could muster up. I screamed mentally at myself. What are you doing moron? Tell him you are going to be there.

  Tyler waited for a couple of minutes before saying anything else. "So, are you going to the party?"

  "Yeah. But I won't be there until after nine. I have to work the afternoon shift at the station."

  He seemed happier now. "I still think it’s so cool that you are on the radio."

  "I know. I still think I’m dreaming most days. I couldn’t ask for a better job. I love it." And that was so true. I was totally in love with my job. I was the only junior who currently got to DJ at the campus station. I didn't have my own show—I filled in when others were sick or called out. Nevertheless, it was still cool. The only downside was that I had to be on call all the time. But next year, I would get to choose my time slot.

  "So, what are you wearing to the party? I mean, what's your costume?" Tyler inquired.

  "I have no idea. I guess I’ll go shopping tomorrow. What are you going as?"

  "I’m going as a Greek Philosopher, like Aristotle or Plato," he stated in his best scholarly impersonation.

  I laughed. "Really?" I knew Tyler was Greek, well half Greek, but he didn't strike me as the philosophical type.

  He laughed too. "Well, all the Deltas will be dr
essed alike. They just wanted to wear Togas, but I thought Greek Philosopher sounded better than Frat House Toga Boy."

  I started imagining Tyler in a Toga. My imagination started running wild again. Hormones. Damn them to the fiery pits of hell. I was going to ruin this moment if I didn’t stop acting like a teenager.

  I was staring off into space again, daydreaming about Tyler, when I felt his hand cup my face and turn it back towards him. "Are you okay?"

  "I was just thinking about...costumes. Yours is really…good." And hot, I thought to myself. "And I agree Greek Philosopher does sound better."

  Tyler did not remove his hand from my face. I immediately felt my blood start to rush to my cheeks. He took his other hand and tucked my hair behind my ear, so he could look into my eyes. And there it was—that slow, sexy smile and wow it could take any girls breath away.

  He leaned into me a little and said, "Whatever you decide to wear, I have no doubt that you will be as hot as you are right now. Which, in my opinion, is pretty damn hot."

  Oh my God. Tyler moved closer to my face, getting ready to kiss me. Oh geez, I couldn't think. You have to love a guy with that much confidence. He was about to kiss me. I was about to kiss him. Tyler Freaking Mitchell! I was trying not to analyze it, but right before his lips touched mine, the door to the Art building flew open with a bang. Tyler dropped his hands from my face and stood up.

  I didn't have to look back to know who it was—there was only one person that could make Tyler lose some of his swagger. Will. Sure enough, he appeared next to the bench a moment later. There I sat, between the guy who wanted to kiss me and the guy who I wanted to kiss. I could sense the testosterone levels starting to rise, so I stood up and positioned myself somewhat between them.