Here and Now

by T. Renee Fike

  Here and Now

  Copyright © 2015 by T. Renee Fike.

  All Rights Reserved.

  Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means without prior written permission from the author. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.

  Cover Illustration by: Kari Ayasha/Cover to Cover Designs

  Acknowledgements

  I want to take the time to thank the amazing people who help me and my dreams come true! Mom, thank you for all of your help and suggestions, I truly appreciate it and thank you for supporting me in all of my crazy adventures. I also want to thank my friends because of your continuous support and dedication to reading what I write! Thank you for your support on this journey.

  To my beta readers, ladies, you are wonderful! I cannot thank you enough for all the help and support you’ve given me! Thank you for helping me at the drop of a dime, I truly cannot thank you all enough for the amazing help and work that you do! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

  HERE AND NOW

  T. RENEE FIKE

  Prologue

  Is it crazy to have feelings for my brother’s best friend? I mean, I see this man all the time and can’t get him out of my head. Unfortunately for me, he doesn’t see me as anything other than Owen’s baby sister. Between my brother and my best friend Lily, I get to hear and see all that Evan Scott has to offer. He’s the jock all the girls want and plenty have already had, yet they continue to flock his way, including me. It’s been different this past year, because Evan is a year older than me and he’s away at college, the same college I’ve dreamt about going to since I was five years old.

  Lily and I both got accepted and will be attending West Virginia University in the fall. She knows how I feel about Evan, but I also know she feels the same way and he’s one of her best friends and always has been, considering they grew up next door to one another. How do I compete with my best friend for a chance with the same guy?

  Chapter One

  “What are you doing?” Lily asks from my bed.

  “Packing, we leave for college in two days,” I say, as I continue to ransack my closet.

  “Exactly, you still have two days; you have plenty of time to finish packing. Why don’t you get ready for the party and worry about packing tomorrow,” she says excitedly.

  “Fine,” I say, as I stop pulling out clothes to pack and decide on something to wear. Since it’s hot out; I choose a denim skirt with a teal tank top and flip flops.

  “That’s cute,” Lily says, as she finishes her make-up.

  “Is Evan going to be there tonight?” I ask, knowing she already knows the answer.

  “Yep,” she beams.

  “Why didn’t you guys ever date?” I ask, knowing I’ve thought and asked her this question a million times before.

  “It was just never the right timing,” she says with a shrug.

  “And now?”

  “I’m hoping college will change that.”

  “What if it doesn’t?” I ask, knowing I don’t want my best friend to get hurt either.

  “Then it doesn’t, but I’ll never know unless I try,” she says truthfully.

  “True,” is all I say.

  “You still have a crush on him, don’t you?” she asks.

  “I do, but I’d never try to step on your toes, he’s your best friend,” I say honestly.

  She turns and looks directly at me, “So are you. Who knows, maybe it would never work out with any of us, all we can do is try and see what happens,” she says before turning around to put her lipstick on.

  We finish getting ready and head to the party at the beach, excited for a fun night out.

  “Holy crap this place is packed already,” I say, as I pull into a parking spot.

  “Last party of the summer,” she beams as she gets out of the car.

  “It sure is,” I say as I climb out the driver side. Taking a look around, there are cars everywhere and the beach is packed. The party is at a friend’s house that graduated with us. Her parents allowed her to throw a party at their beach house, which is awesome.

  Heading in the direction of her house, I can’t help but look at the beach and see the majority of our class already there, along with many others from grades ahead of us.

  It doesn’t take long for me to spot my brother Owen, talking to Evan. They’ve been best friends since we were kids and it hasn’t changed, even with them going to different colleges.

  “There you are,” Owen says to me as we get closer to the party. “I was just talking to Evan, making sure he’s going to watch out for you, your first year.”

  “I’ll be fine,” I mumble, not wanting to be treated like a child.

  “Just making sure no one tries to take advantage of my little sister,” Owen says as he wraps his arm around my shoulders, pulling me into him.

  “I’m pretty sure I could handle myself,” I say, as I look up at him.

  “You have something against me?” Evan asks out of nowhere, catching me off guard.

  I can’t help but stare into his ocean blue eyes, “No, I just don’t need a babysitter.”

  “If you want to babysit me, you can,” Lily says bluntly.

  “I’ll make sure you are both alright,” Evan says kindly.

  “Thanks,” I mumble.

  “Bay, be nice,” Owen says with a stern look.

  “I’m going to say hi to Linds, I’ll be back,” I say before walking away.

  “Baylee Smith, wait for me,” Lily says as she runs towards me as I make my way up the stairs of Lindsey’s parent’s beach house. “What was that about?” she asks with a look.

  “I just don’t need the over protective brother crap,” I say, feeling annoyed.

  “It’s Owen, that’s how he’s always been with you,” she says, like I don’t already know.

  It’s cool how close my brother and I are, we’ve always been close and I couldn’t be more thankful for that. He’s always had my back and he still does. I love him to pieces, but I also want to live my own life and not worry about having to be looked after all the time.

  “I get that and I love him for it, but college is different. I don’t need or want Evan to have to look after me,” I say, sounding annoyed.

  “Shit girl, why not? I told him he could babysit me and I mean it. If you have a crush, go with it, who knows where it could go,” she says like she doesn’t have a crush on the same boy as I do.

  “I just want to be able to do what I want, without worrying about someone watching me and keeping tabs on me,” I complain as we head inside.

  “Evan won’t really keep tabs on you, so I wouldn’t worry about it,” she assures me.

  “I hope not.”

  “Trying to get lots of action at college?” she asks with a smirk.

  I can’t help but laugh as I slap her arm, “Definitely not. That’s not my style.”

  “I know, I was just thinking you were trying to be someone different all of a sudden,” she chuckles.

  “No, I’ll always be me,” I say, as I look for Lindsay. “There she is,” I say, once I spot her. I head in her direction, knowing Lily is right on my heels. “Hey lady,” I say as I give her a hug.

  “Hey, it’s about damn time, I didn’t think you were coming,” she says with a stern look.

  “I wouldn’t miss this for anything,” I state proudly.

  “Hey Bitch,” Lily says to Lindsay before giving her a hug, “Great turnout.” Sh
e states.

  “Sure is,” Linds says as she looks around. “Do you guys want a drink?”

  “Yes,” Lily says quickly.

  “I’ll get one in a little while,” I say.

  “Suit yourself,” Linds says, as she points to where the alcoholic beverages are located.

  “I’m going to get a drink, I’ll catch up with you two later,” Lily says before heading off.

  “What’s wrong?” Linds asks.

  “Nothing,” I state.

  “Are you sure? You look irritated,” she points out.

  “Just annoyed I guess, but I’ll be fine.”

  “Do you want to talk about it?” she asks.

  “Not right now, I just want to enjoy your party,” I smile.

  “Sounds good, so let’s go have fun,” she says as she links her arm through mine, and we head back out the front door towards the beach.

  The beach is even crazier than inside. There’s a bonfire going on and people are everywhere. I think there are more people now than when Lily and I first got here.

  “This is insane, who are all these people?” I ask, as I look around.

  “No clue, but who cares. It’s the last party of the summer, let’s live it up!” she chants.

  “Sounds great to me,” I say as we make our way to a group of people. I grab a beer and crack it open, ready to forget my life and just enjoy the night and what’s to come at college.

  College, where I get to be who I want to be and not always known as Owen’s baby sister. I thought with him being gone last year that this year would be different and people would look at me as an individual, but they didn’t, everyone still refers to me as Owen’s little sister. I’m so over it, and with college, it won’t be that way because Owen won’t be there.

  Before I know it, the moon is out, people are drunk and scattered everywhere, and I’m ready to call it a night. The only issue I’m having right now is that Lily is nowhere to be found.

  “Have you seen Lily?” I ask Linds as I look for her.

  “She was in the house last time I saw her,” she says as she takes another chug of her beer. I’m surprised she can even see at this point.

  Heading inside, I make my way through the throng of people, looking for Lily everywhere. Deciding to check the bedrooms, I choose to knock before opening the door, when no one answers, I open it to find the first room empty. Room after room I check and still nothing. Only two doors left, I knock again, no response, I open the door to find Lily on her knees in front of a guy I’ve never seen before.

  Her face turns bright red as she stares at me. “I’m ready to go, did you want to stay or do you want me to take you home?” I ask annoyed. Not that I care who my friend messes around with, but does she even know this boy?

  “I’ll take her home,” the man says.

  “I think I’ll let her answer,” I snap, not caring what he has to say.

  “I better go,” she says as she quickly stands.

  “Seriously?” the man says, looking thoroughly annoyed.

  “Sorry,” she says before rushing out the door, pushing me out of the way. We head outside, neither saying a word. Unlocking my car, I climb in, Lily doing the same on the passenger side.

  “Care to explain what that was about?” I ask, curiously.

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” she says softly.

  “Something happened, you don’t normally do that kind of thing,” I point out.

  “I got into an argument with Evan, so I wasn’t thinking straight,” she admits. I head towards home, allowing Lily to tell me what she wants me to know. “I thought maybe with a little liquid courage that I would finally make a move on Evan, but it backfired.”

  “Backfired how?” I ask, surprised.

  “He told me I was drunk and that I’m better than that, to knock it off. We’ve been best friends for years and he looks at me like a sister,” she says, as she stares towards the floor.

  “Lily, I thought you wanted to wait until we were at college before trying to pursue him.”

  “I did, but I guess my temptation for him got in the way.”

  “So, now what?” I ask.

  “I don’t even want to look at him, I feel pathetic,” she says as she shakes her head.

  “He won’t hold it against you; you said so yourself, you were drunk. It will all be fine,” I point out.

  “I hope so,” she says slowly.

  Before long, I pull into my parents’ driveway and we head inside to crash for the night. Lily has stayed at my house so many times; she’s practically a part of the family.

  The next two days come and go and Lily continues to act weird and I can’t understand why. We are to be leaving tomorrow for college and I’m not sure what’s going on with her.

  Chapter Two

  After calling and calling, I drive over to Lily’s house to check on her. Her mom lets me in and I head towards my best friend’s bedroom.

  “Hey,” I say as I push the door open slightly. She’s lying on her bed, looking anything but happy or okay. “What’s going on?” I ask, as I sit on the edge of her bed.

  “I don’t think I want to go to West Virginia anymore,” she says suddenly.

  “What?” I shout, surprised she is saying this now.

  “I don’t think I want to go to college at all,” she says, never looking at me.

  “What happened? You were all excited about college.”

  “I got into another argument with Evan and it didn’t go well,” she says, now actually looking at me.

  “Lily,” I say as I touch her foot, “You weren’t going to West Virginia because of Evan; there are so many guys at college, you may never even run into Evan there. Don’t let an argument with him dictate your future,” I state.

  “I’m thinking I may transfer to another school.”

  “Why? I’ll be there, you wanted to join a sorority, so do that, you will meet so many other people that you will forget Evan even existed,” I smile.

  She looks at me for a moment, “He’s one of my best friends,” she states.

  “Really, because I don’t think best friends make each other feel like they want to completely change their lives and not go to college because of a silly disagreement,” I point out.

  “I know,” she shrugs.

  “What happened?” I ask, sitting back on her bed, getting comfortable.

  “He basically said he doesn’t want to have to babysit me at college. He told me I was acting like a child and that I need to grow up,” she says looking tearful.

  “College is where people grow up, don’t take that personally. That’s where you find yourself and hopefully a potential husband,” I joke.

  “I guess you’re right.”

  “So, still attending West Virginia, no matter what Evan says, right?” I ask with a stern look.

  “Yes,” she smiles finally.

  “Thank God, I don’t know what I would do if you weren’t there,” I state before giving my best friend a hug.

  The next day my car is packed and we are loaded and ready to head to college. After all the farewells to my family and Lily’s family, we start our adventure as college freshman.

  It doesn’t take long to get to the campus, but then again, living in Maryland has its perks. I park the car and we hop out and head towards registration. The lines are long and it feels like it takes forever before it’s finally my turn. I get my packet to find out my dorm.

  Lily and I compare information and we are in the same dorm building, just not dorm roommates.

  “Hey, at least we are in the same building,” I smile.

  “True, hopefully, they aren’t the triple or quad rooms; I don’t know if I would want to share a room with that many people considering the rooms are small.”

  “Umm, aren’t you planning on joining a sorority?” I ask, surprised.

  “Duh, but that’s different, that’s a house with a roommate or two, this is a small freaking dorm room with more than one person.
Fingers crossed we don’t have that,” she says, as we get back into the car to drive to our dorm.

  I park out front, we each grab as much as possible, before heading into the open door. As soon as we enter, I notice the building is co-ed, but I’m not worried about that at all. Seeing the line at the elevator, we opt for the stairs and head up to our waiting rooms. Lily is on the third floor and I’m on the fourth. I say bye as I continue making my way up to the fourth floor. Opening the door, I walk down the hall until I see 414. The door is locked, so I unlock it and push it open to see my roommate has already arrived.

  “Hi,” I say as I drop my bags on the empty bed.

  “Hey, I’m Dani,” she says as she holds her hand out. Her hair is purple and she has a punk rock look to her.

  “I’m Baylee, it’s nice to meet you,” I say as I take in the small room. Lily wasn’t kidding, these rooms are small. The only positive thing is that there are only two beds, so I lucked out with not having to have multiple roommates.

  “Where ya from Baylee?” Dani asks with a slight accent.

  “Maryland, how about you?” I ask.

  “I’m from here,” she says like it’s no big deal.

  “That’s cool,” I say as I try to situate some of my things.

  After meeting up with Lily and making a few more trips to the car, all my stuff is in my room and I start to put everything away.

  “Is your friend going to be spending a lot of time in our room?” Dani asks, looking slightly annoyed after Lily leaves.

  “No, probably not, why?” I ask curiously.

  “I just like to have my own space and if you plan on her being in here all the time, I think it would be wise if we set some ground rules,” she states.

  “I doubt she will, but if you want to set some rules, that’s fine. What do you have in mind?” I ask, wanting to get along with my new roommate.

  “No boys spending the night,” she states bluntly.

  “That works,” I say, as I don’t plan on bringing any guys back to my dorm room anyway.

  “We need to respect one another’s things and privacy,” she says.

  I nod my head, in agreement, with that as well.