The heat of the night felt almost cool compared to inside the room, packed with all of the body heat and friction. Alex sat down on the edge of a brick flower bed a small distance away from the Marcus building. She wanted to distance herself from the music blaring out of the open windows but needed to stay close enough to see Tish or Erika if they decided to leave or came outside to find her. She pressed the toe of her shoe into a crack in the sidewalk as she took a deep breath.
“Needed a break?” Liam was standing a few paces away. He was wearing a dark blue button-up shirt with faded jeans. His sleeves were rolled up to the elbow. His hands were in his pockets as he looked at her. He walked over to her slowly. Alex was reminded of the posh gangsters from the twenties as he sauntered to her side. “May I join you?” Liam raised an eyebrow and gestured to the edge of the flowerbed beside her.
“Sure.” Alex caught herself staring at him and looked at her shoes. The ice blue of his eyes contrasted with his dark hair. It was a breathtaking combination that drew her in all too easily.
“Not much of a party girl?” Liam leaned forward as he rested his forearms on his legs.
“It’s not really my thing.” Alex shrugged and bit her bottom lip. She could feel his eyes on her. “I saw your girlfriend in there, though.” Alex pointed to the window. She threw him a quick look to see his reaction. The girl inside on the windowsill was still visible. Her hips matched the rhythm of the music that drifted across the sidewalk.
“That must have been pretty difficult.” Liam’s mouth curled into a half smile as Alex looked at him questioningly, “I don’t have a girlfriend.” Alex felt her cheeks turn pink as his eyes looked into hers. “I’m guessing you’re talking about Jennifer though. The girl you saw me with earlier? Yeah. We used to date, but not anymore.” Liam brushed a strand of hair away from Alex’s face. Her heart skipped a beat at his touch.
“Liam!” Jennifer stumbled out of Marcus Manor yelling drunkenly. Her breasts jiggled with every step. Alex tried to keep her disgust from showing on her face. She watched as Pasty Girl tried to sit in Liam’s lap. “Where have you been? I’ve missed you!” She pouted as she tried to loop her arms around his neck.
Liam grabbed her hands and spun her in a circle, distracting her from trying to sit on him as he stood up. “Been drinking again, Jen?” Liam looked at her with disapproval. “What are you wearing?” He started unbuttoning his shirt. Underneath, Alex caught a glimpse of a white t-shirt. Liam pulled off his shirt and draped it over Jennifer, trying to cover her up. His shirt swallowed her, and she grabbed his belt loops trying steady herself as she swayed involuntarily.
Out of the corner of her eye, Alex saw Tish wander out of the party. Erika followed after her. She caught Alex’s eye and gestured for her to come help with Tish. Alex looked back at Liam who was still fending off Pasty Girl’s advances. “Nice to meet you...again.” She gave a small wave and looked from Liam to Jennifer and back to Liam.
“Alex! You’re beautiful!” Tish shuffled towards her.
“See you around, Alex,” Liam called after her. Alex turned to face him but kept walking backward towards her roommate before facing the direction she was going again.
Tish grabbed Alex’s face in what she thought was a gentle cupping. In reality, she squished Alex’s cheeks until she made a fishy face, “I have something important to tell you.” Tish brought her face close enough for Alex to smell the vodka on her breath. “You’re beautiful.”
“Thank you.” Alex said with her face still squished. She reached up and pulled Tish’s hands away from her face, “Why don’t we go home, ok?” She nodded reassuringly.
“Ok.” Tish smiled and started weaving back and forth along the sidewalk, tottering back in the direction of Garner.
“At least she’s a happy drunk.” Erika fanned her t-shirt to cool herself. Her mascara was smeared under her eyes, and sweat beaded on her neck and arms. She and Alex followed a few paces behind Tish.
Ahead of them, Tish stopped at the edge of the sidewalk. She was leaned over, peering into the bushes, “Hello little frog.”
“Tish, whatcha doing?” Erika sounded like she was scolding a toddler.
“I’m going to tell the frog a secret.” Tish looked at them with wide eyes as she whispered and then looked back at the frog sitting in the grass, leaning over it slightly.
Alex and Erika stood beside her. The frog gave a slow ribbit as they watched it.
“Shh, little frog, I have to—,” Tish’s words were cut off as she suddenly vomited.”
“OH MY GOSH!” Alex hurried to hold back Tish’s hair.
“That poor frog.” Erika looked at the ground sadly.
Tish spat to try and clear the last of the vomit out of her mouth. “Al,” she braced herself on her knees, “I don’t feel so good.”
“Do you think she has alcohol poisoning?” Alex turned to look at Erika.
Erika leaned over and pinched the skin on Tish’s arm. “Her skin is still warm. She’s not blue. Breathing’s good. She’ll be fine. She’s just gonna have one hell of a hangover.” Erika took Tish’s arm and put it over her shoulder, “Come on, sweet girl. Let’s get you to bed.” She looked at Alex, “Get her other side.”
Alex positioned herself under Tish’s other arm, and the three of them stumbled back to the girls’ dorm. They passed a few other girls in the lobby. The freshmen whispered to one another. An older girl asked if they needed any help. Erika reassured her that she had it under control as they wobbled down the hallway. Alex fumbled her key into the lock, trying not to drop Tish. They guided Tish into the room as she stumbled over herself.
“Alright, set her down.” Erika gestured to Alex, and they slowly eased Tish down onto the floor. Erika propped her cousin up against Alex’s dresser. “Get her a cup of water.”
Alex rummaged through her things until she found a plastic cup at the bottom of her duffle bag. She went to the sink and rinsed it out before filling it with cold tap water. She saw Erika’s reflection in the mirror, “What are you doing?”
“Pulling down her mattress. She doesn’t need to be sleeping in a lofted bed tonight.” Erika tugged Tish’s bedding down and situated her mattress in the middle of the floor.
“Here you go,” Alex gently handed Tish the cup. Tish tried to put the cup on the ground beside her. “No,” Alex guided her roommate’s hand with the cup back to her lips, “sip this, ok?”
Tish sipped the water slowly then lowered the cup, “I have to pee.”
“I’ll take her.” Alex helped Tish to her feet. Erika nodded as she continued tucking the sheets back around Tish’s mattress.
Alex and Tish made their way down the hall to the bathroom. Alex led her to a stall, “You got it from here?”
“Yup,” Tish swayed a little and gave Alex a thumbs-up before closing the door to the stall.
Alex hopped up on the edge of the sink counter and waited. She could hear Tish struggling to get the lock into place. The sound of the metal lock clanging clumsily made her chuckle a little to herself as she swung her legs back and forth. Alex heard a tinkling noise, and then Tish opened the stall door again.
She washed her hands as Alex slid off the edge of the counter. “The world is spinning.” Tish grabbed onto Alex’s shoulder for support.
“I bet it is. Come on, let’s go back.” Alex helped brace her as they walked back down to their room.
“Alright, princess, into bed.” Erika turned down the covers and patted Tish’s mattress with the palm of her hand. Tish groaned and crawled into the bed. Erika handed her the water again and two Tylenol. “Take these. You’ll thank me in the morning.”
Tish popped the pills into her mouth and took a sip, “Thanks.”
“I’ll check in with you tomorrow. Night.” Erika waved as she closed the door behind her.
Alex let out a sigh, “This day has been crazy.” She pulled off her shorts and found some pajama bottoms in the second drawer of her dresser.
“I’ll just be
happy when the ceiling stops moving.” Tish groaned from the floor as Alex climbed up into bed.
“I bet,” Alex laughed. She pulled back her own covers and settled in. She thought about Liam and the way his hair had looked in the light from the street lamp. She raised her hand to touch where he had brushed against her cheek.
“Hey, Al?”
“Hmm?” Alex mumbled distractedly, still remembering his touch.
“I have to pee again.”
Chapter Three: Moxie and Mayhem
Sunlight trickled through the blinds and draped across Alex’s face. She blinked slowly and squinted into the light. She took a deep breath and stretched her arms above her head. Her stomach growled. Alex turned around in bed and stretched her feet over the edge until she found the first rung. She eased herself down, one step and a time. The wooden slats felt strange under her feet. Alex gently placed one foot on the tile and glanced at Tish’s pallet on the floor.
“You don’t have to worry about being quiet.” Tish’s face was pale. “I’m already up.”
“How ya feeling?” Alex ran her fingers through the tangles in her hair as she leaned against her bedpost.
Tish winced at the unexpected volume of her voice, “Like crap.”
“Think I’m going to head to breakfast. You want to come?”
“I don’t even want to think about food right now.” Tish rubbed her temples.
“Want me to bring you a ginger ale?” Alex pulled off her tank top from last night and threw on a faded t-shirt. She wiggled into some basketball shorts and slipped her feet into her shoes.
“Yes, please.” Tish propped herself up on her elbows, “Hey, Al?”
“Hmm?” Alex had a rubber band in her mouth as she wadded her hair into a messy bun.
“Thanks for helping take care of me last night.” The sincerity in Tish’s voice made Alex smile.
“No problem.” She gathered her phone and I.D. as she headed to the door, “Try to get some more sleep, ok?” Alex closed the door as quietly as she could and headed towards the Rec Center.
It was Sunday morning, and the campus looked like a ghost town. Not even the squirrels were out today. Alex headed up the steps to the cafeteria. The smell of bacon filled the stairwell and made her stomach growl again.
“Good morning!” A sweet-faced woman with white hair greeted her.
“Hi,” Alex smiled and handed over her student I.D.
“Have a good breakfast, Alex.” The woman glanced at the name on the I.D. before handing it back cheerfully.
Alex laughed, “You too…” She paused, waiting for a name.
“Charleen,” a dimple appeared as she smiled back.
“Nice to meet you, Charleen.” Alex grabbed a tray and headed towards the buffet.
She could smell lightly toasted bagels, sausage, and fresh doughnuts. Alex grabbed a blueberry bagel and smelled it, breathing in the richness of the scent. She placed the bagel on her tray with half of a grapefruit. Alex headed to the dining area. There were a few students scattered here and there eating breakfast. Some read while they ate, others played with their phones. Alex chose a secluded corner and sat down her tray. She smiled to herself as she sprinkled salt over her grapefruit.
“May I join you?”
The voice and the phrasing made Alex’s heart skip a beat. She looked up to see Liam watching her from the other side of the table. Alex bit her bottom lip and nodded.
“How’s your friend doing?” Liam took a bite of his scrambled eggs.
“She’s still hungover, but she’ll be ok.” Alex looked down at her plate. She paused for a moment and then locked eyes with Liam, “How’s Pasty Girl doing?”
A smirk played across his lips, “Pasty Girl, huh?” Liam’s eyes lit up with amusement. “Took her back to her place. Haven’t heard from her since last night.”
“How long ago did you guys break up?”
“About six months ago. I really don’t want to talk about Jen, ok?” The light was gone from his eyes. It was like a cloud had suddenly passed over the sun.
“Yeah, ok.” Alex felt a sadness creep across the table, “I’m sorry if I upset you. I didn’t mean to.”
“Don’t worry about it.” He shook his head to clear it. “Is that your I.D.?” Liam snatched her I.D. off of the table before she could stop him.
“Oh, please don’t.” Alex put her hands over her face. “It’s awful!”
“We can’t let you walk around with this.” Liam ran his thumb across the piece of plastic.
“The guy taking pictures said they only do new ones if your eyes are closed.”
“Come on,” Liam scooted his chair back and grabbed his tray.
“But I’m not done yet,” Alex looked down at her half-eaten bagel.
Liam shrugged, “Bring it with you.” He waited for her to grab her bagel and then took her tray and stacked it on top of his own.
Alex followed him as he set the trays down on a cart near the exit. He held the door open for her. “Where are we going?” She laughed as he slid down the banister next to the stairs. She took the steps two at a time trying to catch up to him.
“You’ll see.” He wiggled his eyebrows, and Alex rolled her eyes as she joined him on the ground floor.
They walked out into the morning sunlight. “It’s so quite. It’s like the birds aren’t even awake yet.” Alex looked at the trees as they swayed in the breeze.
“Sunday mornings are the quietest times here. Everyone is sleeping off hangovers or just too lazy to get up when they don’t have classes. Half of them don’t bother to get up even when they do get classes.” He tossed Alex a sideways glance, “Why are you up so early?”
She shrugged her shoulders, “I guess sleeping in a strange place has my internal clock messed up. I’m not usually a morning person, but I guess I better get used to it.”
“Oh yeah? Why’s that?”
“Seven a.m. yoga.” Alex hung her head as they continued walking.
“Ouch.” Liam grimaced.
Alex smiled, “Yeah, won’t make that mistake again.”
They had stopped in front of the admissions building. Ivy curled up the side of the bricks. Flowers were blooming along the walkway. The heat of the day was starting to beam down on them.
“Are they open on Sundays?” Alex looked at the darkened windows uncertainly.
“They are for us.” Liam scanned his I.D. card against a reader by the door. The light flashed red repeatedly. “The trick,” Liam said giving the door a push between the flashes of light, “is in the timing.” The door swung open.
Alex followed Liam as he walked into the shadow strewn lobby. Ferns decorated the corners of the room, and plush, velvet chairs were sprawled luxuriously around the center of the room. Liam opened the door to a glass office on the right and flipped the light switch.
“This way.” He pulled a tripod out of the corner by a filing cabinet and plugged it into a machine sitting on the desk.
“Oh no,” Alex felt her hair, “I’m a mess.”
“You look fine. Anyway, it can’t get any worse than what you already have.”
“That’s the truth.” Alex cocked her head to the side. She looked around the room for a place to stand.
“How about we do it on top of the desk?”
“What?” Alex felt her cheeks flush and her breath quickened.
“The picture? How about we take it with you on the desk?” Liam let his eyes glide over her body, “Unless there’s something else you want to do on top of the desk?”
“No, uh, the picture’s fine.” Alex struggled to calm her breathing. She hopped up onto the corner of the desk and faced the camera.
“Has anyone ever told you, that you have beautiful eyes?” Liam stood behind the camera.
Alex smiled and looked down at the floor. She looked back up at him through her lashes. Liam pushed the button. Alex slid off the desk and waited for the card to spit out. “Well? How is it?”
“Perfect.” Liam
handed the card to her.
Alex ran her finger around the edges of the card in her hand. Her face was frozen in a coy smile on the plastic. She looked up at Liam as she tapped the card against her palm, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He folded up the tripod and put it back in the corner where he had found it earlier. “So, what are you planning to do with the rest of your Sunday?”
“Probably just finish unpacking. Maybe go try to find all of the buildings my classes are in so I’m not completely lost tomorrow.” Alex squinted as they walked back outside. The cicadas were starting to stir. Sweat started to bead on Alex’s forehead as they headed back towards the heart of campus. “How about you? Any big plans for today?”
“Promised my little sister I’d drop by today.”
“Does your family live close?”
“About twenty minutes out.” Liam stopped under the shade of an oak tree, “Think you can find your way back from here?”
Alex looked around. In the distance, she could see the Rec Center. “Yeah, I should be fine.” She smiled and started walking towards the direction of her dorm room. She looked over her shoulder as she walked, “I guess I’ll see you around?”
“Oh, you don’t have to guess about that,” Liam smirked as he walked off towards a nearby parking lot.
Alex’s head swam as she wandered back to her dorm room. Her body was on autopilot. She walked up the first few steps to the Garner building. Snap! Tish’s ginger ale. Alex turned around and headed back to the Rec Center.
To her left, Alex heard a female voice dripping in false sweetness that made her jaw clench. “Alex, it’s so good to see you.”
Alex closed her eyes for a moment before responding, “Hi, it’s Jennifer, right?”
“Call me Jen, I insist. Liam does.” Pasty Girl walked into the Student Rec Center in front of Alex.
“You know,” Alex could feel hatred starting to grow inside her, “I almost didn’t recognize you with your clothes on.”
“Let me explain something to you,” Jen linked arms with Alex as they walked towards the coffee and snack shop on the first floor of the Rec Center. A fake smile was plastered across Jen’s face, but all of the forced niceness in her voice had fallen away, “Liam and I may be on a break right now, but he’ll be back. He always comes back.”
The Campus Jock: A College Bad Boy Romance Page 9