“Wasn’t the push the reason you ended up in the hospital?”
“Yes, but he didn’t mean it,” Lola insisted.
“But, Lola…” I tried to argue but she quickly cut me off.
“I don’t want to argue about it. I am choosing to be happy,” she said sternly.
“Well, it’s your choice. Just please be careful,” I urged.
“He won’t hurt me again,” Lola said, but she seemed to be trying to convince herself more than me. We spent the rest of lunch talking about superficial things. It seemed to me that she had shut me out since I had not agreed with her. I hoped this wouldn’t be the end to what could have been a real friendship.
***
I had my second class of the day later and that was pretty uneventful. Annabelle, Jason, Kyle, and I were heading to the cafeteria when I heard my name. I turned around and smiled. It was Trent. He walked over to me and I told my friends I would meet them inside. I was beginning to wonder why he always found me at the cafeteria. Maybe it had something to do with how much twenty-year-old guys ate.
“Hey, babe, what’s up?” Trent asked as he leaned in for a kiss. It was a light peck on the lips, but considering we were in the school hallway, I was not going to push it further.
“Not much. How are you?” I asked as we walked over to one of the sofas in the lobby.
“Better now that you’re here,” he cooed.
I blushed and rolled my eyes. “Is that the line you use on all the girls?” I asked, giving him a sassy look.
“Hey! I like that line. It’s a good one,” he said, pretending to look innocent and wounded. “Are you going to the EET meeting tomorrow?” He took my hand and kissed the knuckles lightly.
“Yeah, I think so, why?” I looked down at his hands. I remembered he played lacrosse, which probably explained why they were a little rough, but this seemed to make him even sexier. They were a mark of his manliness or something like that. I thought it was a feeling left over from our more primal times.
“I’m going to miss it. I have some Greek stuff to do since it is rush week and I didn’t want you to think I was avoiding you or anything.”
“Aww, thanks for the update,” I said, trying not to sound disappointed. I had been looking forward to seeing him at the meeting.
“This is going to be a crazy week for me. We are going to have another party this weekend to celebrate rush week being over so you should come to that,” he said, and leaned into my personal space.
“I wouldn’t miss it,” I said as I almost closed the gap.
He looked deep into my eyes and then kissed me again. It was still a light kiss but it meant something different. It was a kiss you gave someone you cared about, or at least someone you were beginning to care about. The kiss was not filled with lust or desire, but pure joy. I kept my eyes closed for a second after we broke apart and when I opened them, I noticed that he was studying me.
“What? Do I have something on my face?” I quickly tried to wipe whatever it could be.
“No, you are just beautiful.” He kissed me and then headed out of the cafeteria. I sat frozen in my seat for a minute. He really did always say the right thing. I had a nagging feeling in the back of my head that maybe it was an act but I quickly pushed that away. I was not going to overanalyze this. For once I was just going to take it one step at a time and see how it went. I stood up and went to meet my friends for dinner.
***
There was another guy at the table when I headed over there. I didn’t know who he was but I thought I recognized him from the party. I sat down with my tray of food and nodded at everyone.
Kyle introduced their new friend. “This is Kenny, he lives on our floor and is probably going to rush with me so we’ve been hanging out. This is Violet.”
“Weren’t you the girl hookin’ up with Trent at the party?” he asked, and my face turned bright red. Annabelle and Jason busted out laughing. Kyle, on the other hand, tried to hide his laughter but he was starting to snort a little. Kenny was a little bit taller than Kyle but not much, and he was pretty pale. He had light brown hair and small blue eyes. He was kind of attractive but I had seen better.
“I prefer Violet, but yeah. Trent and I have been seeing each other for the past week,” I said, trying to maintain a little dignity. “He said they are having another party this weekend if you guys want to go again.” I avoided looking at Kenny. I didn’t want to invite him but I was not going to be blatantly rude.
“I’m down. Jason, do you mind driving again?” Kyle asked, getting excited.
“I can drive this time,” Annabelle offered. I had a feeling she was looking for a reason not to drink.
“Cool. Sounds good to me,” Jason said, and got up to throw his trash out.
“Do you think he is going to bring Janice?” I asked Kyle and Annabelle. I was going to continue to pretend Kenny was not there.
“Last time she said that parties are not her thing so I doubt she will come this time,” Annabelle said, sounding a little too cheerful.
Jason sat back down and Kyle seemed to take it upon himself to ask.
“Are you going to bring Janice?” I got the distinct impression that Kyle was also not the biggest Janice fan. It just made me like Kyle more.
“I am going to ask her but I am pretty sure she won’t come,” he said, and got out his phone to text her.
“So what time should we meet up?” Kenny asked, inviting himself along. He was starting to get a little annoying. We made plans and then I headed out.
I had a little more homework to do so I headed back to my room, but Annabelle went over to Jason and Kyle’s. I informed them that death would be imminent if they watched our show without me, but I had a feeling they did not find me as menacing as I would like to think. Kenny headed back to his dorm. As I was right outside my building, I ran into Lola.
“Hey, heading out?” I asked.
“Yeah, Tyler and I are going to go out for dinner,” she said, looking a little smitten. I really hoped he was going to treat her right, but I had a really bad feeling.
“Well, have fun! Be careful,” I warned, and waved goodbye.
She smiled and headed to her car. The bandage was off and she had covered the mark with make-up but it was still there. I hoped it would remind her to be a little wary of him.
***
It was nice to have the room to myself. I took my journal out and did some writing then started on my homework again. At around eleven, I was heading to bed when Lola came back. She looked really happy.
“Did you have fun?” I asked, trying to hold back a yawn.
“Yes! It was perfect and it actually isn’t done yet. I’m going to go spend the night at his place. I just need to get a few things.” She went to her dresser and grabbed something that looked a lot like a silky nightie.
“Go get him!”
She giggled and winked at me before heading back out.
I sighed and got up to turn the lights off. It had been a long time since I had gotten some. In high school, I had a boyfriend for two years and he was my first. I thought that I loved him and decided it was the right time. This was the boyfriend who cheated on me a couple of times, so it clearly was not.
I had learned to appreciate sex for what it was instead of what it should be. Just a good time between a guy and a girl. It was nice when there were feelings but they seemed to complicate everything. After Tommy, I had been with a few other guys from school but it was never poetic or like it was portrayed in the romance novels I devoured. I just felt even lonelier.
One day, I knew I would find a guy to make love to instead of one just for sex. Who knew, maybe I already had. This thought left me with some hope as I drifted off to sleep.
When I woke up the next day, Lola was still not there, so I supposed the night went pretty well. I was struggling getting ready for class today and I did not feel like dressing up or even attempting to put make-up on. Besides, Trent wasn’t going to be at the EET meeting an
yway.
I threw my hair up in a ponytail and slipped into a pair of jeans with a red tank top. I grabbed a cardigan to throw over it in case it got cold and headed out the door with my backpack. I knocked on Annabelle’s door and heard a scream of frustration. I was going to knock again but decided to wait for her to open the door.
“I hate calculus,” she whined as she greeted me at her door.
“Ah! Still couldn’t figure out that homework?”
“Not even close. I’m going to fail this class and then get kicked out of school and end up a bum on the street.”
“I think that may be a little dramatic. You won’t end up on the street. You could always sleep on my floor,” I offered, trying to make her laugh.
“Thank you. It relaxes me to have a Plan B.”
***
We parted ways and headed to our separate classes. Luckily, I had sort of figured out my statistics homework so I was not as screwed as Annabelle. At least so I thought. The problem with math classes was once you figured out how to do one equation, the professor introduced another one. The new one was usually even more confusing than the first one. As a result, I was still confused.
I left this class and headed to the cafeteria for an early lunch with Jason and Annabelle. The two of them were walking into the cafeteria together just ahead of me. I caught up and we went to our table near the windows with our food.
The three of us were talking about classes when Kenny set his tray down next to us. Apparently, he was our new friend.
“Who is having trouble with math?” he asked before starting to eat.
“Annabelle. Apparently, failing this class will lead to her being homeless,” I said, mocking her.
“I just don’t get it, and I’m too high maintenance to be homeless.” She dropped her head in her hands and sighed.
“I’m actually great at math,” Kenny informed us, beaming with a sense of pride.
“Maybe you can help Annabelle, then?” I asked, hoping he would say yes. Annabelle was beginning to really worry.
“Yeah, no problem. When do you want to meet up?” Kenny asked, fiddling with his phone. He wouldn’t even look at her.
“I have to go to the EET meeting tonight, so maybe after. Around seven,” she begged him.
“Sure.” They exchanged numbers. “I’ll head over to your dorm building around then.”
“Great,” she said, and smiled shyly at him.
He looked up at her from his phone, as if noticing her for the first time, and returned the smile, staring at her for just a few moments longer.
I couldn’t help but notice the way they kept sneaking looks at each other while we finished eating. A little jitter went through my system and I hoped this could be the start of something amazing between the two of them. While Jason and Annabelle would have made a cute couple, she couldn’t wait forever just in case he and Janice broke up.
***
After our second class, Annabelle and I met up to head to EET for her executive board meeting. As we turned down the hallway, I saw Trent. He was about to head out but stopped when he saw me.
“Hey, I thought you weren’t able to make the meeting.” I couldn’t help but smile up at him as he greeted me with a sweet kiss on the cheek. It was nice that he was happy to see him.
“Yeah, I still can’t, but I wanted to drop off my report so Clarissa could read it,” he said as we walked around the corner toward the classroom. Annabelle went inside and left us in the hallway. Trent then pulled me in for a kiss. It was a long kiss, and this time I could feel his desire, and I was eager to match it. But it ended too soon.
“Sorry, I need to go. But I will see you this weekend, right?” He looked at me hopefully.
“I think I can squeeze you in my busy calendar.”
“Oh, well, then let me give you some more motivation,” he said, and kissed me again. I felt a zing from the tips of my toes all the way to my head as his strong hands pressed me against him. He broke away and walked off but I was left standing there with a goofy smile on my face.
“Really, so you’d rather play games with Trent?” Berneli asked, and I jumped about three feet in the air.
I turned around and he was leaning against the wall with his hair slightly tousled and eyes staring at me through his thick frames. He looked so sexy. What I had been feeling earlier for Trent seemed to trickle out of me. I shook my head and refused to think about him like that. Kissing Trent had felt good and I wanted to remember that.
“I’m not playing games. I’m actually interested in him, and in case you missed it, he is interested in me too.” I gave him a combative look with my eyebrows raised high and my lips pursed.
“Oh yeah? What’s the difference between us? I fancy you and clearly you fancy me back.”
“That’s a little arrogant, isn’t it? To assume that I fancy you,” I said, and put air quotes around the word fancy.
“It’s cute really. Watching you try to pretend that this kid can make you feel half as good as I can with one touch.” Berneli smirked and started walking toward me.
“Honey, let’s not forget. I was just in his arms and not yours. It looks to me like he is making me feel an awful lot better than you are,” I said, and walked around him to the computer lab. I was proud of myself. He deserved to be put in his place every now and then. I sat down in front of a computer to try to convince myself that Berneli wasn’t right.
***
It wasn’t long before Annabelle came to get me.
“Hey, anything interesting going on today?” I asked her, referring to what they discussed as an executive board, as we walked into the large classroom for the regular meeting.
“Not much. We are assigning jobs for the comedy event and that’s really it for the meeting. But on a side note, Nat has a huge crush on Berneli. She always sits next to him and agrees with everything he says. She even laughs at his horrible dry humor. It’s getting pretty pathetic.” As she said this, I looked over at Berneli, and Nat was right there talking to him.
She appeared to be hanging on his every word. Every few seconds, she would touch his shoulder or his forearm. I had no reason to be pissed but I felt rage begin to flow through my body when he looked down at her and smiled.
“I have a feeling he is not interested in her,” I said, trying not to spit fire.
“Yeah, no kidding,” Annabelle said, and looked at me, that knowing look back on her face.
We headed to our seats and I swallowed the anger that was trying to eat me up inside. I felt a sting of guilt since I was not being completely honest with her. However, I still felt it was best to keep this a secret. Besides, it was over, right?
“Are there any good jobs? Like, which one should I pick?” I needed to change the subject to calm down.
“Uh, there is a position where you get the rider ready for the bands and comedians. If you do that, then you are guaranteed to meet them.” She was skimming her list of jobs.
“What is a rider? It sounds dirty.” I giggled but it came out a little forced. I couldn’t look away from Berneli and Nat.
“A rider is what the talent wants in their dressing room. Like ninety-nine green M&M’s or thirty-one wash cloths made of Egyptian cotton. Stuff like that. Since you are getting what they need, you will have a lot of contact with them and their manager. It is a pretty cool job. Trent was supposed to do it alone but he said that he wants someone to help him in case he can’t do it all by himself.”
“Oh, pick me,” I said pretty eagerly. It would be nice to work with Trent on this since, so far, we really only saw each other at the parties and in the hall.
“Yeah, I figured. Trent actually suggested you so your name is already on the list for that job. I just figured I would make sure you wanted to do this.”
I started blushing. “Really? That’s nice.” Trent wanted to work with me. It boosted my ego just a little bit and I couldn’t contain how giddy I was feeling. He really wanted to spend more time with me. This thing b
etween us, it really was going to work.
Just then, Annabelle was called over by Nat. I got up and went to sit down near Jason. We started talking about our crime show until Annabelle came over to us and gave me a sad look.
“Don’t get mad,” she warned.
“Why?” My heart started to race and I could hear it thumping in my ears. Did Nat know about Berneli and me? Was she jealous? Was I getting kicked out of the club?
“Berneli decided that the rider was too important to leave to Trent since his availability is not always reliable. So…he will be taking over the job of sorting out the rider,” she said, and then glanced at Berneli.
“That’s fine. Trent and I can find another job. Let me see the list.” I looked over at her desk for the list of jobs.
“No, Berneli still wants you on the rider with him. He said he has you in one of his classes so he kind of knows you.”
“That asshole,” I said. That was meant to be in my head but it just came out.
“Well, that escalated quickly,” Annabelle said, giving me a confused look. “Really, he doesn’t seem that bad during our meetings. Is something else going on?”
I looked at her and realized I really did need to tell her soon. “Oh, no, I just wanted to work with Trent,” I murmured, avoiding eye contact with Annabelle. I gave Berneli an evil look. He smiled in that scheming way back at me and beckoned me to come over. Clarissa was calling the meeting to order and Annabelle made her way to the front of the class.
I took a deep breath and went to see Berneli.
“You play dirty,” I growled to him under my breath.
“Oh, you have no idea how dirty I can be,” he whispered so only I could hear.
“Don’t try to flirt with me.”
“It just comes naturally. Besides, you look sexy when you’re mad.” He gave me a dirty smolder, squinting his eyes at me slightly. I fought to keep my angry expression as my knees weakened a little. “Come on, we need to go over how to do a rider,” he said, and walked out the door.
First Semester (Elton Hall Chronicles Book 1) Page 11