“Why does it matter?” I challenged. I don’t know why it was such a big deal, but I wasn’t keen on divulging my hometown.
“I guess it doesn’t,” Sam said. “I was just curious why it was such a secret?”
“I didn’t say it was a secret.”
“So which town is it?”
“Barker Creek.”
Sam raised his eyebrows in surprise. “See, was that so hard?”
I fought to hide my distaste from him.
“That’s a pretty area.”
That surprised me. Most people had never even heard of Barker Creek, let alone been there.
“It’s okay.”
“Good skiing.”
Well, that made more sense. He had been to the nearby resort. “Yes.”
“Do you ski?” Now I was on edge. He hadn’t asked anyone else this many questions.
“Yes.”
“You golf?”
“No.” The resort was a golf course in the summer.
“There’s a lot of legend that surrounds that area.”
Now I was really confused. “What legend?”
“Just legends.”
“What legends? You mean the Dog Man?”
Sam actually smiled to himself this time. “Yes, the Dog Man.”
“What’s the Dog Man?” I wasn’t sure who asked the question, but it was someone sitting behind me.
“It’s nothing,” I muttered.
“No, Zoe, tell the class about the Dog Man. It might make a good lesson.”
“The Dog Man is Bigfoot.” My answer was terse, so terse that Sam gave me a pointed frown.
“Bigfoot? That’s ridiculous.” Another voice from the crowd.
Sam was still giving me ‘the look.’ I sighed resignedly. “It’s not really Bigfoot. I mean it is, but it’s not. There are all these stories up there about seven-foot-tall-dog-men attacking people.”
I turned and looked and saw that half the class was trying to hide their smirks and the other half seemed mesmerized.
“Weren’t most of the attacks around the turn of the century?” Sam again.
“Actually, the legend has it that there’s an attack every seven years.” I noticed that Sam seemed to nod ever-so-slightly when I gave my answer.
I was starting to feel uncomfortable. “It’s just a legend they tell to mess with tourists. They even have a song up there that they play called The Legend that’s about the Dog Man. I have it on my iPod,” I offered lamely.
I could hear a few snickers now.
“Have you ever seen a Dog Man?” Matilda had been one of the students enthralled with the conversation. She had asked the question with absolutely no guile.
“No.”
“That’s too bad.”
Sam was looking at me funny. It was almost like he was going to challenge me. He must have decided better.
“So, class, how does this tie into journalism?”
I was relieved to be able to take my seat and listen to the class expound on the virtues of oral legend vs. gossip -- but something about Sam Blake wasn’t sitting right with me.
“This whole place is weird,” I muttered under my breath.
“What did you say?” Matilda was looking at me quizzically.
“Nothing.”
As I met Sam Blake’s cool blue gaze again, I had a weird feeling that nothing was going to turn into something – and soon.
Seven
I wanted to leave class quickly – mostly because Sam Blake’s insistent questioning unnerved me. Matilda wasn’t about to let that happen, though. She wouldn’t stop her inane chatter and the next thing I knew we were walking out of the class together. At least Sam hadn’t tried to talk to me again, although I did notice him watching me leave.
Matilda not only walked all the way back to the dorms with me, but she walked all the way to my room with me. I think she was hoping for a glimpse of Rick No. 1. Luckily, his dorm room was closed.
It took me about fifteen minutes to get her to leave – even though I was dropping anvils about being tired. When she finally did, I was relieved.
Paris walked in about five minutes after she left. “How was your journalism class?”
Weird. “Fine.”
“You want dinner?”
“Yeah,” I hastily looked down at my Fossil watch. “Will is going to be here in two hours, so let’s go get dinner now.”
Paris and I made our way to the cafeteria – where we both noticed that Tara and Brittany were already seated with some other people from our floor. I noticed both Ricks were there and smiled to myself. I had told Paris about Matilda’s Rick fascination and she laughed when she saw him, too.
“How much you want to bet she starts eating with us?”
I looked around the cafeteria stealthily. I didn’t see her. For now we were safe.
Dinner that night included chicken and a baked potato bar. When we joined the others, Brittany was in the middle of recounting her day.
“I had four classes and I think I’m going to learn a lot from all of them.”
Paris and I exchanged small smiles.
Brittany turned to us. “How were your classes?”
“Fine.”
Brittany pursed her lips.
“I think we’re going to learn a lot, too,” I said in a superficially high voice. Sarcasm was apparently lost on her.
“Good. I think you’ll do better with some structure.”
Where had that come from?
Rick No. 1, the hot one, turned to me. “Are you basking in the knowledge?”
I snorted. “Oh, yeah, I’m just soaking it all in.”
Everyone chatted easily for the next hour before we all returned to our rooms. I watched Brittany immediately go to her desk in the bedroom, pull out her textbooks and a pink highlighter, and diligently start reading.
I threw myself in the wicker chair and turned on the television. Will would be here relatively soon.
Paris sat down on the futon couch and watched television with me. We settled on an episode of Hoarders.
“I love this show,” she said.
“Me, too. These people are such freaks.”
“I feel sorry for them,” Tara chimed in, sitting on the couch next to Paris.
I saw Brittany give us all dirty looks from the bedroom, but opted to ignore her. If we were being too loud there were study rooms at the end of the hall.
About halfway through the episode, there was a knock at the door. We had left it open, but Will had stopped at the threshold and knocked out of respect. He was good that way.
When I saw him, I realized I honestly had missed him. It had been almost five days since we’d seen each other. He was dressed in a simple pair of jeans and faded T-shirt, but his brown eyes were accented nicely by his summer tan.
“Hey,” I got up and gave him a warm hug.
Will had looked apprehensive at first. I think he was worried I was still going to be mad about yesterday.
Paris gave him a welcoming smile as I disengaged myself and introduced him to everyone.
I saw Brittany get up from the desk and come out to greet him. “You must be the famous Will.”
Will slid me a sly look, pushing his dusky hair behind his ears. “I’m famous, huh?”
“Only in your own mind,” I teased.
Despite his reservations about coming to the dorms, Will sat down in the wicker chair and pulled me on his lap as he conversed with my roommates. I realized that he had missed me, too.
After about a half an hour of conversation, I turned to him. “Now what?”
“What do you mean?”
“Are we going back to your house?”
He seemed surprised. “I didn’t think that was an option.”
“Well, you’ve been a good boy, I guess you deserve a reward.”
Will smirked. “You mean you got your way and now you’re willing to compromise.”
“That’s an ugly thing to say.”
“I’ve
known you for four years. I know the way your mind works.”
I smiled at him. The truth was, I had really missed him – and we couldn’t do the things I was thinking about in a dorm room which three other girls slept in.
“Go pack an overnight bag,” he whispered, brushing his lips against my ear as he pushed me up.
It only took me a few minutes to get my things together. When I walked back into the common room, Brittany was frowning.
“What?” I was quickly losing my patience with her.
“What about classes tomorrow?”
“What about them?”
“Aren’t you going to go?”
“Yeah, I’ll just walk from Will’s house.”
Brittany still looked unhappy.
“What’s your deal?”
I saw her cut Will a suspicious look and then grab my arm and drag me back into the bedroom. “Are you going to have sex with him?”
Oh, this ought to be good. “Why do you ask that?”
“You’re spending the night with him.”
“So? It’s not the first time.”
“Your parents let you have sex with him?”
“They weren’t there, so I don’t think they knew about it.”
“What if you get pregnant?”
“That’s what birth control is for.”
“You’re on birth control?” Brittany practically yelled the question. I saw Will smirk through the door and shake his head slightly.
“Yeah, I’ve been on it for years.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want to have a baby.”
Brittany looked nonplussed.
“Well, you better be careful,” she said finally.
“Thanks, Mom.”
Will and I left. I was proud of him. He waited until we got on the elevator before he dissolved into laughter. “She’s a trip.”
“She’s a pain.”
Will eyed me sagely. “You just aren’t used to living with other people. You’re an only child. You’re spoiled.”
“I’m not spoiled.”
“Please, you’re the most spoiled person I know and I’m partially to blame for it.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Who is the one who compromised? That’s right, me. I always compromise and then you compromise. I have to compromise first, though.”
“You shouldn’t think of it as compromising,” I said lightly. “You should think of it as doing the right thing.”
“Because you’re always right?”
“Not always.”
“When aren’t you right?”
“Remember when I told you that 98 Degrees were rock gods when I was fourteen?”
Will smirked.
“I couldn’t have been more wrong about that.”
Will laced his fingers through mine as we left the building, pulling me close. I really had missed him.
It took us about ten minutes to drive to the other side of campus and park at his dorm. He led me into the house and I was surprised to see a group of about twenty guys gathered in the living room watching a handful of frat brothers play Garage Band.
“Working hard, I see.”
“It’s the first day,” Will said. “Nothing happens on the first day.”
“You didn’t want to play Garage Band?”
Will smiled at me seductively. “I guess you could say I wanted to play with you more.”
Yep, it was going to be a good night.
“Do me a favor, though,” he seemed slightly nervous. “Go in there with me and be nice to them for five minutes before we go downstairs.”
“Did you think I would be mean?”
“Like I said, I know you. Please don’t be mean.”
I let Will lead me into the living room. He introduced me to the guys – some of whom I’d already met – but none of them seemed overly excited to see me.
I let my attention drift to the television screen and couldn’t help but laugh. They were horrible at this game. I didn’t say that out loud, though.
Will was over talking to one of his brothers and I kind of pushed myself out of the way to wait. The room felt like one big burst of testosterone. I guess that’s what happens when you put a bunch of guys in a house together, give them beer and then let them play with phallic instruments.
Despite the ease that the guys were expressing with each other I couldn’t help but feel that someone was watching me. I turned to look at Will, but he was still talking to his frat brother. I had that distinctive prick in the middle of my back, though, and I knew that meant that someone was watching me.
I tried to discreetly scan the room. None of the guys focused on the game had even noticed me, though. I turned and focused on a figure standing in the corner – an extremely big figure – that was positioned behind everyone else. It was Aric – the behemoth from the UC. He was leaning against the wall with his broad arms crossed over his expansive chest. He was staring at me.
For a second, it was like all the oxygen had been sucked out of the room and there weren’t twenty other guys standing there shouting at a video game. It was like the two of us were stuck in a vacuum.
Then, just as suddenly as the feeling had washed over me, it was gone and I felt a presence slide in behind me. It was Will.
“Ready to go downstairs?”
I turned to him, plastering a smile on my face to hide my discomfort. “Absolutely. I’ve had my fill of Aerosmith.”
“Hey, some of their earlier stuff was good.”
I laughed hollowly, shooting a look back at Aric. He was still staring at me. I noticed Will look at Aric, too. He frowned when he saw him staring. I expected him to say something, even joke about his weird fraternity brother; instead he pretended he hadn’t noticed.
I took Will’s hand and followed him toward the steps. I turned back briefly, but Aric was no longer leaning against the wall. I wasn’t sure where he went, but he’d definitely left me unnerved.
Eight
The next morning I woke up slightly disoriented – and tired. My sleep pattern the night before had been fitful, and I’d been plagued by bloody dreams – but for the life of me I couldn’t remember them. I could only remember a wall of red – and what distinctly sounded like howls of pain.
I rolled over to find that Will was still asleep next to me. I marveled for a moment at how serene he looked in sleep before I climbed out of bed to get ready for class.
Despite fraternity horror stories, Will had his own bathroom in the basement apartment so I left him to sleep while I showered. After braiding my hair to keep it out of my face for the day and getting dressed, I walked back out into Will’s bedroom.
“Morning,” he murmured.
“Morning.”
“What time is your first class?”
“Not until 11 a.m.”
“You want breakfast?”
“Where?”
“Here.”
“Nah. I don’t really want to hang out with your frat brothers,” I said it matter-of-factly, but I thought maybe I was a little too harsh when I saw the look on Will’s face. “I mean, you know how crabby I am in the morning.” It was a lame excuse, but it was all I had.
Will didn’t respond, but I could tell he wasn’t happy with my declaration.
“I’ll just grab something at the UC really quick.” God, I hope he’s not going to pout.
“Do you want me to drive you to class?” I figured he couldn’t be that mad if he was offering to be helpful. I didn’t want to push him, though.
“No, I’m fine. It’s only a fifteen-minute walk. I could use the exercise.”
Will smiled for the first time that morning as he pulled me to his lap. “I thought you got plenty of exercise last night.”
When Will tries to be sexy, sometimes it comes off as creepy. “Well, since I did all the work,” I teased. One look at Will’s face told me now was not the time to go there. I kissed the tip of his nose to placate him instead. “What’s
your day like?”
When in doubt, divert. That’s one of my golden rules.
“Nothing really. I have one class and then a lab this afternoon. What about you?”
“Just two classes.”
“You want to come back over tonight?”
“I should probably wait and see if I get any homework.” I didn’t mention that. I didn’t want to sleep in the dark basement room again. There was something about it that was giving me the creeps.
“Since when do you do homework?”
“Well, it hasn’t happened yet, but I’m trying to develop a new work ethic.”
Will barked out a laugh, which he quickly bit back when I shot an angry look at him. “That’s a good idea.”
“You’re a horrible liar.”
Will watched me pack my book bag quietly for a few moments before speaking again. “Your roommates seem nice.”
I raised my eyebrow at him questioningly.
“Okay, Paris seems nice. I think you’ll get along fine with her. Brittany is a little weird.”
“Brittany is wound a little tight.”
“You need to loosen her up,” Will agreed.
“I’m afraid if we do that then she’s going to go crazy.”
“What do you mean?” Will climbed out of bed and slipped into a pair of boxer shorts. I admired his muscular rear end for a few minutes – wistfully wishing we had enough time for a quickie – before returning my attention to my book bag. I could tell by Will’s sly smirk he’d seen me checking him out.
“I mean that she needs to get laid.”
“That’s for sure. What’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing is wrong with it. She just has one of those personalities where when she finally does get laid she’s going to go crazy and sleep with everything that moves for six months – and that’s going to be a whole other set of problems.”
Will quirked a suggestive smile in my direction. “Is that what happened to you?”
Now it was my turn to let loose with a shrill laugh. “I was sixteen when I first had sex. Trust me, you were all I could handle. She’s treating her virginity like some prize, though. Nothing good ever happens when you make such a big deal about it.”
Will was quiet for a second.
“What?”
“I was just thinking about how hard it must be to be a girl sometimes.” I couldn’t help but smile at how serious his dark eyes were.
Awakening (Covenant College Book 1) Page 5