Choosing You

by Allie Everhart

  “Um, no. I went with that guy, Garret. He helped us unpack the car, remember?”

  “Huh. Yeah, I remember. Pretty boy. So you went with him in his car?” Ryan asks in his overprotective tone.

  “Yes, but you don’t have to get all worried about it. My RA, Jasmine, knows him and she said he was okay.”

  “Still, I want you to be careful. You just met the guy. And maybe Jasmine doesn’t know him that well. So you had lunch and then what? Did you meet some other girls on your floor?”

  “I met a few of them. Not everyone has moved in yet.”

  “Did you go to that party?”

  “Yeah. I ended up going with Garret. We went for dinner and then to the party.”

  “You spent your whole day with that guy? I don’t like this, Jade. He’s too aggressive, taking up all your time like that. I don’t trust him.”

  “He’s just a friend. That’s it. And so far he’s the only nice person I’ve met here.”

  “Guys that age aren’t just friends with a girl. Hell, guys at any age aren’t just friends with a girl.”

  “Well, that’s all we are. Now tell me what the doctor said about Frank.”

  We talk for a few more minutes, then Ryan says he has to get back on the road.

  I get into bed feeling much better than the night before. Frank’s improving and Ryan isn’t so stressed out. And my first full day at Moorhurst turned out to be not so bad. I might have even liked it a little.

  Maybe I can survive four years here.

  7

  The next morning, I sleep until 10, then go to the bathroom to shower and dress. As I’m walking back to my room, I notice a girl moving in. She has a natural, outdoorsy look with long blond hair pulled into a ponytail and a toned, athletic body. She has no makeup on but she doesn’t need it. She has perfect skin.

  “Hi, I’m Harper,” she says, stopping me in the hall.

  I set my basket of shower supplies down and shake her hand. “I’m Jade. I live at the end of the hall.”

  “You’re the first person I’ve seen here other than the RA. People must still be asleep or something. So where are you from?”

  “Iowa. And you?”

  “California. Malibu.”

  “And you wanted to come here to school? Seems like California would be a lot better than Connecticut. At least weather-wise.”

  “I’m here on a tennis scholarship.”

  “I’m here on scholarship, too. Otherwise I’d never be able to go here.”

  “Oh, I don’t need the money. I just wanted to be on the team. Plus I do like that I’m paying for part of this myself, you know? It’s not a full scholarship, but it’s something. At least I earned it.”

  “You must be really good at tennis.”

  “I’m okay. At least good enough for this school’s team. Hey, do you want to grab lunch? I just brought in the last of my boxes and I’m starving.”

  “Sure, but I need to take my stuff back to my room.”

  “Just come down whenever you’re ready.” She smiles and gives me a quick wave as she goes back in her room.

  Even though we just met, I like Harper. She seems friendly and easy to talk to—way better than Sierra and Ava.

  I drop my shower supplies in my room and grab some money. I’m hoping she likes fast food because that’s all I can afford.

  When I stop by her room she’s putting her clothes away. Her room looks like a wad of bubble gum exploded in it. It’s piled high with everything pink; her comforter, sheets, towels, pillows—all pink.

  “You really like pink,” I comment.

  “Yeah, since I was little. It’s my favorite color. I have two sisters and we all love pink. Do you have any sisters?”

  “Nope. It’s just me.”

  “I have to use the bathroom quick. Watch TV if you want.” She tosses the remote at me. She has a huge flat screen TV on her dresser. I turn it on and the picture is almost 3D. I’m used to watching Frank’s old TV which doesn’t have cable. I always had to adjust the antenna whenever I wanted to watch something.

  I start flipping through the channels. It’s Sunday so there isn’t much to watch but I stop when I see the skyline of Des Moines on one of the news channels. If they’re in Des Moines, it must be a show about politics.

  My hometown is the center of the political universe this time of year. Next year is an election year and Iowa is the first state to vote on who should be the presidential nominee. They call the actual voting event a caucus. Since it’s the first big event in the nominating process, it gets a ton of press in the months leading up to the vote, which is usually in January. Journalists from all over the world descend on Des Moines and other towns in Iowa, following rich old men and the occasional woman as they make speeches and try to convince the public to vote for them.

  “It’s a beautiful day in downtown Des Moines,” the show host says. “Later this afternoon, Fisk Callaway, the current frontrunner, will host a barbecue at a park just south of the capital for 300 of his supporters. The event will feature—”

  “You ready to go?” Harper is standing by the door, car keys in her hand.

  I turn off the TV and follow her out to her car, a white Lexus SUV.

  “Do you think we could get fast food?” I ask. “Like maybe some tacos or a burger?”

  “Sure, I don’t care, but you’ll have to tell me where to go.”

  “There’s a taco place a couple miles from here.”

  “I’ve actually been craving tacos, so that’s perfect.”

  When we get to the taco place, which is just a roadside stand, Harper seems to really like it, which surprises me. Most people would think this was place was a dump.

  After lunch we go back to her room and I help her unpack. She tells me that her dad is some bigwig director at a movie studio in LA and her mom does charity work. Her two sisters are older than her. One is a model and the other one is an actress who’s had a few minor movie roles.

  Harper wants to study communications and hopes to be a sportscaster some day. Turns out she really likes sports; not just tennis, but all sports.

  “Do you have a boyfriend?” I ask as I unpack her box of hair products. She has enough hair products to open a salon and they’re all expensive brands.

  “I did, but we broke up last year. He played basketball at UCLA and got drafted by the NBA. As soon as that happened, he dumped me. I don’t really like to talk about him. How about you?”

  “Nope. I’m single and I’d like to keep it that way. I want to focus on school. I can date later when I’ve got the rest of my life figured out.”

  We hang out and talk until 4, when she has to meet up with her tennis team for a welcome dinner.

  As I head back to my room, I run into Garret. Literally. As in I’m walking down the hall with my head down and I bump right into him. His muscular chest feels like a brick wall hitting my head.

  I feel his hand on my back. “Whoa. You okay there, Jade?”

  “Sorry. I was just . . . I don’t know what I was. Out of it, I guess.”

  “What have you been up to all day? I came by your room a few times and you weren’t here.”

  “I met this new girl from California and we hung out all afternoon.”

  “I was just heading out for a run. You want to join me?”

  My eyes do a quick scan of him. Freaking gorgeous even in workout clothes. It’s annoying and yet so damn appealing. Add in that perfect smile and those beautiful blue eyes and I find it impossible to turn him down.

  “Do you mean like a real run or one of your lame 2 mile runs that swimmers do?”

  “I’ll ignore that. How far do you want to go?”

  “Let’s see. If I’m going easy on you I’ll say 5 miles.”

  “Five miles, huh? I told you how much I hate running, right?”

  “Five miles isn’t that far. Are you afraid you can’t make it 5 miles?”

  A cocky grin crosses his face. “I can make it 5 miles. Get changed. And
I get to pick the route.”

  “Let me guess. No hills, right?”

  “Real funny, Jade. Now get in there and change.”

  I put on my running shorts and tank, then we head outside and run a loop around the campus. After that he takes off toward a path that leads into the woods.

  “Wait.” I grab his t-shirt. “I don’t think I want to go in there.”

  “There’s a trail the whole way. A lot of people run on this trail.” He takes my hand. “Come on, let’s go.”

  I hesitate. The trail goes deep into the woods and nobody seems to be on it. I normally would play it safe and insist we run on the track instead, but there’s something about the way Garret looks at me that makes me feel like I can trust him. I don’t know what it is. It’s almost the same look I get from Ryan when he’s being protective of me.

  “If you don’t want to go on the trail, we can go back to the track,” he says, keeping hold of my hand. “Or we can drive into town and run there.”

  “It’s okay. We won’t be in there very long. I’ll race you.” I rip my hand away and take off, running as fast as I can.

  “Shit!” I hear him yell. “Jade, wait!”

  I keep running, the warm breeze rushing past me. The soft ground feels good under my feet, much better than the hard surface of the track. I hear Garret behind me, racing to catch up. After about 2 miles, I slow down.

  “Had enough yet?” I take a seat on a fallen log on the side of the trail.

  His face is dripping with sweat. “That’s it,” he says, trying to catch his breath. “You’re going on my turf next.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Pool,” he says as his breathing returns to normal. “You and me. In the pool. Tomorrow night.”

  “I’m not a swimmer.”

  “You don’t know how to swim?”

  “Of course I know how to swim. I’m just not a swimmer.”

  “I’m not a runner and I’ve raced you twice now.”

  “I can’t beat you in swimming. I swim for fun. I’m not very fast.”

  “So you’re afraid to try?” He stands in front of me, arms crossed over his chest. “Afraid of a little competition?”

  “All right. You’re on. Tomorrow night.” I agree more because I want to see him in swim trunks than because of the challenge. “Wait. I can’t. I don’t have a swimsuit.”

  “They have extra suits in the girls’ locker room. Got any other excuses? Like you don’t want to get your hair wet or have your mascara run?”

  I get up and punch him hard in the arm. “You just earned yourself another mile, jackass.” I take off down the trail. When I stop and turn around, I find him running a slow jog.

  “You gave up awfully fast,” I say joining up with him. “We can go back now. I think you’ve had enough.”

  “Thank, God. Give me a minute to stretch.” He leans against a tree to stretch his calves then does some quad stretches.

  “Done yet?” I ask, pretending to be annoyed.

  He smiles and comes up right in front of me, so close we’re almost touching. “You know what, Jade?”

  “What?” Having him this close to me makes my heart pump even faster than when I was running.

  “I like you. I really like you.”

  I don’t respond because I’m not sure what to say. It makes no sense for him to like me. I do nothing but insult the guy.

  “That said, I still think you’re rude and sarcastic and extremely difficult to please.”

  “Aww.” I tilt my head to the side, smiling. “That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me. Just for that, I’ll run back with you at your barely-moving pace.”

  When we get back to the residence hall, he follows me to my room. “Do you have plans tonight?”

  “Yeah, I’m booked solid, from now until morning,” I say proving his sarcasm comment.

  “You want to go out for dinner? Catch a movie?”

  “Dinner and a movie? Are you asking me out on a date or something?”

  “Call it whatever you want. Do you want to go or not?”

  I do a quick calculation in my head. Dinner and a movie will eat up at least $20 of my dwindling cash reserves. “No, I can’t.”

  He looks disappointed.

  “But we could get takeout and watch a movie here,” I suggest. “There’s that room down the hall with a TV.”

  “I have a 42-inch flat screen in my room. It’s way better than that old TV down the hall.”

  “You want us to be alone in your room together? Yeah, I know where that leads.”

  He rolls his eyes. “Jade, have I tried anything this whole time we’ve been together?”

  “No, but—” I stop, realizing that being alone with him in his room actually sounds appealing. “Okay. Come back down here in 10 minutes. And we have to eat cheap. Fast food burger and fries. All this eating out is using up my laundry money.”

  “Would you just let me pay for it? An athlete like yourself should eat something other than greasy burgers and fries.”

  “Don’t start with the money thing again. I pay for my own stuff.” I check my watch. “You just wasted a minute. Now you’ve only got 9 minutes to get back down here.”

  While he’s gone, I shower quick, then throw on jeans and a t-shirt. I’m a master at getting ready fast. Growing up, I never knew when my mom would go into one of her drunken fits. Over the years, I learned to get out of the house whenever it happened, even if it was in the middle of the night. That meant I had to get dressed and out of there before she could find me.

  Garret’s back in 12 minutes, not 9, so of course I give him a hard time about it. He takes me to a local burger place. It’s not fast food but it’s cheap. And it has outdoor seating, so we bring our food to a table under a yellow umbrella that shields us from the slowly fading sun. Tonight is a perfect early September evening. Not too hot but not at all cold.

  Garret keeps his eyes on me all through dinner and listens to every word I say, even though I’m not saying anything remotely interesting. Or maybe he’s just staring at me and not listening at all. The thought makes me self-conscious and I start to worry that I have food on my face or in my teeth. He really shouldn’t stare. It’s rude. But to be fair, I’m kind of staring at him, too.

  After dinner, we go back to his room. It’s the first time I’ve been to the second floor. The hallway stinks like beer and sweat. Luckily Garret’s room doesn’t have that odor and it’s much cleaner than I imagined it would be. He has a ton of electronics, including the big TV he mentioned along with a surround sound system. And there are at least 100 movies sitting in a big cardboard box on the floor.

  “Pick whatever you want,” he says as I flip through the movies.

  “You have quite a setup here. It’s like your own movie theater. I don’t even have a TV.”

  “You don’t? You need a TV, Jade.”

  “No, I don’t. If I want to watch something I’ll just use the one down the hall.”

  “That one barely works. If you want to watch TV, come up here.”

  “I’m not going to do that. I hardly ever watch TV anyway. Here. Let’s watch this one.” I hold up a cartoon, trying to keep a straight face. “It says it’s about some dogs that solve crimes.”

  “How did that get in there? That’s my little sister’s movie.”

  “It’s okay, Garret. I don’t care if you like cartoons.”

  “That is not my movie. She must’ve stuck it in the box when I wasn’t looking.”

  I laugh. “Yeah, sure she did.”

  “Give it here.” He reaches for it, but I won’t let him have it. I quickly stand up, holding it behind my back with one hand while putting my other hand out in front of me trying to keep him away.

  He quickly backs me up against the wall, forcing my outstretched hand against his hard chest. I lower it to my side as he leans his hand on the wall near my head. Then he slowly reaches behind me with his other hand to get the movie. Our bodies ar
e now touching and our faces are just inches apart. My heart is beating erratically and I struggle to keep my breathing steady as I feel his body against mine.

  “Jade.” He gazes down at me with this incredibly sexy smile. “Give me the movie, please.” I try not to stare at his lips but they’re so close and so inviting.

  The movie is still in my hand wedged between my lower back and the wall. I push my hips forward slightly to release it, which positions me even closer to him. As he goes to take the movie, I accidentally drop it and he catches it, right behind my butt. I feel his hand there and I freeze as my face heats up. He slowly takes his hand out from behind me and rests it on the wall by my head. I realize I’ve been holding my breath and I force myself to breathe again.

  I look up and our eyes meet. “For the last time, the movie is my sister’s. But if you really want to watch the crime-fighting dog cartoon, we’ll watch it. Or,” he pauses and that sexy smile reappears, “if you want to do something else, we’ll do something else.”

  I know from his tone what ‘something else’ is and I really, really want to do ‘something else’ but I promised myself I wouldn’t get involved with a guy at college. Unfortunately, I’ve never been very good with promises.

  8

  “Let’s find another movie,” I say. “I’m not in the mood for a cartoon.”

  He moves away slowly as if hoping I’ll change my mind about the ‘something else,’ but I don’t.

  I search through the cardboard box and pick out an action film. After living with Frank and Ryan, I’ve seen a ton of action films and have even come to like some of them.

  As Garret puts the movie in, I try to figure out where to sit. Other than his bed, the only seating options are his desk chair or his oversized navy blue bean bag chair on the floor. I pick the bean bag chair.

  “Care if I sit there, too?” Garret asks standing over me.

  “No, not at all.” I scoot over.

  “Do I smell or something?” he asks.

  I notice the large gap I left between us and realize that I’m so far over I’m practically falling off the chair. “Oh. I was just making sure you had enough room.”