by R Cole
“Jazz is my sister, not my girlfriend,” Jaxon states with a cocky grin that showcases his dimple. I love dimples. I feel a weight lift off my shoulders. Even though I won’t act on it, I don’t want to secretly think Jazz’s boyfriend is sexy. I have a feeling we’ll become good friends and I don’t want to ruin it.
Jazz starts laughing with a disgusted look on her face. “Eww! That’s just nasty.” She starts to make gagging noises as we continue outside toward the keg that’s surrounded by a large group of people.
“I’m David by the way. I figured I’d introduce myself since nobody seems to want to do it.” Surfer guy sticks out his hand while we stand in line for a red solo cup full of cheap beer.
“I’m Trudy.” I shake his hand and smile. I feel mortified by my attitude earlier when I assumed he and that Craig guy were buddies. “Sorry for the claws earlier. I just thought you and asshole were friends.”
Jaxon walks over and stands very close to Jazz and me with his hands in his pockets. “Fraternity brothers? Yes. Friends? Not so much. Craig likes to think the world revolves around him and has never worked for anything a day in his life. I’m sure he whines to his daddy when he doesn’t get his way. He was born with one silver spoon in his mouth and another up his ass.” He smiles down at me again, and I can’t help but smile back.
I finally pull my gaze away and remember that I never thanked him for what he did. Geez, he must think I am a real bitch. “Um...” I hesitate. “About what you did today...I never said thank you.” I pause and glance back up in his dark coffee colored eyes. “Thank you,” I say in a whisper.
“You’re welcome,” he whispers back, and I feel like I’m drowning in the deep brown pools.
All the noise and chaos around me is forgotten as we have another moment like the one from earlier. I feel the flutter in my stomach return and my breathing begins to alter. What is going on?
“Here you go, Tru.” A red cup is pushed into my hands, and I grab hold right before it spills and I make a complete fool out of myself. After taking a small sip, I remember why I don’t drink beer. My face twists into a grimace, and Jaxon gives me a cocky grin. There’s no reason to complain because I like his smile. Relief washes over me since I don’t need to feel guilty for liking it either.
We all walk around and then end up at the guy’s fraternity house where the party is in full swing. As we step inside, I instinctively step closer to Jaxon as a swarm of guys and girls come to talk to the guys. Jaxon introduces Jazz to a lot of people and then he turns to me and introduces me as Trudy Ali.
“That’s not my name,” I tell him, but the noise is too loud, so I tap his shoulder to get his attention. He still needs to bend down to hear me because even in my wedges he’s a few inches taller. We are nose to nose and my breathing halts and my heart rate increases from the combination of his scent and body heat. I feel frozen but warm inside with his intense stare on me, which causes me to shiver. I touch his cheek to get him to turn so I can talk in his ear and repeat my earlier statement.
He turns to talk in my ear but doesn’t say anything at first. He just continues to breathe, and I feel chills breakout down my arms and up my neck. I’m about to pull away to put some much needed distance between us when he says, “Well, considering you never told me your last name I had to improvise.” I can feel his smile against my ear and can’t help it when my own lips twitch upward.
“Love,” I say not, thinking anything of it.
“Love?” he asks while staring at my mouth. I involuntary lick my lips. “Your name is Trudy Love? And my sister calls you Tru, so your name is Tru Love?’ His dimple is in full bloom, and I don’t know if he’s making fun of me or not. “Are you shittin’ me or is that your real name?”
“Yes, that’s my real name.” Aggravation sets in over him thinking I’d lie. The nerve of this guy. “Why would I give you a fake one when I know your sister would eventually tell you?” I ask in a huff. Before he can answer me, I watch as slender arms are slung around his neck and a beautiful girl with black hair and blue eyes gives me the stink eye before she kisses him on the lips. The jealousy returns but I quickly shake myself of that stupid emotion. I remind myself that I have no right feeling anything for this guy and turn away. I need to gain my composure.
“I’m going to go look for Jazz,” I say without looking behind me and make my escape to catch my breath. I know one thing for sure. I need to stay away from Jaxon.
When she walked down those stairs tonight, showcasing her long, tanned legs in those shorts, I couldn’t breathe. I mean she was hot earlier, but tonight she was fucking stunning, and I immediately felt a twitch in my dick. “Breathe, man, just breathe,” I told myself and had to think of old women at the beach in bikinis. When that didn’t help, I had to go a little further and picture them in thongs. Voila! No more stiffy.
The night was going great, and I was enjoying watching Trudy, even though she didn’t talk much. Then my ex decided to show up.
Now I’m watching Trudy walk away with the excuse of finding my sister while I’m pushing Ashton off of me.
“What are you doing?” I ask in a near shout and take a step back to put some space between psycho and me. I can’t remember what I saw in her when we dated last semester. Yeah she’s hot, but that’s all she’s got going for her. She’s also head cheerleader and has been a maid in Homecoming Court every year and plays tennis. You would think she’s an heiress of some country with the way she treats people. Her nose is higher than Snoop Dog, and she’s a spoiled Daddy’s girl. Thank God I broke it off when I did.
“Geez, calm down, I’m only saying hey.” She bites her lip and tries to run her perfectly manicured nail up and down my chest. “I missed you this summer and wanted to welcome you back to school. The right way.” She suggestively eyes me up and down, but it has no effect on me anymore. Been there and done that. Believe me when I say she talks more game than she can actually play.
I start to walk away from her when I feel somebody grab me from behind. I’m ready to tell Ashton where she can go, but when I turn around, David is standing there with a girl I recognize from one of my past classes. “Craig’s out back and he’s about to get his ass kicked again.”
“So what?” I interrupt before he can finish. “If he wants to start a fight and get the shit beat out of him again today, then let him.” I really don’t want to get into another fight tonight. All I want to do is talk to Trudy and learn all I can about her.
I turn again but David’s next words stop me in my tracks. “Nah, man! It’s Trudy he’s getting into it with.” That’s all I hear before I start running through the crowd to get out back and bust Craig’s head in. If he lays one fucking hand on her I swear that I might end up in jail with no regrets.
As I push the last person out of my way, I’m caught off guard when Trudy comes into view. She’s straddling Craig’s back in some kind of MMA move and making him say he’s sorry while bending his wrist in a weird position. I thought I saw it all earlier today, but this keeps getting better and better. Where did this girl come from? I continue asking myself that very question while I walk toward Jazz, who happens to be jumping up and down swinging punches like she’s about to go into the ring.
“KICK HIS ASS, TRU!” she yells, and the crowd goes crazy. I walk over and tap Trudy on the shoulder to get her attention.
“Do you want me to take over?” I ask, smiling the whole time. She smiles back but you can tell she’s getting tired and losing her grip.
“Will you?” she asks sweetly while batting her lashes at me in a playful way.
“Jax, tell her to let me up, man. My arms are going to sleep and I can’t breathe. Please get this crazy girl off me?” Craig begs, and I’m tempted to let him up so I can have her all to myself, but first I want to know what in the hell happened.
I address Tru and ignore his whining. “So, why are you pulling out your Ali card again on Craig?” I can’t promise I won’t kill him if she tells me he grabbed her aga
in. Just thinking about it has my temper ready to explode.
She looks around the crowd and then stops and stares with a pointed look. I glance that way as well and then see the girl standing by my sister. She has a ripped shirt and is almost in tears. “I was looking around for Jazz when I walked outside and saw douchebag here holding that girl against the fence. So, I decided since she didn’t look too interested in continuing their conversation, I would have one of my own with him.” Craig tried to have sex with an unwilling girl? Man, what an asshole!
I help her up and then turn to Craig. He shakily stands and braces his arms on his knees while taking deep breaths. “What the fuck ever, girl. Don’t listen to her, Jax, because she has no clue what she’s talking about. Jen was so into it and this Crazy ass bitch…” I don’t let him finish. He staggers back clutching his jaw and spits out blood.
I step up to take another shot, but I feel a small soft touch on my bicep. I turn and see Tru’s beautiful green eyes staring at me and realize she has fear in them. I take a breath and just concentrate on her to calm myself down. I don’t want her to ever be scared, especially of me, and I’ll do all I can to make sure she smiles instead.
I take a step away from Craig, but say in a near growl, “If you know what’s best for you then watch your mouth and keep your dick in your pants or I’ll talk to the board and have your ass removed from Kappa Sigma just like that.” I emphasize with a snap of my fingers, then turn toward Trudy and grab her hand while we make our exit.
I approach the girl standing by Jazz. “Are you okay?” I ask, hoping I’m still not growling due to my adrenaline increase from the commotion.
“Y...yes,” she stammers and looks like she wants to cry. “I just want to go back to my room.”
Jazz instantly has her in a hug and says something in her ear that I can’t make out. Then she grabs her hand and leaves through the crowd. I turn toward Tru and notice I’m still holding her hand. Acting like it’s no big deal, we walk through the nosy crowd, and I hope she doesn’t pull away. When I spot David I tell him I’m taking the girls back to their dorm and I’ll be back later. He just nods his head and smiles my way.
Nobody says anything on the walk back to the dorm, but I don’t mind because Trudy has yet to take her hand out of mine. I just concentrate on the texture of her skin and the width of her fingers. Her hand is so small compared to mine that I’m sure it’s the size of McKenzie’s. I don’t feel any jewelry, but that doesn’t mean she’s single. I continue these thoughts as we approach Stokes Hall.
After we drop off Jen, who happens to live on the second floor in the same dorm, I take Jazz and Tru up to their rooms. I give Jazz a big hug and then turn toward Tru. She’s standing in front of me with her hands in her pockets, tapping her foot, and I hate that I make her feel uncomfortable. I want her to feel relaxed enough to open up to me and tell me about herself. However, I know it’s going to take time.
“Even though tonight was short, I still had fun, especially when you turned all Ali toward the end,” I say with a laugh, trying to ease the mood.
She glances up while biting her lip. “Yeah, it’s definitely a night I won’t forget, even though I want to.” Man I love watching her mouth move. Her lips are so sexy with just the right amount of pout to them. I stop staring at her mouth, realizing I still haven’t responded and I’m starting to get turned on again. Shit! With this girl I’ll have blue balls before the week is over.
Clearing my throat and mentally shaking myself, I answer, “Well, I thought it was awesome, and I’m sure Jen’s thankful you were around as well. Try not to worry about it. What’s done is done.” I don’t want her to worry about anything that happened today. Today was great because I met her, and I want her to see how amazing I think she is.
She’s quiet for a minute and scrunches her eyebrows together in a cute way before she speaks again. “Is there a gym or place to run around here?” I can’t help the image of her wearing her workout attire, running while gravity plays a hand in her movements. The twitch is back. Stop it, you idiot, or you’re going to scare her away.
“Yeah. There’s a gym on campus and also a track you can run at that’s close to the stadium. But the campus itself is pretty big and the sidewalk goes throughout, if you want to take a scenic route.” I’m debating on offering to take her or not. Maybe I should just wait and see how this week plays out. I don’t want to make the wrong move, and I have a feeling I need to tread carefully with Trudy. “Well, I better be getting back, but I’m sure we’ll see each other around.” I’m hoping that’s disappointment I see in her eyes as I make my way to leave. “Night.” I finally force myself to turn around and walk away, but I’m aware of her watching me until she goes inside her room and locks the door.
Making my way outside I decide to forget the party and dial Mason. He’s staying at his mom’s this weekend, and since I don’t feel like dealing with all the drunk idiots or Ashton, I ask if I can crash on the couch. I walk back to the house and straight to my Jeep before anyone stops me with mundane small talk. The drive is short and gives me time to let my mind wander, but it doesn’t go past a green eyed girl with brown, curly hair.
I sit on my twin bed after washing my face, ready to open the picture album inside my desk drawer. It’s something I used to do every night, but I try not to do it as much anymore. I’ve learned it only depresses me when I’m done. Looking at my sweet boy’s face makes me smile, but it also reminds me of how alone I am. However, tonight I need to see him because of all the emotions I’ve been feeling today. Between the two fights and the stupid emotions Jaxon has stirred inside me, I feel the need for some familiarity.
When I reach for the drawer handle, there’s a knock at the door. I feel excitement build in my stomach with the possibility that it might be Jaxon coming back, but realize how stupid I am because his real girlfriend is at his frat house with him. UGH!!! Who cares, Trudy? I get up to check the door and try to keep Jaxon out of my head.
When I open the door nobody is there, but then I hear the knock again. It’s coming from the bathroom door, and I know right away that it’s Jazz. I open it and see her wearing a matching, pink pajama short set and all smiles.
“What ya doing buuuuddy?” she asks sweetly in a Paulie Shore voice and I get the suspicion that she wants something. I really like her and think we’re going to be good friends, but I need to be careful. First thing I need to do is rid myself of this attraction toward her brother because I don’t want or need it, and he’s obviously off limits.
“Just getting ready for bed.” I take a seat on my bed and watch her sit across from me. “Do you need something?” I’m not sure how to act with someone other than myself on my bed.
“Nope,” she says and pops the P while she continues to smile. “Soooo, what do you think of my brother?”
Ah ha! That’s what she’s up to. She must have noticed me looking at him earlier. I really need to work on my poker face. “He’s okay, I guess. He was a big help tonight and earlier today against that Craig guy.” I shrug my shoulders, trying to act nonchalant about the whole Jaxon issue.
“He’s actually really great. Believe me when I say that he’d make a wonderful catch for any girl. I saw the way he was looking at you, chick, and I think he might like you.”
“Yeah right.” I laugh it off but inside I feel flutters build up in my stomach. I haven’t felt this way in a long time, and it’s both scary and exciting. I stare at my hands resting on my lap so she won’t see my pleased expression. “I don’t think so. Besides, he obviously has an actual girlfriend because they were all over each other before I came outside looking for you.” I hope I don’t sound jealous. “Also, I don’t want or have time to date right now. I need to find a job tomorrow after I purchase my books, and I have a full schedule with my classes this semester. So there’s really no point to this conversation. You know?” I think I’m trying to convince myself as much as her.
“Well, honey, I know my brother, and the way
he was looking at you tells me he likes what he sees. Besides, he hasn’t mentioned having a girlfriend to me or anyone else, so maybe you’re mistaken. Girls are always trying to get with him, but he doesn’t date much. The last girlfriend he had I only met during spring break, but it didn’t last long after that. Her name is Ashton and she’s a complete bitch, especially to Jaxon. She was always like, ‘Jaxon do this,’ and, ‘Jaxon do that,’” she says in a high pitch voice and then shudders from the memory. “I’m so glad they broke up before summer break.”
“Well, like I said before, I just don’t have the time to dedicate to any guy.” I can’t get caught up in a guy and his attention again, not like before. I only need to rely on myself, nobody else.
I stretch my arms above my head and start to get up when Jazz says, “I don’t know where you learned those ass kicking moves, but all I can say is WOW. I mean, you’ve got to teach me some of those moves. Thank God you were there when you were because it could have been a lot worse for Jen.”
I’m thankful for the subject change, and I have to agree that I’m relieved I was there for Jen as well. When I walked outside earlier and saw her fearful gaze fall on me, I knew something wasn’t right. I listened for her to tell him no, and when he didn’t stop after that, I just lost it.
I was back in my old apartment, looking into my own eyes while Brad held me against the wall by my throat, trying to figure out how to get free to save Brian and me from his cruel intentions, so I did what I had to do. I tapped him on the shoulder, and when he turned around and gave me his full attention, asking if I wanted to join, I reintroduced my knee to his nuts. Then I grabbed him by the wrist and twisted until he fell down. I’m thankful for those classes and believe every girl should take them.
“Don’t get me wrong. I was terrified. She had given me a look that I’m all too familiar with, and I guess instinct took over. I took a few self-defense classes before I moved from Atlanta. It’s no big deal.” I shrug my shoulders and go to my small refrigerator to grab myself some water.