Love 101: Box Set (Love 101 #1-4)

by J. Nichole

“I’m good. Missing my girlfriend. I wanted to talk to you before I left for graduation.” The goofiest grin creeps up on my face.

  “I miss you too. I’m relaxing with my mom now. Just finished baking some cookies actually.”

  “Do you think you could save me a few?”

  “I definitely could. They may not be too fresh in a few weeks though. I’m sure I could bake you a fresh batch.”

  “Or I could stop by tomorrow to pick them up.”

  My heart skips a beat. “Don’t tease me, Chris.”

  “I’m not teasing you. I can pass through Fort Walton Beach on my way home. Maybe, if I can meet your parents now they won’t have a difficult time letting you ride back with me.”

  “You have a point. I definitely wouldn’t mind seeing you tomorrow.” Of course, if he stops by, he will be meeting my brother too. That could be a lot of pressure. I’m sure my brother and dad will give him the third degree.

  “Consider it done. Text me your address. If I come early, will I be imposing? Did you have plans tomorrow?”

  “Actually, we are going to church, then to brunch. You are more than welcome to join us.”

  “No doubt. I’ll wear my church clothes. What time does service start?”

  “We are going to the early service, nine o’clock. Is that too early? I know tonight will probably be a late night for you.”

  “Whoa, yeah nine o’clock will be early. Maybe I can make it in time for brunch. If not, I’ll be there shortly after. Now make sure you save my cookies.”

  I laugh to myself. He has no idea how I’ll be saving his cookies. “Sounds like a plan. I’ll text you my address. Be safe tonight, okay?”

  “Will do, babe. I’ll talk to you in the morning. Enjoy your evening.”

  Chris has just made my night. I can definitely get used to this treatment. I hurry back to the kitchen to tell my parents about Chris’ plans.

  My parents exchange a look and then my mom gently smiles. “Laila, that’s good.” She looks at my dad again. “Do not give him a hard time.”

  My dad looks between the two of us. “No promises.”

  Chapter 22

  “I’m glad your dad trusted me enough to bring you back to campus.”

  “He did give you the third degree. He knows your life story now.”

  Ever been arrested? Are your parents still married? How many serious relationships have you been in? What do you plan on doing after college? My dad and brother really gave him the business. Chris handled himself well though, hardly broke a sweat.

  “Yeah.” Chris looks at me and smiles. “I was waiting on him or your brother to ask me for my social security number so they could do a background check.”

  “Ha ha ha. At least my mom was pleasant. Right?”

  Grabbing a cookie that my mom packed for us, he grins. “She was, and this tin of cookies is perfect. Did you learn a few things while you were home?”

  I look away. “What makes you think she had to teach me?”

  “You aren’t the best liar, Laila.”

  Blushing, I look at Chris and pout my lips. “Okay you got me. I don’t frequent the kitchen.”

  “Good thing you are intelligent. Although sexy as hell, your looks can only get you so far.”

  “Is that right?” Too bad I failed Biology. “What else do I have to offer, because according to my report card, I may not be ranking high on the intelligence scale.”

  Chris scrunches his eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

  Dropping my head, I hesitate before responding. “I failed Biology.”

  “Don’t feel bad. Did you sign up to take it this semester?”

  “Yes, but I changed my schedule. This time I’m not taking it as early, though.” As if going to class early was the only reason I failed. My ass should have done a better job of studying.

  “Good idea. Do you want me to take you to the dorm or do you want to come to my house?”

  “I’m sure the dorms will be empty. Let’s go to your house.”

  I can hardly wait for Jennifer and Nicole to get back in their room. Now that I’m back in the dorm, I don’t want to sit in my room alone. I send a text to Jennifer.

  In your room?

  She replies, and I hurry to her room and bang on their door. “Come in, it’s open.”

  “Hello, hello ladies!” I holler as I open the door.

  “Hey Laila!” Jennifer and Nicole respond in unison.

  “Back on the Hill.” I flop down in the chair. “I don’t know about you guys, but my break passed by way too quick. I’m not sure I’m ready to start school on Monday.”

  Jennifer nods her head and says, “You got that right. I’m definitely not ready to start classes on Monday. My break seemed like it was over in a blink.”

  “Y’all know I’m not ready for class. I thoroughly enjoyed my break.” Nicole rubs her belly. “Nothing like my momma’s cooking, and relaxing with absolutely nothing to do.”

  I look at Nicole and say, “Did you do anything exciting?”

  “I met up with a dude I used to date.”

  I interrupt her. “Nicole, I thought you were calming down with the dudes.”

  “I am, Laila, I am. I didn’t say I fucked the dude. We just went on a date. He didn’t go to college, which makes me appreciate the guys here much more. This dude didn’t have much to talk about at all.”

  Jennifer and I laugh at Nicole. “Girl, you are crazy. You may have calmed down, but you are still feisty.”

  “Don’t worry. After this break, consider me on a serious break from dudes.”

  Jennifer and I exchange a look. Jennifer cocks her head. “What happened?”

  “I went to the doctor for my annual check-up and -” She swallows. “A few days later, the doctor called me and told me I had chlamydia.”

  “Oh shit.” I put my hand over my mouth.

  “Luckily, she gave me some antibiotics and the medicine should take care of it. But she told me I should tell the dudes I had sex with so they can get tested.”

  “All of the dudes?” Jennifer blurts out.

  “At least the ones from the past two months.” She shakes her head. “Hence, the reason why I know I need to calm down. When I made my list it was a lot longer than I realized.”

  “And you called them?” I look at her, anticipating the answer. I wouldn’t want to make a phone call like that?

  She bows her head. “I couldn’t. Hopefully, they’ll get checked on their own.”

  “Damn, Nicole. That’s kinda fucked up. And how many were on your list?” Jennifer says.

  “You know, Jennifer, it’s fucked up that I got it. You think I’d tell you two saints? That’s one I’ll keep to myself.”

  Sensing Nicole’s anger, I stand up and throw my hands between them. “Whoa. Let’s chill out.” I look at Jennifer and narrow my eyes to give her a hint to give Nicole a break. I agree it’s fucked up, but what can we do to change her mind? “Jennifer, did you do anything exciting over the break?”

  “Yeah, we have a few traditions we do each year. It keeps me pretty busy. I did catch up with a few friends. Unfortunately, I ran into my ex at the mall. We didn’t speak, but seeing him pretty much pissed me off. I didn’t let it ruin my day, though.”

  I can only imagine being in Jennifer’s shoes. Constantly having someone to avoid has to be difficult. “Sorry to hear that, Jennifer. That had to be hard.”

  “Hard is an understatement. But to be honest, I don’t want to think about it. Did you talk to Chris over the break?”

  “Actually, I did. We spoke often, and he actually stopped by on his way to Tennessee. I rode with him back to campus, too.” I grin like a schoolgirl. “We came back yesterday.”

  “Damn. Y’all sound pretty smitten. Did your parents like him?” Jennifer says with a grin.

  “He definitely charmed them. I didn’t expect it to take much to win them over. In comparison to my ex, he’s a golden child.”

  “Did you get any news on your ex?
” Jennifer asks.

  “Not on him specifically. Tanya did tell me most of his friends have been picked up recently.”

  Nicole rolls her eyes at Jennifer and says, “Enough about all that, tell us about your ride with Chris. Did he drop you off at the dorm or did you stay with him?”

  I look at Nicole impatiently for interrupting. “He told me about his ski trip, then he started telling me about spring elections and parties. I stayed at his house till this morning.”

  Nicole perks up. “Ooohh, did you guys finally have sex?”

  “No, we didn’t. Just played around. I think it may be getting frustrating for him. After we had a few heated kisses, I gave him a hand job, but he had to take a shower. Said he was all worked up and needed to cool off.”

  “Told you. We’ll see how long he can hold out. Don’t make him wait too long.” As if a light bulb came on in her head, she blurts out, “Just make his ass wear a condom when you do decide to have sex.”

  “Without a doubt, that’s a must. No kids and no STDs. I learn well from those around me.” Nicole smirks at my reply.

  “I think this will be the semester, but I just don’t know when. We’ll have enough to keep us busy, though.”

  Nicole responds, “Right. I heard spring semester has a lot going on. We’ll have to start thinking about which parties we want to go to.”

  “I hear a couple of the Greeks will be coming out this semester too. There’ll be probate shows and parties,” Jennifer adds.

  “Remember, I told you guys how Chris knew more about me than I knew about him when we first met?”

  They both nod their heads in agreement.

  “Chris finally told me who his informant was. You won’t believe it.”

  Nicole raises her brows. “Really, who?”

  “Jason, one of our bodyguards.”

  “What the hell? How did that happen?” Nicole sounds surprised.

  “Apparently, he had expressed interest to the Omegas about becoming a pledge. Of course, he can’t do anything his freshman year, but they’ve had him doing all sorts of stuff to prove his interest.”

  Jennifer laughs. “I’ve heard it’s a bad idea to express interest too early. Out of all the people, I would have never guessed it would have been one of them.”

  “Me either. I’ll have to watch what I say around them.”

  Nicole stands up and walks over to the mirror and starts fixing her hair. “I’m hungry, wanna walk to the cafe?”

  “Yeah let’s go.” Jennifer slides off her bed.

  The walk to the cafe seems even farther than I remember. Thank God, it’s not hot. When we walk into the door, I groan at the number of people waiting in the food lines. “Damn, back to this.”

  Searching for the shortest line, I grab some spaghetti and sit down. Nicole takes a few bites of her stir-fry and curls her lip. “Is it just me or does this food taste like shit?”

  Jennifer winces and says, “I don’t know about shit, but it sure doesn’t taste as good as I remember.”

  Leaving half of my spaghetti on the plate, I put down my fork. “I give up. Ready to go back to the dorms? I’ll grab some fruit or chips to eat later.” We shuffle through the crowd of people and stuff our bags with a few snacks then head out of the cafe.

  On our way back to the dorms, we pass a few people handing out party flyers. Jennifer holds up the one for the dance troupe, L.O.S, Ladies of Sophistication. “We should go to this party.” Of course, she would say that.

  “Why not? Where there are chicks, dudes should follow.” Nicole looks at the both of us, then adds, “I can look, I don’t have to go home with anyone.”

  “Damn, Nicole, we didn’t say anything.” I laugh.

  She rolls her neck. “I saw it on your faces.”

  “Oh goodness, go take a nap and wake up in a better mood. I’m headed to my room. I’ll catch you two later.” As I approach my room, I hear voices. I open the door and before I can step completely in the room I am greeted by a chick.

  “Hey! You must be Laila!”

  Damn, I completely forgot I was getting a roommate. “Yes, I am. And you must be my new roommate.”

  “Yes ma’am. I’m Monica... Monica White. Nice to meet you. Oh and these are my parents.”

  As cordial as I want to be, I can only manage to push out a half-smile. I should have stayed with the girls.

  “Nice to meet you. Are you getting settled okay? Let me know if you need anything.”

  “I am. I see all your stuff on that side of the room so I’ve started unpacking on this side. Is that okay?”

  “It sure is.”

  Stepping around the pile of boxes, she has stacked in the middle of the room I sit on my bed. She has a shit load of stuff. Her parents may need to take some of that back with them.

  My reaction must be obvious, because Mrs. White says, “I was just telling Monica that I think she brought too much stuff with her. We didn’t realize the room would be this small.”

  “We definitely don’t have much room at all. Where are you from?”

  I directed my question to Mrs. White, but Monica responds. “We are from Huntsville, Alabama.”

  I should have known she was from the South. Her southern hospitality greeted me at the door. “Oh okay, I’m from Florida, but I have family in Louisiana. We pass through Alabama on our way to Louisiana, but I’m not familiar with Huntsville.”

  While she unpacks, she tells me about Huntsville and how she didn’t want to stay home to go to Alabama A&M. “We are headed to dinner, wanna come?” Monica looks at me with a gleaming smile.

  “Thanks, but I just ate at the cafe. I’ll see you when you get back.”

  “All right.” Her dad grabs a few empty boxes and they head out the door. I should have been more prepared for this. Maybe Chris can save me and I’ll start fresh tomorrow. Chris doesn’t answer. Dammit.

  Flipping through my Pandora stations, I decide on Ciara. Body Party starts playing and I start dancing around the room while I unpack my bags.

  I practice a few moves from the video. I have to be ready for the party on Thursday. Jennifer will want to stay on the dance floor all night. I keep dancing through all of the songs and my confidence grows with each move. I may be able to hang on Thursday. I laugh to myself. Who am I kidding … it’s a dance troupe.

  Just as I dip it low, the door opens. I turn and see Monica with her parents. “Get it girl! You better work.” Monica says before she breaks out into a few dance moves herself. Her parents laugh at the two of us. I like her more already.

  When the song stops, we both burst out laughing. I turn the volume down and apologize. “Sorry, I had the music playing while I was unpacking and it got the best of me. Had to break out a few moves.”

  “Girl, no need to apologize to us. I love to dance. We will get along well.”

  Mr. White taps his wife on the shoulder and says, “We should get going. I need some rest before making this drive back in the morning.” They exchange hugs with Monica before leaving.

  After they shut the door, Monica looks at me and says, “Turn it up.” Dancing around the room, we both start rearranging things to give us more room. Monica starts a pile of things for her parents to take back to Alabama.

  “So, Monica, why are you here a semester late?”

  “Actually, I’m a semester early. I finished high school classes last semester.”

  I can’t imagine skipping my last summer before college. “You didn’t want to take a break before starting this semester?”

  “Initially I did but then the school convinced my parents it would be a good idea for me to get started and not waste the time before next fall. So here am I.”

  “I hear you. I’ll do the best I can to get you into the swing of things. I’m sure once you meet a few people and start classes you’ll be fine.”

  “I really appreciate that, Laila. I was worried that I would be some sort of outcast when people find out how old I am.”

  “Not here, n
ot on the Hill. Most people are pretty welcoming. I’ll introduce you to my girls.”

  We talk a bit more about the campus, her classes, and the parties. Although she is a little younger, she seems mature.

  Chris calls while I’m telling Monica about the party this Thursday. I answer the phone and tell him I’ll call him back shortly.

  I catch Monica smiling at me. When I hang up she says, “Sounds like you got a boo already.”

  “I do. Chris, my boyfriend. We met last semester.”

  “The way he is making you smile, I hope he has a friend you can introduce me to.”

  “Okay, hot thang. I may be able to introduce you to a few guys. But Chris is older. You should probably stick with the freshmen, at least until you are legal.”

  She pouts her lips. “I guess you’re right. I’m sure the men around here wouldn’t be willing to date a youngin’ like me.”

  “How old are you anyway?” Looking at her baby face her soft features make her seem much younger than me.

  “I’m sixteen. I’ll turn seventeen in April.”

  “April. I’ll remember that so we can celebrate.”

  She smiles, then excuses herself to take a shower. I lie on the bed and call Chris back.

  He answers after a couple of rings. “Hey babe.”

  “Hey, sorry about that. I was talking with my roommate.”

  “Right, I forgot you were getting a roommate. You’ll have to tell me about her when I see you.”

  “Definitely. What are you doing?”

  “I just got back from the frat house. We had a meeting. Now I’m at the house, hoping you want to come over and keep me company.”

  Although my body is tired, my heart wants to be with Chris. “I can definitely keep you company.”

  “Good, I’ll be there in a few minutes. I’ll text you when I’m outside.”

  “I’ll be ready.”

  “Oh, and Laila, bring a bag. I’m keeping you for the night.” Damn, what will Monica think of me staying out her first night here?

  We hang up, and I start to pack my bag. As I move around the room, I feel worse for leaving Monica. I think she will understand. She’ll have to understand.