by Renea Porter
“He hired me on the spot and I start on Tuesday,” I squeal with excitement.
She hugs me in excitement. “Wow, congrats girl!
Well, that was a lot easier than I thought it would be. My schooling is already being paid for by my parents, so I figured I could at least get a job to pay for my food and anything else I might need. I’m excited to start my first job. We arrive back at the dorm and we each plop on our beds.
“This will be my very first job,” I admit to her.
“You’ve never had a job before? I’ve worked since I was sixteen,” she says, throwing a concerned look my way.
“No; my parents wouldn’t let me get a job. They always insisted I focus on school so I could get into college. I live on a ranch, so there was plenty of work to be done,” I say.
“Congrats on your first job then. I always helped my dad run his auto shop, running the register. But I’m thinking I might try something different since I don’t live that close to home anymore.”
We pass the rest of the day lounging around the dorm and scoping out the campus. We find the gym, a few deans’ offices, and the auditorium, among other buildings that house our classes. I’m feeling confident that I am going to do well on my first day of college.
Chapter Four
(Monday)
It’s Monday and the crisp cool air slams against me as I make my way to my first class, which starts bright and early. But I’ve managed to make myself look halfway decent, even though I went through my morning routine in a daze. Unfortunately, my first class is English and I have no idea why I would even need to take it. But I’m a business major, so I take what’s recommended.
I arrive to class fairly early; I’m one of the first to arrive. Grabbing a seat in the back, I watch as the rest of the students start to flood in. I pull out my notebook from my bag, not paying attention to anything else.
“Is this seat taken?” a familiar voice asks, leaning down.
Looking up, my eyes are met with Layne’s as he stands above me. My heartbeat quickens and my mouth suddenly feels dry.
“Yes,” I say dryly, hoping he will believe me and take a seat somewhere else, far away from me.
“Liar,” he says smoothly, followed by a laugh.
Well fuck, I’m totally screwed for this semester, I think to myself.
“I was saving that seat.” I try to sound convincing, but he is way too close to me.
“You are such a liar. Who were you saving it for, because lying doesn’t look good on you?” he says, turning toward me.
“What’s it matter now?” I say, opening my notebook once I notice the professor enter the classroom.
“Just so you know, I always get what I want,” he leans over to lightly whisper in my ear once more, and I feel a power surge running through me. I’ve already established that little known fact that he sends chills down my back.
The professor starts to talk, but I find it hard to concentrate. All I can feel is Layne’s eyes on me, seducing me right there in front of everyone. I hope my cheeks aren’t flushed pink. I try to forget that the godlike figure is sitting next to me, but then he slides even closer to me and I can feel the heat emanating off him. “Are you going to the bonfire tonight?” he whispers. His whisper ignites a heat that shoots through my whole body setting it on fire. I squirm in my seat, trying to put some distance between us. I finally manage to shake my head no at him, so I don’t attract the professor’s attention to me.
After class I try to make a quick escape so I don’t have to talk to Layne. I rush into the bathroom, hoping it’s enough time for him to pass by. I stay in long enough to take a piss and freshen up my makeup. My cheeks are already flush from Layne’s presence. I contemplate why I’m letting him affect me so much. I thought that one night would be enough to get him out of my system. After I think I’ve wasted enough time, I leave the restroom.
“Are you trying to avoid me?” Layne asks as I walk out and notice he is propped against the wall outside of the girls’ bathroom.
“Stalker much?” I say as I continue walking through the campus grounds to the next building.
“Why are you being so standoffish?” he asks with an annoyed tone. “I mean, I’m sure I don’t smell; I did shower this morning,” he says, grinning.
I can’t help but laugh and shake my head. “Oh I do see a smile cracking through,” he says, walking by me. “I’ll see you at the bonfire tonight,” he says as he walks ahead of me to his next class.
I don’t recall saying I would go, matter of fact I recall shaking my head no. I head to the cafeteria to grab something to eat before my next class. I manage to find a table to myself.
“Is this seat taken?” a deep voice asks. Oh god, not again. I look up and I’m greeted by a tall drink of water. His eyes are a swimming pool of green haze, his hair is chocolate brown, and he has that total faux hawk going on. He is drop dead beautiful.
“By all means,” I say casually, gesturing for him to sit. His eyes crinkle as he smiles, taking a seat next to me.
“Chase,” he says, holding his hand out to shake mine.
“Amber,” I respond in a shaky tone.
He seems much older than the average students here. His build is to die for and I can’t help but admire the view.
“How come I’ve never seen you round here?”
“Because today is my first day,” I say. “Are you a student here?” I ask curiously.
“I am; I’m in my third year,” he says.
We continue to talk throughout the lunch hour. I take in everything that comes out of his gorgeous mouth. We take turns asking each other questions, and I can’t believe I can talk to him so easily; and the words just flow out of my mouth.
“Are you sure we haven’t met before?” he asks
“No, I doubt it. Like I said, I’m new here,” I tell him. By now we’ve finished eating and we just sit there, continuing to talk. His voice is deep, erotic and smooth. I notice a few tattoos painted on his arms.
“What’s the story behind those?” I ask pointing to his arm tattoos.
“A story for another day perhaps,” he says smoothly, but with a sad look on his face.
“Perhaps,” I say as I stand up and lift the remains of my lunch, “I hate to run but my next class is starting soon,” I tell him, glancing at my watch.
“It was lovely talking with you, Amber,” he says. I love how he says my name, and he’s much more mature than most people I know. A guy that good looking can’t be single, I think to myself. “I’ll see you around then,” he adds.
“See you around,” I smile brightly, walking out of the cafeteria.
I find myself grinning all the way to my next class and replaying our conversation in my head. He seems like a mystical creature that just popped up in my life. He was different. He didn’t want in my pants; he was interested in what I had to say, as I was him. I hope I do run into him again. I’m fast finding out that freshman year is going to be much more complicated than I anticipated. Falling for one guy is confusing enough, but possibly falling for another just adds to the fog within my mind.
I get to my next class a few minutes late. The professor gives me a stern look as I take my seat. As I’m sliding into the only empty chair, I realize that Layne is seated in the chair beside me. Yeah, freshman year is going to be much more fucking complicated than I thought. I suffer through class as Layne sits next to me, taunting me with his gaze. Once again, I make a run for it after class. I make it all the way to the dorm room unnoticed. I let out a heavy sigh, feeling relieved.
“How was your first day?” Renee asks eagerly.
“Great. But I have two classes with Layne, so that is fucking awesome.”
She covers her mouth, trying to keep from laughing out loud. I land face forward into my bed.
“It’s not funny,” I say, looking up.
“I told you not to sleep with him; now everything is awkward isn’t it?”
“Yea and now he is expecting to s
ee me at the bonfire tonight, even though I was very adamant about not going.”
“That’s actually a good sign on his part. He usually doesn’t give a shit about the girl after a one night stand,” she says with a smile.
I turn over on my bed and cover my face with my pillow, letting out a loud sigh.
“It’s the first day of school and the bonfire is a celebration of starting the new year. Everyone goes; I’ll go with you,” she says yanking, the pillow off my face.
“That doesn’t make me feel any better. I wish I would have never slept with him. If I would have known he’d be in my classes, I wouldn’t have done it,” I tell her.
“Well, you might as well get ready for the bonfire. There’s a lot of drinking, and it’s really fun,” she tells me.
“How do you know so much when you’re just a freshman like me?” I ask quizzically. I don’t mention Chase. I don’t want to seem like a slut, even though I’ve clearly stated that I want my college experience to be fun and I don’t want anything serious; no matter how godlike and gorgeous Layne or Chase is!
“Because Dylan is my boyfriend and he’s in his second year here.”
I unwillingly get ready for the bonfire, at Renee’s persistence. I shower and throw on a pair of skinny jeans and a purple tank top, followed by a pair of flip flops. We go to the bonfire not far off campus. It’s being thrown by a popular sorority; and the beer is being passed around like it’s never ending. I grab a cup and fill it up. I take slow sips, because I don’t want it to cloud my judgment. It seems most of the school’s student body is here.
“Fancy seeing you here tonight,” Layne says as he approaches me.
“It’s all Renee’s doing,” I tell him, pointing in her direction as she cuddles up to Dylan.
“Well, I’m glad you came! You look nice. I was hoping to get to know you better,” he says.
“Why me?” I ask bluntly. I mean, I’m no one special, by any means.
“You’re different. You listen when I talk, and you’re not trying to make a name for yourself by trying to be with me,” he taunts.
“Well I will admit, I was attracted to you when I first saw you. I don’t know what it was, but I was just drawn to you.” Must. Slow. Down. These. Sips.
“What is there not to love?” he says, as he spreads his arms to encompass his whole body as a cocky grin graces his face.
I chuckle, against my better judgment. “Cocky much?” I retort.
“I got you to laugh, didn’t I?” he says, grinning at me. We walk toward the bonfire. He is so close to me, I’m beginning to wonder if he has ulterior motives. I am so not sleeping with him again!
We take a seat in the grass, farther away from the crowd. I can feel the heat from the fire, or it could be emanating off Layne.
“So,” I say calmly, say breaking the silence between us.
“So,” he responds casually, lying in the grass by me with a cup of beer in his hand.
Our eyes lock for a split second before my eye catches Chase out the corner of my eye, breaking my trance with Layne.
“Excuse me for a second,” I say, standing up. I follow behind Chase and follow him into the house.
Chapter Five
“I wasn’t expecting to see you here,” I finally say, catching up to him.
“Oh hey, Amber, right?” He asks flashing me his ever to die for smile as he grabs a beer. “Want one?” he offers.
“I’m good, thanks. I better get back to my friend. I just wanted to say hi,” I say when all of a sudden panic washes over me and I quickly make an escape. I feel sick and hurriedly rush to find the nearest restroom as I cover my mouth. Finding the bathroom, I upheaval into the toilet and quickly realize Chase is behind me holding my hair up. How embarrassing. I try to signal with my hand for him to go away, but he doesn’t budge. Another wave violently comes and my stomach is hurting so much from it. Just when I rise back up I notice Layne as he suddenly appears in the doorway with a concerned look on his face.
“What the hell?” Layne asks, stepping inside and closing the distance between us.
“If you’ll both excuse me, please,” I say, trying to shut the door so I can recover from being sick. I give Chase a nod to let him know I’m okay and they both step outside the restroom, giving me space. I grip the sink with both hands and take a deep breath, then run the water to splash it on my face and wash my mouth out as best I can. Exiting the restroom, it doesn’t surprise me to see Layne leaning against the opposite wall waiting for me, still with a concerned look in his eyes.
“You okay?” he asks softly wrapping his arm around my shoulder.
“Yes, I think I just didn’t eat much at lunch, that’s all,” I tell him.
“Alright, well we’re going to blow this joint and get you something to eat right now. Oh and what’s his face, Chase said he hopes you feel better. I told him I’d take care of you.” He smirks, and I don’t argue with him about getting something to eat. He helps me inside his car and I buckle myself in as he gets behind the wheel.
“How much did you have to drink?” I ask before we leave.
“We were barely there long enough to have a conversation, so I didn’t even have a full beer,” he says, reassuring me it’s okay for him to drive.
My insides still feel twisted and I’m still highly embarrassed by getting sick in front of Chase and Layne. I will have to thank Chase for holding my hair back for me, or I’ll just avoid him altogether.
“You alright?” Layne asks, breaking my train of thought.
“Yes, I think so,” I reply, glancing out the window as he drives.
“I’m taking you to the best place to get a burger and fries. You do eat real food, right?”
“Yes, I eat real food. What kind of a question is that, anyway?”
“I mean, you don’t just eat lettuce, aka rabbit food, do you; like Renee?” He playfully asks as he pulls into the diner that Renee took me to a few days before.
“No, I don’t eat that shit, unless it’s on my burger,” I say, laughing.
“Good, cause you are about to taste the best one of your life,” he says with excitement. I don’t have the heart to tell him I was here before with Renee.
Inside, we slide into a booth and the waitress hands us menus. “We won’t be needing those,” Layne says, handing them back to her. “The lady and I will both have the cheeseburger and fries platter, and Pepsi to drink.”
“So now I’m the lady?” I say, jokingly.
“It was quick and easy,” he says, cocking his said to the side.
“Well, I appreciate you bringing me here. I was kind of hungry and that party was lame anyway,” I say, as if it’s no big deal. Here we are, just us, no girls vying for his attention or brushing up against him, except for the waitress of course, which he is oblivious to.
The waitress brings us our drinks and lets us know the food will be right up. I think she has the hots for Layne, by the way she lingers over him and gives him a flirtatious look. I just roll my eyes. I mean the guy is gorgeous; at least she has good taste, I will give her that.
“What was that for?” he asks, breaking my train of thought once more. “I saw you rolling your eyes.”
“I mean, she makes it quite obvious that she likes you. Yet I could tell you couldn’t give a rat’s ass.” I laugh.
Our burgers arrive, accompanied with fries galore and coleslaw. Last time I was here, I did not order the platter, but I’m happy Layne ordered it for us. I just hope my stomach can handle it. I take a huge bite and give Layne the thumbs up. “Oh my god, it is the best,” I tell him trying to sound convincing.
“I come here so often, they practically know me by name,” he says, popping a fry in his mouth. “The guys and I like to come here after an evening of working on the drag car,” he says.
“Yeah, I can tell. It’s no wonder the waitress was eyeing you the way she was; makes perfect sense,” I say before taking the last bite of my burger.
“You weren’t ly
ing when you said you eat real food,” he says ignoring my comment.
“Hey, I told you, I don’t eat rabbit food unless it’s already on my burger, or other food.”
“So I feel like I have been the only one that’s talked when we are together. I feel like I hardly know anything about you,” he says.
I will only break your heart in the long run. You should run, not walk, away from me while you still can. How ‘bout that? Sometimes the truth is better left unsaid. “Nothin’ much to tell. I’m from a small town in Texas, my parents are still married, and I have one sister who still lives at home. My sister, Sarah is two years older than me. All she does is mooch off my parents, and she is into drugs and shit. So I left as soon as I was able to.”
“Fuck, I wasn’t expecting that. You want to get out of here? Are you sure you’re alright?” he asks as we walk up to the register.
“Of course; I’m fine. Like I said, I hadn’t eaten much. I skipped breakfast and didn’t eat enough during the lunch hour, like I should have.” I brush it off, and don’t mention the fact that I was with Chase and it’s totally his fault.
“You need to take care of yourself,” he says with a serious tone.
“I will, I promise,” I say, not realizing I may have made a promise I can’t keep. We walk out to his car, and all of a sudden I feel dizzy.
“Whoa there, Amber, you alright?” Layne asks as he guides me in his car.
“I’m sorry, I feel like such a ditz. I’m okay really,” I reassure him, touching his arm.
“Well, we aren’t moving anywhere until I know for sure you’re okay. You seriously need to take better care of yourself,” he says, running his hands over his short hair while his face is full of concern for me. “School is just starting, and if you ever need a study partner, I’m just a phone call away,” he says. “Give me your phone,” He instructs, punching in his number and handing it back to me.
“Bossy, are we? Okay, I got it. I promise I’m fine, really,” I say, continuing to reassure him I’m okay. We sit in his car, while he continues watching me like a damn hawk. “Are you going to drive or just sit here looking at me all damn night?”