Rushed (The Rushed Series)

by Gina Robinson

  "Nice aim," I yelled back. "But I'm not a moving target."

  "Shut up and throw!"

  I tossed it back.

  "Too much arm," he said. "Put your body into it."

  "Too much arm? If I had half the bicep bulk you do, you would never have been able to catch up to that ball."

  He grinned. "Then do what I say and put that hot body into it."

  We practiced throwing. He ran me through some simple plays. Time flew by too quickly.

  We took a break. He pulled his phone out and checked the time. "I have to get back to set the table for dinner soon." He rolled his eyes. "Shit, that sounds like I'm a little kid. Come on in, Zachy, and set the table for dinner." He laughed.

  "Crap! That stupid sorority." I pushed him playfully in the shoulder. "One more throw?" I tried to take the ball from him.

  He held it out of my reach. I grabbed his arm, trying to pull it down and grab the ball. His bicep was like a rock. I could have hung on to it all day long.

  I reached up, stroked his cheek, and kissed him. While he was distracted by my tongue tracing his lips, I grabbed the ball. Laughing, I broke away and made a run for it.

  He took off after me. I was fast. He was faster. I wove and dodged. He anticipated my moves, dodging and weaving in sync with me. We both put on our competitor/game face. I ran toward the woods at edge of the field and a clump of trees and bushes like it was the end zone. Zach understood intuitively what I had in mind.

  Just as I reached the trees, Zach tackled me from behind, plowing me into a thick bed of fallen leaves. He was gentle as he took me down and he held his weight off me. We lay there, laughing, as I cradled the ball beneath me. He reached around me, like he was trying to bat the ball away. Then he kissed the back of my neck and sucked hard, like he wanted so much more than the ball.

  I rolled over suddenly, looked him in the eye, and held the ball out to the side. "Is this what you want? Come get it."

  He lowered his lips to mine and knocked the ball away. "No. This is what I want."

  I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back, letting him suck my lip. He ran his tongue on the outer edges of my lips until I shivered with pleasure, inhaling the scent of moist soil, dry leaves, and him. When we kissed, I lost track of time.

  He was the stronger willed of the two of us. He pulled away first and leaned on his elbows, staring down at me. "You deserve so much more than I can give you right now, Alexis." His voice was low and soft, but hard with conviction at the same time. "I wish I could take you out on expensive dates. To concerts and events and dinner and all that crap. But right now, I'm flat broke."

  It took a lot of guts, and swallowing his pride, for him to admit that.

  "I don't care." I meant it. "It doesn't matter. We can't be public right now, anyway."

  "It might matter. In the future." His expression was serious. "I won't always be broke. When I get out of school, I'm going to make good money. And shower you with all kinds of fabulous shit."

  I laughed and kissed him lightly. "And we won't have to be secretive anymore."

  He rolled off me and sat up. "Yeah, about that. I've been trying to think of a way around our situation. And coming up stumped. I checked the job boards. There's nothing. For now, I'm stuck. I need my sorority job."

  I sat up, too. "I know. I wouldn't want you to give it up now, anyway." I wanted to reassure him and let him know I wasn't greedy or unreasonable. "We'll be careful."

  "Maybe at semester something else will open up," he said. "Right now, no one is even looking for roommates. All the housing and the campus jobs are filled."

  "I don't want you to give up the house." I wanted him to understand I knew he needed it. "We'll think of something."

  "One day at a time?" He pulled a leaf from my hair and took my hand.

  I squeezed his hand to reassure him. "One day at a time."

  He stood, pulled me to my feet, and grabbed the football.

  Something about being at the edge of the woods made me think of what he'd told me last night. "Zach?"

  He looked at me curiously.

  "You haven't ever thought of killing yourself again, have you?" I swallowed hard. "Because if you ever need someone to talk to, you can always talk to me."

  His face became a mask. My heart pounded like I had really messed up.

  "I don't have clinical depression." He spoke calmly. "I never have. I had a trauma when I was little that scarred me and made me feel like I didn't deserve to live. I realized that day in the woods that I've been given my life for a reason. And there's no way I'm going to squander it."

  "Oh." I let out a sigh of relief and felt a smile blooming, knowing better than to press for more details, no matter how horrible and wild what I imagined might be.

  "To answer your question, I felt unworthy for so long, it became a habit. Sometimes those feelings come back. But I have ways to cope now." He grinned at me. "And even more reasons to go on." He put the football in the bag and handed me my sweatshirt.

  I pulled mine on at the same time he pulled his on.

  He slid the bag over his shoulder and we began walking back. He gave me a lopsided grin. "Any dark secrets you want to share with me?"

  I made a face. "My mom is coming to campus on Tuesday for a recruiting trip. She's eating lunch with me at the house. Does that count?"

  He laughed. "You were holding out on me. If that's the darkest secret you have, I have it easy." He looked at me, suddenly serious. "Do you want me to make myself scarce?"

  "No!" I decided without thinking. My original plan had been flat-out wrong, I realized. Why should I hide him? "I think you should meet her. Casually. If she meets you, she'll see how awesome you are and be happy when we eventually tell her how we feel about each other."

  He shot me a skeptical look. "Do you really think she's going to be happy you fell for the houseboy? From what I've gathered, that doesn't sound like your ultra-Double Deltsie mom to me."

  "You aren't going to be a houseboy forever," I said, evading his question.

  He put his arm around my shoulder. "And another thing—let's keep this football practice secret, too. Enjoying tackling and really loving sports isn't Double Deltsie behavior. It will ruin their rep."

  I shook my head and laughed.

  He grinned. "The perils of being the favorite pledge."

  "Someday someone is going to have to explain to me why I am."

  "That's easy," he said. "You're totally lovable."

  Chapter Fourteen

  Alexis

  Zach saved me a seat in class on Monday. The girls he had been sitting with shot me dagger looks, but I didn't care. Even though we had to keep things quiet, I was too deliriously happy to worry about the opinions of others outside of the house. Except for Mom's. Mostly because she held the purse strings and the power of parental disapproval over me.

  I was that desperately wanted child, the one my parents had tried for years to conceive. The one they went through round after round of fertility treatments and expense to get. I was the product of one weak egg that somehow made it through in vitro. And implanted. And lived. And thrived when the doctors said it was almost impossible for Mom to get pregnant and carry a child to term.

  Dad told me that was why I was so strong-willed and vital. That I had wanted to live so badly I defied every odd. I didn't know about that. I didn't feel so strong-willed now.

  I was the child of my parents' early middle age, born when they were in their early forties. I carried the weight of their posterity on my shoulders. As much as they loved me, they had also invested everything in me. Including their dreams.

  I had always done what they had asked. Carried their dreams forward, even going through recruitment and becoming a Double Deltsie because that's what they wanted. I even tried to be a good Double Deltsie. But more and more my dreams were diverging from theirs. Mostly because of Zach.

  Yet I knew if Mom and Dad met him, they would like him. If they could just get past him
being a houseboy, they would see he was everything they wanted in a guy for me.

  I was nervous on Tuesday as I waited for Mom to arrive at the house. I had put on my makeup and done my hair. Dressed in the right clothes. I looked full-on Double Deltsie. I hoped it was enough.

  I was sitting on the sofa in the living room when Mom walked in the door. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed her until she called my name and held her arms wide open for a hug.

  "Mom!" I ran to her.

  She hugged me and then held me at arm's length to look at me. "Gorgeous! Sorority life agrees with you. You are the perfect Double Deltsie."

  Only because I was trying to fool her, and everyone else, into thinking it. Only because I was trying to please her. Inside I was miserable and a fake.

  She looked around the house, beaming. Glowing with memories. Even though she was nearly sixty and gray-haired and it was almost impossible to picture her as a young, hot Double Deltsie, her rapturous expression gave a hint of it.

  "The place has changed." She inhaled deeply. "But it still smells the same."

  "Smells the same?" I frowned, skeptical. "Like what?"

  She laughed. "Like laundry soap, cleaning supplies, youthful perfume, and bodies. Like dust and old house and fresh paint. And salads and sandwiches and soup. Like being young." She shrugged. "It's a scent all its own. Unique and unmistakable."

  She took my arm. "Show me around! Show me the house! I have to see your room and what you did with it. We'll have to be quick, though. I only have an hour."

  I took her to my room and introduced her to Em, who had gradually been highlighting her hair until she was almost blond now. Mom looked around the room like she approved of it and Em.

  "I almost forgot," Mom said. "I brought you something." She pulled a velvet jewelry box out of her purse and watched me with rapt attention while I took it. "Open it!"

  I popped the lid, revealing a Delta Delta Psi necklace with a diamond glittering in the center. And yeah, it was a diamond, not cut glass or a crystal. And the chain was 14K gold. "It's…gorgeous. You shouldn't have." My heart fell at the sight of it. She was way too into this.

  "Nonsense! I ordered it the minute you accepted your bid. I was going to save it for Christmas, but I couldn't wait." She took the box from me. "Let me help you put it on."

  Em was sitting at her desk. She came over to admire it. "Wow! Awesome."

  I wished it were hers, not mine. I would give up it and the house for Zach.

  Mom beamed. Em joined us as I showed Mom the rest of the house. Mom told stories about just about every room in the place, sharing secrets I had never known about her. Throughout the tour I gave Mom, the other girls admired my necklace. And Mom beamed with pride.

  I ended the tour in the dining room. As we'd planned, Zach was working the lunch shift. Even though he was dressed casually, he was wearing a button-front shirt and had freshly shaved like he had fixed up for the occasion. My pulse raced. He was so smoking hot. And friendly and charming as the girls talked and joked with him.

  Mom had to see he was more than an ordinary houseboy.

  He was restocking the salad buffet when we came in. I grabbed a plate and led Mom through the buffet to where Zach was putting out a fresh bowl of grated cheese. I don't know how, but Mom seemed oblivious to him. Almost pointedly so. Even after Em started talking with him.

  Until I cleared my throat. "Mom, this is Zach. One of our four awesome house guys. No house tour is complete without meeting them. Zach, Mom."

  Mom's eyes narrowed, like she was taking stock of Zach. "Do you boys still live in the basement?"

  "Yes, ma'am." He smiled at her.

  She didn't extend her hand, just nodded curtly. "Another Double Deltsie tradition maintained. Nice to meet you, Zach." And then she moved on, like he was a server at a restaurant buffet and of absolutely no consequence unless she needed another helping of something.

  I was stinging at her snobbery. How could she not notice how extraordinary he was? I had to resist shooting Zach a look apologizing for her. It was so odd to be in this position. Mom was usually the queen of social graces, an absolutely smooth and charming hostess or guest. I felt the social slap she'd given Zach as if it had been a physical slap across my face.

  I was quiet as we took our salads to one of the tables and Em and I sat on either side of my mom. Mom didn't seem to notice as she ingratiated herself with my sorority sisters. Acting like she was one of them. And at the same time, reveling in her superior alum position. Talking about being on the national board and all the accomplished Double Deltsie alums she knew.

  We were going places. We were going to be big somethings. We shouldn't let anything, or anyone, particularly a boy, hold us back. I might have been super sensitive, but I thought she was making a particular point for my benefit.

  She held up the success of Amber Ranklin, a young alum, in Mom's opinion, anyway, who was the youngest university regent. Maybe they were just being polite, but Em and the other girls made a point of paying close attention, sucking up to Mom. Impressed by her accomplishments.

  And I thought, Crap, that's why I'm the top pledge. No one wants to tick Mom off.

  And so Mom's legacy continued.

  Zach walked past the table, carrying a fresh pot of soup to the buffet line. I couldn't help noticing the way his biceps bulged and how he was trying to ignore us. But I knew he had to be curious and wished he could sit and join us so I could really show him off. And Mom could get to know him.

  "Do the houseboys still cook Sunday breakfast?" Mom spoke loudly, like she wanted Zach to overhear. Like she was putting him in his place.

  Em responded. "Oh, yeah! Zach makes mean scrambled eggs with cheese. I look forward to Sundays just for them."

  "How nice," Mom said, still too loudly. "A boy who can cook." She made it sound like it was his only skill.

  Laurel and Sarah joined us, saving me from thoughts of telling Mom off. I introduced them to her. She sucked them into her circle, promising to use her connections in HR to help girls get key internships.

  I had set my phone on the table. When it buzzed, I glanced at it. A text from Dakota. Come to the date dash with me tomorrow?

  I ignored it.

  "Aren't you going to answer that?" Mom asked, taking a breath from talking with the other girls nonstop.

  "It's just a text." I shrugged like it was no big deal. The phone buzzed again. A second text. The pres has to set an example. You get a free T-shirt. It glows under black lights. Am I enticing you?

  "From whom?" she asked.

  Laurel leaned over my shoulder. "Dakota Bradley! President of Tau Psi," she said for Mom's benefit.

  I wanted to elbow her.

  Mom beamed, like this turn of events just kept making her happier and happier. She gave me a knowing look. "And? What does he want?"

  "Probably just wants to schedule a practice for our football team," I lied. I hadn't told her much about that, either. She wouldn't approve of me playing tackle football, even if it was for the sorority's charity.

  "Liar!" Sarah was sitting on the other side of me. She glanced at my phone. "He's practically begging to take you to the Tau Psi date dash tomorrow night. Hardhearted wench!"

  "The Tau Psis are having a date dash tomorrow?" Em perked up, looking excited, hopeful, and despondent at the same time.

  I knew that cocktail of emotions, waiting for a guy to call. Hoping he will. I hoped her Tau Psi crush would invite her.

  "Don't keep the boy waiting," Mom said. "Tell him you'll go."

  I shook my head. "Maybe later."

  "Don't be shy! You can text him in front of us. You are so lucky!" Laurel explained to Mom about how prestigious the house was and how gorgeous Dakota was. Like Mom didn't already know. "You can't say no."

  Kelly walked by just then. "No to who?"

  "Dakota asked her to the date dash tomorrow."

  I glared at Sarah for giving me up.

  "She's right. You can't say no," Kelly
said. "It's an unwritten rule. Dakota asking one of our pledges is, like, a huge honor. The frat president doesn't usually ask anyone to date dashes. Only the pledges are required to attend." She gave me an encouraging smile, beaming like she was incredibly pleased.

  I looked at them helplessly. Zach was clearing things behind us. I was sure he'd heard every word.

  "There's no good reason for you to refuse him." Kelly paused. "Unless you have a secret boyfriend we don't know about?"

  My heart felt like it fell into my stomach and landed with a crash. For a second, I thought Zach and I had already been found out. When I realized I was about to give us away if I didn't act, I smiled, shakily, and typed a response. A free T-shirt? How can I resist?

  Kelly and my mom broke into eerily similar proud smiles. Crap!

  After lunch, I walked Mom out, going all the way to the sidewalk with her. I thanked her for the necklace as I hugged her goodbye. "Hope your afternoon meetings go well. Have a safe trip home and kiss Dad for me."

  "Will do." She looked me in the eye. "Stay away from that houseboy. Zach," she said, catching me by surprise.

  I thought I had been pretty stealthy about my feelings for him.

  "I don't know what you mean." I put on the innocent act I had perfected during high school.

  "I think you do." She looked me in the eye. "That's why you introduced us." She took a deep breath. "He's a handsome boy, I'll give you that. Charming in his way. I can see how he'd catch your eye." She sighed. "Totally stupid of your house mom to allow such good-looking boys to live in. Trouble."

  She took me by the arms. "You're destiny lies with the house and a great life after college. Don't let a crush on a houseboy your freshman year mess that up. Give that frat president a fair shake, Alexis."

  I watched Mom walk off, feeling desperate and hopeless. Then I realized—there was a solution. I just had to be brave enough to grab it.