Hit the Wall (Blythe College)

by Paige, Rochelle

  I sat down and waited, glancing around the room and looking at all the family photos displayed on the walls. Ones of Jackson and Aubrey and their two older brothers at all stages of life, from baby to their high school graduations. Jackson was an adorable baby, but he looked a little awkward in his early teens. There were several of him looking sexy in some sort of martial arts gear closer to his age now. It was weird getting a peek into his life like this. Everything seemed so different than what I would have imagined from how he was on campus.

  I tapped a text out to Char so that she knew I had made it here safely and to let her know that I was waiting for Jackson’s dad to give me a ride home. Soon, my eyes started drifting shut since I was tired from a long day. Friday nights at the bar always wore me out since they capped off a full day of classes and kicked off the weekend for everyone else.

  I felt someone nudge my shoulder, and I blearily opened my eyes. “Hey, sweetie. Why don’t you just crash in Aubrey’s room for the night? She won’t mind, and I changed the sheets in there this week,” Jackson’s mom said.

  I was exhausted and could barely keep my eyes open. It was probably a good idea, so I simply nodded and followed her upstairs. I pulled my clothes off and threw on the oversized shirt she’d brought for me to sleep in. Crawling under the sheets, I pretty much passed out right away.

  When I woke up the next morning, I found a ton of messages from Char, who was pissed because I hadn’t made it back last night and had slept through her checking up on me. Her last one said that I’d better be okay or she was going to kick Jackson’s ass. I sent her a quick text letting her know I had just slept over instead of waiting up for Jackson’s dad and that I’d be back soon.

  I stumbled out of Aubrey’s room to look for a bathroom, feeling icky because I hadn’t washed up or brushed my teeth before I fell asleep. I barely made it five steps into the hallway before a door was flung open and Jackson stepped out wearing nothing but his underwear. His hair was all mussed from sleep and his eyes had a tired sleepy look to them right before they opened wide upon seeing me.

  “Fuck!” he swore before grabbing my arm and pulling me into his room. “I cannot believe that I brought a chick home to my parents’ house last night. What the hell was I thinking? Shit. My dad is going to fucking kill me.”

  I couldn’t help the giggle that escaped when I realized he had the totally wrong idea. “Jackson,” I started, attempting to interrupt him to let him know what had happened.

  “Sorry, babe, but I need to get you out of here before anyone knows you were here. I’m sure last night was fun, but I never bring girls back here. Ever. I don’t know what the hell happened last night or how much we had to drink. I had to have been out of my mind to do this though,” he continued as he searched the room for my clothes. “Look, I know this sounds harsh, but I can’t even remember your name.”

  “Jackson, stop. You’ve got it all wrong—” I tried again, but he ignored me a second time as he ran his hands through his hair and rubbed his eyes.

  “Yeah, I know what you’re going to say. Last night meant more than I realized and you want to see me again,” he said before looking at my bare legs, which were peeking out of the bottom of the shirt his mom had given me. “And maybe we can do this again at my frat house or your place. It must’ve been good for me to let you sleep in one of my favorite shirts,” he continued as he reached a finger out to lift the bottom of the shirt up.

  “Listen, you don’t I understand,” I argued as I pushed his hand away and grabbed the doorknob to get out of there.

  “Jackson,” we both heard his mom say from the other side of the door. “Are you feeling any better?” she asked right before the door swung open, knocking me into Jackson’s arms.

  “Shit!” he swore as he caught me.

  “Well, I guess that answers my question about you feeling better. If you’re up to bothering Kaylie already, then you must not have come down with anything serious last night,” she carried on as though she hadn’t heard Jackson swear. “Kaylie, dear, I washed your clothes so you’d have something clean to change into this morning. Everything’s waiting in the bathroom for you.”

  “Wait, what?” I heard Jackson say as I escaped his bedroom as quickly as I could, mortified that he’d seen me looking like this and worried that his mom might get the wrong idea after seeing me in there with nothing on but his shirt.

  And it wasn’t like it had even been my fault. He’d dragged me in there and wouldn’t listen to a word I’d said. Geesh, how many one-night stands did a guy have had in order to assume that the girl he saw in his parents’ hallway was some random chick he’d brought home with him? I got that I was dressed in his shirt and he didn’t remember most of last night because he had been sick. But come on. That was one hell of an assumption to make.

  I showered as fast as possible and was happy to be back in my own clothes. Hopefully his dad was up and ready to take me back to campus because I really didn’t want to face Jackson again after what had just happened. I slowly pulled the door open and peeked in the hall, relieved to see that his door was closed. Rushing downstairs, I headed for what I assumed was the kitchen based on the noise I could hear from there.

  As I rounded the corner, I bumped straight into what felt like a very warm brick wall. I glanced up and straight into laughing blue eyes. I swear to God, I had the worst luck possible with this guy.

  “Hey,” I greeted Jackson as I backed away.

  “We’ve got to stop running into each other like this,” he answered. “You in your pajamas at Sasha’s door. Me almost ready to pass out at the bar. You in my favorite shirt outside my door. Me waiting to apologize to you for acting like an ass this morning.”

  “Wow. When you put it that way, it sounds really bad, doesn’t it? How about we just skip past all that and your dad can give me a lift back to my dorm?”

  “No can do. My parents would be pissed if I let you run off without breakfast,” he said, waving me toward the kitchen table, where scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast were already waiting. “Besides which, my dad has already left for the bank. So you’re stuck with me for a ride home. My mom will be down in a second, but she has an appointment she needs to get to.”

  I sat down at the table, stumped by how I would get out of this. I was a nervous eater, so I filled my plate up as I snuck glances at Jackson.

  “You don’t have to look so thrilled at the idea of me giving you a ride home,” he complainedas he piled eggs and toast on his own plate.

  “Maybe I’m still waiting for that apology that you mentioned earlier. The one you owe me for being an ass when you assumed I was some booty call that you had to sneak out of your parents’ house before anyone saw me?” I whispered since I could hear his mom coming down the stairs and didn’t want to embarrass myself any further with her.

  “I’m so glad to see you both eating,” his mom said as she walked into the kitchen. “Jackson, you look none the worse for wear after feeling so ill last night. It’s a good thing that your immune system is so disgustingly strong or you’d be down for days with the bug that’s going around.”

  “It didn’t seem so good last night with the way I felt,” he complained.

  “Well then it’s a good thing Kaylie was there to rescue you, isn’t it?” she reminded him before turning to me. “Thanks again for bringing him home last night. I’m sure it wasn’t easy talking him into letting you help, especially since it meant you drove that beastly truck of his.”

  “I think he was just sick enough to listen to reason without putting up too much of a fight,” I said.

  “That’s good to hear. I hope you don’t mind that we’ve asked Jackson to give you a ride back to your dorm. My husband had an early morning meeting, and I need to run or I’m going to be late. And since he’s apparently going to be heading in the same direction, it seemed to be the perfect solution.”

  “That will be fine, Mrs. Silver,” I said. “Thanks for making me breakfast. I don’t get to have
a home-cooked meal like this very often.”

  “Oh, please call me Megan. You just saved my Jackson from what could have been a disastrous night and are friends with Aubrey from what she told me when she let me know you were on your way over. And you’re more than welcome to come over any time you want a nice meal, sweetie.”

  “My mom really should have had more kids with the way she keeps trying to adopt all of the ones we bring home,” Jackson joked.

  “That’s a good thing. You remind me of my roommate’s mom. She’s always so welcoming whenever I go to visit.”

  “Thank you, Kaylie. That’s quite a compliment. I only wish Jackson appreciated me a little bit more,” she teased him as she poured us both a glass of orange juice.

  “You know I think you’re the best, Mom,” Jackson said as he jumped up to give her a quick hug.

  “And don’t you forget it!” she replied. “Speaking of forgetting, I hope you remembered to thank Kaylie for her help and to apologize for scaring her this morning. The poor girl had just woken up in a strange house and the first thing that happens is she’s accosted by my cranky boy in the hallway.”

  I giggled at her comment, happy to hear that she didn’t think poorly of me after finding us in Jackson’s room. “Nope, he hasn’t actually gotten around to that part yet,” I said. “He’s mentioned owing me an apology, if that helps any.”

  “Oh, you’ll get your apology. Don’t worry about that. And a thank-you for all of your help,” he said with a gleam in his eye that I just didn’t trust.

  “Perfect! Now I need to head out or else. I hope this isn’t the last time I get to see you, Kaylie,” she said as she bent down to give me a quick kiss on the cheek. “And you better behave, Jackson. Don’t go making her think that your mom didn’t raise you right.”

  “Even if he doesn’t, I already know you raised Aubrey right, so it will only reflect badly on Jackson and not you,” I joked as she walked out the door.

  “If you’re friends with Aubrey, how come I haven’t seen you around before?” Jackson asked between bites of his breakfast.

  “We’ve only really gotten to know each other recently. We have a dance class together.”

  “And does my sister know you’re also friends with Sasha? Because I’m pretty sure that would go over with her like a lead balloon,” he said, picking up his plate to take it to the sink. He gestured at my empty one and grabbed it on the way.

  “I never said I was friends with Sasha,” I pointed out as I helped him clear the rest of the table. “She’s just my neighbor at the dorm.”

  “Well aren’t you just a good girl then?” he asked. “You run to the rescue of someone who I’m sure is the neighbor from hell and you help strange guys make it home to their parents when they get sick in the bar.”

  “I didn’t run to Sasha’s rescue. I came over to ask you guys to keep it down so I could get some sleep and stayed when I realized that it was never going to happen anyway until you left,” I argued.

  “And do you pick up strangers in bars often?”

  “You weren’t a stranger, Jackson,” I reminded him. “And I didn’t pick you up.”

  “You got in my truck, came to my house, and slept in my shirt. Seems pretty damn close to picking me up in a bar. We just missed out on the really good parts.”

  “No, the really good part is going to be you thanking me and apologizing for accosting me in the hallway before you take me back to the dorm, where I can pretend this morning never happened.”

  “Hmmmm,” he murmured. “I think I can do better than a half-assed apology like that. What kind of brother would I be if I didn’t treat a friend of Aubrey’s right? I’ll just have to think of something on the ride back. You ready to go?”

  “Yes, absolutely! Please, let’s go right now!”

  CHAPTER 4

  Jackson

  I wasn’t sure what to think about this Kaylie chick. I’d thought she was hot when I’d thrown Sasha’s door open and found her standing on the other side, glaring at me in her pajamas. The fact that I’d even noticed her in the middle of that clusterfuck was kind of a surprise. Then, when I realized it was her legs I was staring at from underneath my t-shirt this morning, I swear I was tempted to toss her on the bed and bury my cock deep inside her. No way in hell was I actually going to do it, but I was pissed at the thought that I might have gotten wasted enough to bring her to my parents’ house and then not been able to remember anything about the whole night.

  When my mom explained what had really happened, I wasn’t sure if I should be relieved that I hadn’t gotten in her panties the night before or frustrated because that meant I might have blown my chance to get in them after how I’d acted this morning. Which didn’t make sense because I usually couldn’t care less who ended up in my bed as long as they followed the rules while they were there. I liked being in charge, in control. Only she’d seen me at some of my worst moments lately, and now the tables were turned. She had the power because she’d done me a favor when I needed it.

  I glanced over to see Kaylie looking out the window. She seemed pretty immune to my charm. That alone was enough to make me interested in her, since all the other girls on campus seemed so easy to get into bed. Or maybe she had decided that I was a total douche since she’d seen me yelling at Sasha and then I’d treated her like shit this morning. My mom was right, dammit. I did owe her an apology and a thank-you. And one of the things I really hated was owing anyone anything.

  “So what exactly happened last night?” I asked to get her attention.

  “Nothing bad. Char thought she’d over-served you, but I realized you were sick. I sent Aubrey a text and she thought it would be best if I drove you back to your parents’ place. It was late, I was really tired, and your mom suggested that I spend the night. You were awake and alert for everything after that,” she listed out for me.

  “And you drove my truck?”

  That question caught her attention, and she turned in her seat to face me. “Yup. I think that was the best part. You didn’t seem too happy to give up the car keys at first, but you were feeling so bad that you just climbed in and fell asleep while I was driving, baby boy.”

  “That’s pretty bold, using my mom’s nickname for me. You sure you want to go there?” I asked.

  She laughed at my warning. “I don’t know, Jackson. Are you going to call me little girl anymore? Because even when you were sick you still managed to call me that. Turnabout is fair play and all that.”

  “See, now that’s where you’re wrong. I’m not really into being fair. I like the odds stacked in my favor.”

  “I guess it’s just too damn bad for you that they aren’t then,” she teased.

  “That’s the nice thing about odds, Kaylie. They can change at any time.”

  “It doesn’t mean they will shift into your favor though,” she pointed out.

  “Is that a challenge?” I asked, sorely tempted to prove to her that I could come out on top with this thing that was simmering between us. Because I certainly wouldn’t mind getting literally on top of her. She was a tempting sight riding next to me, even in her Roost t-shirt and jeans with no makeup on. There was just something about her that pulled me in.

  “Nope,” she answered.

  “That’s it? You don’t have anything else to add?” Usually girls prattled on endlessly, trying to get my attention.

  “Yeah,” she said before pointing to the left. “You’re gonna want to turn here for my dorm. Just in case you forgot.”

  Damn, she cracked me the fuck up. She really didn’t seem to care what she said, how she looked, or if I was flirting with her.

  “No backseat driving allowed in my truck, Kaylie.”

  “I’m not even in the back seat. Besides, that was navigating,” she said with a big grin on her pretty face.

  “Smartass. I know where your dorm is.”

  “Better a smartass than a dumbass,” she giggled.

  I couldn’t help but laugh at her
comment. “I don’t think I’ve heard it put that way before, but I guess it’s true,” I said as I pulled into the parking lot.

  “That’s what my dad used to always say to my mom when she got sassy with him,” she whispered. She’d turned back to look out the window again, her arms wrapped around her body.

  “Used to?” I asked, startled by how fragile she suddenly looked. The sassy girl from a moment ago had disappeared in a blink of an eye with the mention of her parents.

  “Yeah,” she answered, not offering any more details.

  I parked in front of her dorm and twisted my body so I was facing her before unlocking the doors so she could get out. “Well then I better not be a dumbass anymore. Because I’m pretty sure that’s what you think I am.”

  That seemed to startle her back to the present. “Not at all!”

  “Okay, how about a douche then? You didn’t have to come to my rescue last night, but you did. And I appreciate it. The last thing you deserved after helping me out was me jumping to the wrong idea about what happened and trying to kick you out before anyone else saw you. I’m sorry about that by the way.”

  “It’s okay. I get that you were really out of it last night and didn’t know what was going on this morning,” she said, completely willing to let me off the hook.

  “No, it’s not okay. I would want to kick someone’s ass if they treated Aubrey like that after she helped them out. Then again, I’d probably kick hers first for driving off with a guy she didn’t really know.”

  “I’d love to see you try to kick Aubrey’s butt for doing whatever she wants.”

  “Oh, trust me. My little sis knows just how far she can push me. But that’s beside the point. I owe you one, and I want to pay you back. How about dinner?” I asked.

  Kaylie’s jaw just about dropped at my offer. “Ummm, I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Jackson,” she said.