Pushing Limits (Fighting Love: Book 1)

by cross, kali

  “Are you ok?” she asks. Her green eyes fill with concern. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  “No, it’s ok. I’m fine.” I flash my best reassuring smile.

  “Do you want to talk about it? I have a solid shoulder here,” she says, patting her shoulder with a supportive smile.

  “I better finish up here. I still have to get my clothes put away. I’m exhausted.”

  “You sure? My Gran always taught me to lend a kind ear to anyone I meet.” Her kind eyes urge me to get whatever is bothering me off my chest.

  But, how do I know you won’t spread it all over the dorm? “I guess I’m homesick, that’s all. I’ll shake it off.” I smile.

  “Well, it was nice meeting you. I’ll let you get back to it.” She smiles politely. “I’ll see you around.” Pulling the door closed with a slight wave, leaving a soft baby powder scent in her wake.

  Staring back down at the picture in my hands, I notice Angela’s happy face for probably the hundredth time, her dark hair curling around her cheeks in perfect tendrils. Her arm tossed casually over my shoulders as she towered over me. Smiles lit our faces. The day was perfect.

  Angela knew about my relationship with my family. She knew it was a sure bet, if not a certainty, that my Dad would forget my birthday altogether. My Mom would call late into the night to leave a message on my cell wishing me a happy birthday because of this dinner or that meeting. And that only Arthur and Elise would be home to celebrate with me, as usual. But, she went out of her way to make sure I had the perfect birthday. She was like that….sweet, thoughtful, kind.

  Placing the picture back on the nightstand, I sigh. Forcing myself up, I finish unpacking and wish for the millionth time she was here with me.

  ***

  As we walk in to the chancellor’s office, Tommy is walking out. “Hello, Ladies. Here to see Ms. Chadwick?” He’s still in his uniform but sans the shades. His eyes twinkle as he smiles down at me. God, he is smokin’.

  “Yeah, I have to get my schedule.” I say, trying to look up into his sparkling blue eyes, and failing miserably. My boot has become a sudden fascination.

  “I came by to drop off the keys to the Towne car.” He lightly lifts my chin up so he can see my face. I freeze from the contact, as the heat rushes to my face. He slides his finger across my chin before releasing it. So casual, almost unnoticeable, but I feel a connection lingering after he let’s go.

  Man, I need to get laid...and preferably by him. Damn.

  The office chick gives us a snotty look and says snidely, “Can I help you?”

  “We are here for a three o’clock appointment with Ms. Chadwick. Can you please let her know we are here?” Aunt Patty states, giving her an exaggerated, cold look.

  “Well, I’ll let you ladies go. She doesn’t like to be kept waiting.” He smiles wide enough to show his dimples. “Amber, I was serious about showing you around. Here’s my number.” He hands me a slip of paper, and I shove it in my jeans.

  “Uh, thanks, Tommy. I’d like that.” I smile shyly, still struggling to make eye contact. I am such a nerd!

  “See you later, Lily.” Tommy smiles and waves at the blond ice princess.

  “Later, Tommy.” Her lips curve into a sunny smile. Looking back at my aunt and me, all the warmth fades from her eyes as she says, “I’ll show you back to the chancellor’s office.”

  As we walk back, Aunt Patty nudges me with her elbow, smiling her encouragement. Sighing, I roll my eyes. But inside? I do a secret little happy dance.

  ***

  The meeting with the chancellor was quick. The meeting consisted of an introduction and getting my schedule. Ms. Chadwick tried to give me a hard time about my low GPA but Aunt Patty stood up for me. That was a shocker.

  Lily is waiting for us as we leave the chancellor’s office. As we walk to the foyer, she stops and hands me brochures and reading materials for the school, treating me to one last sneer topped off with an eye roll. She’s mildly polite to my aunt but not overly so. My aunt and I exchange glances and turn to walk out of the office.

  As we walk to the exit door, my aunt leans into me saying, “Well, I sure hope most of the girls at this school aren’t bitches like her.” Aunt Patty chuckles.

  “Yeah, I hope so, too,” I mutter. We walk to the dorms in silence. As we walk up the stairs to the doors of Collin Hall, I ask, “Did you ever wish you had gone back to school after you left your husband?” I never knew my uncle. He was out of the picture when I was still a toddler.

  Pausing as she reaches for the door handle, she says, “I would have like to have gone back to college, but your grandmother was a stubborn woman. When she told me she was cutting me off, she meant it. Even after I left Larry, she stood her ground. I didn’t have the money, and I had to support myself.” Her lips spread into a thin line. “I was the black sheep of the family - such a cliché,” she says, grimacing, pushing the door with unexpected force, “...but that’s what I was. Even though I struggled to find a job, she told me I wasn’t getting one penny from her. Not many people wanted to hire a kid with no skills and no college education. It was her way of punishing me for defying her.”

  Her eyes scanned the lobby, not focusing on anything in particular, a bitter scowl crossing her face. “Your grandmother was one callous bitch.”

  “I guess Mom learned from the best.”

  “You said it.” Her eyes narrow as she straightens her back. “I didn’t let anyone stop me from getting an education. It took a while, but I finished. You were probably too young to remember. I think you were about six or seven when I graduated.”

  As we cross the lobby, we both fall strangely silent. Stopping abruptly, she turns to me, “Amber, what are you going to sleep on? You have no linens.” She shakes her head, giving herself a playful slap on the cheek. Heading for the receptionist desk, she asks the attendant, “Is there a mall nearby or do we need to arrange for a car?”

  “There’s a mall on the east end of campus. It’s a short walk from here. They have everything…Neiman Marcus, Saks, Macy’s, the whole nine yards. There’s also a Target across the street from the mall. Here’s a map.”

  “Great, let’s go do some damage with your mom’s credit card,” she says with a hint of mischievous glee.

  “Sounds good to me.” Hell, that’s the least my mom can do.

  ***

  We pile everything on the open bed, and I collapse on top of it. Her amused face shifts into a sarcastic smile. “Tired?” She chuckles.

  “Exhausted. I never bothered much with shopping in the past. I was either in uniforms or it was easier to let Mom get what she wanted. She always returned half of what I picked out anyway.” I snort.

  “Well, my work is done. I’ll let you get to bed. I better head over to the hotel. The plane is leaving early in the morning.” Her earnest stare was unwavering. “Amber, I want you to call me if you need anything. Anything at all. Don’t worry, I’ll handle your mom.” She smiles broadly. “Try to have fun! Meet new people, get wasted, sleep around…let loose! You are far too serious for your own good.” Her pale green eyes crinkle at the corners. Hugging me tightly, she whispers, “I love you, hon.”

  My arms squish against my sides in her embrace. I raise my hands in an awkward pat on her back. I want to hug her back but I can’t, not yet anyway. It’s too soon. When she finally pulls away, I offer, “Have a safe trip back to Ohio.” I flash a conciliatory smile and walk her to the elevator.

  I walk into my room and plop down on the bed. To say the day was eventful would be an understatement. But instead of going over and over the drama from the last two days, getting angry all over again like I usually do, I push it out of my mind. New beginnings. I hope so.

  My mind eventually drifts to Tommy. His sapphire eyes are amazing and the dimples turn me to jelly. He sure is hot. I wonder what his lips would feel like, on mine. My mind drifts to wondering what they would feel like down there, too. Where did I put my rabbit?


  I scrub my face and put on my usual shorts and tank, snuggle into my bed to review my schedule. I am signed up for the basic curriculum – math, English, history, tennis, and political science. Tennis throws me. I can’t believe she signed me up for my favorite sport. I didn’t think she remembered. I’m surprised it’s not ballet or some shit. Shit, who am I kidding? Aunt Patty selected all my classes.

  Around midnight, I settle into my comfy pillows with my new down comforter and drift off to sleep dreaming of gorgeous men with penetrating blue eyes.

  ***

  The door crashes open. The lights flash on. “What the fuck?” I rub my eyes trying to focus.

  In walks a tall, blond, “Helen of Troy” supermodel. Her blinding smile stuns me. Laughing, she staggers as she bubbles excitedly, “Hey Roomie!”

  Chapter 3

  “Hi, I’m Sally Westin, your new roommate,” she says giggling and swaying in front of my bed. “You’re Amber Turner, right?” She squints, struggling to make out the alarm clock on the nightstand. “Wow, is it really one a.m.?” Shrugging, she goads me. “Wake up, wake up.” She raises a bottle, “I brought Tequila and limes, or as my brother calls it, Ta-kill-ya.”

  She shuffles to the kitchenette without even a slight interest in any objection I might have. Her short skirt sashaying as she moves. Banging the bottle down as she bumps into the table, she laughs, holding her finger to her puckered mouth, “Shhhh.” Pulling a lime from the bag on the counter, she grabs a salt shaker, pulls out the cutting board, and takes a knife from the drawer. Toeing off her ankle boots, she kicks them to the corner. Her feet glow with hot pink neon socks.

  Her face lights up. “We need music.” Running to her dropped bag, she pulls out her phone, scanning her music. Looking up from the floor, she asks, “What kind of music do you like?”

  My hands wash over my face as I try to come alive from a dead sleep. “Uh, older or newer stuff?”

  “This isn’t a pop quiz, sweetie. Never mind. I got this.” LMFAO blares from her phone. She moves, getting into the music as if she’s forgotten I’m in the room. She dances over to her rolling suitcase deposited on the floor by the empty bed, opens it, and extracts two shot glasses. She smiles, looking down at her collection of brightly colored glass in awe. Looking up at me with a sheepish grin, shrugging offhand, she says, “I like shot glasses.” Standing up, with a slight sway, she recovers and dances back to the kitchenette.

  She wobbles as she pours two shots and glances at me. I wave at her from my bed. Giggling, she takes a short dash, sliding on the hardwood floor. Her hands stick out like a surfer for balance, stopping only when she knocks into my bed. Clutching my hands, she pulls me up. “Get up. Come on.” Once on my feet, she pulls my hand, nudging me to the table, “Have a drink with me.”

  Her contagious energy takes me along for the ride. She brought Patron silver…cool.

  Saddling up to the table, we sit and settle down to the business of taking shots. Licking my hand, I shake on the salt. Burning the entire way down, the liquor warms my stomach in an instant as I finish the shot off with the sour lime. It’s smooth…really smooth. My first shot, thankfully, is enough to get me going. Sally follows taking a shot.

  “So, tell me about yourself,” she says, pulling her ponytail out, her blond hair cascades down her back like she’s in a shampoo commercial.

  “Not much to tell, really.” I shine her off, eyeing the empty shot glass. I don’t know about this. I’m not much of a drinker. My stomach does a slow turn.

  “Come on! We’re going to be living together. There’s not much to tell?” She eyes me with a skeptical look. “Ok, I’ll start. I’m from Birmingham, Alabama. I went to school in Bama last year, but I needed to get away, so I applied here. I’m undecided right now. I’m trying to get all my gen Ed classes out of the way. My family wants me to major in public relations, but I love fashion. I’d like to incorporate the two, but I need to sit down with my advisor on how to do that. I doubt my dad will go for it anyway. I’ve been here for one semester. I roomed with another girl last term but that didn’t work out, so now I’m here.” She smiles, “Ok, your turn.”

  “I’m from Chicago. I spent last year there, and now I’m here. I got here yesterday,” I say with a shrug.

  Sally pours two more shots. “You’re going to make me pull it out of you, aren’t you?” She says with a smirk. “Ok, why did you leave Chicago?”

  Licking my hand, I shake on some salt. I study the glass, hesitating or pondering, I’m not sure which. The subtle scent of agave and citrus caress my nostrils. Hell, it’s been too long since I got my drink on…what the fuck. Slamming the shot, I suck the lime for all it’s worth. The liquid warms my stomach and loosens my tongue. What the fuck. Why exactly do I care if anyone knows my mom is a bitch? “My mom threw me out. Well, she didn’t really throw me out. She shipped me off to another school again. I’ve been in boarding school ever since I was six. I came home for the first time last year. I thought I was coming home was so we could be together as a family – my parents and I – turns out, she merely needed me to smile and wave for photo ops while she ran for office.” I demonstrate my best beauty pageant wave to an imaginary crowd.

  “Wow, your mom sounds like a bigger bitch than mine. My sole purpose in the family is to marry well.” She lifts her nose like a Queen looking down on her subjects. “My brother, on the other hand, is the heir apparent. The sun rises and sets on him, as far as my dad is concerned. You would think in this day and age, a dad would be interested in both his son and daughter when it came to the family business. But not my dad, he’s old school. My contribution to the family is to marry someone from a good family and spew out the babies.” She imitates what I am sure is her father with a frown, tapping her fist on the table. “A proper business merger.” She giggles, putting a finger to her mouth sarcastically feigning a questioning stare, “Funny…they didn’t bother to check and make sure I was hetero when they mapped out my life.” She laughs out loud, her chocolate brown eyes twinkling.

  “You’re gay?” I ask surprised.

  “Yeah. Do you have a problem with that? If you do-” she says, rising to leave.

  “-N-no,” I say, gesturing for her to sit back down. I shrug. “It’s cool….really.” I sneer and roll my eyes. “My parents sent me down to find a husband, too. They want a degree, but I think they could care less if it was in basket weaving or nuclear engineering. Marrying well is my primary objective as far as my mom’s concerned. That is so fucked up.”

  “Yeah, someone needs to tell them it’s not 1955.” Sally pours a couple more shots. This one goes down easier…much easier…I can feel the buzz.

  “What’s your mom like?” I ask.

  “She’s your typical lady who lunches. She spends her day getting spa treatments, shopping, getting drunk with her friends, but calling it ‘lunching’, and banging the latest tennis or golf pro.” She walks over to the kitchen counter to grab another lime. As she grabs one, she places her finger on her chin, her eyes cock to the side, and sinks into a deep curtsy saying, “She’s a model southern belle.” Giggling, she slams down into her seat. “Whoa, I almost fell on my ass.” She laughs and shifts in her seat. “So, do you have a boyfriend or a girlfriend, or both? No judgment,” she raises her hand, “but I appreciate it when someone doesn’t automatically ask if I have a boyfriend.”

  “I had a girlfriend for a bit.” I explain. “Angela. She was great…really cool. And beautiful. She was fucking gorgeous. Tall, she had the most creamy mocha skin. Super athletic. She ran every chance she got. Her hair was really pretty. She had long curly chocolate brown hair. When she wore it down, it fell right above her ass. Stunning. And she had the most piercing dark brown eyes - They were almost black. When she looked at you, it almost felt like her eyes could burn right through to your soul, seeing you for who you really were. She was intense.”

  “Bad break-up?”

  “Nope, she died.” Grabbing the Patron bottle, I pour us two more
shots. I lick my hand, shaking the salt, yanking the shot back, and slamming the glass on the tabletop. All in an attempt to fill the silence with some kind of noise.

  “Wow. I’m sorry.” Her eyes darken with sadness as she reaches to squeeze my hand.

  “It’s ok, really.” I move my hand and pour another set of shots. “I've had a few boyfriends, too. I like the person, ya know? I don’t give a shit if it’s a girl or a guy. I guess you could call me an equal opportunity lay.” I smile trying to reassure her that it really is ok. I toast to ambiguity, and slam my shot, forgetting about the salt and lime. Leaning in, I say, “My first love was Josh Sanford. He crushed my heart when I was eleven.” I giggle eager to clear that pitiful look off her face. Her iPhone shuffles to another song. “Ooo, I love this song!” Jumping up, I turn it up and rock out to “I love Rock and Roll.”

  Sally heads to the cabinets to search for munchies, her hips swaying to the music. “Damn it. No food. Oh, well.” Closing the empty cabinet, she sings the chorus with me at the top of her lungs. We dance like lunatics, jamming and singing to Joan Jett.

  “So, do you have a girlfriend?” I ask, collapsing into my chair. Licking my hand and shaking salt on it, I toss back another shot.

  “Nah, I’m not the settling-down type. At least not now.” Her face lights up. “It’s college! Who wants one dish when you are in front of an entire smorgasbord?” She winks as she salts her hand, slamming a shot, yelling, “Oh yeah!” I’m right behind her, sucking greedily on the lime. “How about you?”

  “Well, I met this guy today that was really hot.” My voice sounds almost wistful, what the fuck is that all about? Shaking my head, I say, “He’s way out of my league in the looks department, though. I think he’s older, too…Nice to look at, though. Tall, dark curly hair, stunning blue eyes, nice ass.” Leaning in and cocking my brow, I slur, “Damn nice. Muy caliente.” Shrugging, I say, “Hey, it took my mind off things at home.”