by C. R. Jane
I immediately started hanging up the few shirts I had bought and the white dress the cute girl had given me. Luckily there were hangers provided in the closet since I had almost nothing with me to help put together a dorm room. I put my one pair of jeans, and my underwear and bras in the dresser, and was basically done settling in. I needed new sheets for my bed since all I had were the rags that had been on my attic army cot, but it would have to wait until I had money coming in. I was going to have to start a job hunt the next day. I was hoping that I could get hired on as a hostess or a waitress somewhere close. I needed money desperately but it would have to wait until tomorrow. The exhaustion of coming down from the adrenalin rush of escaping from the Anderson’s house, traveling by bus for hours on end, and finally seeing New York City hit me all at once. I threw my worn blankets on my bed and laid face down without bothering to change or wash my face. I immediately drifted off, feeling safe for the first time in a very long time.
I woke up groggily who knows how many hours later, forgetting for a second where I was. A feeling of desolation hit me as I worried for a second that everything had been a dream and I was actually still in the attic. A quick look around
me reassured me though and I was able to lay back down and calm down. There was bright light coming in from the window. I must have slept through the afternoon and the night. I decided to go take a quick shower before I set out to job hunt. I grabbed my towel and the little bottles of soap, shampoo, and conditioner I had grabbed at a convenience store before getting to campus, and opened the door.
After locking my door, I spun around and ran straight into someone’s naked chest. Someone’s hard naked chest. I blushed, afraid to look up. “Are you okay?” the stranger asked with a hint of a southern accent. I finally dared to look up, passing faded blue sweatpants, then a set of yummy six pack abs, followed by a chiseled chest, until my eyes landed on the smirking face of the stranger. He was super attractive, definitely not as attractive as Damon Pierce, but who was? He had sun streaked blonde hair that was on the longer side, and twinkling brown eyes. Although he had a smirk on his face when I had first looked up, his expression had now changed to one of someone in astonishment. Maybe I had hit him harder than I thought? “I’m so sorry, I didn’t hear you behind me,” I replied, smiling softly. He cleared his throat before answering, “I think you running into me might be the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” he responded with a wink. I blushed. I definitely hadn’t flirted in a very long time, in all honesty maybe I never had. I decided to excuse myself and finish finding the restroom. As I turned to go he laid his hand on my shoulder.
“Wait, I’ve never seen you before, what is your name?” he asked. “Eva,” I replied. “Eva Taylor.” “Well Eva Taylor, my name is Eric. I’ll be a junior this year. I’m assuming you’re a freshman?” he asked. “Yes, I just got here last night,” I replied. “Do you need help looking around campus…” he began, before a door opened up behind him. A pretty girl
with long red hair, long thin legs, and pale skin stepped out wearing nothing but a cream sheet wrapped around her. “Are you coming back to bed Eric?” she asked, trying to be seductive. How awkward. He was in the hallway flirting
with me and he had clearly been with her all night. While his head was turned looking at the redhead to answer her I took the opportunity to hurry down the hallway and finally take my shower.
After taking the first shower in four years where I wasn’t being timed, I put my towel around me and opened the door, peeking through the crack to see if anyone was in the hallway. Seeing that the coast was clear I stepped out and headed to my room. Once back in my room I got changed into the black blouse I had purchased, which I hoped was job hunting appropriate, my one pair of jeans, and my black flats. I combed my hair out and then left it to air dry. It would dry in loose waves and wouldn’t need me to do anything with it to look presentable. Taking one last look around the room in satisfaction, I headed out to start my job search.
Chapter 9
A wave of humidity hit me as I stepped out of the dorm room. August in New York City was still hot and sticky, but I loved it. Walking down the steps I heard my name called. It was Eric. He was jogging quickly towards me. Stopping in front of me he ran a hand through the back of his hair and bashfully said, ”Sorry about earlier, Laura is a..friend…I was just visiting.” I smirked at him, hopefully with a look that asked if he thought I was stupid, and started walking down the path towards the entrance gates. “It’s no problem,” I said over my shoulder. “Have you had breakfast yet?” he asked hopefully, hustling to catch up to me. I stopped. I suddenly remembered I hadn’t eaten since I had a peanut butter sandwich yesterday morning. My stomach chose that moment to embarrassingly voice its protest. “I take that as a no?” he said with a laugh. “Can I take you to my favorite café down the street?” I thought for a moment. I wasn’t interested in dating, especially with someone who would flirt with one girl while outside the door of another girl’s room whom he had just finished sleeping with, but I was interested in making friends. I also didn’t know if my food card was activated yet to work in the dining halls since orientation didn’t start for two more days. “That would be lovely,” I finally replied. “Awesome,” he said, shaking his fist in what looked like an adorable kind of fist pump. I smothered my grin with a hand and waited for him to lead the way.
A five-minute walk off campus landed us at a charming café. I hadn’t been to an actual restaurant even before I lived with the Andersons since the foster family before that could barely afford their rent, let alone taking us out to eat. We were seated by a very attentive waiter on the patio under a large yellow and black striped umbrella. “What can I get you to drink,” he asked, staring at me with a strange smile. “Umm”, I looked at Eric, not knowing what to order. “The mocha lattes
are really good here, and the orange juice is fresh squeezed,” he answered helpfully with a smile. “I’ll get those,” I replied to the waiter. “Sounds good,” he said, turning to hurry off. “Dude, are you going to get my order,” Eric asked the waiter, annoyed. Red-faced, the waiter turned around, “Of course, sorry about that,” he responded.
After taking Eric’s order he once again hurried off, looking back at me once more and almost running into another waiter. Reddening further, he turned around again and walked around the corner out of sight. I turned my attention back to Eric, “Thank you for taking me to breakfast, this place is amazing,” I told him. His eyes softened. “It’s my pleasure Eva, I come to this place all the time,” he said sweetly. “You need to try their French toast. It comes with sweet butter and a caramel syrup, it’s what they are known for,” he exclaimed. I had been perusing the menu but I quickly closed it, that sounded wonderful. Mrs. Anderson had given me oatmeal or corn flakes when she did bother to give me breakfast, and I was pretty sure I would never want to eat either ever again. “I definitely want that,” I said grinning.
Over the most amazing food I had ever tasted, Eric attempted to ask me questions. I didn’t want to talk about my past so I tried to turn the questions back to him. He told me he had grown up in South Carolina (thus the reason for the twang I heard occasionally). He had moved to Massachusetts to attend boarding school in his freshman year of high school. His dad owned a lumber company, but was an avid football fan, and had wanted him to play in college desperately. Since Rothmore was the best, that was where he had to go. His prep school had been one of the top high school football programs in the country so transitioning to Rothmore had been easy. “I love it here,” he told me after eating the last bite of his French toast.
Seeming to realize I had kept him talking about himself the whole meal he asked, “What were your plans today before I kidnapped you for breakfast?” “Finding a job,” I replied, looking around at the café. “I wonder if they are hiring here.”
“Why do you want a job,” he asked, looking bewildered. I flushed. What was the right way to tell someone most likely extremely rich, th
at you were dirt poor I wondered? Probably noticing how uncomfortable I looked he quickly attempted to cover up his question. “You would kill it anywhere but you should get a job at Moxie,” he replied. “It’s the ‘it’ restaurant of the moment, and very pricey, which should mean good tips. My dad’s an investor in it, I’m sure I could get you hired there,” he stated confidently. “You would do that for me?” I asked, feeling a rush of hope and excitement. He smiled, looking off, and muttering something that sounded suspiciously like, “You have no idea what I would do for you.” At that moment the waiter stopped by, for what seemed like the millionth time of the meal. “We’re ready for the check,” Eric stated, definitely annoyed at the waiter by this point. “It’s on the house,” the waiter replied, at the same time slipping a folded piece of paper beside my hand. “Call me,” he winked, rushing off after hearing a growl come from Eric’s direction. I unfolded the note. In neat block letters was the name Sam, followed by a number. Eric snatched it out of my hand and put it in his pocket before standing up and grabbing my hand. “That guy was a creep,” he said angrily. “I’m going to complain.” “Oh please don’t,” I said anxiously. “It was such a nice meal, let’s just leave.” Staring at me for a moment, he tugged my hand and began to walk down the sidewalk. “Come-on, let’s go to Moxie and get you that job,” he said. I grinned and began to walk along beside him.
Chapter 10
(Damon)
With one last pump I let myself go, groaning with how good it felt. Opening my eyes I glanced down at the girl underneath me who looked quite satisfied with herself. I quickly pulled out and rolled off of her, sitting up on the side of the bed, and sliding my feet to the ground. I ran a hand over my face and through my hair before pulling the condom off and throwing it in the trashcan. A hand with long red fingernails slid down over my shoulder and scratched down my chest. I shrugged it off and stood up, hurrying to pull on my sweatpants. Why did I do this to myself? Sleeping with Selena was like sleeping with a viper. Pretty to look at, but comes with a vicious bite. She had been wanting me to make it official since I had been sleeping with her off and on for the past year, and hadn’t gotten the hint when I left with other girls right in front of her that it wasn’t going to happen. Selena was a good fuck, but left me hating myself every time I got with her. I needed to be done. There was definitely no future, not unless I wanted to be miserable for the conceivable decades ahead. I turned around to face the bed. “This is done,” I said brusquely.
Sticking her lips out in what she thought was an attractive pout she replied,” Damon, why would you say such a silly thing? We’re so good together.” I threw up a little in my mouth as I stared down at her. She had had the sheet pulled up to cover her breasts but had dropped it with that last comment. Probably trying to lure me in with her oversized fake breasts. It had worked in the past. She had long shiny black hair and hazel eyes. I had always thought she was hot, definitely even comparable to the movie actresses and models I had my choice to fuck. Staring at her now though she looked ugly. Ever since I had started dreaming of the girl, it
was impossible for me to even get aroused unless I imagined her the whole time I was fucking. I turned to go, frustrated. There’s no way this girl even existed, yet my thoughts were filled with her every second. I was obsessed with a dream. If she was real, I could just imagine how disgusted she would be seeing me right now. “See ya,” I muttered over my shoulder without answering her back. “Damon, come back here,” she bawked, sounding a bit panicked. I left, throwing the door closed behind me without another look back. Nothing was going to be good enough if I couldn’t get rid of these dreams. Nevertheless, even if the girl wasn’t real, it felt good to be done with Selena.
I hurried outside her dorm, pulling my hat down low in an attempt to hide from eager fans, or paparazzi. It was a fact of life that they would be lurking somewhere. I was Damon Pierce. Star prodigy quarterback. I had broken every high school record when I “suddenly” transferred into Belmont High for my senior year of high school. I had been recruited by every college in the country, ultimately picking Rothmore College as I had loved living in New York City through the decades. Mason had followed me, deciding it would be the base for his band. He was currently on a world tour but would be back in town in a few weeks in time for the annual football banquet and the first game of the year. Beckham was currently in France, filming a movie, but had decided to be based in LA for the time being so he could be close to the Hollywood scene. During the summers I would usually go stay with him and shoot a movie in between training for the upcoming season. I was a shoo-in (of course) for the NFL, but doing a movie or two a year was fun.
I texted my driver, Shelton, to come pick me up. I didn’t live on campus. Mason and I lived in a penthouse across from Central Park. It gave me separation from the hordes of fans and the groupies that were always trying to get into my pants. I heard my name yelled by a high pitched voice, just as Shelton pulled up to the curb in my black Bentley. “Perfect timing,” I told him with a grin as I slid
in before he could get out to open my door. “Hurry home.” “A short visit sir,” he asked with a question, looking back at me through the rear view window. Shelton had been with us since he was a young man and was more like family than anything else. Although getting up there in years, there was no one that I trusted more than him besides Mason and Beckham. He knew more of my secrets than I cared to think about. I rolled my eyes. “We won’t be “visiting”, anymore,” I replied.
Shelton quieted, giving me a somewhat searching look, before returning his gaze to the street in front of him. We were silent the rest of the way home. I had a call with a radio station in an hour, and then had practice this evening. What I needed to distract myself from the dream girl was a night out. As soon as Mason came back we would hit the clubs hard. I could always party with some of my teammates but the godlike reverence they often gave me got old after awhile, and it was just too easy to get all the girls when I was with them. At least it was a competition whenever I was out with Mason and Beckham. Girls just couldn’t decide which of us was their favorite. With this thought I exited the car with a grin and took the elevator up to the penthouse apartment. Walking into our apartment I couldn’t help but think to myself that I didn’t have a lot to complain about. Dream girl or not, life was pretty good.
Chapter 11
(Eva)
As he promised, Eric had gotten me a job as a waitress at Moxie. His dad must have held a lot of sway because they hired me on the spot. I felt out of place at Moxie. It was very posh, with dark navy blue walls and gold accents, and I could tell it catered towards the elite. I had told the manager, a short round man with rosy cheeks, that I had no experience but he had brushed my concerns aside. I would start training that very night with their most experienced waiter. “Are you excited?” Eric asked. “You know you don’t have to get a job, I could help you with whatever you need.” I blushed, I had known this guy for a few short hours and he was offering to give me money? “You are very sweet but I’ve always wanted a job, and I want to be self sufficient. Plus, you shouldn’t be offering money to perfect strangers. Didn’t your parents teach you that,” I told him with wink, trying to soften my tone.
He grabbed my hand and brought it to his lips. For some reason I immediately wanted to pull it away. I forced myself to hold still as he gave it a gentle kiss. I wanted Eric to be my friend, but he definitely seemed to want more. “I think I deserve your number after this morning, don’t you?” he asked with a grin, finally letting go of my hand. I laughed uneasily, “I actually don’t have a cell phone.” He looked at me incredulously. “How is that possible?” “The people I stayed with didn’t allow them,” I whispered reluctantly. “The people? Not your parents?” he pressed. “I would rather not talk about it,” I said more forcefully as I started to walk back to the college.
Thankfully he got the hint and changed the topic. I could tell by his pressing questions about my plans for the day that he wan
ted to spend the day with me, at least until he had
football practice, but I really wanted to be left alone so I could go to the library. I hadn’t had the freedom to go on a computer for anything not school related since before the Andersons, and I was desperate to try and catch up with things so I didn’t look like a fool when talking to other people.
People were bound to catch on to the fact that something was wrong with me if I never knew any pop culture references or current events. Feigning tiredness and wanting to rest before my shift that night, I finally got him to reluctantly leave by agreeing to have breakfast with him the next day. Waving goodbye I slipped into my dorm, bypassing the red head in the hallway that shot me an evil look, and then slipped out the back door of the dorm to head to the library.
Slipping into the library I couldn’t help but be amazed. There were floors upon floors filled with books and computers. There was a café, classrooms, and inside study rooms as well. I found a secluded corner behind a row of books that had a computer, and started surfing the web. I looked up the latest news stories, sports scores, and more details about Moxie. After reviewing things for a few hours I finally typed in the name I had been wondering about for months…Damon Pierce. Immediately the search engine pulled up thousands of hits. Who was this guy? What college student had this amount of coverage? Clicking on the first link, I scrolled through a Wikipedia page filled to the brim. Reading through it, it appeared that Damon Pierce was some kind of sports star, but not just any sports star, possibly the most famous sports star alive. Although just a sophomore he had already broken every high school and college record there was. In addition to his accolades on the field, it looked like he also had starred in some films, did modeling, and occasionally helped out with a band named The Riot. Going back to the main search page I perused some other sites. There were hundreds of fan sites dedicated to him and I couldn’t help but flush hotly at some of the pictures his fans had posted. He really was the most gorgeous man I had ever seen.