I shake my head, ignoring the catch in my breath.
Out of every school in the United States of course I’d choose the one Mascen Wade attends. I haven’t paid enough attention to his name on the online gossip sites or I probably would’ve known it. I wish I would’ve, so I could’ve been prepared. Though, even if I’d known it’s not like I’d have been expecting this encounter.
None of it matters now anyway. I’ll be attending school with my old friend, who now looks at me like I’m an enemy and there’s nothing else to it. I’ve endured worse. I won’t let this unexpected hiccup ruin my newfound independence.
“Rough night?” Kenna asks when I walk in, sitting up on the couch and tossing her tabloid on the coffee table. She looks surprisingly well-rested and not at all hungover like me.
“I don’t even remember it,” I grumble, locking the door behind me. “I’m going to shower.” And to brush my teeth ten times.
I keep replaying my short conversation with Mascen over and over, getting angrier each time, especially over him forcing me to give the shirt back. What kind of dick head asshole does that?
Him, obviously.
The look in his eyes—the anger—was nothing like my old friend. I haven’t seen him in a decade, a lot happens in that time, but maybe it’s selfish of me to think I’m the one that should be angry. My whole life imploded and he’s been nothing but spoiled by his rich parents, wanting for nothing. He’s never had to work a day in his life, but he looked at me like I stole something from him.
“Ugh,” I groan out loud, grabbing clothes from my dresser.
Locking myself in the bathroom I shower quickly, washing away the smell of the bar and alcohol from my skin. After drying my hair I quickly braid it and change into my shorts, black t-shirt, and black combat boots.
Stumbling out of the bathroom, I look at Kenna still sitting on the couch.
“Where’s Li?” I ask.
“She went to get coffee. We’ll meet her for orientation.”
“Orientation,” I mutter, silently cursing myself since I’d forgotten. I press a hand to my forehead that’s still throbbing with the residue of last night’s antics. “When do we need to go?”
“Uh…” She picks up her phone, eyeing it. “We should leave in the next ten minutes.”
I nod, turning back to the bathroom and grabbing the Ibuprofen bottle. I shake two of the teal colored liquid gels into my palm and swipe water from the fridge, gulping down the pills. I know I need to get something into my stomach so I pop a piece of bread into the toaster and butter it when it’s done.
“Let’s go,” I say, leaving a trail of crumbs behind me to clean up later as I munch on the toast.
Kenna hops up from the couch, following me out and down the hall. Instead of taking the elevator I opt for the stairs. Kenna groans about that, but doesn’t stop to wait for it either.
After having to ask a random student for directions, Kenna and I finally find where we need to go and spot Li waiting outside the building, a coffee cup cradled in her hand as she waves us over.
Orientation takes forever, and afterwards we’re shuffled off to have pictures taken for student IDs, receiving the laminated cards moments later.
“I can’t believe classes start in two more days.” Li looks mildly terrified by her own words. It’s Friday now with school starting Monday. I have to agree with her. I think a part of me hasn’t accepted yet that I’m really and truly here. I might need to pinch myself just to check that this is real and not a dream.
“What did you think you were here for?” Kenna asks, looping her arm through Li’s.
I do the same with her other arm.
We met less than twenty-four hours ago, but we’ve clicked easily. It’s more than I could’ve hoped for.
The three of us stop at a place on campus for breakfast before heading separate ways.
I spend the day exploring campus, familiarizing myself with the various buildings I’ll need to go to for class.
I’m on my way back to the dorm when I hear my name yelled at me.
Pausing, my head swings from side to side, looking for the source.
I spot Cole’s tall form striding across the sidewalk toward me.
In no time, thanks to his long legs, he’s standing in front of me. I didn’t realize it last night but the guy is a giant, probably six-foot-six, maybe more.
“I didn’t see you this morning.”
“Oh, yeah.” I bite my lip, blushing. “I had to … um … go.”
“I felt bad I didn’t get to say goodbye.” He shoves his hands in the pockets of his jeans. Again, I’m struck by the unique hue of his amber eyes. “I was having lunch with my friend,” he motions over his shoulder and I see Mascen glaring at us from next to a building, a cigarette dangling loosely from his lips, “and saw you.”
Tucking an errant hair behind my ear that escaped my braid, I squint up at him, the sun blinding me. “Last night was … fun. Well, I don’t actually remember it, but—”
“That’s the real reason I wanted to see you.” His voice deepens and he touches my arm gently, eyes soft. “I thought you might’ve run out because you were embarrassed or thought something more happened than it did.”
Heat rushes to my cheeks and I have no doubt I’m bright red.
Clearing his throat he says, “I just wanted you to know we didn’t have sex. We were both super drunk and I’m not one of those guys to take advantage of that. We made out for a while, but nothing else happened.”
“Oh, thank God,” I blurt. “Wait, I didn’t mean that like that, just…”
“I know.” He smiles at me.
“Cole!” Mascen yells and he looks over his shoulder, holding up a finger to tell him to wait a minute.
“I hope I see you around again, Rory.” He wets his lips, his eyes sliding over me, not in a skeevy way but one that makes my whole body warm like there’s a flame beneath me.
“Cole!”
“I gotta go,” he tells me.
I stand there, watching him jog across the quad to Mascen. He says something to his friend, but Mascen isn’t looking at him. His eyes are on me, and if looks could kill I’d be six feet under.
Chapter Six
Mascen
The cigarette tastes sour on my lips. I try not to smoke much, and Coach would kill me if he saw, but watching Cole jog over to Rory calls for one. I glare at the white cylinder cradled between my fingers and bring it back up to between my lips, sucking in a lungful of the smoky air.
Catching Rory, fucking Rory, in the hallway this morning took me by surprise. Or, I guess I should only refer to her as Aurora now since we’re not friends. But we were. Back then she was a scrawny little thing, with twig legs, and a nose too big for her face sprinkled with freckles. But I loved her, well as much as a ten-year-old boy can love someone that’s not family. She was my best friend and then one day she was just gone. It’s not like it’s a secret why she left, I remember my parents sitting me down and telling me what happened, not wanting to keep secrets from me even at my young age, but it still hurt losing her.