The Best Friends Forever Series Part I 2013 © Dawn Pendleton Smashwords Edition http://www.dawnpendleton.com Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without express written permission from the author/publisher. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and events are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Liar, Liar Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen

Knocked Up Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen

Mall Rats Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen More Books from Dawn About Dawn

Liar, Liar Hazel Chapter One My first day of college. Dad drops me off in a rush, barely taking any time at all to examine my drab dorm room, or notice the fact that I’m on a co-ed floor with shared bathrooms (seriously, I will never go pee in there). He hefts my carefully packed boxes and then dumps them unceremoniously on the carpeted floor of my room. Luckily for me, my roommate hasn’t shown up yet, so I am saved from having to explain anything about my disinterested father to her. Cheyanne and I met on Facebook over the summer, and she was hardly the type of person I wanted to hang out with. She’s a transferring sophomore, where I’m a measly freshman, but that’s not all. She’s gorgeous. And I don’t mean she’s pretty, I mean she could totally walk the red carpet in Hollywood and fit in with movie stars. And me… Well, I’m pretty plain. Not that I mind. I’ve found ways to make myself stand out, like thick black makeup and dying my hair the darkest shade of black I can find in a bottle. But she seemed like a better fit as my roommate than some of the other girls I’d chatted with over the summer. With a deep breath, I begin to unpack my clothes, tucking the short jean skirts and black tank tops into a drawer on the left side of the room. Cheyanne had mentioned she didn’t care which side she was on, so I picked the side with a window. Nothing better than a fresh fall breeze in Myrtle Beach. Once my extra-large duffel bag was empty, I go to my backpack to unload my new laptop and printer.

There was a printer in the student lounge, but I doubt I will spend much time working there. I prefer to be alone most of the time, instead of being social. I assume I’ll make friends, of course, but it’s doubtful I’ll really let anyone get to know the real me. Which is fine. My past is hardly one I’m anxious to dish about. Mom gave up on our little family six years ago, when I was twelve. It was my twelfth birthday, actually. I came downstairs from my room expecting a birthday cake and presents, and she and Dad just stood there, staring at me. Mom finally broke down and said she was leaving us. And that’s what she did. She left him, left me, left us both behind. I harbored a whole lot of anger toward her for it, but I moved on. Sort of. I dream of the day I’m some successful exec (I’m majoring in business), and I call her up and play that Kelly Pickler song about her stupid mom to the woman who walked out on me. It’s a pipedream, but I’d still love to do it. Her absenteeism has made me this hard, bitter, completely socially inept girl. I barely manage to pull myself out my own selfish thoughts as my roommate enters our room. Cheyanne’s a redhead, but not like that orange red that looks really unnatural. Her hair is vibrant red, shiny and full of volume. Her blue eyes scream for attention, even though she’s a little stand-offish. “Hazel! It’s so great to finally meet you,” she exclaims as she pulls me into a hug. I am not a hugger, so I stand there, lifeless, with what I’m sure is a comical expression on my face. “Yeah…” I say lamely. She has way more energy and vibrance than I’m used to. I can’t remember the last time my voice reached a decibel as high as hers. She finally releases me after what seems like hours, and I back up, afraid she’ll want to hug me again. Behind her, people wait anxiously to enter our room. An older man, probably her father, stands next to a woman who looks exactly like Cheyanne, except older, and peering into the room is her younger brother. I know who they are only because Cheyanne is a wanna-be photographer and posts millions of pictures on Facebook every week of her family. Her dad raises a brow at me but extends his hand as Cheyanne steps out of his way. “You must be Hazel. Cheyanne has been so excited to meet you these last few weeks. I’m her dad, Pete. This is my wife, Ellen, and our younger son, Zachary. He’ll be attending next year,” Pete adds, gesturing at the kid with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes identical to Cheyanne’s. He’s actually kind of hot, for being a year younger than me. “Okay, Zach, let’s go get the rest of the boxes,” Pete directs, and the two slip out of the room, leaving me alone with Red and her mom. “I took this side, I hope you don’t mind,” I say, but really, it doesn’t matter if she does mind. I’m not moving. “Oh yeah, I don’t even care,” she mumbles as she searches through one of her bags. “Mom, have you seen my cell?” Having been thoroughly dismissed, I slip out of the room and meander down the halls. We’ve been put in a co-ed dorm, and I cannot wait to walk in on something. I don’t know what it is, but I have a tendency to find gossip. I even started an anonymous column with my high school newspaper that dished out the details of my classmates. No one ever figured out it was me, either. Down the hall, I make a left and run smack dab into a tall guy who mutters, “Shit!” “Watch where you’re going,” I admonish with a snarl. And then I look up into those baby blues and my heart pounds like nothing I’ve ever felt before. He’s the epitome of perfection, with

short-cropped light brown hair and those eyes – they’re amazing, drawing me in until I feel like I’m drowning in their depths. “Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention. Are you okay?” he asks, concerned. “Yeah, I’m great.” I struggle to regain my composure, but I am just so lost. “I’m Hazel.” “Nice to meet you, Hazel. Roman,” he says, shaking my hand. Even his name is hot. I know, in those few seconds, that he and I are meant to be, and I vow to have him before the winter break. “Are you on this floor?” “Yes, actually, but my girlfriend is, too,” he says with a smile. My hopes are dashed. I want him all to myself and he’s taken. Of course he’s taken. I mean, look at him! But, this is the first week of college and everything can change. “Maybe I can put you in the right direction… What room is she in?” I don’t even know my way around, and there’s no way I could help him find her, but knowing is a good reference point to kill their relationship. “Room two-twelve. Her name is Cheyanne,” he tells me and my heart drops to the floor. Despite the fact that my roommate is dating the hottest guy on campus, and I want that guy, I manage to direct him to my room, explaining that I’m Cheyanne’s roommate. He looks me up and down and mumbles something along the lines of… It’s going to be a good year… What does that even mean? Gah, I hate myself for thinking about Roman. I just want to forget him, as much as I can. Yeah, right, like that’ll happen.

Chapter Two I don’t go back to my room. There’s no way I can tolerate Roman showing his love for Cheyanne. Instead, I go to the first floor and get a drink out of the vending machine. Just as I twist the top off, someone approaches the machine next to me. I glance at the figure through my peripheral, and it’s a guy. A very tall, very attractive guy. Talk about boy overload… “Hey, I’m Audric,” he says to me, extending his hand. I shake it with a nod, admiring him. He’s a little on the skinny, lanky side, but he’s got muscle definition too, which makes him yummy. His dark, shaggy hair is exactly the kind I’d like to run my fingers through. He towers over me, but I’m not afraid or worried. He’s got such a sweet face with clear, green eyes that look haunted. “I’m Hazel,” I manage, my voice barely audible. “I love that name,” he replies, giving me a huge smile. Is he into me? “Well, I just needed a drink, so I guess I’ll get back to my room.” I don’t really know what else to say; I’m so awkward. “Can I walk you back?” He’s so cute! I nod and we ascend the stairs to my floor. Just before we get to my room, we hear harsh whispers, so we stop to listen outside my room. The door is cracked open, and I peek inside to see Cheyanne and Roman arguing. My heart surges. “We agreed to take opposite weekends, Roman. If you can’t deal with it, then you probably shouldn’t have done the deed,” Cheyanne scolds him. “It’s not that I don’t want to, I just have a busy schedule. The football coach isn’t exactly going to understand if I’m not at games every other week. My parents have agreed to take him on my weekends, and I’ll go home on Sundays. That’s good enough.”

“No, it’s not. I am not going to be the only one sacrificing for Deacon. You are going to have to learn that getting your high school girlfriend pregnant is something you have to deal with for the rest of your life.” I turn to Audric and his emerald eyes are wide in disbelief. I hold up a single finger to my lips to silence him when he opens his mouth. We continue to listen. “Oh right, blame your teenage pregnancy on me, the guy who asked if you were on birth control. The guy you lied to when you said yes. You just wanted to trap me into this fake little family, like we had any kind of future together at all. We were doomed before we even began, Chey. So please stop blaming me.” Roman’s voice is pleading and my heart breaks for him. “Just get out,” Cheyanne replies. “I want to move on.” “Whatever.” Roman shakes his head and turns to the door, ready to make his exit. Just as he reaches for the doorknob, he looks back at Cheyanne. “My parents will take Deacon on my weekends and if that’s not okay with you, we can go to court,” he threatens. Cheyanne doesn’t reply, and Roman pulls the door open. Fearful that we’ll be accused of eavesdropping, which is exactly what we’re doing, I pull Audric toward me and force his head to me, his lips connecting with mine. I see the surprise in his eyes but he doesn’t fight me. I twine my hands up his neck and into his hair, thoroughly enjoying my first day of college. When his tongue dances on my lips, I pull back to look down the hallway. It’s empty. “That was close,” I say, trying to appear unaffected by Audric’s talented mouth. He’s breathing hard when he nods. “Roman is my roommate, so I guess I ought to go make sure everything is okay,” he whispers. My plan to seduce Roman just got a bit more complicated. I watch him walk away and then enter my dorm room. Cheyanne is forcefully putting her clothes in her dresser. “Everything okay?” I ask. “Oh, yeah, everything is just fine. Nothing like running into an ex on your first day,” she mutters. “Oh, so you and Roman aren’t dating?” She whirls around to face me. “You know Roman?” “Well, not really. We met in the hallway and he said you two were dating. I showed him where our room was.” She sighs. “He’s been wanting to get back together for a while now, but it’s just not going to work out for us. We’re too different.” I nod in understanding, but inside, I’m shouting. He’s single! “Who’s Deacon?” I ask before I think better of it. “Oh, you heard us?” “You were kind of loud,” I say, implying that I hadn’t been eavesdropping. “Yeah, I guess so. Deacon is my son. He’s three. But please, please don’t say anything. I just want to get through this first semester without a bunch of gossip running rampant about me.” “Of course,” I agree, though I have no intentions of keeping that promise. As soon as it works in my favor, I’ll tell whoever I can about little Deacon. I smile at her, like we’re the best of friends. “Thanks. High school was enough of a nightmare as a teen mom,” she says and I feel a little bit guilty, but I tell myself I won’t use her son against her unless I absolutely have to.

“We’re back with boxes!” Cheyanne’s dad, Pete, announces as he barges into the room. He and Zach are carrying two boxes each and I wonder how much shit she’s brought with her. “Where’s your mom?” I ask Cheyanne. “She went to the admissions office to work a few financial aid things out. She should be back in a few.” I engage Pete in a conversation about the college and we discuss the ins and outs of freshman year until Ellen returns with paperwork for Cheyanne. “Everything’s all set, Chey. And we have to get going. I only hired a sitter for two hours,” she says. “Of course. I’ll be home next Sunday,” Cheyanne says as she hugs her parents. She gives her brother a punch in the shoulder and within seconds, Cheyanne and I are alone once again. “I was thinking of going to the lounge to grab some food. You want to come?” I ask with a glance at my watch. It’s almost dinnertime. “Sure.” We walk down the stairs and run into Audric on the first floor. “Hey, Audric! This is my roommate, Cheyanne,” I introduce them. Audric knows exactly who she is, but he plays along. “It’s nice to meet you, Cheyanne. Where are you two off to already?” “The lounge for dinner. Or maybe just a snack. Who knows?” I answer. “Stay away from the pizza, it’ll make you sick for a week. But almost everything else is pretty good. What are your plans after dinner? My roommate and I were invited to a party, so long as we bring along a few girls.” Audric smiles and winks at us. “I’m not sure,” Cheyanne starts. “We’ll be there. Text me the address,” I interrupt and Audric hands over his phone so I can plug my number in it. “It’ll be good for you,” I whisper to Cheyanne. I don’t actually care whether or not my roommate goes to the party, but I know how college parties work – bringing one girl is hardly enough. Plus, partying in pairs is much safer. “Great,” Audric says when I hand his phone back. “I’ll text you in a bit.” He walks away and I can’t help but notice how good his ass looks in jeans. Cheyanne pulls me back to reality when she tugs on my arm. “Are you really going to go to a party?” “Seriously? I’ve been going to college parties for years,” I boast. “Years?” “Yeah. I grew up in Atlanta and had a lot of older friends who went to Georgia State. So I got invitations all the time.” “Oh,” she says and then we lapse into silence as we continue to walk to the lounge. I wonder how on Earth I’m going to be able to tolerate her for the year…

Chapter Three Dinner is more junk food than health food, but we manage to stay away from the pizza, which actually looks appetizing, despite Audric’s warning. I scarf down a chicken patty and French fries while Cheyanne opts for a cheeseburger. It’s not too bad, either. The freshmen fifteen are well on their way to my hips by the time we make it back to our dorm room. I collapse on my bed, feeling fuller than I have all summer. Of course, I’ve been dieting like crazy for the last three months to be in the best shape of my life for my first year of

college. Even if I do gain the freshmen fifteen, I will still weigh less than I did when I graduated high school. My phone buzzes in my pocket and I open up a message from an unknown number. Hey, it’s Audric. Party is at Atlantic Beach, at the end of 29th Avenue S. Be there at 8. “Got the party details,” I say to Cheyanne, shaking my phone at her. She smiles. “Where at?” “Atlantic Beach. I’ve never heard of it,” I tell her. “It’s a tiny section of Myrtle that’s mostly abandoned. I think there are a total of four houses that are occupied, and they’re all mellow people. It used to be a bad neighborhood, but now the only thing causing trouble are the parties college kids throw there.” Cheyanne laughs. “Guess we’ll be adding to it, tonight.” “Guess so,” I agree with a forced smile. I lift my phone to type a reply to Audric. Does Cheyanne have to come? She’s already annoying me. I press send and wait impatiently while Cheyanne rambles on about what she’s going to wear. It takes all my willpower not to roll my eyes as she pulls out a pair of faded skinny jeans. My phone buzzes. Yeah, you have to bring C. Roman wants to talk to her, I guess. Invest in earplugs ;) I laugh out loud and Cheyanne looks at me questioningly. “Uhh, a friend from back home just texted me.” She seems to accept that and goes on to pick out a tank top. August in Myrtle Beach is hardly jeans weather. At least I’ll have someone to hang out with tonight… I reply to Audric and then set my phone down on my bed as I go to my own dresser to figure out what to wear. I’m almost positive a mini-skirt is in order. It’s perfect for the beach, and if anyone decids to go swimming, at least I’ll have less clothes to remove. I choose my shortest jean skirt and pair it with a faded pale black button-up tank top. I grab my favorite black bra and matching panties and then heft my shower bag over my shoulder, lifting two towels onto my arm. “I’m hitting the shower,” I tell Cheyanne, who is still trying to decide on a top. “Sure. I’ll be here when you get back,” she says without looking up. I do roll my eyes this time, more certain than ever that her getting pregnant was indeed a mistake. Roman would not want to be stuck with her for the rest of his life. He must be the type to enjoy a one-night stand. And with that thought, a plan forms in my head, one that will get Roman over Cheyanne. And maybe, just maybe, get him under me. The showers are clean, though I doubt they’ll stay that way. I set my clothes and shower bag on a shelf and then strip down to just my underwear. I grab two towels and my bag and go into one of the stalls, closing the door and latching it before I strip completely naked.

I make sure to keep my shower short, as the student handbook requests, washing my long hair as quickly as possible. I wrap the smaller towel around my hair, doing that hair flip thing girls seem to know how to do from the moment they’re born. The larger towel I use to dry off completely. I carry my underwear and shower bag back to the shelf I left my clothes on. The door opens and in walks Roman, looking hot as hell and twice as devilish. Co-ed bathrooms are getting easier to get used to. Roman nods at me with a smile but says nothing, going straight to a stall to shower. The stalls are only about five-and-a-half feet tall, which means I can see him and he can see me, but he doesn’t look my way. He pulls his shirt over his head and then disappears from view as he removes his jeans. The shower spray turns on and I turn away from him as he throws his jeans and shirt over the stall door. I look into the mirror above the shelf and pull the towel from my head. I shake my hair loose and notice in the mirror that Roman is looking at me. His eyes trail down my body and when he looks back at me in the mirror, he winks. My heartbeat speeds up and I smile back, thinking that maybe this is my opportunity to get Roman. Feeling extra sure of myself, especially my body, I undo the towel that covers me and use it to towel off the parts of me that are still wet. I don’t make eye contact with Roman again while I dry off, but I get the sense that he’s watching me. Without looking up into the mirror, I grab my panties and pull them on slowly, letting him see every movement. I pull up my skirt next, the material tight against my still-damp body. I do up the button and tug on the zipper, adjusting the material around my hips so it fits just right. I can’t stand the suspense anymore and I look into the mirror to see if he’s watching me. My eyes clash with his and he blushes. So cute! I wink at him this time as I put on my bra, taking my time so he gets a good view. By the time I’m covered up, Roman has turned his attention back to the shower, so I turn around and face him when I pull on my tank top. The fabric is thin enough to show, very clearly, that I’m wearing a black bra and I find it invigorating. When Roman glances at me, he smiles, as though he likes what he sees. I gather up my stuff, careful not to let my shirt get wet from my towels, and toss the bag over my shoulder. “Nice seeing you, Roman,” I say as I give my hips an extra shake for him. “Nice seeing you, too, Hazel,” he says with a chuckle. And just like that, I know I will have him. Maybe not tonight, maybe not this week, but before the semester is up, I will be sleeping with Roman.

Chapter Four There’s something about a hot August night at the beach that really turns me into someone I never thought I would be. Cheyanne and I arrive at eight-fifteen, after she assured me that arriving late would be better than getting there early. I have to admit, she was right. We are still among the first people there, but there’s a small crowd. I pick Roman and Audric out immediately, leading Cheyanne to them. “You didn’t tell me Roman was going to be here,” she whispers harshly in my ear. “I didn’t know. Chill out,” I whisper back and then turn my attention back to the guys as we approach. “Audric!” I step forward and put my arms around his waist, initiating a hug I’m not sure he wants to reciprocate. He does, though, but I guess it’s because he doesn’t want to be rude.

My goal is to make Roman jealous and out of the corner of my eye, I swear he’s seething. “You didn’t tell me you and Hazel were so close, Audric,” he says to his roommate as we pull apart. “I didn’t know we were,” I hear Audric mumble. “Audric and I go way back,” I lie, just to incite Roman’s anger. “I see.” He’s obviously pissed off and I think I’ve got him right where I want him. “Hazel, nice to see you again.” “Ditto. Although I wish I’d seen more of you,” I say in a hushed whisper as I move to stand next to him. Cheyanne shuffles her feet, suddenly uncomfortable, although I can tell she wants to say something to me, probably about my interest in Roman. Seeing her discomfort, Audric speaks up. “Cheyanne, can I get you something to drink?” “Sure. Actually, I’ll just go with you,” she says with a glare at me. She and Audric aren’t gone for more than ten seconds before Roman turns to me. “Are we going to keep playing this little game?” “Which game is that?” I ask, feigning complete innocence. “You know which game,” he says, his breath in my ear. Before I have a chance to reply, a group comes up to us. “Roman! How’s it going, man?” a tall black guy with a shaved head says to Roman. Beside him are two girls, both with that girl next door look with dirty blonde hair. They look like they could be sisters, they’re so alike. Their only difference is their eyes – one has blue and the other has brown eyes. “Andre, good to see you. I see you brought the entertainment,” he nods at the girls, who both gasp. Hell, even I knew it was a joke. “He’s kidding, girls. Roman, this is Miranda.” Andre gestures toward brown eyes. “And this is Destiny.” He puts an arm around Destiny’s shoulders, obviously staking a claim. His eyes meet mine and he raises a brow. “Oh. I’m Hazel,” I introduce myself, as Roman seems to have lost interest in me and is now staring intently at blue eyes. Andre smiles at me momentarily before glaring at Roman, who hasn’t taken his eyes off Destiny. It’s awkward for a second, eternally awkward until Roman puts an arm around my shoulder. Andre backs off, relieved. “Let’s get this party started!” a voice yells from behind us. We all turn to stare at the guy and I have to admit, he’s very attractive. He’s at least a few years older than us, but he’s ruggedly handsome with a few days’ worth of stubble along his jaw. His hair is wildly curly and dark brown, bordering black. His chocolate-brown eyes are deep, intense. I find myself staring into them as he approaches the group with several solo cups of cheap beer. “Who wants one?” he asks and I raise my hand faster than anyone. He shoves one at me, spilling a little on my skirt, but I don’t mind. “Sorry about that, cutie,” he apologizes with a wink. Are all the guys at Coastal Carolina built to turn me on? I smile but don’t say anything. “Roman, glad you could make it,” he says, handing Roman a cup. “I wouldn’t miss it. Nolan, this is Hazel,” Roman introduces me; apparently he’s snapped out of his stupor and remembers that we are kind of together.

“Hazel, so nice to meet you. Stay away from this one,” he suggests with a laugh. “I think I can handle him,” I retort, sure of myself. “Oh, Rome, you’ve got a hot one on your hands,” Nolan laughs. “Andre, man, what’s good? I missed you at initiation.” Andre looks guilty. “I told you I didn’t want to pledge, Nolan,” he says seriously. “Easy, man, I’m just kidding. No frats for you. But you’ll still be the best man at my wedding,” Nolan assures him. “Oh, are you married?” Miranda asks, speaking up for the first time. A slow blush creeps up her neck as soon as she utters the words. Nolan laughs. “I was speaking metaphorically. Not engaged,” he replies. “They’re about to start the bonfire, let’s go.” Nolan leads us all to the large circle of driftwood and camp wood. It’s hardly a bonfire, but it’s big enough, so I don’t point that out. Not to mention, I don’t want to piss anyone off. Someone had dragged several logs to the fire, spreading them out around the flames for people to sit. There are six of us and we crowd on two logs, three to a log. I squished between Roman and Nolan, and there’s really no place I’d rather be. I keep quiet while they all talk about their majors, classes they’ve signed up for, and what they want to do with their lives. I’m entranced by Roman and his assertiveness, his confidence. He knows exactly what he wants and he has no problems telling people exactly how he’s going to get it. “I’m going to get an engineering degree and do classified civilian work for the government,” he tells the group as Cheyanne and Audric approach. “I’ve got money to make.” I see Cheyanne roll her eyes, but she doesn’t say anything. Nolan stands to give up his seat for her. She sits and whispers to me. “Who the hell are all these people?” I laugh. “Everyone,” I address the group. “This is my roommate, Cheyanne. Cheyanne, this is Nolan, Andre, Miranda, and Destiny.” I point out each person to her. Cheyanne and Nolan exchange a look I can’t place, but I ignore it. Everyone says hello to Cheyanne and I notice Andre is extremely attentive to what she says. Nolan walks away to do a keg stand and I admire his physique when his shirt rides up, revealing his muscled chest. He’s hot, but when he stands upright again, his eyes are on Cheyanne. Frustrated, I get up and walk away from the group, eager to be alone for just a moment. When I feel a hand on my shoulder, I’m surprised to see it’s Roman. “You okay?” “Yeah, I just needed some fresh air. I think the bonfire smoke was getting to me.” “Let’s take a walk,” he suggests and takes my hand. My heart skips a beat. “So, I’m really glad you came.” “Oh? Because I seem to recall you saying that Cheyanne was your girlfriend,” I mutter, anger building up inside me. “That was a bad move, I know. And I’m sorry. I honestly thought she and I would get back together. We have a history, you know? And we’ve been on-again, off-again for the last four years. I guess I assumed she would get lonely at college and come back to me again.” “Wow, there’s so much wrong with everything you just said,” I say, pulling my hand from his and stopping as we neared the water. Large waves crash over the sand. “First, don’t hit on another girl when you’re obviously still pining for your ex. Second, it’s only the first day. If Cheyanne is going to get lonely, it won’t be today. And third, if you aren’t ready to move on, don’t lead me on.” I’m proud of my little speech, although I don’t know how much I actually

mean it. Roman is hot, and if he likes me, I’m definitely ready to go all the way. But I don’t want to be his second choice. He runs a hand through his hair. “I know. I just thought things would be different.” He sits on the sand with his arms on his knees. “I’m sure you heard us fighting earlier. I know you and Audric pretended to be…indisposed, but he told me what he heard outside the door. I don’t care, I just wanted to try to make things work with her.” I sat beside him. “I get it. Really, I do. But I don’t appreciate being used, if that’s what you’re doing – trying to make her jealous,” I tell him. My gaze drifts to the water, the calming sounds of the waves washing over me. “I don’t want to use you. I like you. I don’t want you to be just a rebound, either,” he says, and I look at him. Really look at him. He’s hurting; his heart is on his sleeve and I am helpless to the rush of emotions flooding my body. Without thinking, I lean into him, pulling on his shirt so his head descends on mine. His lips are full and soft and I’m lost when he probes at my lips with his tongue. He deepens the kiss, tipping my head back while pulling me closer. His hands roam freely across my back and my own hands are trapped between us. I clutch his shirt for support as he pushes me down so I’m lying on my back. In the back of my mind, I know I should tell him to stop, to not let it go too far. But he’s warm, and I feel alive under his skillful touch.

Chapter Five The sun shines bright in our dorm room and I squint at my alarm clock. It’s after nine and I have orientation in an hour. With a yawn, I sit up and glance at Cheyanne. She’s sitting up on her perfectly made bed, already dressed and fiddling with her iPhone. “Don’t tell me you’re a morning person,” I groan. “You learn to appreciate quiet moments in the morning with a toddler running around,” she sneers, like I’ve insulted her. Maybe not as much of a morning person as I thought. I throw the covers off. “I’ve got to shower and then coffee is first on the to-do list. You going to orientation?” I go to my dresser to find something to wear. “Yeah, I think so. I don’t have to, but being a transfer, it’s probably a good idea. Hurry up, I don’t want to be late.” She’s more than short with me, but I expect it. Especially after last night. I make my way to the shower and every shower stall but one is full. I go in and start my shower, more than ready to forget about last night. While we were making out, things were definitely going to go all the way for us, considering my shirt was open and Roman’s hands were inside my bra. In between extremely hot kisses, I heard the sound of someone coming toward us and I pushed Roman off me, sitting up to cover myself and button up my shirt. Just as I ran my fingers through my sand-covered hair, Audric and Cheyanne reached us. It was obvious what we’d been doing and Audric explained that Cheyanne wasn’t feeling well, so we needed to go. Audric offered to give her a ride, but she insisted that I go back to the dorms with her. It wasn’t even eleven o clock, I noticed with a glare in her direction. She had a car, so she drove us back to the college campus, lecturing me the whole time. “Roman’s a player, Hazel. He’s the love’em and leave’em type. Trust me. Don’t let him get you, too,” she began.

“Look, just because you got yourself knocked up doesn’t mean I’m going to, too. I’m an adult and you are not my mother, so please stop acting like you are,” I spat back, arms folded across my chest. She didn’t reply and our conversation when I woke up was the first thing we’d said to each other since we got back to the dorms. I understand where she’s coming from; being a teen mom is hardly something anyone wants to be when they grow up. But still, she needs to back off. I know what I’m doing. I dress casually for orientation, a pair of jean shorts and a black tank top with a pair of clunky black shoes. They aren’t exactly the popular choice, but I love them, and they’re comfortable. When I open the door to our room, Cheyanne hasn’t moved. I put my dirty clothes in my hamper, making a mental note to get to laundry before classes start in two days. I run a brush through my hair and pin back my bangs. Normally, I take the time to flat-iron them into submission, but I’m short on time today. When we got back last night, I stayed up until after two a.m. reading on my Kindle. I made sure to put headphones on, too, so Cheyanne wouldn’t speak to me. I apply a liberal amount of makeup and then turn to Cheyanne. “Ready?” She gets off her bed and nods. We leave our dorm room and awkward silence ensues. After five full minutes, we’re only halfway to orientation and I lose it. “Look, I get why you don’t want me to pursue Roman. I really do. But I’m an adult, and you need to accept that,” I huff. “You’re right,” she says and I stop in my tracks, shocked by her words. “Come again?” “You are an adult and you have a right to date whoever you want. But I’ll only tell you this once: Roman is bad news.” “Well. Thanks for the tip. Can we be friends again?” I ask, wanting to keep her close. For now. “Of course. If you guys do hook up, though, please don’t do it in our room,” she begs with a grossed-out look on her face. I laugh. “I’ll keep that in mind.” We continued on and made it to orientation without any problems. Outside the orientation room, Audric was waiting for us. “We saved you two a seat,” he explains and then ducks into the room with us trailing behind us. The first thing I notice is that everyone from our little group is sitting in the row Audric leads us to. Except Nolan. I didn’t think he was a freshman, and I’m right. The seat next to Roman is empty and Audric and Cheyanne let me into the row first so I can sit next to him. He smiles at me and my heart soars. Making him mine is going to be much easier than I originally thought. Before we have a chance to chat, an older woman goes up to the microphone on stage and taps it gently. “Students, if I could have your attention please…” she continues with a variety of useless information, things no one truly cares about. Roman takes me hand and squeezes it, a sign that he really likes me. I keep the ridiculous need to giggle bottled up inside. No reason for him to know exactly how it makes me feel. We smile at each other and the world dissipates around us. Until Nolan walks across the stage, and catches my attention.

“Nolan is one of our model students and the residential advisor for the Woods Residence Halls, specifically, the Maple, Cypress, and Oak buildings,” she explains. Nolan is our RA? I’m floored. This is the same guy I saw do a keg stand last night… I smile, though, thinking about how much we’ll be able to get away with in our building, since Roman is such good friends with Nolan. “If you have an issue with a roommate, another person in your building, or a maintenance problem, Nolan is the person you want to visit. He lives in the Maple building, on the first floor, so you can go see him personally or give him a call. There is a packet being handed out now that has his phone number. For those of you in the Gardens Residence Halls, your residence advisor couldn’t be here today, but her name and phone number are listed on your contact sheet.” I take a packet from Audric as he hands me a stack and then pass them along. I open the folder and flip through the papers inside. There’s a contacts list with all the names of people who I might need to speak with: my academic advisor, Nolan’s number, financial aid. The last sheet of paper is a list of the local delivery places. Pizza and Chinese restaurants flood the page. I grin at Audric, who mouths, Score! And then turns to show the sheet to Cheyanne. She’s less enthused than I am, but he doesn’t seem to mind. Roman doesn’t really show any interest in his packet, or me, at the moment. He’s whispering something to Miranda. I suck in my anger, determined not to let him know I’m jealous. I put my hand on Audric’s arm to get his attention. “What’s up, Princess?” “Princess, really?” I whisper to him with a smile. “Yep. I have a sense about these things with people,” he boasts. “Whatever. What’s going on tonight? Any parties? I don’t have any classes tomorrow,” I explain, not caring one bit that I just invited myself. “Rome and I were thinking of hitting up the Boulevard,” he says with a smirk. “The Boulevard…?” “Ocean Boulevard. There are shops and a small amusement park right near the beach. The waterpark closes at five, but the amusement part stays open until midnight. It’s not big, but it might be fun,” he says. “You and Cheyanne should come.” Cheyanne. Ugh. I don’t want her tagging along, but I know Audric will invite her anyway. “Yeah, sure. You ask her and I’ll talk to everyone.” I lean away from him and interrupt Roman’s chat with Miranda. “We’re going to the amusement park on the beach tonight. You in?” I ask Miranda. She’s not gorgeous like Cheyanne, but I still worry she might take Roman from me. “Sounds good. All of us?” she asks. “Yeah, spread the word,” I tell her. I look at Roman. “It’s okay that I invited people, right?” “Of course. I can’t wait to get you on the Ferris Wheel. I hope we get stuck at the top,” he says seductively and any thought I had that he wasn’t into me fades away. I sigh and turn my attention back to the speaker as she drones on. After she finishes announcements, she wishes us a great year and dismisses us. The auditorium erupts in applause, although I’m not sure why we’re clapping. When people quiet their hands and stand up, our group waits for the crowd to dissipate before we get up. “So, do we want to do the waterpark, too?” Audric asks us when the room is almost empty. “Sounds good to me,” Roman replies. We all agree and Audric organizes rides for everyone. He and Roman each have a vehicle and Cheyanne agrees to drive as well. She doesn’t really need to, but I can tell she doesn’t want

to be caught in Rome’s car. Audric lets us all know to meet him in the parking lot across from the Wood’s Residence Halls in an hour. And then he and Roman take off for their dorm. Destiny approaches me. “Hey, we didn’t really get a chance to chat last night. I’m Destiny. I live in the Cypress Hall.” “It’s great to meet you. I’m in Maple,” I say as we walk together out of the auditorium. We chit chat until we reach her building and say our goodbyes. “We’ll chat more at the park,” she promises, and I’m not sure how to respond. I mean, she’s nice enough, but she seems too goody-goody for me. We’ll see.

Chapter Six I end up riding in Roman’s car with Destiny and Nolan. It’s a short ride, but I can’t help point out the obvious. “Destiny, I thought you and Andre were a thing?” She laughs from the backseat. “Not even close. He and I went to high school together and he thinks he’s got to protect me or something. I told him this morning to chill out.” “Gotcha. I can’t wait to hit the water,” I say. “Me too!” Destiny exclaims. “I haven’t been to the waterpark since last summer,” Nolan pipes up from the back of Roman’s sleek newer-model Dodge. “I don’t think I’ve been in more than three years,” Roman adds. It’s sad how much having a child has altered his life. We pull into the parking lot and it’s nearly empty. “Are they even open?” “Yeah, things die off as soon as the universities open,” Nolan explains to me. “That just means we won’t have crazy lines.” While in line to pay for our tickets, the rest of our group joins us. Once inside, we find an empty area near the main pool and lay out all our stuff. The guys brought coolers with sodas and waters for everyone. I made sure to bring my spray-on sunscreen so I don’t look like a fool rubbing it in. I suppose I could have asked Roman to rub it in for me, but when I turn around from setting my towel down on a chair, all the guys are gone, already in line for one of the tube rides. I spray myself quickly down, careful to rub some onto my face, and then I take off after them, leaving the girls behind. I’ve always fit in better with guys than girls, anyway. I catch up to them and wrap my arms around Roman’s abs from behind. “Hey,” he says and turns around, planting a kiss on my nose. “Want to ride down together?” The ride is a single or double and I am totally down for sharing a tube with him. “Sure,” I say with a smile. He hooks an arm around my waist as we wait. “Where are the rest of the girls?” Andre asks, looking past me toward the pool area. When I follow his gaze, I see that the area we all dropped our stuff at is empty. “I’m not sure.” “They’re probably at the lazy river, man. Chill out. Destiny is a big girl,” Nolan says to Andre, his words calming. Andre crosses his arms over his chest. “Her dad asked me to watch out for her. I’m just doing as I was asked.” His voice is almost pouting.

“Will you get a grip?” Roman pushes Andre’s shoulder playfully. “We’re here to have fun and I’m sure she didn’t go off on her own. Try to relax and enjoy yourself.” Andre sighs dramatically but doesn’t reply. We make the climb up the stairs much faster than I anticipate; suddenly we’re at the top and my fear of heights kicks in. I clutch Roman’s arm with terror. “You okay?” “I’m a little scared of heights,” I admit in a whisper. To my dismay, Roman laughs. What he says is more endearing. “I’ll protect you.” I smile, already head over heels for him. When it’s our turn for the water slide, Roman grabs a double tube off the ramp and gets in the back of the tube in the water. He holds his hand out for me and I take a deep breath, getting into the water and sitting down. I lean back and Roman’s arms close around my shoulders. “I’ve got you,” he whispers, sending chills down my spine. I close my eyes and the guy who works for the park pushes our tube down the slide. We twist and turn, nearly flipping over several times. When we go into the darkened tunnel, I scream and open my eyes. I can’t see anything, but when we go up over a curve, we actually do flip over. I’m thrown onto my stomach, my face soaked from the running water. I hold my breath, truly afraid. I hear Roman laugh from somewhere below me. How did he get in front of me? I barely manage to roll onto my back and do a half sit-up so that I can at least see what’s coming. We must be close to the bottom. When I see a light at the end of the tunnel, I’m relieved. There’s a waterfall at the opening, but I’m already drenched, so it doesn’t matter. I fly out of the tunnel and into the small pool at the bottom, sinking to the bottom before jumping up and sputtering. I push my bangs out of my eyes and find Roman trying not to laugh at me from the edge of the pool. He’s already up the steps and offers me no help as I make my way to the stairs. I glare at him but his smile softens me almost immediately. And when he pulls me into his arms once I’m completely out of the pool? I’m lost. “I don’t know what happened. I’m sorry, Hazel,” he says, pulling me close. “I hope you weren’t scared.” I melt into him, drawing strength from his warmth. I forget about his laughter in the tunnel and just let him hug me. I don’t want to cause an argument between us, especially this early in our…relationship, if that’s what this is. “Come on, you two! We’re going to the lazy river!” Nolan yells at us and then he, Audric, and Andre take off. “You want to do the lazy river?” Roman asks me, pulling away to look in my eyes. He’s so sweet, so concerned. “I can handle the lazy river,” I say. It’s a much safer bet for me. Roman takes my hand and we walk to the lazy river. He wades in first and grabs a tube for me, holding it still while I jump on. He gives me a little push and then jumps onto his own tube stomach first. He spins me around so I’m floating backwards and he holds on to one of the handles on my tube to keep us together. I try to look around and find everyone else in our group, but it’s hard to turn around in the tube without flipping over. “Do you see anyone?” “Nope,” he says, just seconds before I’m flipped over. I stand up, sputtering as I search for whoever flipped me over. I see Audric frantically swimming away. When he reaches the spot where the rest of our group is stopped, holding onto the cement sides of the river, he turns to look at me and busts out laughing.

“You want to get them back?” Roman asks me. “Damn right I do.” “Let’s go this way,” he says, pulling me toward a different path in the river. “We’ll catch up to them.” I let him pull me. When we’re on the shortcut part of the river, I realize we’re alone. I pop up through the middle of my tube and pull him close. Just when he’s about to say something, I kiss him, thoroughly enjoying his surprise. He quickly takes over the kiss, his passion all but overwhelming me. When I hear raucous laughter ahead, I realize we aren’t as alone as I thought. In front of us are a couple of young teenagers. We smile at them when we pull apart and then we walk in the water to go past them. Up ahead, I see our group, floating along and laughing. “You ready?” Roman asks. I nod evilly, ready to give them a piece of their own medicine. “Audric is mine.” We duck down in our tubes so we can’t be seen and our tubes float mysteriously toward the group. I aim for Audric and they are all so caught up in their conversation, they don’t notice us. Audric and Cheyanne are floating together, I get as close as I can to them and then sink under the water to get underneath their tubes. With all my strength, I push their tubes over and quickly move on to Destiny’s tube. She tries to get away, having seen me coming, but I get to her before she can go too far. I flip her over and glance over at Roman, who has successfully flipped Andre and Nolan. He’s stalking Miranda now, who squeals and then flips herself over to save him the trouble. When everyone finally catches their breath, we’re all laughing at each other and having a great time. The rest of our time in the river is spent trying to flip each other over, and I have to admit, I get dumped upside down several times.

Chapter Seven “I need to go back to the dorm,” Cheyanne says once the waterpark closes. She’s a mess, as I’m sure we all are, with frizzy hair and no makeup. “Me too,” I say, looking at Roman. “Cheyanne, why don’t you take the girls back and we’ll meet you here in an hour?” Nolan suggests. An hour is barely enough time for me to get beatified, but Cheyanne agrees. I approach Roman to say goodbye. “I’ll see you in an hour.” He leans down and kisses me, a promising kiss. I sigh when he pulls away and Destiny has to pull me toward the car. “You guys are pretty hot and heavy, huh?” Miranda asks once we’re all in Cheyanne’s older-model car. “I guess so. It’s weird that we’re this close when we just met, right?” “Not really. I’ve seen relationships happen that quickly before. Plus, you and Roman are like perfect for each other.” Destiny winks at me. In the front seat, Cheyanne keeps quiet, but I can tell from Miranda’s expression that neither is happy about my relationship with Roman. Oh, well. Cheyanne had her chance and now it’s my turn. I won’t be as stupid as she was to get pregnant, though.

Destiny and Miranda agree to meet Cheyanne and me at the car in fifty minutes once we get back to the college. As soon as Cheyanne and I enter our dorm room, she whirls around to me. “What the hell are you doing?” “Umm, changing…?” I say, pulling my tank top off and tossing it into the hamper. I’ll have to do laundry soon, I don’t want those clothes to stay wet too long. “No, I mean with Roman. You guys aren’t even dating yet and you’re already all over him!” she accuses. “So?” She glares at me. “So, you should slow down. He’s a player, Hazel. I don’t want to see you hurt, okay? He does this a lot. We went to high school together, so I know what I’m talking about.” “Look, whatever jealousy issues you have about me being with Roman, they need to stop.” I walk over to her and she actually shrinks back a little. “I’m not going to stop wanting Roman, and as long as he wants me, we’ll be together. So get over it.” My anger is boiling, but I manage not to say any more. She shakes her head sadly and then picks up her shower stuff, leaving me alone in our room. I know I’ll have to follow her because the chlorine in my hair is already making it untamable. With a deep breath, I pull my shower bag over my shoulder and sling two fresh towels over my shoulder. Luckily, we’re the only ones in the bathroom. I keep to the shower stall farthest away from hers and we don’t speak. As pissed as I am, I know she’s probably got to be worried that she’s going to lose Roman forever. And I hope she does. I can’t wait to meet her son and get him used to me. Even though Roman and I just got together, I see us being with each other for a long time. My mind drifts to the thought of being Deacon’s step-mother. I never really wanted to have kids, so being a step-mom would be the perfect thing for me. I get to keep my amazing body and throw it in Cheyanne’s face that I get Roman, too. What an amazing thing that would be. I grin to myself, finishing up my shower before Cheyanne and walking back to our room in just a towel. I don’t care that I cross paths with a group of guys who ogle me a bit; if anything, it only spurs on my intention to keep Roman forever. I dress quickly in a pair of khaki shorts, a T-shirt with the sleeves rolled up to mimic a tank top, and my favorite pair of flip-flops. I blow-dry my long hair and then rub some anti-frizz serum into the strands. I don’t even have to straighten it, it’s already pin-straight. My bangs are another story. I have to maneuver them into place with my flat iron. Once my hair is how I want it, I apply some dark eye-makeup and a clear lip gloss to my lips. Just as I finish, Cheyanne comes back into the room. Her hair is thrown into a messy bun, still wet, and she’s only got a light layer of eyeliner on. She looks haggard. She drops her stuff on her bed and turns to me. “You ready to go?” I’m shocked that she’s actually going to go out in public looking like that, but I recover quickly and smile. “Yep.” We walk out to her car and Destiny and Miranda are waiting for us. We pile in to Cheyanne’s junker and the ride is silent. Apparently Miranda and Destiny have picked up on the tension because neither of them speaks. The guys meet us in the parking lot when we pull in and Roman takes my hand. I grab Destiny’s arm and pull her with us to the park. I want to tell her about Cheyanne, but I need to get rid of Roman for a few minutes.

“Roman? I forgot my wallet in Cheyanne’s car. Would you grab it for me?” I flutter my eyelashes at him and he agrees, taking off for the car. I turn to Destiny. “I hate that stupid bitch.” “Cheyanne? What the hell happened?” “She’s jealous that I’m with Rome now and so she told me he’s a player and that he’s not worth my time.” “Whoa. Talk about catty. I think you and Roman are so freaking cute together,” she gushes. “Me too. But oh well. I’ll find a way to get her back, eventually.” I don’t mention that I already know her big secret, the one that could ruin her. “I’ll keep my ears open for gossip on her,” Destiny promises, endearing herself as my only true friend.

Chapter Eight By the time Roman catches up with us, Destiny and I are in line for the Hurricane. The sun is still high in the sky, but the lights on all the rides are on, making the place glow. “Are we riding together?” Roman asks. “Can the three of us go together?” Destiny replies, and I can tell she feels a little like the third wheel. “I’m pretty sure. You two are so thin, it shouldn’t be a problem,” Roman explains. He puts an arm around each of us, pulling us close to him. We laugh. Nolan manages to cut the line forming behind us and scoots next to Destiny. “I thought I’d lost you. Roman, get your hand off my girl.” He’s joking, of course, but Roman removes his arm from Destiny’s shoulder, relieving me. I want to be the only one Roman’s arms are around. “You going to ride with Destiny, Nolan?” “Yeah, if she’ll have me.” He winks at her and a blush creeps up her cheeks. Adorable! Destiny nods instead of answering and Nolan puts his arm around her. When our turn comes, Roman and I take the carriage car behind them, hoping to get a little bit of privacy. The bar locks in place and the ride starts, sending us on our way. This is my favorite ride: it’s like a huge carousel with cars instead of horses, and instead of moving up and down on a pole, they actually follow a wavy track that takes us up and down, around and around. It turns my stomach a little, but we haven’t eaten yet, so I know I’ll be okay. In front of us, Nolan and Destiny are cuddled close together and whispering. I can’t hear them, but I bet they’re planning on slipping away at some point. I don’t blame them. I want to get Roman alone, too. He smiles at me, throwing his hands up as we go around. He screams like a girl on purpose, eliciting a laugh out of me. I join him and put my hands up, letting my scream fill the air. The air whizzes past us, creating a breeze that feels amazing on my sun-kissed skin. The lights blur together as we go. When the ride slows and then forces us to go backwards, we keep our hands up and the force of the ride makes my body slam into Roman. His arm comes around me to hold me close while I keep my hands up. When the ride ends, I don’t even feel sick. “Let’s do the coaster,” Nolan suggests, taking Destiny’s hand as we walk. “Sounds good,” Roma agrees and then looks at me. “Wait, do you do roller coasters?” “Not really. But you go. I’ll wait,” I say, expecting him not to leave me.

“I’ll stay with Hazel. I’m not big on coasters, either,” Destiny pipes up, letting go of Nolan’s hand and moving to stand beside me. “That okay?” Roman asks, like he needs permission to go with his friend. He stares into my eyes and I nod. “You’re the best.” He kisses me soundly, a short but passionate kiss that leaves me breathless. Nolan walks over to Destiny and kisses her cheek, whispering something in her ear that makes her smile. The guys leave us and I hear Destiny’s sigh. “What’d he say?” “He said he wants me to come to his dorm tonight,” she admits. “What! That’s great. You two are so cute,” I exclaim. “Yeah. I’m a little nervous.” “Why?” “Well, I’m a virgin,” she confesses. “Oh.” I don’t really know what to say. I lost my virginity freshman year of high school; I barely remember it. “I don’t need encouragement or anything. I haven’t gotten this far in life as a virgin without being propositioned. I just want to be in love, you know?” I nod, even though I have no idea. Sex is fun, I couldn’t imagine my life without it. I might not have slept around in high school, but I had a couple partners during my four years there, and while I don’t exactly recall losing my virginity, I do remember how amazing sex is. “Sex is like second nature to me,” I say as we walk toward one of the food stands. “I mean, it’s just always really been a part of my life.” “Have you and Roman…?” “Oh, God no! It’s only been a day. I’m not a total slut. I’m sure we will at some point. Our relationship has moved pretty fast, but I really like him, and I could see us together for a long time, so I’m sure I won’t be able to hold back too long.” “That’s what I’m worried about, I guess. Nolan is hot and sweet, but he’s older than me, and I think he kind of expects me to put out pretty fast. I’m not sure that I want to yet.” She looks down as she speaks, ashamed of her words. “Look, if you’re not ready, you’re not ready. If Nolan wants to be an ass about it, then he’s not worth your time. If he truly likes you, he’ll wait for you.” I try to sound sure of myself, even though I wonder if Roman would wait if I asked him to. We haven’t talked about sex, but I have the distinct impression that last night he would have been happy to go all the way right there on the beach if we hadn’t been interrupted. And chances are, I would have let him. I want to keep him, not drive him away by refusing sex. So when he asks, I doubt I’ll say no. “Thanks for being a good friend, Hazel. I was afraid I wouldn’t meet anyone I actually get along with here.” “Not a problem. Where are you from, anyway? Your accent definitely isn’t southern,” I say after we order some food. I’m famished. “Umm, from Rhode Island, so I guess my accent is almost like a Boston accent. We’re close enough that it kind rubs off on us.” She smiles. Our order number is called and we each grab our trays, finding a couple seats at one of the metal picnic tables. “What about you?”

I laugh. “I’m from Georgia. So it’s not too far away, but it’s the farthest my dad would allow. He tries to pretend like he’s a parent who cares, but the truth is, he’s just too busy in his job to pay much attention. So he hired a nanny while I was in high school. A nanny! Can you even imagine what that’s like? I never had friends over because I was so ashamed. And then he tried to convince me to go to school locally, so I could just live at home.” Destiny chuckles softly as I continue. “It was a nightmare. So we compromised about college. He gave me a four-hundred-mile radius to pick a school. I was going to go with Jacksonville, Florida, but the schools just didn’t seem that good. And I knew I wanted to be near the beach. So Myrtle Beach it was.” “Wow. And he pays for everything?” “Well, yeah. I have a weekly allowance, so long as I keep my grades up, and he pays tuition plus I have a couple credit cards for clothes and emergencies,” I tell her. “Damn. I’m here on scholarship and my parents still have four kids at home, plus my older brother is at RISD, so they can’t really help out financially. After classes start tomorrow, I have to hit the pavement for a part-time job.” It’s amazing to me that kids actually have to work while they’re in school. Dad’s always taken care of everything for me, so I can focus on academics. It’s so foreign to think about having to keep up a job and school. I suppose, though, if I had to, I would. “That’s shitty. What classes are you taking?” I say to steer the direction of the conversation away from finances. I definitely don’t want to embarrass my new friend, and it’s more than a little awkward for me to talk about having all kinds of money in front of her. In the middle of our discussion about class schedules, Roman and Nolan approach. Roman sits next to me, straddling the bench seat, and digs into my fries without permission. Across from me, I see Nolan has done the same to Destiny. Hey, at this rate, I won’t have to worry about the freshmen fifteen. “You girls missed it. Roman is crazy!” Nolan announces and then shovels more fries into his mouth. “What do you mean?” I ask, looking pointedly at Rome. “It’s no big deal,” he says with a blush. My curiosity is piqued. “Now you have to tell me,” I beg Nolan. “Okay,” he says, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “So we’re on the ride, about to ascend that first big lift, and this guy stands up on the coaster. I don’t even know how he got out of the lap bar. Because it was already going, the guys running the thing couldn’t stop it, either.” He takes a second to suck a large amount of Destiny’s soda through the straw and then swallows. “So they’re all standing on the loading dock, or whatever you call it, and they’re yelling, screaming, at Rome to sit down properly. He ignores them and rides the thing almost all the way to the top standing up on his seat. He doesn't hold on, or anything. I swear, I thought he was going to die. “Then, just as we’re cresting the top, he sinks back down into his seat, locks his lap bar in place, and throws his hands up, screaming the whole way down. I’ve never seen anything like it.” I look at Roman to gauge how true this story is, but his head is down, staring at my fries. “You really did that, didn’t you?” “It’s no big deal,” he mutters. “No big deal? You’re a real thrill-seeker, aren’t you?” Destiny laughs.

“How exactly did you not get kicked out of the park?” I demand to know. In Atlanta, if someone did that, they’d be banned for life. “The infamous Roman can’t be kicked out of this place, Hazel. Don’t you know who he is?” Nolan laughs at my confused look and as he opens his mouth to speak again, Roman kicks him under the table. Nolan grabs his shin. “Shit, man, chill out.” Roman looks even more embarrassed and I let it go, making a mental note to corner him later about it. “I want you to win me something,” I declare, looking at Roman. He looks relieved that I’m not asking questions. “I don’t want to disappoint,” he says, finishing off my fries and downing what’s left of my soda. He stands up, picks up the trash in one hand, and then reaches for my hand. “Come on.” He drags me to the carnival section of the park after he tosses the trash. Behind us, Destiny and Nolan hold hands as they follow.

Chapter Nine We play carnival games for hours, Destiny and I laughing at the effort Roman and Nolan put forth. They try to one-up the other all night and when the fireworks start, we all stand together to watch them. As the colors flood the darkened sky, I notice the rest of our group near us. They move closer and we all greet them, asking where they’ve been all night. The four of them seem to be extremely cozy, especially Audric and Cheyanne. As much as I despise Cheyanne, I’m glad she seems to be moving on from Roman. He’s pretty much mine now, and I don’t want her causing any problems between us. Audric is so cute with how awkward he is, barely touching Cheyanne, even though I can tell he wants to. At one point, Cheyanne grabs his hand and holds it in hers. So adorable. Not! The park doesn’t close until midnight, but at eleven, I’m so exhausted, I nearly collapse. Roman agree to take me back to the dorms while everyone else stays at the park. “Sorry you had to leave early,” I say, although I’ve been looking for an excuse to get him alone all night. “That’s okay. I’m more used to early nights and even earlier mornings. You ready for classes to start tomorrow?” “Yeah, I guess. I kind of wish it was still summertime for us, though,” I say, reaching for his hand. His fingers intertwine with mine and I lean back against the plush leather of the seat. His car is really nice. “Me too. Fall means football for me,” he says. “I’ve got practice almost every night this week, so chances are, I won’t get to see you much,” he explains. My heart falls. I want to spend every night with him. But, it’s not like I have a choice. “Oh, sure,” I say with more enthusiasm than I feel. “That just means I’ll get to point you out to everyone at all the games.” “Yeah. You’ll say, ‘that’s my boyfriend, number sixty-nine.’” Whoa. Did he just refer to himself as my boyfriend? My heart soars but I manage not to make too much of a big deal about it. “Exactly.” His hand squeezes mine in agreement. At my dorm room, I’m surprised he doesn’t invite himself in, or invite me to his room. “Good night, Hazel.” He kisses me gently, something that melts my heart and further. When he lifts his head, he smiles at me and then walks away.

In my room, I close the door and lean against it, thoroughly infatuated with Roman. Not only does he have a rockin’ body and a great personality, but he likes me. Me! I take off my makeup, then strip out of my clothes and crawl into bed wearing just my panties and a tank top. Looks like this is going to be the best year of my life. ***** The next morning, I’m up fairly early, desperate for coffee. Cheyanne, I notice, is still sound asleep, the covers pulled up over her head. I get dressed, run a brush through my hair, and apply my usual makeup, then run to the bathroom to brush my teeth and grab my bag for class. I sling the strap over my shoulder, moving the bulk of the bag to my back and head out. I check my cell. I have half an hour before class starts and coffee is first on the list. I stop at the student lounge to grab a cup. As I’m adding my sugar and cream, Miranda comes up next to me. “Hey! Early class, huh?” I nod, still not fully awake. I lift my cup to check the sweetness and it’s perfect. I moan into my cup. “Yeah, me too. I’ve got Intro to Lit.” “Oh? Me too,” I say, still uncertain how I feel about her. Miranda and Cheyanne were acting pretty chummy last night, so I don’t want to trust her too much, in case something I say gets back to Cheyanne. “Awesome! Want to walk to class together?” This girl is way too peppy. Even if she weren’t friends with my new enemy, I still wouldn’t like her. But I don’t want to be rude. “Sure.” We walk and Miranda has no trouble filling the silence with words. It seems as though she never shuts up. I hide my frustration at her incessant chatter and once we’re in class, I ignore her completely so I can focus on the lecture. She writes me a few notes and although I read them, I’m appalled. Are we still in high school? It’s so sad. Maybe she and Cheyanne are made to be best friends. She finally gets the picture when I refuse to write back and she stops dropping the paper in front of my notes. I jot down as much as I can while our instructor goes through the syllabus. It’s not going to be a heavy load, which makes me grateful, because my next class is General Calculus, since I tested out of the basic math courses. I’m looking forward to the class, but I know it’ll push me, academically. And with only ten minutes to spare between Lit and Calculus, I’ll have to hustle across campus to get there on time. When Lit finally ends, Miranda picks up right where she left off, talking away while I pack up my stuff. Once I have everything, I turn to her. “I’m not trying to be rude, but I have to go. My next class starts in a few minutes on the other side of campus,” I say. I don’t give her a chance to reply. I just walk away. Hopefully she doesn’t think I’m rude, but honestly, I don’t care. She still acts like a kid, and I doubt we’ll ever be friends. I make it to Calculus with ninety seconds to spare. The only seat available is one next to Nolan. He grins as I sit down and I’m thankful for a friendly face. “How did you get in this class? I thought it was upperclassmen only,” he whispers as the professor begins his lesson.

There is no introduction to the class or going over the syllabus. Professor James is a nononsense guy who starts us off with some hard equations. He doesn’t explain how to do them, either. He just puts the equations on the board and says we have until the end of the class to turn in our answers. “Anyone who finishes early can leave my class early,” he explains, sitting down at the desk and pulling out his laptop. If he weren’t hot, I’d think he was a total douche. But he’s so much younger than most college professors, so much more attractive. I guess he’s in his late twenties, with sandy blond hair and jade-colored eyes. He’s built, too, a sure sign that his muscles are firm underneath his suit coat. A note slides in front of me. Seriously? I sigh audibly but unfold the paper and read Nolan’s note. Stop staring at the professor or I’ll tell Rome. Do you know the answer to #2? I got the first one, but the second one is a pain in the ass. Holy shit! He’s already finished with the first equation… I need to get to work. I scribble a quick no in reply and shove the paper back at him, getting my thoughts together so I can actually keep up. When Nolan tries to put the note in front of me again, I block him and shake my head. I spend the rest of class trying to figure out the equations, making sure to check my textbook for what I don’t already know.

Chapter Ten After my first day of classes, I’m beat. Nolan invites me to his and Roman’s football practice, but I decline, texting Destiny to find out if she wants to meet up for dinner. Yes! I need to get the hell away from my roommate! she replies. I laugh and send her a text to meet me at my dorm room. I just want to lay down on my bed and sleep when I get to my room, but instead, I toss my bag on my bed and flip open my laptop. I check all my social media sites while I wait for Destiny. Lucky for me, Cheyanne is nowhere to be found. To my surprise, I have an instant message from Roman waiting for me on Facebook. H – Somehow, I ended up without your number. Not sure how that’s even possible, but I checked my phone and I don’t have it. Audric is off somewhere, so I can’t ask him. Call me when you get this. 843-857-1234 – R I realize that we’ve never actually exchanged numbers. Odd. Without waiting, I punch his number into my phone and press send. I wait through four rings and figure I’ll have to leave him a message when he picks up. “Hello?” He’s out of breath, like he was running to answer. “Hey, it’s Hazel,” I say. “Hey, gorgeous. Listen, I’m about to start practice, and this coach is a pain in the ass. I’ll text you later tonight, okay?”

Before I even have a second to reply, he hangs up, just as a knock lands on my door. I laugh, tossing my phone on my bed before answering. Destiny stands there, a pissy look on her face. “What’s up?” I ask, letting her in. “Oh my God! My roommate is the biggest idiot on the planet!” She throws her hands up as she enters. “What happened?” I ask, trying to hold in my laughter. “Well, first she set her alarm this morning for five a.m., so she could ‘go for a run,’” she says, putting up air quotes. “Then she proceeds to hit the snooze button eight times, and when she finally gets out of bed, she complains she doesn’t have enough time to run before her first class. Then she gets back from her class, which is some basics for dummies class that most of us test out of, and she complains that it’s too hard and she goes on and on about how much she misses her high school boyfriend. I can’t stand her!” I raise my brow. “Is that all?” “It’s not funny,” she moans, dropping on to my bed. “I need a new roommate like right now. Do you think Nolan could get me switched to this building?” She looks hopeful. I doubt it. “Maybe. He does have some pull. I’d like to get rid of my roommate, too.” Of course, I’d like my roommate to drop off the face of the earth, but I don’t say that. “Ugh. Where are we eating? I have a car, so if you want to go off campus, I’m down with that.” “Oh, I didn’t realize you had a car!” I’m excited to get off campus. I really want some pizza. “It’s a beater, but it runs, and I haven’t had any trouble with it. My brother fixes it up whenever I need him to. Are you ready? Let’s go,” she demands, more than ready to leave campus in the dust. I am too. “Let’s do it.” We discover in the car that we have very similar tastes in music and we spend the ride blaring the radio as loud as it will go. We drive along Ocean Boulevard, and when we have to get back on the highway, Destiny turns the music down. “So, what do you want to eat?” “I was thinking about pizza,” I say. “I heard from Audric that the cafeteria pizza sucks.” It’s too bad Audric has a thing for Cheyanne, because I would totally hang out with him more often, especially since Roman is going to be busy this week. “I’ve heard that, too. What about Little Amici’s, over at Broadway at the Beach?” “Someone has done they’re research,” I say, teasing her a little. “Yeah, my brother comes to Myrtle for Spring Break every year, and he gave me some tips on where to eat.” “Sounds good to me.” Luckily for us, there’s no wait at the restaurant and we get right in, ordering way too much food for the two of us, but we’re starved. And our eyes are definitely bigger than our stomachs. Forty minutes later, we have to ask for a couple of to-go boxes. “I love leftover pizza,” Destiny says as she stacks several slices into her box. “I’m not a huge fan, but maybe Roman will come by my room later and want a piece.” It’s not likely, but a girl can dream.

Chapter Eleven

The next few days pass in a flurry of excitement. Roman is far too busy to hang out; he has practice every night the whole week. He texts me regularly, though, so I’m not worried. Once the season starts, he assures me that practices will be fewer, so we’ll have more time together. He complains about his coach all the time, and although I’ve never met the guy, I don’t like him either. He’s keeping Roman from me, after all. Late on Wednesday night, I get a text from Roman. Hey babe. You awake? I worry he just wants a booty call, and I definitely don’t want to be that, so I ignore the text. Several minutes later, he texts again. I need a cuddle buddy. He’s so cute. Instead of answering, I get out of bed, determined not to let things go too far tonight, pull on some sleep shorts, and make my way to his room. I only know which room is his because Audric and I had dinner together tonight. We ordered in from Domino’s while Roman was at practice. It’s the second time I’ve had pizza this week, and I’m so sick of it. I need a freaking cheeseburger or something soon. I knock lightly on Roman’s door and when he answers, I smile. He’s completely disheveled, his hair is mussed and he’s only wearing his boxers. Adorable. He grins at me. “I figured you were ignoring me,” he says, letting me into the room. “It occurred to me,” I reply, glancing around the room. “Where’s Audric?” “He’s got a hot date,” Roman chuckles. “Shut up! With who?” “It’s a secret. I don’t even know,” Roman admits. “Funny, I kind of thought he and Cheyanne had a thing going,” I tell him. “Me too. Was she still in your room?” “Yep. Sound asleep.” He pulls me close once the door closes. “I’ve missed you this week.” “Me too.” “Will you crash in my bed with me? No sex, I swear,” he promises. He’s so cute when he grins at me like that. I nod and climb into his bed. He shuts off the light and jumps over me, his lean body pressing firmly against my back. He yanks the covers over us and I feel warm and loved. We haven’t said the words yet, but I’m pretty sure I’m in love with him. And if he’s willing to wait for sex with me, I can only assume he loves me too, though I doubt he’ll say it. His arm wraps protectively around me, his hand splayed against my stomach. My tank top has ridden up and his hand is hot against my skin. I find myself wanting to do more than just lay here with him. I roll over, bite my lip, and look up at him in the darkness. I can just make out the contours of his face, and he’s smiling. “You’re so beautiful,” he says before I can say anything. Without thinking, I pull his lips to mine, swallowing whatever it was I’d been about to say. Forget waiting. I want him. Now. I roll onto my back and pull him above me, letting his weight sink us into the mattress. “Hazel? Are you sure?” he asks, totally sweet and loving.

I sigh. “Oh, I’m sure.” With that, he quickly gets me out of my tank top and shorts. I’m naked except for my panties, but I don’t feel exposed. His fingers graze my breasts, sending goose bumps up and down my spine. I shiver. “Don’t be afraid, baby. I won’t hurt you,” he says soothingly. Does he think I’m a virgin? Time to squash that. I turn demanding, rolling him over onto his back and straddling him. His look of surprise is priceless, but I barely have time to admire it as I strip him of his boxers. I’m impressed. He’s larger than anyone I’ve ever been with, but that’s a short list. I kick off my own panties and straddle him again, rubbing myself against him. “Condom,” he gasps at my movement, afraid I’ll try to trap him like Cheyanne. His hand reaches for his nightstand and I stop him, opening the drawer and grabbing the latex myself. I rip open the package, move off him, and roll the condom on him with my mouth, causing him to groan and fist his hands in the sheets. I love the way he moans, his voice deep and rumbly, sending twinges of pleasure straight to my clit. I give him a blowjob for several minutes before I climb back on him, sliding him inside me. We both moan at the contact, the pleasure. I feel fuller than ever, and then he lifts his hips to thrust into me and I gasp. There’s a little pain from being stretched, but mostly, all I feel is pleasure, incredible pleasure. Pleasure I’ve never felt before. I move against him and the sensation intensifies, building into what I know will be an epic orgasm. I don’t want it to happen too quickly, but Roman grabs my hips and forces me down on him. Hard. I shatter above him, tingly bursts of heaven flooding my entire body. I barely register that he’s thrusting into me harder and faster to reach his own release. I collapse on his chest and his hips buck up at me. “Fuck,” I hear him whisper just seconds before he stills. The sound of our heavy breathing is the only thing that fills the room. My chest heaves against him. Finally, I move off him, laying back on his bed in complete and utter satisfaction. As I catch my breath, Roman takes care of the condom and then comes back to his bed. “Hey there, sexy girl,” he says, pushing my bangs out of my eyes. “Holy shit, Roman,” is all I can say, I’m so sated. He laughs. “Guess we’ll both sleep a little better now, huh?” “I guess so. I’m sleepy now,” I admit. He pulls me into his arms and we fall asleep almost immediately. An hour later, I have to pee. I debate for a minute about whether or not I can hold it until morning, but my bladder wins. Carefully, I disentangle myself from Roman’s arms and pull on my shorts and tank top. I can’t find my panties in the dark, so I go out to the bathrooms without them. The halls are empty when I go into the bathroom, but when I come out, there’s a commotion at the end of the hall. “Room two-oh-seven! Room check!” Room check! I didn’t even know colleges did that! Nolan’s voice is loud, giving rooms farther along time to get any extra people out of their rooms. Shit. I turn left instead of right, ready to go back to my own room and hope Roman doesn’t come looking for me. But going to my room means walking right by Nolan. “Hey, Hazel. Your room is next,” he says with a nod of his head. I get the impression he knows I wasn’t in my own room, and he’s giving me the heads up. I smile at him with gratitude and open up my own dorm door. I flip on the light, expecting

Cheyanne to grumble. When there’s no response from under the covers, I walk over and tap her shoulder. The blanket falls in. I yank it back and realize she’s not in our room. A knock on the door jerks me back to reality. I place the covers back over the stack of pillows she’s set up and go to answer the door. Nolan stands there, checklist in hand. “Good evening, Hazel,” he says. “Room check.” I put my finger to my lips. “Cheyanne is sleeping.” Why am I covering for her? I know she deserves to get caught not being in her room after lights out, but I hope this will make her hate me less. Maybe she’ll see I’m not all bad. “Got it. Anyone else in here?” Nolan asks. “No one.” “Great.” He checks our room number off his list. “Good night, Hazel.” “Night.” Talk about a close call.

Chapter Twelve I didn’t hear Cheyanne come in last night, but I know she’s in our room. That massive flurry of red hair proves it to me. I don’t bother to wake her; instead, I grab my stuff and head for the showers. It’s before seven, so I figure I’m safe. The showers are completely empty and I take the first stall, sighing. I barely had time last night to process what happened between me and Roman. He didn’t want to rush things, didn’t want to push me, and I ended up jumping him the first chance I got. It’s funny how things work out. The door to the showers open and Audric walks in, looking tired. “Oh, sorry, Hazel. I’ll wait until you’re done.” “Please. We’re adults. Just use one of the stalls over there,” I point. He smiles and makes his way to the shower two stalls away. Plenty of space between us. “How’d your date go last night?” I ask, almost positive he went out with Cheyanne. He pales. “How do you know about my date?” “Roman told me. He couldn’t tell me who your date was, though. Although I’m pretty sure I know,” I say as I lather up my long hair. “You do?” Audric turns on the water in his stall and we both have to speak up over the rush of water. “Yeah. My roommate, maybe?” He looks guilty. “Did she tell you that?” “No, but since we had a room check last night, I had to cover for her, since she wasn’t there. And you weren’t in your room, so I just kind of put two and two together.” “Oh, the room check. Rome told me he about had a heart attack and answered the door completely naked. What a surprise for Nolan,” Audric laughs. “But he covered for me, too. I guess I owe him one. And you, too.” “Damn right you do. Why are you going out on secret dates with Cheyanne?” I rinse my hair. “It’s complicated. We aren’t dating or anything, and last night wasn’t a date, per se.” “Really? Do tell.” I eye him suspiciously, wondering if he’s just trying to keep it a secret.

“She needed to talk to someone about her son, and you and I are the only people here who know. Since you two aren’t really speaking, she came to me. We just talked about being a teen parent, and how different her life is from everyone else’s.” I don’t buy it, but pretend I do. “Oh, okay. I get that.” I turn away, finishing my shower and wrapping a towel around myself. “I’ll talk to you later.” Audric mumbles a reply and I leave the showers. When I get back to my room, Cheyanne is awake and staring at me. “What?” “Was there really a room check last night?” she asks. “Yep.” “So how much trouble am I in?” “None. I covered for you.” “What! Why?” She looks shocked, and I don’t blame her, I still don’t really know why I did it. “I’m not sure. But we’re roommates, and that means that someday, I might need you to cover for me, so I didn’t rat you out.” “Oh. Thanks,” she says, her eyes red. “You okay?” “Yeah, it was just a long night. If I didn’t have an early class, I swear, I would just sleep all day. I’m going to see Deacon this weekend, so I’ll be leaving first thing Saturday morning. I’ll talk to Nolan and the people in admin today so you won’t have to lie for me again. I know we have our differences, but I want you to know how thankful I am for last night, Hazel. I really needed to talk to Audric.” “It’s not a problem,” I say, dismissing her altogether. We lapse into silence and I get ready for my first class of the day. I really want some coffee. Noting that it would be so much easier if I had my own coffeepot, I make a mental note to buy one this weekend, if I have time. The day flies by, as it’s my busiest day for classes, four back to back. I hardly have any time to relax between them, and when I’m finished for the day, I go back to the dorm to start on the pile of work I’ve been assigned. Nothing like a full class load to keep me on my toes. I put my phone on vibrate and dive into my assignments. ***** Around midnight, I’m woken up by my phone buzzing against the hard wood of my desk. Of course, since my face is squished on my desk, I feel the vibrations, too. I sit up, yawn loudly, and pick up my phone. Destiny is calling. “Hello?” My voice is groggy and harsh. I don’t even remember falling asleep. I look to Cheyanne’s bed and see she’s missing again. She didn’t even bother to make a fake body in her place this time. I roll my eyes. “Where the hell have you been?” Des screams in my ear so loudly I have to pull the phone away. “I’ve been texting you all night!” “I silenced my phone so I could get some homework done. What’s up?” “Oh, okay. So, huge news! Nolan asked me out!” she shrieks. “That’s awesome, Des.” I yawn again. “When?”

“Well, that’s actually why I’m calling. It’s kind of a group date, with you and Roman, and the rest of our little group,” she explains. “That’s not a date!” I blurt. “Yes, it is,” she says, completely serious. I decide not to argue. “So when is this date?” I ask, trying to hide my sarcasm. “Tomorrow night, after the game. Roman’s first football game! I am excited, and he’s not even my boyfriend. But it’s going to be so much fun. You’re going to the game, right?” She talks so fast, it takes my brain a moment to catch up. “Yeah, of course I’m going. Roman just hasn’t asked me yet,” I realize. “He probably did. He told Nolan he’s been texting you all night.” “Oh. Well let me get off the phone, then, so I can check. I’ll see you tomorrow and we’ll go to the game together, okay?” I hang up before she replies; I’m anxious to see what Roman’s texts say. I open up the conversation and have to scroll up, he’s sent me so many messages. I haven’t talked to you today. How are you? Just talked to Nolan, might be a group date forming for Friday night. You free? Are you ignoring me? Is this about last night? Will you answer me?!?! The sight of those angry question marks and exclamation points tell me he’s anxious to hear from me. I type out a quick text to let him know I’m not angry. Sorry… Then I take the time to write a longer text that says how excited I am about the group date, and how much I want to see him play tomorrow night. He replies almost instantly. Thank God. I thought you were pissed off at me. I reply: Why would I be pissed? Seriously? I told you last night that I wasn’t trying to get into your pants and within fifteen minutes of you coming to my room, we were naked. I thought you thought I betrayed your trust. I cringe as I read it, and I feel his pain. I went through something similar after we had sex. We’re okay. I’ve got a late class tomorrow. Want to meet for breakfast? I wait anxiously until my phone vibrates again.

Sounds good. When and where? I shoot him a reply, telling him to just meet me in the cafeteria around eight. I fall asleep waiting for his response.

Chapter Thirteen The next morning, I’m awake and dressed before I even look over at Cheyanne’s bed, which is perfectly made. Either she didn’t come home last night or she got up early and took off. I don’t really care which is true. I’m not going to cover for her anymore, though. That’s the sort of thing that could get me in trouble. I walk to the café, grab a cup of coffee, and sit on one of the lounge area couches. I wait. And wait. And wait. A quick look at my phone shows it’s after nine and I don’t have a single text message from Roman. Disappointed, I grab my bag and go to my first and only class of the day: Calculus. Nolan is waiting for me, a grin on his face when he sees me. As soon as I sit down, though, he starts in about Des. “Has Destiny said anything about me?” “What are you, in high school?” I retort, pissy about Roman. “Someone’s panties are in a bunch. Did you find out about Roman?” That gets my attention. “What?” “Oh, I guess not. Uhh, I saw him and Cheyanne sitting in his car this morning. They looked really friendly.” He swipes at my coffee and I let him take it, stunned. Roman and Cheyanne? “Fuck him,” I mutter, more to myself than anyone else. “Look, Hazel, I like Rome, I really do. But he and Cheyanne obviously have a past. And if he’s going to just dis you that way, maybe you’re better off forgetting him,” Nolan suggests as he sips from my cup. He’s right, of course, but I slept with Roman. And I don’t sleep with anyone anymore. I sigh as Professor James puts his equations up. Deciding I need to talk to Roman before I jump to conclusions, I start the long process of figuring out what the hell the equations even mean. Before I know it, the hour passes and people are leaving the class. I glance at my equations. I haven’t finished a single one. “Hazel? Can I have your solutions, please?” Professor James inquires when I’m the last student remaining. “I – I’m sorry, I didn’t finish them,” I stutter. “Well. Just bring me whatever you have. I’ll only grade what you’ve done.” I gather up my stuff, shoving my book and notebook into my bag. I bring the single piece of paper to the front of the class. “I didn’t finish any of them.” “I see. And why not?” “I’m having some personal issues,” I admit. “I don’t allow girls to use their menstrual cycles as excuses for not completing their work,” he begins. “No! I’m not on my period, sheesh. I think my boyfriend is getting back together with his ex,” I explain, embarrassed.

“Well, the first week of class is a learning experience, so I’ll let you take the equations home and work on them over the weekend. But on Monday, I expect them to be complete.” “Thanks,” I force out, though I don’t even care about Calculus anymore. All academics have suddenly taken a backseat to getting Roman back. I won’t lose him to Cheyanne. I won’t. I take off for my dorm, pulling my phone out and seeing a missed call from Roman. When I listen to the voicemail, my blood boils. “Hey, baby, it’s Roman. Sorry about this morning. I woke up late and by the time I got to the café at nine, you were gone. I’ll make it up to you, I promise. Later.” He really had the audacity to lie to my voicemail? Ugh. I stuff my phone into my pocket and make a beeline for the dorms. I slam the door once I go through it, shocking my roommate. Seeing her just angers me further. “Are you really trying to steal Roman back? Wasn’t it you who told me what a player he was?" I all but screech. “What are you talking about? Roman and I met this morning to talk about custody of our son. Surely that’s more important than your stupid little coffee date? And I stand by my words – you should stay far away from him. Do you really want to date someone who has a kid?” She stands up to me, something I wasn’t expecting. I take a deep breath and back up. “Whatever.” I drop my bag and tuck my credit card and ID into my pocket. I slam the door behind me and pull out my phone, ready to do some retail therapy with Des. Twenty minutes later, we’re almost to the outlet mall, a place I can’t wait to drop some serious cash at. “I don’t really have much to spend,” Des says, looking ashamed. “Today is my treat, Des. Get whatever you want,” I tell her in the parking lot. “I couldn’t.” “You can. And you will.” I pull her into the first store of the mall and demand she buy something cute to wear tonight on her group date. A date that I am still going on, I’ll just be the hottest looking girl going. As well as single. I want Roman to realize what he’s missing with me. After two hours of shopping, Des and I are back at the dorms. I ask her to come with me to my room so I don’t kill Cheyanne. But Cheyanne is nowhere to be found. Thankfully, I start unloading all my purchases, and Destiny’s too. We have an hour until the game starts, and Nolan is meeting us at my room to escort us there. Just as we finish getting ready, there’s a knock at my door. I make Destiny answer, certain she’ll stun Nolan when he sees her. I spent a lot of time doing her makeup and she looks amazing, especially when she gets out of those boot-cut jeans and into a pair of skinny jeans that show off her body. I put her in a pair of my favorite black heels, which make her ass look incredible. As a top, she picked out a thin, pink T-shirt that hugs her waist. She looks great. She freezes at the door and I hear a low whistle. “Oh, hey…guys…” I pick up on her distress and walk over. Nolan and Roman are standing there, waiting for us. “Aren’t you supposed to be at the game already?” I snip. “Yeah, I had to come see you, though. Can we talk?” Roman looks at Nolan, who pulls Des out of my room and they leave us alone. “What do you want? I already know you lied to my voicemail this morning about sleeping in. So no bullshit.”

“You’re right, I did lie. I saw Cheyanne. I know I shouldn’t have lied, but I was scared, Hazel. I mean, you and me, we’re good together, and I didn’t want my kid to come between us.” He looks heartbroken, and I weaken. “I get it. But don’t lie to me anymore, okay?” I can’t believe I just said that. Why am I not screaming at him for lying? “You got it, babe. Let’s get to the game before I kicked off the team,” he laughs, taking my hand. We walk outside and Nolan and Des are waiting for us. The four of us walk to the football field and before Rome takes off to do his thing, he kisses me, a kiss full of promise and regret, one I know neither of us will forget anytime soon.

Chapter Fourteen The game passes quickly, much quicker than I remember football games passing last year. Of course, last year when I went to high school games, I wasn’t dating the star quarterback of the team, either. Before I know it, I’m in the backseat of Roman’s car and we’re all headed to Steak & Shake, the best little burger place in town. I absolutely love their burgers. And the fact that they’re open twenty-fours a day? Even better. The hostess puts us in an extra-large round booth in the back, predicting that we’ll be a noisy bunch. We don’t disappoint. I’m sitting between Roman and Destiny, the perfect place for me, as far as I’m concerned. On Roman’s other side is Andre, who I don’t know all that well. He seems nice, though, and Roman likes him, so I can’t complain. Nolan is next to Des and the two are cuddly and cute. Roman and I hardly touch during the meal, and I notice he seems off. When we leave, he whispers something to Nolan, who pulls Des away from me and talks to her. Roman takes my arm and leads me to his car, alone. Thinking we’re going to be doing private things, I get in his car with a smile. Before he can speak, I kiss him. He pulls away a little. “Let’s go someplace private,” he suggests. I agree wholeheartedly. He puts the car in Drive and takes me back to the beach. It’s the same beach where we had our first kiss, and I can’t believe it’s only been a couple of days since I met him. It feels like forever. Once he puts the car in Park, I’m all over him. I swing my leg up and over his, climbing on top of him in his seat. I kiss him passionately, letting him know with my kisses exactly what he means to me. My hands are under his shirt, touching each of his abs tenderly, in awe. “I love you,” I whisper aloud, not meaning to. Maybe he won’t notice. “What did you just say?” He pushes me away from him, his eyes fierce. “It just slipped out,” I laugh, trying to be coy. “Fuck, Hazel, shit like that doesn’t just slip out.” He pushes me again when I try to kiss him, but this time, I land in my own seat. Hard. “Ow.” “I’m sorry, Hazel, but this just isn’t going to work. I’ve got too much on my plate right now to be a boyfriend,” he says, but I don’t understand. “You’re already my boyfriend,” I reply. “No, I’m just some guy you slept with too soon. I know it probably makes me an ass, but I can’t be with you.”

I lean back against the door of the car, stunned. I can’t even speak as his words set in. I look down at my hands in my lap, more ashamed of myself than I’ve been in years. I put myself out on the line for him, and now he’s just throwing me away, just like all the other guys in my life. “Asshole!” I manage to yell at him, but I can’t say anymore. I thrust open my door and get out, anxious to be as far away from him as I possibly can. I hear him calling to me, but I ignore him, running out to the beach and continuing on. I turn around to see if he’s following me, and he’s not, thankfully. I pull out my phone and text Des as the tears start to roll down my cheeks. She calls me immediately. “Hey.” “Oh my God! What happened? We’re already back at the dorms, and Nolan is doing another room check tonight, so he sent Andre to pick you up. Nolan will cover for you for tonight’s room check, too,” she adds, talking faster than I can think at the moment. “Thanks. Tell Andre I’ll be on the beach, near where the bonfire was that first night. I don’t really want to talk about it, Des, so we’ll catch up tomorrow, okay?” I hang up without waiting for her reply. I sit on the beach, near the water’s edge. Where did I go wrong? Roman seemed like such a good guy, too. Maybe I should have listened to Cheyanne… After several minutes of sitting in silence, Andre approaches. “Hazel, you okay?” “Ugh, I just want this night to disappear,” I reply, burying my head in my hands. Andre sits next to me. “It’s okay. It gets better.” “When? When does it get better?” I mutter. “I’m sorry… I’m just so confused. I really thought Roman liked me.” “He’s an ass, obviously. You’re amazing.” I laugh. “You hardly know me. And you don’t have to be nice to me,” I say as I wipe away a tear from my cheek. When I look at him, though, Andre’s dark brown eyes are serious. “You are amazing. I mean, we haven’t really hung out all that much, but Rome’s an idiot. Giving up a girl like you? He must be out of his mind.” Even though I know he’s probably lying, his words make me feel better. I put my head down on his shoulder and his arm comes around to hug my waist. It would be so easy to get lost in this moment. And as I think it, I realize I want to. I want to get lost in this moment with Andre, to let him have me, right here on the beach to wipe away my memories of Roman. “Kiss me,” I demand, lifting my face up to his. “Help me forget him.” He resists, not wanting to take advantage, I can tell. I decide then to take the choice away from him. I scramble into his lap, covering his lips with my own as my hands cup his face. For once, I just want to do something completely reckless. What’s the harm?

Chapter Fifteen The brilliant sun is beating down on me when I wake. I’m covered in sand and memories of last night come flooding back. Not only did I lose Roman, I also slept with one of his friends. Such poor decisions… “You’re awake,” Andre says, his voice deep, seductive. “Yeah, barely.”

He smiles at me and I can’t help but feel guilty. I hope he doesn’t think we’re going to be a thing. I just needed to forget Roman, not get tangled up in another too-fast relationship. “We should probably get back to the dorms,” he suggests as he stands, not mentioning the events of last night at all. I take the hand he extends to me and let him lift me up. We walk in silence back to his car and the ride to the dorms is quiet, with only the faded hum of music filling the air. After he parks in the lot, he turns to me and I want to let him down easy. He beats me to the punch. “I’m sure you’re trying to find some way to let me know what a mistake last night was, and blah, blah, blah. I just want you to know that it doesn’t need to go any further, okay? You were feeling down and needed to get the taste of Roman off your tongue.” I smile, feeling better already. “I’m sorry.” “Don’t be. I haven’t been used like that in a while. It’s an ego-boost,” he confirms, leaning over to hug me. “Don’t feel awkward, either. We’re friends, and I hope that hasn’t changed.” I shake my head with a grin and then make the walk back to my dorm. I open the door feeling more at ease with myself than I have in a long time. That feeling fades as soon as I see my roommate. “Do you finally see what I’ve been saying?” “Huh?” I play dumb, wondering how she already knows about Roman and me. “Roman broke up with you last night, right?” She doesn’t wait for an answer. “I told you he would hurt you, Hazel. Maybe next time you’ll listen to what I have to say! He’s a player, through and through. Are you just going to stand there?” She looks pointedly from me to the open door. I close the door. “I don’t really want to talk about it.” “I don’t care. I told you to stay away from him. I told you how he was just using you. And he got what he wanted, right? He got you to sleep with him, didn’t he?” “Yes,” I mumble, not really wanting to answer, but knowing she won’t let it go. She needs to say her piece. “Exactly. Love’em and leave’em, isn’t that what I told you?” she goes on, telling me exactly how right she was and what a fool I am for letting him get to me. She doesn’t ask how I am, like a true friend would do. All she cares about is being right, and that just rubs me raw. The more she speaks, the more I want to make her feel the way I do: heartbroken. As she goes on and on about Roman and his playboy ways, an idea forms in my head. An idea that could take down Cheyanne and Roman at the same time. It won’t be easy, but I know I can pull it off. Ruining the two of them, and possibly getting them out of Coastal, is my idea of a good school year. Now I just have to work out the details. No one can know it’s me.

Knocked Up Nolan Chapter One

The first week of college is always the best. As an RA, I pretty much get first pick of the freshmen crop. And man, they sure are something this year. At the bonfire party last week, I met four girls, all of whom I plan to get with this year. Hazel is a little goth for me, but she’s got a smokin’ body and a great rack, so I know I can’t write her off. With her long black hair and blunt, straight bangs, her brown eyes stand out, even underneath all that thick black eyeliner and mascara. She’s a hot one. My best friend Roman even dated her, if that’s even what anyone would call it. They lasted all of five days. He got what he wanted from her, though, so I’m proud of my boy. I plan to get a piece of that ass soon too. Cheyanne is Hazel’s roommate, and although she’s a fiery redhead, which is usually a turnoff for me, I figure I’ll still get in her pants, just because I can. With bright blue eyes and bangin’ curves, I bet she’ll be a wildcat in bed. There is the slight awkwardness that she and Roman used to be a thing, but that was back in high school and I know she’s done with him, even if he is still kind of hung up on her. Miranda is an enigma. She’s quiet and reserved and definitely has that girl next door thing going for her. She’s plainer and doesn’t dress provocatively or wear loads of makeup, but she’s still pretty, with brown eyes and light brown hair. She keeps to herself and doesn’t seem to have a lot of friends yet. I’m hoping to change that, though. She’s my first target of the three, as soon as I’m done with Des. Ah, Destiny. I’ve secretly nicknamed her my “ditzy blonde,” even though I couldn’t care less about her brains. She’s blonde and dresses like she wants to get laid, and that’s more than enough for me. We’ve been taking it slow, at her request, but I want nothing more than to add her to my Master List and then move on to Miranda. As RA of Hazel, Cheyanne, Roman, and Audric’s floor, I pretty much let the four of them do what they want, knowing they’ll feel obligated to do things for me later. There’s not much I enjoy more than using people to my advantage. Last year, I didn’t write a single paper, instead getting two girls to write them for me all semester. Promising freshmen girls sex works like a charm; I even got them drunk and had a three-way with them, which was hot. I might be a player, but my boy Roman is flying through women even faster than I am. He’s already done with Hazel and I imagine she’s pretty torn up about it. Now would be a great time to make a move on her, but I know that would only piss Roman off, so I’ll keep my distance. For now. This past weekend was drama filled, but I like it. Without the drama, college would be pretty boring, and I’m not keen on that. I want interesting, not boring. Now, it’s Monday and I have a class with Hazel. The plan is to fool her into a false sense of security through friendship with me, while trying to gain her trust and eventually sleep with her. I walk into class late and she’s there, waiting for me in our spot near the center of the class. We both agree that a middle seat doesn’t look too eager or lazy. I slide into the desk next to hers and give her a wink. She’s wearing her signature dark makeup, but I notice it’s a little smudged. I feel bad for her, knowing what Roman’s done, but his actions have only solidified my plan to do the same. She has no idea what she’s in for. I pull out a notebook that has become our way of communication during class and ask if she’s okay. I slide it to her and she glances up at me with a sad smile. My heart jumps a little, and I know I won’t last long if she keeps this up. Hell, I’m ready to ditch Des to be with Hazel right now.

What’s the matter with you? I ask myself. Not only am I acting like a smitten pup, I’m all but drooling over her. I need to take things one day at a time. And that means sleeping with Des first and then moving on to Hazel later in the year. I’ve got plenty of time. Hazel slides the notebook back at me. Things are okay. I know you and Roman are good friends, but I still want to be your friend. Especially since you’re dating Des. But overall, I’m good. I see what a douche Roman is now. And it helps to know that I’ve got a bunch of people like you and Des and Audric who care about me. I read the note twice before replying. Why does she mention Audric? Are they a thing? Yeah. Having a couple and a gay guy on your side is helpful, I would imagine. A gay guy? Audric. Didn’t you know? I barely get the notebook in front of her and she’s scribbling away in reply. When she finally pushes it in front of me, I can tell she’s angry. Her handwriting is barely more than chicken scratch and it’s tilted to the left. Audric isn’t gay. He’s not. I made out with him on my very first day and trust me, you can’t fake his reaction. Don’t go spreading rumors about him, Nolan. If I hear you saying that shit again, I’ll report you. I’m surer now than ever that she and Audric are a thing now. She wouldn’t be defending him so hard if she wasn’t interested in him. It was a joke. I wouldn’t spread lies like that. It’s an attempt to cover my ass. I don’t want her mad at me, and although I’m not a fan of her and Audric together, I know there’s little I can do about it. For now. Hazel doesn’t write back for the rest of class and when I try to put the notebook in front of her, she pushes it away, obviously pissed. Knowing I’m going to need to suck up to her a bit, I make a plan to ask her to lunch to explain. I have no idea what I’m going to say to make her see I was just kidding, but I’m sure I’ll think of something. “Hazel, wait,” I say when class ends and she gets up to walk away. She turns and looks down at me. “What?” “I want to explain about what I said. Please. Have lunch with me?” She looks torn and I know my pleading eyes are working on her. “Fine.” I grin at her, thankful for her agreement, but knowing she can’t resist my charms makes me want to push things further, just to test the waters. “Then we’ll have sex in the bathroom after lunch.” “What is wrong with you?” she asks, appalled. But she blushes, too, which tells me it’s not completely out of the question in the future. Oh, this is going to be a fantastic year.

Chapter Two I text Des on the way to my car. Or, rather, I reply to the six messages she’s sent me while I was in class. That girl is damn clingy. And she won’t put out. Not yet, at least. So I need to keep her attached and thinking that I am just as lovey with her as she is with me. Good thing I’m a great actor. I let Des know I’m taking Hazel to lunch, since Des has a class in fifteen minutes, and I plan to console her friend. She agrees that it’s a good idea and tells me to have fun. If only she knew the kind of fun I want to have with Hazel. I smile at Hazel and open the door of my car for her, a perfect gentleman. “Thanks,” she mumbles. When I climb in, she turns the radio station to some goth-emo shit that drives me crazy, but I let it go. If I ever want to get with her, I need her to think I’m a great guy. So I smile and turn up the grunge music for her. She leans back against the seat and her eyes close. This shitty music relaxes her for some unknown reason. I take her off campus for lunch, hoping she’ll appreciate the gesture. She smiles at me when we pull into a restaurant I heard her mention she loves. It’s early and we’ve beat the lunch crowd, so we get a booth right away. “That remark about Audric really was a joke,” I start and she puts her hand up. “I know. I overreacted. I’m a little emotional after the breakup and I just responded too quickly. I know you don’t have any problems with Audric.” “You’re amazing, you know that?” I blurt. I can’t believe the words just came out of my mouth, but I’m shocked by her easy forgiveness. “No, I’m not. I want revenge. On both of them.” “Both? Roman and Audric?” She’s lost me. “Roman and Cheyanne. I know a secret about that them. One that could destroy everything,” she explains and I know what she means. “Deacon?” “How’d you know?” “I went to school with them. Didn’t Roman ever tell you the three of us were all from Columbia?” “No. We didn’t really talk about important stuff like that, or his son,” she says, tears welling up in her eyes. “Well, what kind of revenge do you want? As long as Deacon doesn’t get hurt, I’m down with helping you out.” She smiles broadly, the tears disappearing. “Well, I was thinking that the whole school knowing about Deacon could harm them, but I got a juicy bit of gossip this morning from Audric,” she teases. Audric. I need to get rid of that fucking kid. He’s messing up my game. “Oh yeah?” “Apparently, Roman and his parents are going to blindside Cheyanne with a custody battle. They’ve talked to lawyers and Roman went home yesterday morning to chat with his folks and the lawyer about what he wants. I guess Cheyanne has too many rules about the kid and visitation and they are sick of it.” I haven’t talked to Roman since he left for brunch at his parents yesterday. Des made me hang out with her all day, which left me with severe blue balls and no satisfaction. I wasn’t big on revealing something like that about my friend, especially since he hadn’t told me directly, but if this brought me closer to Hazel, I would do it.

“So what do you want to do?” “I think I want to go buy a prepaid cell phone with a local number and send a mass text to as many people as I can about it, including Roman and Cheyanne. Not only would it out them as having a kid together, it would set both their lives on fire.” It’s risky, but I wouldn’t be who I am without a little bit of risk. “Let’s do it.” We share a smile as our meals arrive and I know we’ll be buying that prepaid phone as soon as we leave. My guess is we’ll be sending messages out to everyone we know before we even get back on campus. That’s fine by me. Most of the people I’ve met at this school are fake and I can’t stand them, especially Cheyanne. She comes off as this virginal girl who just wants to get through class, but Roman and I know the truth about her. She lied about birth control when she slept with him, and before that, she was a total slut. So much so, in fact, that Roman demanded a paternity test before he took responsibility for his son. And Cheyanne refused to give little Deacon his last name, claiming he would be better off without Roman’s family name. It irks me that he lets her have so much control, so I’m amazed and ecstatic that he’s stepping up and taking charge, trying to get custody of his kid. He’s my boy, and I’m proud. And even though I’m helping Hazel out his little plan, the goal is to ruin Cheyanne, not him. I want her to turn into the slutty girl she was before she got pregnant. Then I’ll make my move with her. And Roman won’t care because he’ll have custody of their kid and more fuel to the fire that she’s an unfit mother. “You’re really on board?” Hazel asks, lifting her brows. “Sure. Why?” “Well, you and Roman are friends. I kind of figured you would have a problem hurting him,” she says. “That’s true. But we’re going to pay cash for the phone and the minutes and I would hope you’re smart enough to use a fake name for the registration part, so how would it get back to him that it’s me? Especially since he hasn’t told me about the plan yet. There is the problem of Audric, though. If Roman told him, he’s going to know Audric told someone and he’s going to take the fall for you.” “I’ve thought about that. But I think I will wait a few days until I can convince Cheyanne to tell me about it. That way she won’t know who it is and she’ll be able to tell Roman she told someone and I can just pin it on Audric. It’s perfect,” she says with a smile. “Just be careful. I don’t want this coming back on me, Hazel.” “Of course. Your name will never get brought up. You’ll be the mastermind behind the whole thing,” she confirms. Yep, the mastermind. And Hazel will be my scapegoat, if necessary. Using her is a perfect plan for my eventual seduction. She’ll be so grateful that I’m helping her, she’ll repay me with sexual favors. I can’t wait until those start.

Chapter Three On the way back to campus, we stop to pick up a phone. We agree on a flip phone without Internet access, that way it’s less likely to be traced. “We’ll need to program all the phone numbers into it,” I tell her when we’re back in my car. “Yeah, I’ll add the ones I know when I get back to my dorm, but not if Cheyanne is there,” she says.

“You can come to my dorm,” I suggest. “I don’t have a roommate and Des has classes tonight, so it’ll just be me.” “Perfect. We are going to take down Cheyanne and Roman and I can’t wait.” She winks at me. “Me either.” I’m hoping their takedown leads to Hazel going down. She’s a pretty girl and I can already picture all the dirty things she’ll let me do to her. We arrive on campus and walk to our building. Just as we reach the door, Audric bursts out, his face angry. “Hey! You okay?” Hazel asks with concern. My jealousy flares but I push it down. “Oh, just peachy. Cheyanne just found out about Roman’s parents’ plan for custody and she won’t even talk to me. She claims I knew about it and let her get blindsided. She hates me,” he says, defeated. “She’s crazy for thinking that,” Hazel consoles him with a hug. I clap my hand on his shoulder. “She’ll get over it, man. She’s just emotional.” I meet Hazel’s eyes and we both realize that this fight between Cheyanne and Audric will work to our benefit. Now we have even more fuel for the fire we’re about to start. Audric finally says he needs to go to class and stalks away from us. “This is going to be perfect!” Hazel squeaks. “I’m not going to wait now. Let’s go get those numbers programmed so that we can start this.” Once we’re in my room, I hand her my phone so she can start copying numbers. She sits on my bed and starts the long process. Knowing I can turn her on, I start to change my clothes, pulling my shirt up over my head. “What are you doing?” she asks, her eyes never leaving my chest. “Changing. It’s no big deal,” I say and she seems to agree, but her eyes are eating me up. When I pull my jeans off, her gaze drifts lower, to my boxers. Under her watch, I feel myself grow hard but I don’t hide it. Her eyes fly to mine. “Put your clothes on.” “What if I don’t?” I say just to tease her. I walk over to the bed and wait to see if she makes a move. She licks her lips provocatively and I pop out of my boxers, desperate for her touch. She lays both phones down next to her and scoots closer to her, her fingers moving to trace the head of my dick softly. I groan in agony and in the next instant, she’s pushed me back and gotten on her knees in front of me. When her mouth engulfs the head, I move my hands to her hair to help her along. She bobs up and down, using the most incredible motions of her tongue combined with suction from her mouth and before I know it, I’m ready to come. Both my hands fist in her hair and I push myself deeper, wanting to blow deep in her throat. She accepts the pressure I put on her head and takes me even deeper. I explode with a harsh groan and release her, but she doesn’t stray too far. She licks my shaft for several more seconds before she finally pulls away, her eyes closed in ecstasy. She bites her lip and I pull her up to stand in front of me. Knowing this might be my only chance, I lean in and kiss her neck, her sexy throat, and the delicate skin covering her clavicle. When she stiffens against me, I know this is over. “What did I just do?” she shrieks and covers her mouth with her hands as she pulls away from me. “You’re Destiny’s boyfriend! I can’t believe I just did that.”

I put my hands on her shoulders. “Relax. Des will never know. And we can just forget it, okay? We were both caught up in moment and it happened. Let’s just erase it from our memories and go on like nothing happened.” She nods and moves back to sit on my bed again. She puts her face in her hands, and for a minute, I wonder if she’s crying. She looks up, though, and there aren’t any tears. She picks up the phones to start adding numbers again. I pull on my basketball shorts and sit at my desk chair, crossing my ankles on top of the desk in an effort to look casual. I’m anything but. That blowjob was mind blowing and I want more and more from Hazel. She might not want to accept it, but her mouth was made to fit me. I just want to sink into her warm, wet mouth again and again. When I feel myself get hard again, I know I need to stop. She won’t let herself be swept away in the moment so easily again. I’ll have to carefully plan out my next move. “Don’t forget to add our numbers in there,” I suggest as she enters numbers in the new phone. She looks up at me. “Why?” “Well, if anyone ever found it, they would try to figure out who it belonged to, and most people don’t keep their own numbers in their phone,” I say with a smile. “Oh. Good point,” she says and then busies herself with more numbers. I watch her as she inputs each number. When a smile crosses her beautiful lips, I’m intrigued. “What’s so funny?” I ask. She looks up. “I was just thinking about what happened before,” she admits and I’m floored. “Most girls wouldn’t be so honest,” I say with a chuckle. “I’m not most girls,” she replies with a raised brow. “Don’t tease me, Hazel. I might be a gentleman and let you try to forget about what happened, but I’ll never forget it. And when you look as gorgeous as you do right now, I just want to throw you down and fuck you senseless.” She looks down for a second and then glances back at me with mischief in her eyes. “Who says I’d turn you away?” My dick jumps at her words and I know it’s going to be a long afternoon.

Chapter Four I lock my door against the world and move back to the bed. Hazel is on her knees on the mattress, putting her at the perfect height for my kiss. I wrap my arms around her and pull her close, letting my lips drift over hers. She sighs and I deepen the kiss, my tongue reaching out to demand entrance into her sweet mouth. She’s so sweet, so responsive, I don’t waste any time. I know she’s going to be ready for me, so I pull her jean shorts and panties down her legs. I don’t even bother with her top; the only thing I want is to get inside her. I lay her back on the bed and bring my hand to her sweet folds, anxious to test her wetness. She’s soaking, already more than ready for me. I push my middle finger deep inside her and she arches against me with a moan. I kiss her throat as I penetrate her and then thrust my hand against her over and over. Her arms rise to my neck and she’s close to release already, her thighs trembling against mine. I want to make her shatter before I get fully inside her. Just to push her over the edge, I curl my finger inside her and rub my thumb over her clit, knowing it’ll drive her crazy. Her hips rise off the bed and then she’s shaking beneath me, her eyes rolling back in pure satisfaction.

Just as I pull my finger out of her and get ready to fuck her, a knock lands on my door. “Nolan! I need to talk to you,” says the person on the other side. It’s Roman and he sounds pissed. “Wanna piss him off?” I whisper to Hazel, who looks mortified. “No!” “Oh, come on, you’re no fun,” I say and then move down her body to give her wet folds a lick. When she makes a sound deep in her throat, I press harder against her, hoping she’ll let me show her off to Roman. Won’t he be jealous? More knocking sounds. “I know you’re in there, man! Come on, open up.” “Open up,” I repeat to Hazel in a whisper and spread her in front of me, bending my head to lick her again. When Roman starts pounding on the door, I know I need to answer it. I pull away from Hazel with a lingering look at her half-naked body on my bed. I know she’s worried about Roman, but I can’t figure out why. Roman’s moved on, I’m sure, so she doesn’t have anything to worry about. I pull my shorts up to hide my erection and yank open the door, the blinding lights of the hallway seeping into my room. Luckily, my bed, and Hazel on it, is against the wall behind the door so Roman doesn’t catch a glimpse of her. “What’s up, man?” I ask in an annoyed tone. He’s barged in to the wrong situation. “I need to talk to you,” he says, serious. “Can’t it wait?” “No.” He doesn’t go on and I’m intrigued. Knowing I might not get another chance with Hazel, and regretting it deeply, I step out into the hallway and close my door behind me. “Let’s take a walk,” I suggest, needing to get away from Hazel to calm my raging desire. Roman agrees and we walk outside the building and begin a trek around the campus. This is my third year at Coastal, and although I’m only a year older than Roman, I feel much wiser, considering he and Cheyanne went to a community college at home last year while I’ve been living in the dorms all three years of college. Every summer, the two of them got more and more miserable as the tension between their families intensified. “So, my parents are going to try for custody of Deacon,” he announces. I already know, but feign shock. “What?” “Yeah. It’s bad, Nolan. I mean, I’ve made threats to Chey before about custody, but I never actually meant it. I used them to get what I wanted from her. And now… My parents blindsided me with this. They only told me because they wanted me to know before Cheyanne, but I found out just a few minutes before she did. And now, because I did know, she blames me and thinks it was all my idea.” “That’s heavy, man. I need a smoke,” I say, knowing I can’t on campus. What I wouldn’t give to be at the beach with a pipe. “What am I going to do?” “I don’t know, man. Cheyanne’s a smart girl. I think she’ll figure out that you weren’t involved. If you were smart, you and she would join forces to go against your parents in the custody battle. No judge is going to refuse custody to both parents,” I explain. “You’re right. My parent’s will have to do this without me. And Cheyanne will have to see that it wasn’t my idea. Thanks!” Roman barely acknowledges me as Hazel walks toward us looking mussed and well-fucked. Well, almost.

“Hey, guys,” she calls out with a smile and I have to give her credit: she doesn’t look like the same girl she did a few hours ago. With revenge up her sleeve, she knows she’s in power now. “Hazel,” Roman greets her, his eyes noticing her disheveled state. “Hey, girl,” I say, putting an arm around her shoulders. Roman looks confused but he doesn’t say anything about my friendliness toward Hazel. “I’ve got to get going. Thanks for the chat, Nolan. Goodnight, Hazel.” As he walks away, Hazel giggles against me. “He was jealous, wasn’t he?” “Oh yeah he was. Oh well. He’ll have to get used to seeing us together,” I say, surprising us both. Don’t I want to sow my wild oats? I’m not so sure anymore. Hazel is something else. “We’re only together to create chaos,” she admonishes me. “I like chaos.”

Chapter Five I wake alone, unable to get Hazel to sleep in my room last night. I don’t mind, but I hate waking up by myself. It’s one of the reasons I have so many friends with benefits. Oh, well. After shooting Destiny a quick text, I break for the bathroom, hoping I’m the first one in. To my chagrin, Cheyanne is showering in the stall farthest from the door. I nod to her but otherwise ignore her. I might think she’s hot, but at the moment, I don’t want to get involved with her. It’s too big a risk when Hazel and I are planning to ruin her. I know she probably doesn’t deserve this bomb that’s going to be dropped, but I’m a sucker for scandal – and for Hazel. I think she might be able to talk me into anything, which is a bit scary. I’m sure she doesn’t want a relationship, but I plan to pursue her. Until Destiny starts giving it up, I need to be satisfied. And oh, Hazel is one-hundred-percent satisfying. She’s got skills I’ve never encountered in a woman before. She’s incredible. Once I’m in the shower, I notice Cheyanne stealing glances at me above the stalls. I give her a what-do-you-want look and she glares at me. I’m confused. “What the hell did I do?” I say over the loud spray of water against me. “Don’t play dumb. Leave Hazel alone,” she commands. “Say what?” “I’m almost positive she was with you last night and she just got her heart broken by Roman. Do you really think she needs another player to shatter her?” Is this really the same girl I’ve known for years? She’s become a total bitch, just as Hazel informed me. Before she had Deacon, she was actually pleasant. I laugh. “I think you need to get your facts straight. I’m with Destiny,” I explain with an upraised eyebrow. “Whatever. Just don’t screw her over,” she says with a sigh. I’m not sure if she means Hazel or Destiny, but I don’t care. I’ll do what I want. And I’m pretty sure Hazel won’t be telling anyone about what happened, or if it happens again, so I know I’ll be able to keep things up with Destiny until she decides to sleep with me. Until then, Hazel is good enough. When Destiny wants to fuck me, though, I’ll leave Hazel in the dust. She’ll have served her purpose. I smile into the shower spray as Cheyanne exits her shower and leaves the room. I shake my head at the audacity she has. Hazel is just a fling and she knows that. So there won’t be any heartbreaking for either of us.

***** After a full day of classes, I’m exhausted and can think of nothing better than getting Hazel to my room for some stress-relieving activities. Before I can find her, though, I run into Miranda. She’s definitely a girl next door, but she’s got a kick-ass body, too. She’s plain, for the most part, but that luscious body gets me hard. Her brown eyes are more hazelnut than dark chocolate, like Hazel’s, and they just aren’t that appealing. Her hair is piled on top of her head and messy, like she forgot she has any and just left her room without a thought about it. Her ends are frizzy, too, something that irritates me to no end. She’s dressed in loose jeans and a hoodie, an outfit that does nothing to show off her figure. “Nolan, hey, can I talk to you?” she asks. “I’m kind of busy. I have plans,” I explain, continuing on my way to the dorms. Miranda keeps up with my rapid pace and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “It won’t take long,” she insists. I stop. “What is it?” “Are you and Destiny dating?” Jesus. What is it with people being so concerned with my fucking love life? “Yeah, we are.” “Oh. That’s too bad,” she says with a sly smile. “I thought maybe you and I could have some fun.” She winks and walks away. I’m baffled. Did she just hit on me? I’m pretty sure that’s what it was, but I don’t get much time to think about it as Destiny approaches. “Hey, babe,” she greets me with a chaste kiss. “Hey,” I reply against her lips, putting my arms around her to bring her close and deepen the kiss. She pulls away. “Not here, Nolan, sheesh! People can see us.” I glance around and the area is completely empty, but I let it go. “How were your classes?” “Okay, I guess. Are we doing anything for dinner tonight?” she asks, hopeful. After that lack of affection, I’m ready to ditch her for the night. “Actually, I have a whole bunch of work to do, so I think I’m just going to order in and get to it.” “Oh,” she says, crestfallen. “That’s okay. I guess I have some stuff to do, too.” “Actually, most of my work is calculus, and since Hazel’s in my class, I was going to ask her to help me out. She seems to have a better grasp of it than I do,” I lie. “Oh sure,” she agrees with a smile. “Hazel’s really smart.” “Yeah, maybe she’ll tutor me.” “She might charge you a lot,” Des replies with a grin. “I’m willing to pay her whatever she wants,” I say, knowing sexual favors might be involved. I’m counting on it, actually. Des laughs. “Well, I’ll let you get going. I’ll text you later.” I watch her walk to her dorm and continue on my way, knowing I’ll have Hazel naked within the hour. Maybe I should plan an actual seduction… It could go over better in convincing her to sleep with me. I get to my dorm and pull out a few candles, ready to turn my room into seduction city, but a knock at the door ruins my plans. With a dreadful sigh, I open the door and find Andre. “Hey, man,” I say, not really interested in what he has to say. “Hey, can I talk to you?”

One of the problems with being an RA is that my peers think of me as their automatic friend and counselor, when really, I couldn’t give a shit about any of them, especially guys. “Sure,” I agree. As much as I want to be a dick, it’s just not going to do any good. I haven’t called Hazel yet, so she’s not on her way or anything. I step back into my room and allow him to come in. “What’s up? “I need some advice.” Of course you do. “I’ll do what I can to help.” I sit on my bed and gesture for him to take the desk chair. “It’s Hazel,” he says after he sits. His elbows rest on his knees casually, but every muscle in my body just jerked to life. “What about her?” I ask, trying not to sound too agitated. “Well, she’s gorgeous, obviously, but after she and Roman broke up, we kind of…” “Kind of what?” I’m nearing hysteria because I already know what he’s going to say. “We slept together on the beach. It was a mistake. But I just can’t get her out of my head,” he admits with a grin. “She’s a slut,” I blurt before I think better of it. “Watch it, man! I like her.” “I didn’t mean it like that. She’s just as much of a player as Roman is, Andre. She was coming on to me last night,” I tell him. Andre searches my face for signs of deception, but I don’t portray any, since it’s mostly true. Plus, I’ve always been a great liar. “Oh, I had no idea. She seemed so upset about Roman breaking up with her,” he trailed off, lost in thought. “I hear you, man. She’s been playing all the guys, even Audric. I heard they made out on the first day and then she and Roman were together on day two. That hardly seems like a girl who’s only interested in one man. She played us all,” I tell him, strengthening my resolve to keep Hazel all to myself. “I guess I’ll just let her be, then. I don’t want to get mixed up with a girl like that,” Andre says, more to himself than to me. “Exactly.” He thanks me for my time and then leaves. Finally.

Chapter Six After I text Hazel and ask what she’s doing tonight, an hour passes. It’s the slowest sixty minutes of my life. I need to get laid. When I can’t take it anymore, I blow out the candles in my room and then walk to her dorm room. As I approach the door, I hear loud laughter. There’s a guy and girl inside and my stomach plummets. I gather my courage and knock on the door. Cheyanne swings the door open. “Oh, hey, Nolan. Destiny’s not here.” I panic. I have to know if Hazel’s in this room. “Is she with Hazel somewhere?” “No, Hazel’s right here,” she says, opening the door wider and revealing Hazel and Audric cuddly on her bed, Hazel giggling like a little girl and Audric tickling her senseless. Jealousy boiled deep in my belly, threatening to erupt at any second. “Hazel, can I talk to you for a second?” I say, my voice surprisingly even and calm. I have to repeat myself to be heard over her raucous laughter.

Once we’re in the hall, I close the door, sealing Audric and Cheyanne inside and forcing Hazel to make eye contact. When she sees my fierce expression, her smile disappears, leaving her sober. “What’s wrong?” “What the fuck was that?” I whisper. I don’t want them to hear us in her room, where I know they’ll be eavesdropping. “I don’t know what you mean. Audric and I were just hanging out. I think Cheyanne was sick of us, though, so it’s probably best that you stopped in. Are you looking for Des? She said you had to study and that she was solo for the night. I was thinking about going over and hanging out with her.” “I’m not studying tonight. But you’re going to tell Des and Audric and Cheyanne that you are. You’re my tutor in calculus for the evening.” I don’t give her time to argue. I push open her door and notice that Cheyanne jumps back in surprise from where she’d been listening. Stupid bitch is going to get what’s coming to her. I escort Hazel inside and tell her to grab her stuff. “Hazel has agreed to be my tutor for the night, guys. Sorry she’s going to have to leave the ticklefest.” “Thank God,” I hear Cheyanne mutter under her breath. My hatred for her grows and any lingering guilt I might have felt for her regarding what we’re about to do dissipates. Before we get into anything sexual, I plan to have Hazel send out the texts about Cheyanne. The redhead deserves it. Maybe I can somehow use the text as leverage to get Hazel to sleep with me. I doubt it, but it’s definitely worth a try. Hazel doesn’t say much as she gathers her bag, shoving her books inside with too much force. She walks, silently, with me to my room. I enter and go to my iPod, turning on some light music to help with the sounds I know we’re eventually going to make. When I turn to look at Hazel, she’s closed my door, dropped her bag on the floor, and is leaning back against the door with a pissed-off look on her face. She looks so damn hot. “You know, I don’t appreciate being pushed around,” she starts. I walk toward her as she speaks. “I’m not the kind of girl to just be submissive–” I delve my hands into her hair and push her closer to the door as my lips descend on hers, interrupting her little speech. She tastes so good, minty with a hint of coffee, and my senses go wild. I didn’t plan on doing this first, but she’s just so damn hot, I know I won’t be able to think about anything else until I have her. Hazel is tentative at first, almost shy. But when her hands claw their way up my back and she arches into me, I know she’s as lost as I am. I press farther into her, her soft curves giving way as my body melds into hers. We fit together more perfectly than I’ve fit with any other girl. She’s perfect. I trail my fingers down her face, tickling her cheek. She smiles up at me like I’m all she sees and my heart clenches tightly. I reach around her and lock the door and then lift her left leg and hook it around my hip. She understands what I want and uses her hands on my shoulders for leverage to get her other leg around me, ankles locked behind me. I moan into the hollow of her throat and suck the sweet skin of her neck. She throws her head back in pleasure and releases a low moan. It’s a sound that releases the animal in me. I pull her away from the door, my hands under her ass to support her as she clings to my neck. I walk to my bed and lay her on it, following her down. I press lingering kisses to her neck and then pull down her top a little to get my fill of her breasts.

“Take it off,” she demands when I can’t quite get it all the way down. I help her get the damn thing off and she moans at the contact of my tongue and her nipple. She’s so responsive, so alive. I want to make her come a million times, forever. Surprised by my own thoughts, I push away any idea of forever and try to remember that she’s just filling in for Des. But even I know I’m only lying to myself. This girl is it for me. She’s the one. Minutes, or hours, later, I’ve got both of us naked. I roll on the condom and press into her burning heat. She’s so warm, so wet, so tight. I could sink into her forever. Straining for breath, I rise above her on my fists and pump into her, dragging us both closer and closer to our imminent orgasms. When she explodes, she consumes me. She squeezes my dick so hard, I’m helpless to the climax pouring down on me and I release myself inside her. Shuddering, I slump over her, still holding my weight over her with my arms. I kiss her ear, her cheek, and finally, her mouth. “That was amazing,” I whisper, knowing I’ll never get enough. She gulps. “I can’t believe we just did that.” Guilt has obviously set in. I want to comfort her. “I’ll break it off with Des in the morning. I only want you, Hazel. That was more intense than anything I’ve ever experienced,” I admit, honesty popping out before I can stop it. I look at her beautiful face and notice the tears forming. “Oh, baby, what’s wrong?” “That was wrong! You’re with Des and I’m supposed to be her best friend, Nolan! This can’t happen again. I won’t do this to her,” she says, pushing me off her. I roll over toward the wall and she gets up, searches for her clothes, and dresses, all while crying silently. The black streaks down her face pull at my heart. I don’t want her to feel this way about us. “I’ll break up with her now,” I tell her, scooting off the bed and standing naked in front of her. Hazel pulls on her shirt and looks up at me, fully clothed and pure sadness reigning in her eyes. “No, Nolan. Stay with her. I can’t keep doing this. Eventually, it’s going to catch up with me. I can’t be dishonest with my friend. So we can keep up the text messages, if that’s what you want to do, but we can’t do that again.” She’s firm, already set in her decision and my heart screams from inside my chest, no! “If that’s what you want,” I say, and I turn away from her, disposing of the condom and pulling on my boxers. When I turn back, she’s gone; the door clicks definitively in place. I could go after her, but I know it won’t do any good. I saw the determination in her eyes. It’s over.

Chapter Seven No more than ten minutes after Hazel leaves, I’m nursing a beer, depressed. My attitude doesn’t make sense, but I can’t help it. I only just figured out how important she is to me, and she’s dumping me. It’s not fair. A knock on my door has my heart jumping with anticipation that it’s Hazel and she’s changed her mind. When I pull open the door, though, I struggle to keep a positive outlook. “Hey, stud,” Destiny greets me with a husky voice. I take in the long coat she’s wearing, wondering why she wants to wear that thing when it’s still pretty warm out. I’m sure she wants to fool around a little, but after what just happened, I don’t even know if I’ll be turned on by her.

I give her a fake smile. “Hey, Des.” “Can I come in?” she asks coyly and I wonder what she’s up to. I open the door wider to allow her in and then wander over to my bed. I’m still in just my boxers and I can’t believe my life has turned around so quickly. I’m always the one to leave them high and dry, wanting me, but Hazel managed to switch it around somehow. I want that dark-haired Goth girl even more, now that I’ve had her. She’s got me wrapped around her finger and now she wants nothing to do with me. “Nolan? Hello?” Destiny waves her hands in front of me and I look up, finally snapping free of my Hazel reverie and taking in the sight before me. This is not the demure Destiny who giggles when I kiss her and pulls away when things get too intense. No, this must be an invasion of the body snatchers because Des is dressed to the nines in a slinky black negligee and three-inch black high heels. She looks… “Damn,” I say, blinking at her. “What’s all this?” “I wanted to surprise you. I think I’ve made you wait long enough,” she explains. Realization dawns. “Des, you don’t have to. I mean, I don’t want to be one of those guys who pushes a girl into sex too soon, especially in a new relationship.” I throw my hands up to ward her off, but she advances anyway. She pushes my hands out of her way and straddles me on the bed, her silky thighs rubbing tauntingly along my hips. With her hands in my hair, she pouts. “Don’t I turn you on, baby?” She licks her lips and I feel my dick stir. These freshmen girls are going to kill me, I think. And then I don’t think at all. My hands frame her luscious hips and pull her closer, grinding my now straining cock against her tender flesh. I grip her hips so hard, I’m pretty sure I’ll leave marks. Des doesn’t complain, though. If anything, she acts like she wants more. Taking control, I flip her off me so she’s on her belly on my bed, her ass high enough in the air to show that she’s only wearing a black thong underneath the silky black teddy. I run my hands over her firm ass, loving that she’s not a twig. There’s delicious flesh on her bones and I massage her cheeks, loving the way she moans and arches, her chest lifting up off the bed. “You like it when I touch your ass?” I whisper, thinking I might be able to get into the whole BDSM thing. She whimpers and I land a resounding smack! on her left cheek, marring the beautiful pale skin. After a quick gasp, I delve my fingers between her thighs, seeking that heat. I find her soaked, turned on and willing; her pussy accepts my probing finger and another moan escapes her lips. “Nolan!” she groans. I don’t go too deep with my finger, but I slip in a second to stretch her, preparing her for me. I don’t want her in pain. On her knees, she thrusts her ass back at my hand and I put a calming hand on her back. “Easy, baby. We’ve got all night,” I say. She turns to look at me, and when I pull my fingers out and press them firmly to her clit, her eyes roll into the back of her head and her eyelids flutter closed. More determined than ever to please her, I retract my fingers, ignoring her groan of protest and putting my hands on her hips to help her turn over. I tug her panties down and toss them somewhere across the room. She’s smooth, and I can tell she’s been planning this. I get on my knees next to the bed and start my torture. I nip at her thighs, delighted by the way her skin jumps at my touch. I soothe each bite with my tongue, getting her used to me touching her.

Sliding my palms up and around her thighs to cup her ass, I lift her to my mouth and smile at her loud gasp. Her finger clutch my hair and I can’t tell if she’s trying to push me away or pull me closer, not that I care. Her taste is so sweet, so addicting, I may never stop. I lick her thoroughly and then focus my attention on her clit, sucking the tender nub into my mouth and flicking it with my tongue. Her ass lifts off the bed, pushing her pussy into my face, and I push back, trying to give her as much as I can. My dick is so hard, I think I might come in my boxers, but I know that’s not what she wants. It isn’t what I want, either, but visions of Hazel dance in my mind and suddenly, I’m picturing the tortured brunette beneath me instead of the busty blonde. Without breaking contact, I move my hand to my nightstand and fumble around for a condom, knowing I’ll need to invest in more if I keep having days like this. I drag Destiny’s ass to the edge of the bed for better leverage and continue to lap at her entrance while I rip open the foil packet and roll on the condom. Once I’m ready, I put my hands on Destiny’s legs and push them back, opening her even wider for me. I apply just the right amount of pressure and then she comes, her scent hot on my tongue while she covers her own mouth with her hands to contain the scream of pleasure that erupts. I imagine Hazel beneath me, begging for my cock and talking dirty to me, and without much thought, I stand, slamming myself into her, my dick throbbing so hard I can hardly contain myself. Her gasp of pain jolts me back to reality. “It’s okay, baby,” I groan against her ear, kissing her neck and throat. “It’ll go away.” And for both of our sakes, I hope the pain goes away fast. I’m not going to last long. She’s so tight, so virginal; pride rises up in me. I’m her first. I imagine I’m Hazel’s first and thrust against her, testing her pain. She moans and her fingernails dig into my shoulders. I know she’s good so I let loose, pounding into her with all my strength, not bothering to check to see if she’s alright. I pump in and out until I feel her tense against me. “It’s okay, I promise,” I whisper, silently begging her to come so I can too. She holds her breath and squeezes her eyes shut and tenses, her whole body frozen in place while I fuck her. When she goes limp, her body sinking into the mattress and the breath rushing from her lips, I let go, groaning loudly and then falling against her, not bothering to shield her from my weight. What a night.

Chapter Eight I wake up an hour later, Destiny wrapped comfortably in my arms, her platinum hair dancing wildly against my nose. I swat it out of the way and lean back, away from her. My phone is on silent, on the nightstand behind us, but the room lights up with a notification and I roll over to check it. It’s a text from Hazel. My heart skips. Does she know about me and Des? I’m worried she’ll be jealous, but she only wants to know about our mission to ruin Cheyanne. Is this still a go? I have everything ready, but I want to make sure you’re still on board. I type out a quick yes and wait for her reply. I don’t get one. Instead, I get a message from an unknown number, the number I know is our decoy cell phone. I open it with pride and read what she’s written.

Attention Coastal students! There is a mother among you. Three years ago, our own Cheyanne Hanley, the redhead in the Maple residence hall, got knocked up. With a toddler at home, how can she justify leaving the poor guy? Oh, that’s easy. Her baby daddy is none other than Roman Callahan! It’s an amazing text, with just the right amount of information. People will be flooding Cheyanne and Roman’s phones, as well as flocking to them wherever they go to get more details. I smile at my phone but don’t write back. After all the excitement of the night, I definitely need sleep. ***** I wake the next morning to someone kissing my neck. I dreamt of Hazel all night and I almost say her name aloud, but I open my eyes first. Staring at me is Des, her pretty blue eyes lit up in delight. She makes her way down my body and tugs my boxers down, revealing my morning wood. She’s a temptress as she wraps both hands around my erection, biting her lip in concentration. I watch, entranced, as she leans down and wraps her lush pink lips around the head. I groan and close my eyes, imagining Hazel again. Minutes later, I come in her mouth and Destiny swallows it, grinning up at me. “I figured I owed you after last night,” she says and then hops off the bed, still wearing the black silk teddy. She grabs her coat and zips it up, keeping her attire completely concealed. She gives me a wink and then slips through the door and out of my room. I throw my head back on my pillow and rub my sleepy eyes with my palms. There’s so much drama this year. I can’t imagine what the rest of the year is going to be like. Almost as if on cue, a knock lands on my door. I fumble with my boxers, shoving my dick back through the slot and then tossing my blanket over my lower half for good measure. “Come in.” The door opens and I’m not sure who I’m expecting, but I definitely don’t expect Roman. “Hey, man, just saw Destiny sneaking out of your room. Good job finally taking her V card.” His congratulations is a hard reality. I was ready to break up with Des, why on earth did I sleep with her? Revenge. I wanted to hurt Hazel, and I know sleeping with Des will do the trick. I smile at my internal struggle, knowing that I’ve always been a player and will continue to be one, long after Hazel is gone. Eventually, I’ll get her out of my system. Until then, I plan to have her as often as I can, despite her words last night. “Yeah, it was a fun night,” I say as I sit up, wondering if he has any idea I also screwed his ex-girlfriend. I doubt it, though. “Looks like it. Listen, did you tell anyone about Deacon?” he asks, his face scrunched up with worry. “Of course not,” I answer honestly. Hazel already knew about his kid. “Well, someone is trying to ruin our lives,” he continued, running a hand through his hair. “Who the hell would do that? And what do you mean – ruin your life how?” “Did you check your texts this morning?” “No, not yet.”

“Check them,” he insists and I swipe my phone off the nightstand. I open my texts and glance at the message from the mystery number. “Whose number is that?” “I have no idea. There’s no information about the owner of the phone because it’s prepaid, but it’s local, which means it’s someone I know. I swear to God, if I even find out who did this, I’ll kill him,” he threatens and I have to bite back a laugh. “Or her,” I say, just to throw him off track. His eyes fly to mine in surprise. “Hazel!” Without another word, he’s gone. I jump out of bed and throw on some khaki shorts, hoping that I’m not too late. I race after him and appear in the doorway of Cheyanne and Hazel’s room just as Roman rips the blanket off Hazel, all but dragging her out of bed with a secure grip on her arm. Hazel flinches in pain and glares at Roman, her eyes throwing daggers. “Did you do this?” Roman asks, although it seems like he’s already got her pegged. I hope she doesn’t give in to him. “Do what?” “Roman! What are you doing? Let her go,” Cheyanne commands. “She didn’t do it.” He whirls around to face Cheyanne, who is sitting on her bed. “How do you know?” “Let her go,” I say, forcing three sets of eyes to glare at me. “I’m RA whether you want to accept it or not. I can’t let you barge into a girl’s dorm and manhandle one of them.” “Fuck off, Nolan. This is none of your business.” Roman turns back to Cheyanne. “How do you know she didn’t do it?” Cheyanne sighs. “Because I checked her purse while she was asleep. Sorry, Hazel.” Roman relaxes his grip on Hazel, but it’s not enough. “There, you see? It wasn’t her. So let her go, Rome.” “Shouldn’t you be fucking your blonde bitch of a girlfriend?” he sneers, just to get a rise out of me. To my surprise, and his dismay, it’s Hazel who gets pissed off at his comment. Her left hand comes out of nowhere and her fist slams into his jaw. He lets go of her, but she advances on him. “You think you’re just a fucking hotshot, don’t you, Roman? You ever touch me again and I’ll aim for something much more precious to you than your face. Now get the fuck out of my room.” Considering her height, she seems larger than Roman and has him cowering in seconds. He walks past me and then turns back, holding his jaw. “This isn’t over, bitch.” I give him a shove to get him moving and close their door, refusing to ask if Hazel is okay. I can’t let her know I care still. “What the fuck is wrong with you, man? You’ll be lucky if she doesn’t call the cops,” I tell him as we walk down the hall. “Just leave me alone. I know you’ve been sniffing around her since I dropped her. Trust me, she’s not worth your time,” he says viciously and it takes every ounce of willpower I have not to slam his head into the wall. I’ve never been one to fight, but I know my appearance is intimidating, so I use that to my advantage. “I’ve got a girlfriend,” I say, putting a hand on his arm to stop him. “And if you think I’m going to let you talk about my girl’s best friend like that, you’re wrong.” I step forward and he retreats, his back meeting the wall. “I expect you to apologize to her later today. You’ve got no fucking right to treat her that way. Cheyanne confirmed she didn’t send the text, so lay off. She’s innocent.”

“I guess I should ask your dumb-blonde girlfriend if she did it, huh?” He rolls his eyes, clearly unimpressed with my show of dominance. Just for fun, I slam my fist into the wall beside his head, cracking the drywall. He flinches. “Talk about Des that way again, and next time, it’ll be your head that breaks the wall. Fuck off, Roman,” I say, repeating his words to me.

Chapter Nine As long as we’ve been friends, I can’t believe Rome would talk about my girl that way. Something is up with him, and although I’m pissed and don’t really want to know, I care. He’s my friend, always. I recognize that we both need some space to calm down. I might need more time, though. Having my best friend dis the two girls I’ve slept with in the last twenty-four hours is a little infuriating. Not that he knows about Hazel. I think he’d be pissed, and with every right to be, if he knew I slept with his ex. Whatever, I think. We’ll sort it out, eventually. For now, I need to talk to Hazel and figure out where her head is. With a full day of classes, though, I know I won’t see her until our calculus class. With a resigned sigh, I hit the showers, expecting them to be empty. To my chagrin, Hazel is in one of the stalls. I walk right over to her and peer over the shower stall. The girl is definitely hot. Long legs, flat stomach, and toned arms all wrapped up in baby-soft skin that begs to be touched. “Hey, sexy girl,” I say to her back. When she turns around, I’m rewarded with the sight of her beautiful breasts, nipples taut under the stream of water. She puts her hands on her hips. “What are you doing here?” “Mmm, I couldn’t get enough,” I answer her, pulling open the door. I lift the hem of my shirt as I step up into the shower and Hazel doesn’t push me out. A good sign. Before I can drop my arms, she’s unbuttoning my jeans. They drop and her skin meets mine in delicious agony. I put my shower bag on the hook in the stall then wrap my arms around her wet body. Once I step out of my shower shoes and jeans, I push her back against the stall. Under the steady pulse of the stream, I follow the path of the water along her sweet skin. She doesn’t argue with me and I continue, moving my way down her body, giving direct attention to each of her pretty pink nipples, sucking them into my mouth on at a time. She throws her head back as my hand snakes down her belly and under her to the prize beneath. She’s so hot, so wet, I push my fingers inside her and put as much pressure as I can on her g-spot. She moans again, her body almost limp with pleasure. I decide to take it a step further. I kneel down in front of her, lifting her left thigh up and over my shoulder and set my lips on her. Her succulent flesh fills my mouth and I growl into her. I feel her fingers delve into my wet hair, pulling the strands and forcing my head closer to her body. Just as she shudders against me, the door to the bathroom open. I hear laughter and glance up to Hazel, whose eyes are locked on the door. “Hey, Hazel!” Des calls, and I hear her slip into the stall next to this one. I thank the heavens that these stalls go all the way to the floor, preventing her from seeing my feet. Panicked, Hazel looks at me, but I stay where I am and Hazel gathers her wits. “Hey. girl. How’s it going? What are you doing in this building?” I press lazy kisses to the inside of her thigh, gently massaging her calves.

“It’s good. The maintenance people are working on our showers. We don’t have any running water at all, so they sent everyone to different residence buildings to get showers this morning. So, I guess you and Nolan didn’t study last night. Which is a good thing. We finally did it!” Hazel tenses against me and I freeze, too. This is the last place I want to be for this conversation. I knew it would be inevitable, but to sit here and listen to it? Not my idea of a good time. Hazel’s hands are in my hair, pulling it roughly. I look up at her. “Oops,” she says, her body wash slipping off the shelf and onto the floor. It smashes into my big toes and I bite back a grunt. She leans over to pick up the bottle and whispers to me. “Don’t touch me.” Her teeth are grit together, but when she stands back up, she pushes me away and forces a grin toward Des. “Tell me everything!” Her fake excitedness worries me, but Des doesn’t pick up on it. “Oh, he was so sweet, Hazel! I think I am the luckiest girl alive. I have a feeling he might be the one!” I cringe. Hearing that makes me feel like scum. But what else could I do? Telling her the truth would have broken her heart and not sleeping with her would have hurt her, too. I guess I’m destined to hurt the women in my life. Hazel. I keep my eyes on her and I notice, as she showers, that there are tears in her eyes that she tries to play off as water. She wipes them away and smiles at her friend as Des goes into way too much detail about last night, even telling Hazel how much it hurt and felt like she was being torn apart. I’m more than a little grossed out by the description she gives. Hazel mumbles encouraging words, but I can tell she’s plotting my death. Thinking about how wonderful she tasted, I move against her again, running my hands up and down her legs. I’m surprised when she doesn’t push me away. In fact, when I get near her inner thighs, she spreads them a little, allowing me access as she washes herself. Not one to deny myself, I lean in and taste her again. Hazel washes her long hair and the soap gets in my eyes, but I don’t stop my ministrations. I keep at it until I can tell she might come again. I slowly back off, not wanting her to scream or moan in front of Des. “Aren’t you done yet?” Des asks a few minutes later, shutting off the shower stream in her stall. “I have to shave my legs,” Hazel replies. I cup my hand around the back of her knee and lift her leg up and over my shoulder again. “Alright. Well, I have to get ready for my next class. I’ll see you later, okay?” After a brief pause, the bathroom door opens again and closes, leaving me alone with Hazel. I try to press farther into her to give her another orgasm, but she pulls away, removing her leg. I stand up, my knees sore from being on the tile so long. When I move to wrap my arms around her, she slaps me. “How dare you! Do you really think it’s okay to sleep with two girls in less than a day? How disgusting are you?” I know there’s no excuse for my behavior, but I try to appeal to her senses. “Look, Des would have known something was up if I didn’t sleep with her. She came to my room last night and had this whole seduction planned. I didn’t want to sleep with her. In fact, when I fucked her, I pictured you. I imagined it was you whose virginity I was taking.” I drop my voice low. “I wanted it to be you.” She sighs. “That’s almost romantic. The problem is, it wasn’t me. And Des is going to hate you now, if she ever finds out that you slept with me first.” “We won’t tell her,” I mutter, moving closer to her. I put my hands on her luscious hips and she melts into me.

“Fine. We won’t tell her, yet. But we do need to tell her. Right now, I want you to fuck me,” she says and my heart soars. I grab a condom out of my shower bag, roll it on, and face her. I know she won’t need much preparation, so I back her up against the tile wall and lift her hips. She wraps her thighs around my hips and just like that, I press into her. We both sigh at the contact. Several minutes later, I leave the shower, dressed, sated, and ready to face the world.

Chapter Ten The day passes slowly. All I can think about are the girls in my life. While my original intention at the beginning of the year was to sleep with as many girls as possible, especially the ones in our little group, now I think I could settle for just these two. Hazel is demanding, voicing her opinions and sexual preferences without reservation. She’s exactly what I want in the bedroom. Des is innocent, inexperienced. It makes her adorable, but more importantly, her innocence means she’ll do what I want, without question because she loves me. Or, at least, I am pretty sure she does. She hasn’t said it yet, but she did say she would never sleep with a guy she didn’t love. Classes are boring until I walk into calculus and find Hazel already waiting. Normally, she’s almost late for each class because of her schedule, but she’s already in her seat, eyeing me seductively. I take in her outfit and suck in a breath. Her makeup is the usual, but instead of the goth/emo tank tops I’m accustomed to, she’s in a tight, white T-shirt. The V neck dips low, revealing her cleavage, and even though I know she must be wearing a push-up bra, I want to rip her clothes off and make love to her right there on her desk. What I do instead is walk past her, trail my fingers across the back of her neck, and smile at her shudder. He chest heaves and I know she’s as turned on as I am, but there’s nothing we can do about right now, so we both try to focus on the equations on the board. At the end of class, our professor asks Hazel to stay put so he can talk to her. I’m pissed. I only have twenty minutes between classes and I want to talk to her, but I leave the room, knowing if I stay, people will talk. And if that talk gets to Des, I’m screwed. Outside, I run into Roman. “I’m sorry, man. I talked to Cheyanne and she let me know that it wasn’t anyone from our group. In fact, I just talked to Des and I’d like to take the two of you and Hazel out to dinner, as an apology. I owe you that much,” he says. Personally, I think he owes us much more, but I agree. “If Hazel wants to go, we’ll go, too. But if she doesn’t, I still expect you to find her and apologize.” “Absolutely. I don’t want to ruin our friendship,” he says. We shake hands just as Hazel comes out of the building. She’s flushed and I wonder if our professor yelled at her for something. I’ll have to ask her later, though. “Seriously, Roman? Didn’t you get enough this morning?” “I don’t want trouble. I was just telling Nolan that I want to apologize. I’d like to take you guys and Destiny out to dinner tonight. I want to make up for this morning.” She looks at me and I nod. “Fine, I’ll go. But I can and will kick your ass again if you ever touch me like that in the future.” Her threat doesn’t fall on deaf ears. I watch, amused, as Roman rubs his sore jaw. “I understand.”

Hazel walks away, but Roman sticks around and I realize I won’t have a chance to talk to her before dinner. I hope it won’t be awkward. “She’s a spitfire, huh?” Roman is staring after her, his eyes on her ass. I glare at him, jealous. He had her first and although I don’t hold that against her, I definitely hold it against him. “So what happened with you two anyway?” “I just needed space. She’s clingy,” he says with a laugh and I chuckle along. I haven’t experienced her being clingy at all. “I know what you mean. Des is, too,” I say. “Damn women. They’ll be the death of us,” he mutters, stalking off without so much as a see you later. I glance at my phone and realize I’m going to be late. Shit!

Chapter Eleven Dinner, as it turns out, is at the local Italian place, a restaurant I know Destiny loves. She offers Roman her forgiveness without much of an apology, but she also wasn’t there when he accused her. Hazel, I notice, is uncomfortable at the table and keeps shifting in her seat. “You okay?” Destiny leans over to ask her friend after we order. “Yeah, it’s just awkward,” Hazel whispers back. Of course, Des assumes the awkwardness is because of Roman, when in actuality, it’s because of her. Hazel hasn’t quite figured out how to act around Destiny now that they’re both sleeping with me, and I want so badly to boast about my conquests to Roman. He is, after all, my friend. And even though I didn’t want to forgive him this soon, I find myself saying the words over dinner. “Let’s put the whole thing behind us,” I say, lifting my water glass and toasting the four of us. “Thanks, man,” Roman says, clinking his glass against mine and then Hazel’s. His gaze lingers on her and I draw a deep breath for strength to keep it together. When he leans over and whispers something I can’t hear in her ear, I watch as her face lights up and then she excuses herself and goes to the bathroom. Roman, I notice, is smiling like an idiot. He takes a large gulp of his water and then proclaims he has to piss. So crude, I think, and then I wonder if it was on purpose, to get Des and me thinking about how rude he is instead of the fact that he just followed Hazel to the bathroom. “What an ass. I don’t know what she ever saw in him,” Des comments to me, her eyes on Roman’s back. “No kidding. Did you hear what he said to her?” “Nope. Hazel is smart, though. She won’t take him back.” She’s confident in her friend, but I wonder if she would. “You never know. People do crazy things,” I say. “Oh, salad’s here,” Des says excitedly as the waiter sets plates and salad bowls down, as well as large bowl of premixed leafy greens, veggies, and dressing. A basket of fresh baked bread is also set on the table. Des and I dig in, helping ourselves to the delicious food. I know I’ll eat too much, but I have a feeling I’ll need to fill my stomach in order to perform tonight. Hazel or Des, it doesn’t matter who, but one of them is sleeping in my room tonight.

When the meals arrive and neither Hazel nor Roman is back, I start to worry. Des mimics my fear. “I hope they aren’t hooking up in the bathroom,” Des mumbles, lifting her fork to eat her fettuccine. “I hope not too. I’ll go check,” I offer, standing. “That’s a good idea. Make sure she’s not doing something stupid,” she says, waving me off. I walk toward the bathrooms with a sense of impending doom. As much as I don’t want to accept it, I realize that the chances are high I’ll find Roman and Hazel in the middle of something. I push open the men’s room door, walk in, and check each stall. Empty. With severe caution, I go back to the small hallway and nudge the women’s room door open just a crack. I stop breathing. Roman is standing near the sink with his pants around his ankles. His hands grip the sink so hard, his knuckles are white. Down on her knees in front of him is Hazel, my lovely, fierytempered Hazel. Her lips are locked around his cock and she’s eager to please him. From this angle, I can clearly see Hazel’s sultry brown eyes, closed in ecstasy as she bobs her head up and down. When her eyes meet mine, though, I’m frozen in place, unable to look away. She continues to suck him, but she stares at me while she does it and I feel myself get hard. Roman doesn’t notice Hazel staring at me. His eyes are closed, his head thrown back in pleasure while Hazel works her magic on him. I remember exactly how hard that mouth of hers can suck, bringing me to the very edge and then backing off just enough to keep me from going over. Hazel’s eyes fall to my pants and I look down, realizing that I’m stroking myself through them, and my erection is painfully obvious. She stares at it longingly and forces Roman’s dick deep in her throat. A discrete cough sounds behind me and I pull the door closed, fold my hands in front of my jeans, and turn around. A girl, probably no older than fifteen, is glaring at me. “Are you done with your peepshow, perv?” Caught off-guard, I laugh. She rolls her eyes and pushes past me into the bathroom. I peek in behind her and Hazel is at the sink, applying lipstick, and Roman is nowhere to be seen. With a sigh, I back away from the bathroom and walk back to our table. “Everything okay? You were gone for a while,” Des says as I sit down. “Yeah, they were fighting. I had to break it up,” I lie smoothly. A minute later, Hazel returns to the table, flushed and breathless. She sits next to Destiny, who sends a sympathetic look. Confused, Hazel turns to me as Roman approaches. “I told Des I caught you two fighting,” I say, emphasizing the word fighting. “Oh.” Hazel stares at me, her tongue peeking out to lick her lips. She’s taunting me, I think. “We’re okay now, though,” Roman comments. “Yep. We’re right as rain,” Hazel smiles. It’s like I’m caught in my own personal hell. I want to jump across the table and show Hazel exactly how I feel and what I think about her sexual escapade with Roman, but at the same time, I’m tied to Des, and that means I can’t do a damn thing. Not right now, anyway.

Chapter Twelve The whole situation reminds me of Candace, my freshman girlfriend. I rub my chest at the pain that envelopes me when I think of her.

As a freshman, I thought I owned the school; I was a good-looking football player with so much going for me. And Candace was…perfection. Her dark hair and jade-green eyes fit her so well. At five-foot-ten, she was only a few inches shorter than me, and I loved that about her. Within the first two weeks of that year, we were in four out of five of the same classes and became a couple almost instantly. She had been my very first love, but sex wasn’t something either of us were ready for right away. So we waited. After three months, and just before Thanksgiving, we did the deed, both of losing our virginity to each other, and then went our separate ways for the vacation. To my horror, Candie told her younger sister about us, and exactly how far we went in our relationship. Her sister ratted us out to their parents, which was a mistake. When Candie returned to school, she explained what happened and told me her parents wanted to talk to us together that next weekend. I was terrified, but we made the drive to Charleston together, meeting her parents for lunch on a Saturday afternoon. “Nolan, it’s so nice to meet you,” her mom greets me as we all sit at the table. Mrs. Erikson is an attractive woman, and if she’s the mold I get to look forward to with Candie, I know my desire for her will never fade. “It’s nice to meet you too, Mrs. Erikson. Mr. Erikson, sir.” I reach out to shake his hand but he ignores me and picks up his menu. Once we’ve placed our orders, Mr. Erikson looks at me. “I believe you owe our daughter an apology, Nolan.” I stare at him, confused. “I don’t understand, sir.” “You led her to believe that giving herself to you would be a good decision. Which it clearly, was not. You took advantage our little girl and from now on, I expect you to stay away from her.” “But, Daddy –” Candie tried to interrupt. “No, Candace. You knew better. And yet you let this punk kid in your pants when you have values, values which honor the sanctity of marriage, and your plan was always to save yourself for marriage. And now you’re ruined.” He looks back at me. “So here’s what’s going to happen. You two are going to forget what has happened when you return to school. You will each go your separate ways, living your lives as though you never dated, and especially as if you never had sex. If I find out you continue to see each other, I’ll bring charges against you, Nolan. Don’t doubt for a second that I won’t.” And just like that, we were over. Once we got back to the dorms, Candie kept her distance, although I knew she was hurting as much as I was. Two days before the official end of the semester, she snuck into my dorm, knowing my roommate was at work, and we had one final night together. When I woke the next morning, she was gone. I ran into her as everyone prepared to leave campus on the very last day of classes and she passed me a note, one I’ll never forget. Nolan, Please don’t hate me for this, but my parents and I have decided that I should switch schools, that being around you is too hard for me. You took from me something I planned on

giving to my husband on my wedding night, and I’ll never get that back. I won’t be back after the break. I’ve already switched everything to another school, one closer to home, and I cannot stand the sight of you anymore. What happened the other night was a mistake, the same as it was the very first time. I don’t want to be with you and I never thought we would be more than just college sweethearts. My heart was never really in our relationship and I definitely didn’t love you. But I let myself get caught up in the emotions and let you take advantage of me. This is over. Forever. Candie “Nolan, you okay?” Destiny asks, drawing me back to the present. As much as I want to answer her honestly, I lie. “I’m great. Who wants dessert?” I notice Hazel staring at me, her eyes piercing mine like she can read me like a book. And in some ways, I believe she can. I feel like her chocolate eyes see past my player façade to the guy underneath, the me who can’t let himself get too deeply involved with a girl because he’s scared to death she’ll up and leave him, just like Candie did. I avoid her eyes and give Des a wide smile. “Want to share something?” “Sure,” she happily agrees. Hazel, I notice, looks irritated, but I try to ignore her. No matter how much she draws me in, I can’t let myself get too caught up in her. I refuse to let her be important to me. Letting her in could be the end of me.

Chapter Thirteen “I think you’ve got to choose, Nolan,” Hazel says to me later that night. We’re both hot and sweaty from one hell of a romp, though I could tell she was holding back. It wasn’t my plan to say anything, but now it seems the pillowtalk has started. “Choose what?” I ask, playing dumb. I know exactly what she means, but it’s not something I’m ready to do. “Choose between me and Des. It’s not fair either of us,” she says as she cuddles closer to me on my bed. I sigh. “I know. But I just can’t. If she doesn’t ever know, Hazel, it’s not a problem.” “It is a problem. Des is one of my closest friends and she means a lot to me. This is the ultimate betrayal, and I hate myself for it, but I can’t stay away from you. So I guess I only want you to choose if you pick me,” she says. Her words convince me that she’s not going anywhere. “I can’t choose. You are both amazing. But you, my sweet Hazel, you are the one who sets my blood on fire.” I turn to kiss her and she wraps her arms around me, lost to my touch. The following morning, we hitch a plan with the cell phone. She explained how she hid it from Cheyanne, storing it in a secret compartment in her purse and putting it on silent. No one will know to look for it there, which makes our plan infallible. We decide to gather as much dirt on everyone through the week, which means listening at closed doors and eavesdropping at every opportunity. We part ways early in the morning, before the crowd hits the halls. I go to classes throughout the day and don’t hear anything interesting. Around four, Hazel texts me from her personal phone.

Got something good. But it’s about Miranda. Meet me at the lounge in ten? I type back a confirmation. My classes are done for the day and I can’t wait to hear what she’s heard. I make my way to the lounge and grab a seat in the back corner, far away from everyone. Hazel approaches with two coffees and I smile as she sits down. “Hey, beautiful. What’s the word?” “Apparently, Miranda isn’t quite as innocent as we thought. In high school, she slept with anyone, and I do mean anyone. I talked to a senior who remembers her. They went to the same high school and he distinctly remembers her getting gang-banged by several guys on the basketball team. Not to mention that every time she went to a party, she would sleep with anyone, guy or girl, at any time and it never mattered if anyone was present or not. Our girl was quite a little hussy,” Hazel explains, her voice barely above a whisper. I can’t speak, I’m so stunned. I open my mouth but nothing comes out. “So, this guy, his name is Jake and he hit on me in my biology class, but I told him I was taken, but that we could be friends. So I asked him where he was from and if he knew anyone, and he mentioned Miranda. I couldn’t believe how much dirt he had on her. I’m thinking I’ll have to keep him close,” she went on. “This is amazing, Hazel. But how are you going to release the info without him knowing it was you?” I ask, curious. “That’s the genius thing. I did a little digging and found newspaper articles from their school paper! There are several redacted statements from several articles, but I was able to get ahold of the current newspaper editor, who just happens to hate our friend Miranda, and this girl emailed me copies of the articles. So I was thinking, instead of sending out a text for our next bit, we can go out late at night and put copies on everyone’s doorstep. You’re an RA, so it wouldn’t be a big deal if you were out late. What do you think? I have all these copies,” she says, shoving a pile of papers in my lap. “You are truly evil,” I say. She beams at me. “Damn right.” “When should we distribute them?” “Tonight, I think. If we can convince Des to leave you alone for a second night in a row,” she says, clearly jealous. “Don’t get pissy, okay? I’ll probably have to be with her tonight. But I can sneak out late and meet you. Then we can distribute them. It’ll be late, though, probably after one. I need to make sure she’s sound asleep.” Hazel takes a deep breath. “Fine. Text me.” She’s obviously upset, but she doesn’t say anything negative; instead, she grabs the papers, gets up, and walks away. I sigh as I walk her sweet ass sway, like it’s meant to torment me. I need to figure out what the hell I’m going to do about Des, but I can’t let myself get too attached to Hazel. It’s too risky.

Chapter Fourteen I’m not sure which is worse: Hazel’s disappointment at me not being able to choose or Destiny’s eagerness to please me.

Des has turned into a nympho, wanting sex every day, and usually more than once a day. It’s exhausting pleasing two women, but I refuse to give one of them up. I’m afraid of what it would mean. And that means I have to get it up twice as often. Tomorrow, I plan to call a guy I met last year who sells drugs. I’ve never been one for any of the hard stuff, just a little pot now and then, but I have to see if he can get me some Viagra. It’s worth a try. I smile to myself, knowing that my pride might be the literal death of me. The idea of pleasing both women in my life, though? It’s worth it. The halls are empty when I escape my room, leaving Destiny alone in my bed. She murmurs something in her sleep as I disentangled myself from her arms, but I sooth her with a kiss, promising to be right back. A late-night trip to the bathroom is normal enough and if I’m gone too long, I’ll just say I really had to go. I know she’ll buy it. I dressed all in black, something Hazel recommended. And out in the middle of the night, I’m glad I listened to her. There are streetlights everywhere, which means we run a higher risk of being seen, so being in black is to our advantage. I jog to the spot Hazel said to meet her but don’t see anyone. She steps out of the shadows and I pull her against me. I kiss her thoroughly as I take in her appearance. She’s wearing a black hoodie and a pair of leggings that hug her long legs all the way to her ankles. Her look is complete with black sneakers and even a black baseball cap. “You went all out, huh?” I ask when I finally gather enough will to pull away from her. We’re both breathless already. “I’m not getting caught,” she declares. “I think it would be easier to put them on everyone’s cars.” “That could work, but what about kids that don’t have them?” “We’ll put stacks in the lounge and bathroom areas. We’ll be able to cover more ground that way, too,” she explains. Her plan is solid and I let her lead me to the nearest parking lot, where we put copies of the Miranda article underneath a windshield wiper of every car. We move to each lot with efficiency and hardly any words between us. We’re both comfortable in the silence, and I like the quiet. Des never stops talking, so I definitely like this side of Hazel. She balances out the things I dislike about Des so well. An hour later, I’m sweaty and out of breath, but we’re finally finished. We stop near our building to catch our breaths and Hazel collapses on the dewy grass, her giggle rising up like a mist. “She’s going to be ruined,” she whispers between bursts of laughter. “You’re really good at this,” I whisper as I sit in the grass next to her. I lean over her body and press a kiss at her lips, loving the way she moans into it as she gives in. I pull her hoodie up, just because I can’t help myself, but she quickly pushes me aside. “No way,” she says as she sits up. “You go back to bed with your girlfriend.” I sigh, not just because she’s right, but also because I want to have sex now and Des is probably fast asleep. Oh well, I think and then heft myself up to stand. I hold out my hand to Hazel. She takes it and I tug her into me. “I get what you’re saying. But you can’t deny what’s between us,” I say as I run my finger across the bridge of her nose. I watch her shiver involuntarily and then I shuck my hand under her chin to get her to look at me. “It’s like fate.” Where did that come from? Talking about fate

with a girl doesn’t exactly fit my bad boy profile, which worries me. If I let myself fall for her, I’m giving her the power. And I definitely don’t want that. I move away from her before I give in to my desire to kiss her. “You’ll come around,” I say, knowing how much it will irritate her. I walk away, back to the dorm. I hear her feet pounding the pavement and I turn just as she jumps into my arms, wrapping her incredible legs around my waist and forcing her mouth on mine. Her tongue takes possession and she’s a wild woman, letting me know with this kiss exactly how much she wants me. As much as I want to take her, we don’t have any place to go. Des is in my room and Cheyanne is in hers. This secret of ours is turning into a hassle. “Where should we go?” I ask, desperate to take her anywhere. “Over there,” she says, pointing to the side of the brick building where we reside. “Are you sure?” “Take me now,” she growls in my ear, pulling my hair. I walk her over to the wall and press her up against it. I devour her lips as I push her into the cool brick. She unlocks her legs and wiggles to get down, so I let her, thinking she wants to stop. When she pulls her leggings and panties off one leg, though, I know she’s just as anxious as I am.

Chapter Fifteen The next morning, I tighten my arms around Des. I pull her closer to me and know she’ll feel my hard dick. “Someone’s excited this morning,” she mumbles with a laugh. “Mmm, he sure is. Let’s take care of that,” I whisper. Just as she rolls over, a flurry of students rush by my door and I can hear them all talking excitedly. “What’s that about?” she asks. “I have no idea. Should we find out?” We get out of my bed and once we’re both at least half dressed, I yank open my door and stop the nearest student. “What’s going on?” I ask him. “There was another leak about a student,” he exclaims. “See for yourself!” He shoves a piece of paper at me and I read it along with Des, feigning shock. It would seem our resident girl-next-door has a secret past. One she would kill to keep hidden. But this article reveals all about the shy blonde. “Miranda Keith, Senior at Kennedy High, was caught last night, under the influence of drugs and alcohol, giving herself to several Junior and Senior boys on school property. It seems the group met up at a party and then the boys followed Miranda’s instructions to take her onto ‘school property and f$%# me senseless.’ When asked to comment, Miranda had this to say: ‘I’ll sleep with whoever I want. I already slept with two teachers this year!’ “Her lewd behavior is unbecoming of a Kennedy student and school officials have yet to make a decision about her upcoming graduation. But it looks as though her actions could possibly lead to suspension or even expulsion, which would ruin Miranda’s plans to attend college at Coastal Carolina next fall.”

So I ask you all: do you want someone so slutty among you? Do us all a favor, Miranda, and just go back to your whorish ways. I’m sure many of the guys here at Coastal would appreciate it. “I can’t believe this!” Des exclaims. “Miranda seems so nice.” “Yeah, I never knew she was like that,” I tell her. Des looks at me. “Don’t get any ideas. You’re mine.” She pulls me in for a kiss, and I close my door. ***** An hour later, I’m showered, dressed, and fully sated. I make my way to my only class of the day, dragging my football gear along in my duffel. We don’t have a game this weekend; instead, we’ve got a full weekend of practice. From three o’clock this afternoon until sunset on Sunday, I’ll be forced to stay with the football team. It doesn’t bother me too much, especially since the Miranda bomb was just dropped. Not being able to see the outside world means that I won’t have to deal with it, which is fine with me. I make my way to class and manage to get through it without any drama. Deciding to get an early start on practice, I turn toward the football field. Halfway across campus, though, I run into Cheyanne and Miranda. “Nolan, what should we do about this drama that’s being released?” Cheyanne asks as I walk by. I stop to answer. “I have no idea. Nothing like this has ever happened before, so this is new territory for everyone. If the rumors are true, it might be easier to just let them go and ignore the person set on ruining lives. Getting faculty involved might just anger whoever’s doing it.” “That’s actually really smart,” Miranda says with crocodile tears in her eyes. “Do you really think it will blow over?” “Absolutely. And I could never believe any of that stuff about you, Miranda. You’re so sweet,” I say with a smile. “Thanks, Nolan. I appreciate that.” “I have to get to the field. I’ll catch up with you girls later,” I say and then continue on my way before they can convince me to stay. Seeing Miranda and Cheyanne teamed up like that, I wonder if maybe we should have released something juicy about someone else. They will probably think they are being targeted, since they are pretty much best friends. An idea forms in my head and I pull out my phone to text Hazel. We need to release something about ourselves this weekend so that we don’t look guilty. Just as I walk into the locker room, I get a reply from Hazel. Sounds good. I’ll drop something about me tonight and something about you tomorrow night. I smile, wondering what she’ll reveal about us. I know she won’t say anything about our affair, but the idea of it sends a thrill through me. I might not want to have people know the truth

about us, but it’s a big secret, one that could ruin either of us. But I also know we’re in control of the situation, so I shouldn’t be worried. I delete all our current messages to hide the evidence. After hours of practice and being beaten almost into the ground, I walk, ever so slowly, across campus to my room. To my surprise, Des is waiting for me. “I’m exhausted, Des. I just need sleep. And it’s going to be like this all weekend. Can we hang out on Monday?” I know it’s harsh, but I can’t even think straight, let alone try to function sexually. Her smile fades. “I guess so. I’ll talk to you later,” she says, her voice more than disappointed. I sigh but don’t stop her. I need to get some sleep. I open up my door, strip down to just my boxers, and collapse on my bed. I swipe my phone out of my shorts and flip it open, dreading the massive amounts of texts. I find several from Des, two from Hazel, and just one from our fake cell phone. I open that one first. As far as whores go, it would seem not just Cheyanne and Miranda have something to hide. Less than an hour after her breakup from star quarterback Roman Callahan, Hazel Dominic was seen on the beach, getting awfully cozy with Andre Fynn. Guess all the ‘good girls’ get around… I laugh as I read it. She’s decided to go with a truthful story, one that will make her look bad. I open up the texts from Destiny next, and one more comes in when I open the conversation. Hope you had a great day. I can’t wait to see you tonight. I’ll meet you outside your room. Are you upset with me? I’m sorry I was outside your room. I guess you don’t want to be with me… Oh, this is ridiculous. I type out a reply that basically says I’m exhausted and just need sleep. She needs to stop the drama, though. I like other people’s drama, not my own. It may not be worthwhile for me to keep things up with Destiny. She’s a drama queen. With that thought, I open up Hazel’s messages. Hey, I thought you might need a little pick-me-up after such a long practice. Attached is a photo of Hazel. She’s completely naked and gorgeous. I stare at the pic for a full minute before I write back. God, you’re sexy. I wanna suck on those pretty pink nipples. I smile at her reply, knowing she’s going to keep me up for a while.

Chapter Sixteen

I have to drag my ass to practice the next morning. Hazel kept me up half the night, sexting me with naughty pics of herself. I beat off to the very elaborate photos and sent her pictures of myself, too. It was dirty, but I loved every second of it. I’m glad she didn’t come to my room, though. I haven’t had a chance to talk to my guy about the little blue pill and until I do, I’ve got to take my time between my girls. This weekend, I’m lucky. I’ll be on the field all day today and most of the day tomorrow. We have a game next weekend and I want to impress the beautiful blonde and sexually crazy brunette in my life. “Let’s start the morning off with a five-mile run!” The coach is just way too excited about running. It’s chilly this morning, though, which makes it so much easier to run. At football camp earlier this month, the weather was ridiculously hot, making all forms of workout intense and deathly. We had two guys pass out in the heat because Coach worked us so hard. I fall into a job with Roman at my side. “What’s up with these rumors, man? I’m starting to get paranoid,” he admits to me as we run. “I don’t know, but I wish someone would silence whoever it is. I don’t want my business running rampant,” I agree. “Yeah, but they’re all just rumors. They aren’t true,” he explains. “Oh, they aren’t? The one about you and Chey was true,” I remind him. He looks thoughtful for a moment. “Yeah, but Chey told me that several people already knew about Deacon. She also told me that the word about Miranda was a lie, too.” “Dude, really? There was an article from her high school newspaper attached to her gossip. Seems pretty legit to me. And Hazel… I don’t know her that well, but it seems to me she would do something like that. She was pissed at you,” I say. “I’ll have to ask her tonight. She slept in my room after practice last night,” he winks. It takes all my energy not to stop right there and beat him to a pulp. “So you guys are back together?” “Kind of. She said she wants to keep things casual, which means just sex. So I’m game for that. I didn’t want to jump into a relationship the first week of school, anyway. So if she’s just in it for the pleasure, I can make her scream every night,” he boasts. I know for a fact he can’t please her the way I do, but I keep my thoughts to myself. Instead, I change the subject. “So who do you think this rumor person will target next?” “I’m not sure, but since I’ve had my name mentioned twice already, it better not be something about me. Not that I have much gossip anyway,” he explains. I hold my laughter in, knowing, as I do, just how many rumors could be started about him. He has quite a laundry list of things that could beheld against him. I don’t say anything, though. “Race you to the two-mile marker,” I challenge him instead. He nods and we begin our race, passing our teammates along the way, and even getting ahead of Coach, who loudly applauds our ambition. We don’t stop at two miles, either. We keep going until we hit five miles and then both of us drop to the grass, breathing heavy and gasping for air. I learned a long time ago that I could run long distances without any trouble. My problem always started once I stopped running and began to rest. So now, I’m heaving, sucking in deep breaths like I can’t breathe. When I feel my stomach lurch, I roll over and get up on my hands and knees.

I didn’t eat this morning, so I only cough up bile, but the feeling isn’t pleasant. I gag and heave for several minutes. By the time I finally feel just a little better, Coach and the rest of the team are approaching. “Rome! Nolan! If you two want to show off, you can run it again!” Coach yells. I groan, but know that arguing would be futile. I get up slowly and prepare to start the run again. “Fuck that,” Roman mutters, just loud enough for Coach to hear. “Excuse me, Callahan? Want to make it ten more miles?” “No, sir,” he whispers. We start slow, building up to a steady pace. “I beat you, by the way,” he tells me as we jog. “Bullshit. I won fair and square.” “Race again?” He challenges. Oh, fuck. “Let’s do it.” We set a neck-breaking speed and I can feel my legs turning to jelly, but I keep going, desperate to prove I’m a better man. When my head starts to get light, I close my eyes for just a second to balance myself. My eyes don’t open up again.

Chapter Seventeen I’m surrounded by my friends. Destiny holds my hand tightly and I blink, the light hurting my eyes. “What happened?” I ask, my voice raspy. “You passed out on the field, dude,” Roman explains. “I remember racing, but that’s it,” I say. “Yeah, we were about halfway through our second five-mile run and you just dropped. I thought you were kidding at first, but when you didn’t get up and wouldn’t open your eyes, I called Coach over and you were taken to the hospital.” “You were dehydrated,” Des explains. “When was the last time you had anything to drink?” I think back to before practice. I hadn’t had any water in days, choosing to drink cola instead. “It’s been a while,” I admit. “Coach is pissed.” Roman glances out at the hallway, where a doctor and my coach are walking through the door. “Okay, kids, go back to the dorms. He’s going to be fine and it’s late.” This from Coach, who obviously wants to give me hell but won’t do it in front of the doctor or my friends. “Let us know if you need anything,” Destiny says, squeezing my hand. I look at the group, smiling at them all, but noticing that Hazel isn’t with them. My heart sinks. Destiny, Roman, Cheyanne, Miranda, Andre, and Audric all file out of my hospital room, leaving me alone with the doctor and Coach. “If you’re going to compete in sports, Nolan, you really need to stay hydrated. There’s no excuse for this,” the doctor begins. “He’s my responsibility,” Coach cuts in. “Then you probably shouldn’t have made him try to run ten miles, Coach.” The doctor stares at him. Coach looks pissed, but he doesn’t reply. “I want to keep him overnight, just to be sure he’s alright, but he should be able to go back to the dorms in the morning.”

“When can he play?” The doctor rolls his eyes. “He’ll need to see his primary physician on Tuesday to determine when he can return. Until then, no football, okay, Nolan?” He looks at me. “Yes, sir,” I say, still confused as to why I would pass out. I feel like such a girl. The doctor leaves and Coach sticks around. “You’ll be on the field as soon as you get back tomorrow.” “But the doctor said–” “I’m your coach. I know what’s best for you. As soon as you get out of here, I want you on that field or you’re off the team.” I sigh. “Yes, sir.” “Get some sleep,” he commands and then walks out. I’m glad Coach believes this was just a fluke. I think I’ve just lost so many fluids in the last few days to my girls that I needed a break before such a heavy workout. My thoughts turn to Hazel, who didn’t even bother to come see me. My heart constricts unwillingly, and I realize I miss her. She’s important to me, whether I want to admit it or not. I look up when I hear a gasp at my door. Standing there, a hot mess with no makeup and eyes that look like she’s one of the undead, is Hazel, a hand covering her mouth. I give her a weary smile and crook a finger at her. She runs to me, leaping onto my bed, though I can tell she’s careful to avoid hurting me. I wrap my arms around her and pull her close. “It’s all going to be okay,” I tell her, wiping away her tears. “I was so worried,” she admits. “I’m fine, I promise. Nothing is going to happen to me.” “That’s good, because I think I might be in love with you.”

Mall Rats Miranda Chapter One These rumors are getting out of control. The ones about me, unfortunately, are one hundred percent true, but that doesn’t mean I’m fessing up. Who I was in high school is not who I am now. I’ve managed to stay away from most guys, especially the player types, like Roman and Nolan. I think Andre is interested, but if I’m going to choose someone to be with, I definitely want Audric. With his long, dark hair that falls in his gorgeous sea-blue eyes, his perfect smile, and genuine personality, I feel like he’s the least fake person on campus. Especially since the rumors about me started. The flyers that went out with a reprint of my high school newspaper article was devastating, and I can’t imagine who would hate me enough to do such a thing, but that was just the beginning. I can’t escape the constant stream of lewd comments about getting around or the innuendoes that guys snicker whenever I walk nearby. I was even offered a gangbang earlier this morning.

Amidst all the drama and rumors, poor Nolan has been dealing with a lot of crap, too. Of course, I know he’s a player, so I’ve mostly stayed away from him, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care. He’s a part of our group, and his dedication to Destiny makes me like him more. At least he’s faithful. It started with him passing out at football practice over the weekend. He was rushed to the hospital and Destiny texted everyone. As much as I wanted to wallow in my own self-pity over the news release of my high school slut days, I knew I needed to be there for Des. She and I aren’t that close, but we’re all part of the group, so I went to support the two of them. He looked really sick when we went into his room. When his doctor and the football coach kicked us all out, I felt like everything might turn out okay. Then, that night, the text message came in. It was from a local number, but no one knew who it was. I saved the number as Royal Bitch in my phone so I always know who it is. Because really, isn’t that what this person is? He or she is just trying to get a rise out of people. It’s working, though I’m trying to keep it together. The text about Nolan was really mean, and according to Destiny, it’s a lie. Ever wonder what other football players are up to, besides Roman? Well hold on to your hats, ladies. Nolan James, the fastest running back on the team, isn’t as honest as he seems. With his football career on the line, he’s risked everything by having a sex tape, with not one but two girls at once. The video has been released here. LINK The link was to a porn site, and, clearly, it’s Nolan and two girls I don’t recognize. They’re both blondes, though, and I secretly wonder if one of them is Des. You can’t see either of their faces in the video. It’s so sad. At least he’s going to be okay, though. Cheyanne drove Destiny and I back from the hospital, and Des is a mess. She cried the whole way, and begged us to let her go back to the hospital. I can only imagine how upsetting it is, to be that worried about a boyfriend. Their relationship is one I find myself being just a tad jealous of. They are so cute together, and seeing them in his hospital room together felt like we were all invading their privacy. Hazel, I noticed earlier, was nowhere to be found. She avoided the hospital like a plague and the more I see her behavior, the more I wonder whether or not she’s got a crush on Nolan. The way she looks at him, with wonder and amazement in her eyes… It’s got me curious. The rumors about her made me laugh, though. Hazel sleeping with Andre is just too bad, though, because I really liked him. I mean, only as a friend, but I lost all respect for him when I read the message. Whoever this person is who’s slowly making their way through our group with rumors and lies is definitely bent on destroying us. I may not know who it is, but until the info about Hazel was sent out, I really thought it was her. I mean, whoever it is knows a lot about us, all our dirty little secrets. My hope is that once the rounds are made, this person backs off or moves to another group, because I, for one, have a lot more secrets, and I don’t want them coming out. Being a high school slut is one thing, but if these people knew the rest, they would likely never speak to me again. It’s Sunday, a usually relaxing day for students, but everyone is buzzing over the rumors. I make my way to Cheyanne’s building to see how she’s doing. With so many secrets coming out back to back, I know no one has really processed the news of her son, Deacon. She didn’t even tell me, which was hard to take, but I understand. She doesn’t want to be judged because of her

son. And not only does everyone know, but now they know that she and Roman could easily lose custody of the toddler. I knock on Chey’s door, but there’s no answer. I put my hand on the knob, just to check, and it turns easily. I push the door open and find Cheyanne laying in bed. She’s not alone, though I can’t see who is with her. I cough to hide my laughter. Looks like she’s dealing with the news very well. Cheyanne’s eyes fly to mine and I start to back out of the room, slowly closing the door. When the second person in her bed pops his head up from underneath the covers, I freeze. I stare at Audric with an intensity I’ve never known before. I feel like him sleeping with her is such a betrayal, even though it’s not. Audric and I have never even gone out on a date, let alone admitted feelings for one another. I know he was also interested in Cheyanne, but I never thought he would do this. I slam the door and race down the hallway. When I round the corner, I trip on a jagged piece of tile and tumble, headfirst into a strong pair of arms. I look up and notice Roman’s ridiculous baby blues. He might be a player, but he’s still hot. “Fuck me,” I tell him. “Umm, what!?” He pushes me away from him a little, but I strain against his hold. I just want to forget. “Sleep with me. It doesn’t have to mean anything. I just need to get laid.” “Don’t be ridiculous.” He lets me go and I lunge at him, my arms going around his neck. “Please!” I press kisses to his jaw and eventually, his mouth. At first, he doesn’t respond, but when his mouth opens and his tongue seeks entrance between my lips, I open to him. He deepens the kiss by tilting my head back and pulling me fully against him. When he pulls away a few seconds later, I feel empty. “Fuck.” He backs away, running a hand through his hair. “What the fuck was that?” I hang my head in shame. “I’m sorry,” I say and then move to go around him. Just as I pass his dorm room, I feel a hand on my arm and Roman is dragging me into his room. He shoves me on the bed and releases his erection from his jeans. I can feel myself getting wet at the sight of him. It’s been so long since I sucked a dick, I’m salivating at the opportunity. I may want him to fuck me, but I’ll settle for this. For now. I engulf him in my mouth, making sure to apply just a little bit of pressure at the tip. He groans, thrusting his hips at me. I take him deeper, relaxing my throat, a trick I learned long ago. His breathing is ragged and when he stiffens, I swallow his cum, grateful to be used this way. In high school, I never truly understood my need to be used, and sometimes, abused. I like to be spanked, tied up, and pretty much anything else a guy wants to do to me. I even slept with a girl when I was dared at a party to do so. I pull away from him, licking the tip and my lips at the same time. “Damn, girl. You’ve got a lot of pent-up aggression. I’ve never come that fast in my life,” Roman boasts, and knowing, as I do, how many girls he’s been with, I’m sure that’s true. I feel relaxed, relieved, and rejuvenated. “Anytime you need more of that, just give me a call,” I say seductively.

Chapter Two I leave Roman’s room without another word, and as soon as I close the door, shame washes over me. Again.

I spent a lot of years feeling this way, and I vowed not to do it in college, but here I am, giving some guy a blowjob in his room when we’ve hardly ever spoken. I run out of the building, afraid if anyone sees me, they’ll know exactly what I just did. I don’t stop, either. I keep right on running until I’m at the football field. I scoot into the small opening beneath the bleachers and drop to the ground, wrapping my arms around my knees and letting go. The tears start and it’s like I can’t stop. I sob, almost uncontrollably as the emotions hit me. I’ve turned back into the stupid girl I once was. I’ve returned to my foolish ways. It doesn’t matter that I watched my mother sleep with man after man, looking for love and never finding it… I am caught up in the same trap as she was. I just want to be loved, for someone, anyone, to love me for the real me, and not because of the sexual favors I can provide. I can’t help my insecurities, though… They’ve been ingrained in me for as long as I can remember. The eighth grade dance – Jake Martin asked me almost a month ago to go with him. Thinking I would never get anyone better than him, I accepted and promptly went to my mother, to ask her to buy me a dress for my very first formal. “Mom, I got asked to the dance!” I was giddy with excitement. She sighed. “There’s no money in the budget for a new dress, Miranda. But if you want to look at the thrift store, we can spare about fifty dollars.” It wasn’t much, but I knew I could put together an outfit for the dance with that budget. We spent all weekend looking for the right dress and accessories, and by Sunday night, I had a dress, shoes, cheap jewelry, and even brand-new pantyhose, all for under forty bucks. Mom was so impressed, she asked me if I wanted to buy some hair dye or a lightening kit for highlights. Mom sat me down last week and reminded me of our sex talk, which I moaned and groaned through. As much as I got the reasoning behind her lecture, I really didn’t think I would ever use it. The big night arrived and Jake and his mom picked me up. We took pictures in front of my mother’s chrysanthemums and then we left. The dance itself was boring and typical, but it was what happened later that shook my whole world. I close my eyes to shut out the memory. I don’t want to remember that night. It was the night I turned into a crazy girl, always seeking attention but never letting anyone close. That night forever changed my life, and I hate that I am turning back into the girl I was in high school. As much as I know that girl is a part of who I am, I also know that I have to keep any news about myself out of the public eye. Which means I can do what I want, I just have to be discrete.

Chapter Three It’s late on Sunday night when I run in to Audric just outside of the lounge. I stop when I see him, nearly petrified by what he’s going to say, knowing he’ll want to explain what I walked in on this morning but also realizing I don’t really want to know. “Miranda! We need to talk,” he starts as he walks with me on the sidewalk. Instead of answering him, I turn toward the walking trail and he keeps pace with me. “Whatever it is you think you walked in on this morning, it wasn’t. Cheyanne and I aren’t together. We were studying last night and I guess we just fell asleep on her bed. Hazel never came in to the dorm, so we didn’t wake up until you walked in this morning. You know it’s true,

too. I mean, the door was unlocked, and you know how Cheyanne is about locking her door at night.” “I get it. She’s gorgeous and lovable, and I’m… just me. I don’t blame you for wanting to get with her,” I say as casually as I can. I tuck my hair behind my ears and keep my gaze focused on the grass instead of looking at him. He stops, putting a hand on my arm to stop me and waits for me to look at him. When I do, all I see is sadness. “There’s nothing between us. Her life is far too complicated and messy for me to be a part of. And she’s made it perfectly clear she doesn’t like me that way.” As much as I want to rejoice, the way he says it catches my attention. “But you like her that way?” He sighs. “I’m not sure. I mean, she’s great, but it just wasn’t meant to be, you know?” He starts walking again and I take a few rushed steps to catch up. “I don’t understand,” I admit, still reeling. “She doesn’t want to be with anyone, and as much as I do like her, I just don’t know if I could handle the whole situation right now. Especially since the whole school knows about Deacon now. And they know about Roman’s plans, too. I can’t believe someone is leaking all these secrets about us. Do you know who it is?” “I wish. At first, I thought it was Hazel, but then when everything about her and Andre came out… I have no idea who it is. Do you think there will be more rumors?” I choose my words carefully, implying that they are, in fact, rumors. “Well, if I had to guess, whoever it is, is making his or her way through our group, so I think this is only the beginning. Someone hates us, apparently, but they are close enough to know about the intimate details of our lives. And they aren’t necessarily rumors. Hazel did sleep with Andre. And Cheyanne and Roman are going to go to court over their son’s custody and guardianship. And Nolan… I’m pretty sure he’s the kind of guy to do something like that, too.” “What about me? Do you think what was sent out about me is true, too?” As afraid as I am to ask, I know that this moment will be a turning point in our friendship. “I’m not sure, but it doesn’t matter to me. If it’s true, you aren’t the same person you were in high school, obviously. I mean, it’s the third week of classes and you haven’t been on a date with anyone, or hooked up, right?” With a ragged breath, I lie. “No, of course not.” “Exactly,” he says with a smile. His teeth are straight, his smile near perfect. Does he even realize how much I want to be with him? Probably not. Such is my life, I suppose. “I’ve got to get back to the dorms. But hey, I wanted to ask you…” I turn to him and notice he’s fidgeting. “Yes?” “Do you want to go grab a pizza tomorrow night? You know, like a date?” My fear dissipates. “I’d like that.” “Great. I’ll meet you at your dorm room around six?” “Sounds great. I’ll see you then,” I agree. I watch him walk away in awe. Just when I thought he was into Cheyanne, the truth comes out that he likes me. Me. What a strange world. I feel bad that I lied to him, but I don’t want to dwell on that. He’s into me and that is all that matters. As soon as he’s out of sight, I start my run. I wasn’t much of a runner in high school, probably because I got so much of my pent-up aggression out during my sexcapades, but since I went sex free, I have found that I need the outlet. I start at a jog and gradually build up speed.

Even though I released some of my tension earlier with Roman, I still haven’t had a climax myself in quite some time. It’s been at least four months since I had sex, which, for me, is a record. Before that, the most I ever went between partners was a week, if that. Sometimes I even slept with different guys on the same day. It’s a little hazy, but I also think there was a time or two when I participated in a threesome. I was far too wasted to remember, though, and for that, I’m grateful. Sex was a huge part of my life back then. And now… Now I’m not so much of a fiend, which is a good thing. But I still have urges, as I proved to myself this morning. If Audric was smart, maybe he would stay the hell away from me.

Chapter Four On Monday morning, I find myself face to face with Nolan, who looks like he hasn’t slept in days. “You look like shit,” I say to him as we walk to an early class, one we share. “Thanks, Miranda. It’s not like I was in the hospital over the weekend or anything. And Coach made me practice yesterday, too.” His eyes were void of all emotion. “That’s messed up. Shouldn’t you have some time off?” “Yeah. Try telling Coach that,” he jeers. I make a noncommittal sound. “And you’re already back to class, too? I figured you would take a few days off.” He sighs. “Coach made it crystal clear that the school’s policy is that if I miss a day, I don’t get to practice, and if I missed practice, I would be off the team.” “That’s harsh.” “Tell me about it. How are things with you? In between the hospital stay and practice, I managed to hear about the rumors. I’m sorry,” he says, his eyes full of concern. “It’s no big deal. That’s not who I am now.” I have to stay hardened and not fall prey to his gorgeous eyes. I need to be strong. I change the subject. “So did the doctors figure out what’s wrong with you?” “Not yet. They’re still waiting on test results.” “You probably shouldn’t be playing until those come back, huh? I mean, what if something is wrong?” “I doubt it. I’m in great shape, physically and mentally,” he says with a smirk. His arrogance is annoying, but I can’t help but feel truly happy that he’s going to be okay. “Maybe your ego deserves a virus. You know, to calm you down a little,” I say. “You’re just jealous.” “Of what?” “Des. She gets all this and you’ve got no one.” His words hit their target and I gasp. “Screw you, Nolan! I can’t believe I almost felt sorry for you.” I turn to walk away, but he grabs my arm. “Miranda, you don’t have to hide who you are anymore. Obviously, you like dick. I’ll be happy to oblige you,” he offers. “Get your hands off me,” I seethe through my teeth. I yank my arm away and turn toward the building of my first class. I know Nolan is going there too, but his body is still weak and I beat him there in seconds.

I jerk open the door and make my way to the lecture hall. It’s one of the largest on campus; sociology is my favorite class so far, but it’s also got the highest number of students, which means I can get lost in the crowd. Not that I mind. After the rumors over the weekend, all I want to do is get lost. I take a seat in the back, desperate to be unnoticed. No such luck. “Hey, Miranda, get any lately?” A guy I don’t recognize makes a lewd gesture to me and his buddies laugh. I swallow but don’t comment. I learned a long time ago that fighting back only fuels their fire. I remain silent and pull out my books and flip open a notebook to doodle. I’ve loved art since I was little, and it creates a fantasy realm for me to go to when my real life crumbles. Like now. I draw for several minutes, until I feel someone slide into the seat next to me. I look up, expecting Nolan, but it’s Roman. He’s smiling down at me like he’s happy to see me and I feel the shame rise to heat my cheeks. “Hey, Miranda,” he says with a grin. “Hi.” I’m not in the mood to talk. “I have a proposition for you.” I turn to look at him as he sits and tosses his bag over the chair. He raises a brow at me. “What?” “Well, considering how good we were yesterday…” “No. Absolutely not.” I’m firm. Sure. Decisive. He leans close and his voice drops to a seductive level. “But you didn’t even come. I can make you come so hard you scream.” I close my eyes at the visual his words create in my mind. Roman over me, thrusting into me with his delicious dick and my thighs grasping his hips. Or, even better, his behind me, his hips slapping my ass as he takes me. A low moan escapes my throat and my eyes fly open. Roman is smirking at me. “You want it as much as I do,” he says, sure of himself. “It’s not going to happen. You’re with Hazel.” There. I said no. “We aren’t exclusive. Hell, she’s sleeping with Andre, if the rumors are to be believed. What’s the harm in us having a little fun, too?” “Like, friends with benefits?” I ask, a little excited at having Roman in my bed. “Exactly like that. And no one needs to know,” he explains. “Of course. I won’t tell a soul.” Of course, I can’t tell anyone, if I’m going to start dating Audric. In the public eye, I have to maintain my status as someone who has given up her dirty ways. He puts a hand out to shake and I take it, squeezing his fingers with my own. I notice immediately how warm he is, how big his hands are. He’s perfect. With a smile, I turn back to my book, ready to get on with class. Professor James begins class and I admire his fine features. He looks too young to be a professor, but I don’t mind. His suit hugs his muscled body perfectly. From what he’s told us, he also teaches a Calculus class on Mondays, and I know Nolan and Hazel are in that class. I wish I signed up for Calculus. Then I could stare at him for two classes. Talk about a perfect Monday. A note appears in front of me.

You’re making me jealous, making gaga eyes at the professor. I want you on my cock tonight. Roman’s vulgarity makes me hot, I confess, and I’m so turned on by him. I write back. My roommate has a night class. Come over between seven and eight. I watch him as he reads my words and his eyes go wide in pleasure. He gives me a short nod and passes the paper back to me. I shove it into my notebook and try to pay attention.

Chapter Five “Miss Keith? Can I see you after class, please?” Professor James asks as class ends. A few students around me laugh, thinking I’m in trouble, and I wonder what I’ve done. I go to his desk to wait, and once all the other students have left the room, he looks at me. “Is there something you need to tell me?” “Uhh, what?” I ask, uncertain what he means. He reaches over and plucks a piece of paper out of the notebook I’m holding. I realize it’s the note Roman and I passed earlier. He holds it up. “What’s this?” “Mr. James, I can explain,” I start, not really sure how I can explain anything. “Let’s just see what you and Mr. Callahan were discussing that couldn’t wait.” He unfolds the note and I stare at my notebook. More shame to add to my day. “Well, well, well, it looks like you’re a busy girl,” he says. I glance up at him with tears in my eyes, unable to stop them as they streak down my cheeks. Another person to bear witness to my humiliation. “I suggest you not pass notes in my class again, Miranda,” he says. He hands me the note and then dismisses me. “Is that it?” I ask, wondering what kind of game he’s playing. “Do you want to be punished?” “Well, no, but I kind of expected it.” He laughs softly. “You aren’t ready for my punishments, Miranda. Have a nice day.” What the hell was that? I think to myself as I exit the hall. Roman is waiting for me outside the building. “What did he say?” “He read our note. And then he gave it back to me and let me go. He asked me not to write notes in his class anymore.” “That’s it? Damn, he’s easy. I bet you could do whatever you wanted in his class,” Roman says as we walk toward the Science Center. “Yeah,” I agree, though I’m not really sure. The whole encounter was weird and frightening. “I’ve got to get to my next class, but we’ll talk later, okay? I’ll text you,” he promises as he walks away. Intro to Lit is my next class, one I dread attending because of Hazel. Especially today. I mean, I just agreed to sleep with her boyfriend. I’m not much of a friend, I guess. But Hazel is a bitch. She has an attitude problem and a dysfunctional personality. As much as I want to rub it in

her face that Roman wants me, I know I’ll keep quiet about it. Maybe whoever is running rumors about our group will find out. That would be interesting. “Hey, Hazel,” I say as I sit next to her. We aren’t friends, per se, but each of us is the only person either of us knows in the class. “What’s up?” she asks without looking up from her drawing. She’s doodling in a notebook, but as I sit, I notice it’s much more than a doodle. Her drawing is of Roman, and it’s really good. She’s got a near perfect ink stroke for his hair and eyes, and the strong, stubborn line of his jaw, are phenomenal. “That’s really good,” I say. She looks up, surprised. “Thanks. He and I just got back together, so I’ve been drawing all morning.” “Are you going to add color?” I ask, genuinely curious about her work. She’s done the whole thing in black pen, but color could really add a distinctive layer to it. “I thought about,” she answers, regarding her work. “I’m not sure I have the right media.” “What options do you have?” “Well, I have watercolors, but I feel like they will just ruin the ink. You won’t be able to see all the lines. Markers are out for the same reason.” She sighs. “What about colored pencils? They won’t detract from the ink or cover it, and the color will be light and airy, to give it a fresh look.” She considers my suggestion for a moment. “That’s not a bad idea. I’ll have to see what I can get at the art store downtown this afternoon.” “I can go with you, if you want, to help you pick out colors,” I offer, not certain if it’s a good idea. If we have this in common, though, maybe we can become friends. “Sounds good. We’ll have to take the bus, though. I don’t have a car.” “I bet I can borrow Cheyanne’s car. Let me text her,” I say, pulling out my phone. Minutes later, Cheyanne has agreed to let me use her car and class starts. I try to pay attention, but there’s only so many times you can go over the themes of The Canterbury Tales. Zoning out, I think about Roman and how much fun we’re going to have. Even if Hazel and I become good friends, I don’t consider this a betrayal. Roman said they aren’t exclusive, and the whole school knows Hazel slept with Andre. I set aside my guilt as the class goes on, occasionally admiring Hazel’s drawing. Roman really is a good-looking guy, and she’s captured him perfectly. When we’re finally dismissed, we walk together to her next class. “I’ll go grab Cheyanne’s keys, so you can just come to my dorm after your class and we’ll run to the art store.” “Sounds like a plan. Now I have to deal with Nolan,” she complains. “He’s not all bad, I don’t think. He’s just a player,” I tell her. “I know. I just like giving him a hard time.” She smirks and gives me a wink. “I’ll see you later.” She disappears through the door into the class and I turn around to go see Cheyanne. Minutes later, I knock on her door, nervous about what I’m going to walk in on. To my relief, she answers the door fully clothed and alone. “Hey, girl. So what do you need the car for?” she asks as I walk in. “Hazel and I are going to that art store downtown. It’s huge and she needs some pencils. I might get some stuff, too,” I explain. “Hazel, huh? I’m not sure how I feel about that,” she says, sitting on her bed.

“Cheyanne, you really ought to give her a chance. She’s not as bad as you think,” I say. “She’s just like you and me.” “She is not like me. That rich bitch has never had to give up anything in her life. You should hear the way she talks about all the money her daddy has in Atlanta. It’s disgusting. And yet she doesn’t have a car. What’s up with that?” I’m surprised by Cheyanne’s outburst. “You should really think about what she’s gone through in her life before you judge her.” “She judges me. She asked for it.” Cheyanne folds her arms over her chest in a defiant manner. I sigh. “You’re stronger than she is, Chey. Cut her some slack,” I suggest. “Fuck that. She’s a royal bitch who thinks her shit doesn’t stink. I’m not giving her any slack. And if you were smart, you would stay the hell away from her. She’s no good to anyone.” I open my mouth to reply but quickly shut it. Cheyanne is too worked up to listen to anything I have to say. And she’s the one acting like a bitch. I like Cheyanne, but the way she treats Hazel isn’t right. “I’ll just go. I don’t think you’re in the mood to talk to anyone,” I say, moving toward the door. “She’s going to screw you over, Miranda. Just wait,” Cheyanne mutters. I turn back to her for a moment. “I’m a big girl. I can handle myself.” I leave her room utterly pissed off that she passes judgment like she’s a queen or something. Her behavior makes me wonder why I’m even friends with her. Roman is at the end of the hall. I take a deep breath, not sure how to deal with him right now. “Miranda! Good to see you. I’ve got some free time right now,” he offers, tilting his head toward his dorm. “I think I’ll pass for right now. I need to find a ride downtown in an hour,” I tell him. “Where you going?” “Hazel and I are going to raid the art store.” “Take my car,” he says casually. “What? No way. That thing is like brand new.” “Yeah, so? You know how to drive, right?” I nod. “Just take good care of it. My birthday is coming up and they said I’m getting a new vehicle, so I’ll have two.” “Is that allowed?” I wonder aloud. “I’m not sure. But Nolan said it shouldn’t be a problem. And he would know.” “Awesome. Well, thank you. I really appreciate it. What do I tell Hazel?” I ask, nervous again. “Just say you ran into me and mentioned you needed a ride and I offered it up to you for her. Then she’ll feel special and you and I will know the truth.” He winks. “Thanks,” I say. “Can I show you something?” “Sure,” I answer. He leads me into his dorm and I wonder if this is just a ploy to get me into his room.

Chapter Six

“This is Deacon,” Roman says, picking up a picture of a toddler off his desk. He holds it out to me. I take the photo and stare at the little boy with blonde hair and bright blue eyes. “He’s adorable.” “He’s my life. Cheyanne doesn’t understand how much I love and care about my son. She thinks I’m in cohorts with my parents to get sole custody.” “That sucks. Why are they doing this?” “I’m not sure. They are the ones who encouraged Cheyanne and me to go to Coastal. They thought up the plan, so that we would both have some of the normal college experiences. We were both going to a local community college in Columbia. We were happy, but they didn’t have the programs either of us wanted, so we were each going to just get an Associates. But then my mom and dad came up with the idea of Coastal. They argued that it was close enough to visit home as often as we wanted and far enough away that we could actually live before we settled into a family life. “Deacon is so smart. He’s leaps and bounds ahead of other kids his age. I love that boy more than anything in this world. And when my parents dropped the news that they were going for sole guardianship, I fought them. They claimed it was for his own good, and that when we go to court, they are going to suggest supervised visits for Cheyanne, but I’ll be able to see him as often as I want. I don’t know what to do about them.” Roman is not what I expected. He cares about more than just himself. His concern for Deacon, and even for Cheyanne, surprises me, but also tugs on my heart. He’s hurting more than he lets anyone see. “I wish I had good advice for you. Can you talk your parents into backing off?” I ask, ignoring the sudden rush of butterflies to my stomach. “They are set in their ways. I don’t know how I could convince them.” He looks down at the photo in my hands and takes it from me, his eyes staying on his son. “What if you turn the tables on them?” The idea is a long shot, but I’m anxious to help him in whatever way I can. “What do you mean?” “Well, maybe you convince them to pay for a lawyer for you. I’m sure you can convince them to give you some money. I mean, if they buy you a new car and you sell the one you have, I’m sure you could afford to pay for one yourself, even. Then you could get a good lawyer for you and Cheyanne. If you two create a joined front, a judge is going to have a hard time not giving you custody. It’s just an idea,” I add when he looks doubtful. When he smiles, though, I realize he likes the idea. “That’s perfect! No one will take a child away from us if we’re united! You’re a genius.” I blush under his compliment. He looks at me like I’m smarter than anyone he’s ever known; I smile back at him. “Thanks.” “I’ve got to go call a lawyer, but I’ll swing by later tonight, just like we planned, okay?” He hands me his car keys and all but pushes me out the door; just before it clicks close, I see him open up his laptop. Feeling like I’ve helped him out, I walk smugly back to my building. My room is empty, which is great. I don’t really want to be around anyone, despite my good mood. I’m more afraid someone will rain on my happiness parade, so I pull out my phone and do a quick search on the art store downtown. There are a few things I need to buy, so I want to price them out first.

I make a list of the things I want and add up how much it’s going to cost. Once I’m done, I tuck the list into my pocket and check my bank account. Mom gives me an allowance every week, and I’ve hardly spent any of it since I started. I’ve been too busy to do any shopping, so the only money I’ve even spent was when we all went to the amusement park a few weeks ago. My balance is more than enough to cover my art supplies, so I sit down to do some homework until Hazel arrives. An hour later, there’s a knock at my door. I open it, expecting Hazel. To my dismay, Cheyanne is standing there, glaring at me. “What’s your problem?” “Umm, what are you talking about?” I ask, confused. “Do you have some kind of thing going on with Roman? He came to me and said you suggested we get a lawyer together.” “What’s your point?” I’m annoyed by her insinuation, even though it’s spot on. “Why are you helping us?” “I was helping Roman, not you. And I ran into him and he was telling me about what happened. I was just trying to be supportive. For him,” I clarify, in case she actually believes I want to remain her friend after the way she’s acted today. “Oh. Well, even if you didn’t want to help me, I appreciate it. Thank you.” She smiles, but I can tell it’s fake by the way her teeth are ground together. She looks uncomfortable. “You’re welcome.” “If you need my car, you can take it,” she offers, holding up her keys. “No thanks. I made other arrangements,” I say. I roll my eyes for emphasis. “Whatever,” she mutters and then walks away. I lean my head out into the hallway to watch her go and see her run into Hazel. They exchange a few words and then Hazel makes her way to me. “What crawled up her ass?” Hazel asks in lieu of a greeting. “She’s a bitch, obviously.” “I thought you two were best buds,” she says. “We were. Until she decided to be a total bitch. I ran into Roman and made a suggestion to him about their situation and he’s decided to take my advice. And now she’s all pissed because I talked to him. I don’t get her.” “Ugh. She’s mad at me for dating Roman again, too. She thinks she has some kind of claim to him and that she can rule over his life. It pisses me off.” “You and Roman are back together?” I ask, even though I already know. I want to be friends with her, though, and that means playing stupid. “Yeah, it happened a few days ago. I was surprised, too. But we’ve agreed it’s going to be more casual than anything. We aren’t exclusive,” she explains. “Oh. So like, friends with benefits?” “Kind of. It’s more like we’re dating, but we can see other people, I guess. It’s okay, though. He can see who he wants.” “Most girls wouldn’t be okay with that.” “I’m not most girls.” She grins. “Ready to go buy some supplies?”

Chapter Seven

The store has a tiny parking lot, and I maneuver into a space just barely big enough to fit Roman’s sports car. I wonder how a larger car would fit into the spot as Hazel and I get out and walk to the entrance of the store. I pull open the glass door and hold it for Hazel. She smiles at me. “Thanks. I hate that I don’t have a car,” she grumbles. We make a beeline for the pencils area. “Why is that, by the way… Why don’t you have a car?” She laughs. “My dad is crazy, that’s why. He’s convinced if I have a car, I’m going to run away.” It’s my turn to laugh. “Why would you run away? Isn’t he rich?” If it were me, I’d be all over the money. “Money isn’t everything, Miranda. I learned that the hard way,” she says, her voice somber. I want to ask a dozen or more questions, but she replaces the sadness in her eyes with excitement. “Although having plenty of money to buy art supplies is pretty awesome.” I smile back at her and she moves farther into the store, on the hunt for the perfect colored pencils. “I’ve got to grab a few things. I’ll catch up in a few.” She nods without looking back as I slip into the aisle with easels. I find a new pad of blank paper for the older easel I brought to the dorms. Watercolors are the next aisle over and I grab a set of the assorted colors and a pack of brushes. When I finally make it over to Hazel, she’s brooding over her color options. “Oh, hey! I need your help.” She picks up two colors of brown, one very light and the other a bit darker. “Which one of these is the color of Roman’s hair?” I examine them closely, taking her request seriously, even though there isn’t a color on earth that could match the sinful hue of Roman’s locks. “What if you started with this pale brown and added shades of the darker color for texture? You could almost get away with adding a few strokes of red, too, for a better look.” “That’s genius! You know your way around color schemes,” she says. “It’s not my first time. I was a student teacher for my high school art classes. The teacher was impressed.” “Really? What are you majoring in?” “Finance,” I mumble. “Seriously? You could easily get into one of the art institutes,” she comments. “Yeah. Parents suck, huh?” I know she’ll relate. “Tell me about it. So I need to grab a few more sketch pads,” she says, changing the subject. I follow her to the aisle of sketch pads and watch her pick up, smell, and examine several pads. “Is there an untapped paper smelling drug I’m missing out on?” I ask after she puts down the sixth pad. “Not really, although I do get my own personal high when I smell the paper. I’m the same way about new books,” she admits. “Me too! About the books, anyway,” I tell her. “Something we have in common! I didn’t think we would have anything in common. I’ll be honest, Miranda,” she says as she picks up pad number seven. She inhales with her eyes closed and then drops the pad and two just like it into her basket. “I judged you before I knew you. I thought you were the typical blonde airhead, but it turns out, you’re actually kind of cool.” I stare at her, stupefied by her words. “Umm, thanks?”

“I don’t mean to be offensive,” she starts. “I just learned from a young age to be honest and upfront. Then people know exactly what kind of person you are when they meet you. It saves you from having to ever be someone you’re not.” It makes sense, but I’m not sure I could ever be that honest with someone. “Well, thanks for the honesty.” She smiles and we make our way to the checkout. She sets her stuff on the counter and gestures I do the same. I set my things down several inches away from hers so that the woman scanning Hazel’s items doesn’t think those are hers too. “These are all together,” Hazel says to the older woman behind the counter. “Hazel, no. I’ve got it,” I say. “Nonsense! We’re friends. Besides, Daddy’s buying,” she says, holding up a credit card and waving it at me. “Put everything together,” she addresses the clerk again. I sigh but don’t disagree. Hazel is hardly the kind of person who will back down. Instead, I watch as my items are scanned and tossed into their own bag, with my easel pad put into an extra-large bag. Hazel swipes her card and within seconds, we’re back in the car. “Anywhere else we should go?” Hazel asks from the passenger seat. “Oh, I don’t know. Did you have somewhere in mind?” “We should go to dinner,” she suggests. “Umm, I actually have dinner plans already,” I say, thinking of Roman. He’s going to meet me in my room in just an hour. “Oh, okay. How about milkshakes, then? We’ll just go through the drive-thru,” she says, pointing toward the burger place across the street. “Perfect,” I agree. When we’re back on our way to Coastal, Hazel looks at me seriously. “I’m glad we did this.” I look at her for a second with a smile. “Me too. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I guess I had preconceived ideas about you, too. Sorry about that.” “It’s not a problem. In fact, I think I learned a lot about you.” She smiles. “I agree. We should do it again. Maybe actually go get dinner one time instead of just shakes,” I suggest, holding up my shake and taking a sip. “Definitely.” As surprised as I am by this new friendship, I’m grateful for it, too. Cheyanne has been acting strangely toward me lately, so it’s nice to have more than one person I can talk to. I really thought Hazel was a horrible person, but maybe that was just Cheyanne’s ideas and jealousy getting in the way of me seeing who Hazel really is. I trust her.

Chapter Eight Hazel doesn’t even give me a second glance when she walks into her building. I make my way to mine and close the door behind me. I set my new supplies on my desk and pull out my phone to text Roman. I’m back and my roomie is gone. Be here in half an hour?

I set my phone down and go to my closet to pick out something sexy. I packed away all my sexy jeans and low-cut tops and left them at my mom’s, but I think I still have something I can wear for Roman. In the back of my closet, I find a black teddy with see-through, lacy cups. I strip down to just my panties and pull the teddy on, then change my panties to a pair far sexier. They’re black and silky, perfect for tonight. I wonder if black thigh-highs would make the ensemble but quickly discard them. I have to leave a few surprises. My phone beeps and I scoop it up to open the incoming message. Sounds good. I’m bringing wine. ;) I laugh out loud, alone in my room. Does he think I need to be drunk to do this? I’ve wanted him since I met him. And now I get to have him! It’s like a dream come true. I know he’s a total man-whore, but I have condoms, and I’m on birth control, so I don’t have to worry about ending up like Cheyanne. I pull my robe on over the teddy. It’s short, just long enough to cover my ass, but not much more. I tie the belt loosely around my hips, causing the soft, fluffy material to rise up even farther. I smile in anticipation. I apply my makeup so as to enhance my features with being too much. He’s used to Hazel’s dark makeup, so I put on light eye shadow and a little blush. I remake my bed so it’s perfect, with the pale blue comforter tugged back just a bit so it looks inviting. I spray a little of my body spray above the pillows and then on my neck. I jump when there’s a knock at my door. He’s a little early. “Who is it?” I ask softly. “It’s me, open up!” he commands. I yank open the door and belatedly realize it wasn’t Roman’s voice I heard. “Ready for our date?” Standing in front of me is Audric, dressed to the nines and looking so hot. His shaggy hair is even slicked back. He looks so much older. His blue eyes bore into mine after he surveys my robe. “You were expecting me, right?” “Audric! Umm, I actually…” I freak, wondering how on earth I forgot about our date. “I’m just running a little late.” The lie comes out naturally, as if I’m just not ready yet. “Can I have a few minutes?” “Sure. I’ll wait outside,” he agrees. I close the door and run for my phone, opening up my text chat with Roman. Don’t come over! I forgot I have a date with Audric! I set it down and race to the closet, searching for an outfit. I find a modest, fitted dress and slip it over the teddy. I pull on a pair of black leggings and my favorite black flats. I check my reflection in the mirror and realize my makeup goes perfectly with this outfit. I do a little spin to make sure my teddy isn’t visible under the dress and then I grab a tiny black purse and stuff my wallet and keys in it. I pick up my phone as it beeps. That’s problematic. You know he’s my roommate, right? I laugh as I type a reply.

We can meet later, although my roommate will be back and yours will be coming home from a date with me. Anywhere else we can go? I wait ten seconds for a response. Yeah. Text me when you get back to your room. I’ll pick you up and we can go somewhere. Have a good date. His good nature about my date surprises me, especially since he let me into his world earlier today and I feel like I’m cheating. But he has a thing with Hazel, so I can’t worry too much. With a forced smile, I open my door again, ready to go on my date with Audric. “I’m ready. Sorry about that.” “You look great,” he says, kissing my cheek. He’s so sweet. “Thanks. You don’t look too bad yourself.” His grin makes him look years younger, and I feel like I’m the one older than him. “How old are you?” I cover my mouth, not believing I just said that out loud. He laughs. “I’m twenty-one.” “Whoa. You look like you’re eighteen,” I comment. “I get that a lot. I’ll be twenty-two in a few weeks. I stayed back in first grade, and then took a year off of school. Then I went to community college for a year and transferred here. So I’m older than a lot of people here.” “Cool.” I lock my door and we walk out of the building. “So what’s your major?” “Secondary education,” he answers, his hand dropping to my lower back as we walk. I feel safe with Audric, like he’s too much of a gentleman to try anything. “So you want to be a teacher.” “High school history, actually. It took me some time to figure it out, but I finally realized that I love history, and my high school history teacher made it so much fun. I want to be able to give kids an experience like that, you know?” “Yeah, I totally get it.” “What about you?” I laugh. “I’m undecided. I don’t know what I want, yet.” “Well, you’re only a freshman. Plenty of time to figure it out. What do you like to do?” “Draw…” I mutter under my breath. “You’re an artist?” “I wouldn’t go that far, but I dabble in it. I’m definitely not as good as Hazel.” “She’s pretty advanced for her age. I’ve seen her sketchbooks. She’s got a lot of talent. She doesn’t have the discipline, though. She does what she wants and doesn’t take advice from anyone.” “Well, actually… I gave her advice today about one of her sketches and she took it. We even went to the art store so she could buy the supplies she needed to finish a sketch. I even picked a few of the colors for her.” “She’s taking advice and using color? You must have had some damn good advice,” he remarks. “It was no big deal,” I say as a blush creeps up my neck.

“You don’t have to be shy. Although now I want to see what you’ve done.” “I mostly use watercolors. I definitely don’t have Hazel’s skill with a pen,” I explain. “You don’t have to compare yourself with her,” he says. “I still want to see what you’re working on.” We continue our conversation as he drives us to the pizza place. I feel a bit overdressed, but Audric asks for a booth in the back and it’s intimate. Our waitress flirts with him, obviously anxious for a tip, and then treats me like I’m not even there. Roman just ignores her advances, though. Once our pizza is set in front of us, conversation ceases while I munch on a single piece and Audric all but inhales the rest of the pie.

Chapter Nine The date feels more like friends having dinner than an actual date, but I don’t mind. I like Audric, and although I’d like to have a relationship with him, I like being just being friends with him, too. I could see this going either way. He drops me off at my dorm room without so much as a kiss goodnight, and I wonder if I’m on the right track thinking we should just be friends. He’s a little socially awkward, but it only adds to his charm. I watch him walk away with a smile. It’s hard not to laugh when he trips over a tiny hump in the carpet and slams into the opposite wall. I cover my mouth with my hand and scoot back into my room so he doesn’t see that I saw him. I peek around the door frame and see that he’s righted himself and is shaking his head as he continues down the hallway. My whole body shakes from holding in my laughter. I slip back into my room as he rounds the corner out of sight. “What’s so funny?” my roommate, Stacy, asks. I close the door. “Nothing.” I don’t really like her, but I know I have to be civil. “Riiight…” She rolls her eyes and turns back to the psych book she’s reading. I slip my phone out of my purse and text Roman. Within seconds comes his reply. Hey, meet me out by my car in the parking lot. Don’t change your clothes. An odd request, but I oblige. Without explaining my destination to my roommate, I leave our room and go toward the back of the building. The chances are slim, but I can’t risk running into Audric. I sneak out the door and around the side of the brick building. I race across the parking lot and see Roman already sitting in the driver’s seat of his car. I yank open the passenger door and hop in. I don’t even have time to put on my seatbelt when Roman tears out of the parking lot. Laughing, I pull the belt across my shoulder and lap, buckling myself in. We don’t speak until we’re on Ocean Boulevard and Roman slows down. “Hi,” he says to me, his eyes lit up in excitement. “Hi, yourself,” I whisper. He takes my hand and squeezes it, a sure sign that he’s as thrilled as I am for our night together. Even though I have no idea what he has in mind. “Where are we going?” “You just let me worry about that,” he says with a smirk, and I realize he’s not going to tell me. Instead, I lean back against the soft leather and relax, letting myself enjoy the scenery.

When he pulls into the parking lot of one of the best hotels on the beach, I sit up straight. “Are we getting a room here?” I’m worried about paying for it, since I depleted a huge chunk of my checking account earlier today, shopping with Hazel. “Yep. Don’t worry. I’ve got it,” he says, sensing my hesitation. I grumble under my breath, making him laugh. When he pulls up to the valet service, I wonder what he’s going to tell his parents when they see the charges. The valet opens my door and I get out, feeling way underdressed. My outfit is semi-dressy, but mostly casual. It’s something I would wear at the beach. Roman meets me near the door, tosses his keys to the valet like he owns the place, and doesn’t even bother with a valet ticket. I eye him suspiciously, but he just laughs. At the check-in counter, he gives the woman his name and she stutters in his presence. I raise my brow but don’t say anything. Obviously, he’s a big deal here. The woman hands him a key and directs us to the elevators. “What was that about?” I ask, curious. “Didn’t I mention I own this hotel?” I stop in the middle of the lobby. “Say what?!?” He smiles but keeps walking, ignoring the fact that I’ve stopped and guiding me along with my pretty black flats sliding along the tile floor. I’m still in shock when he guides me on the elevator. “Is this some weird, demented Fifty Shades thing? I’m not doing it in this elevator,” I explain, wondering if there are hidden cameras around that will jump out at any moment. “Relax. I’m Roman, not Christian,” he says. The fact that he gets my insinuation is amazing. He’s amazing. “Fine.” I cross my arms over my chest. “I love this dress, by the way.” He moves closer to me, running his fingers down my arm. “Too bad you won’t get to see what’s underneath,” I joke. His face falls, but he recovers quickly with a glare. “We’ll see about that.” I worry he’s thinking about revenge, but I was only kidding. Instead of telling him, though, I tighten my arms around myself, covering any and all cleavage. He turns away to face the elevator doors and shakes his head.

Chapter Ten The room is nice, but it’s not a penthouse, which is kind of what I was expecting. Either way, though, it’s pretty. The king bed is enticing. I sit on the edge, demurely crossing my legs. Even though I’m wearing leggings, I don’t want him thinking I’m some easy slut. “I’m going to order a bottle of wine. Do you need to freshen up?” he asks, gesturing to the bathroom. I all but leap off the bed, grateful for the offer. I tuck my purse under my arm and go in, closing the door behind me. I set my purse on the counter and examine my makeup. It’s light enough that it hasn’t started streaking down my face in the heat, but it’s still not perfect. I grab some tissues to blot my face and then decide to remove all my makeup. I like wearing a little, but I’d much rather not have any on at all. My hair is actually decent, so I run a comb through it and let it go natural. I take off the dress and leggings, checking to make sure my legs are still smooth from my shower this morning. They are, thank God. I adjust the teddy I’m still wearing so it

looks perfect and then do a spin in the mirror. I’m addicted to the way the flowy material spreads out to form a circle around me. I laugh at my own behavior. A knock at the door has me holding my breath. I grab a towel and tuck it around myself to hide the teddy from Roman. I open the door a bit and then take the glass of wine he offers me. “Thanks,” I say with a smile. I close the door and take a swig of the red wine and enjoy its sassy flavor. I set the glass down and disentangle myself from the plain white towel. I glance at the mirror, admiring my own hips and the way they flare under the silk material. My breasts fill the preformed cups and almost overflow out of them, but I don’t mind. The thin spaghetti straps don’t leave much for the imagination, and I know Roman will appreciate it. With a deep breath, I pick up my wine and open the bathroom door, stepping out into the room. The lights are down low, leaving the room bathed in pale light. Roman is sitting at the small table in the corner, his button-up shirt almost completely open; he looks more relaxed than I’ve ever seen him. When he takes his eyes off the goblet of wine in his left hand and looks at me, his face lights up. He stands and walks over to me. “You look delicious.” “Thanks. You don’t look too bad yourself,” I say. Roman smiles, a genuine smile that I can see goes to his eyes; he takes my wine glass and sets it down on the table with his. His hands come up to cup my face, pulling me close for a kiss. Instead of the ravaging I expect, he’s surprising gentle, as if I’m precious. My throat closes as his lips descend gingerly on mine. I feel no pressure from his tongue, just the light touch of his lips exploring my mouth. When I open for him anyway, impatient with his tenderness, he chuckles softly and then slips his tongue in my mouth. I moan at the contact, more turned on that I’ve been in such a long time. His hands caress my arms, rubbing up and down my skin. I shiver at the contact, thoroughly enjoying his touch. I lean into him, pressing my body more firmly against his. “There’s no rush,” he whispers against my lips. “I want you,” I admit. He pulls back a little to look into my eyes. “I want you, too. I wish you could understand how much. I don’t know what it is about you, Miranda, but I want more than just a hookup.” His honesty surprises me. I step back, floored by his admission. What could he want with me? I’m so… plain. He takes a deep breath. “Even that night at the bonfire on the beach, I knew there was something, something I didn’t want to accept or admit, but something about you that caught my attention and drew me to you. But you seemed a little stand-offish, and Hazel was cuddling up to me. I just let her have her way and I thought everything would be great, but the last three weeks, I can’t keep my thoughts from straying to you.” Roman sits on the edge of the gigantic bed and rests his elbows on his knees. “I don’t know what I’m doing.” His confession stuns me. I sit on the bed next to him. “What do you mean?” He’s the most put-together guy I’ve ever met. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” he starts. “My dad owns half of Myrtle Beach. The hotels, the amusement parks, even several restaurants.” He pauses, letting that settle. “So you’re rich,” I mumble, looking at my hands. Given my lower-class childhood, I’m not even sure what I would do if I suddenly had the life Roman has.

“It’s not as glamorous as you think,” he offers, his eyes sad. “I’m locked into this world of high class. I mean, once upon a time, I thought I would turn my back on everything, but now… Deacon is most important, and that means I need to have the money in order to support him. So while I really want to go against my parents in this custody thing, I know they’ll take everything, whether they win or lose. Cheyanne pointed that out to me when I made the suggestion about getting a lawyer.” “So all she cares about is the money?” I really don’t like Cheyanne. “In a way. When we first got together, she was always so excited about my money, and the fact that we could do almost anything in Columbia, and then we spent the summer of our sophomore year here at the beach. She was so excited. And then when I wanted to break up at the end of the summer, because I could tell just how much she wanted me for my money and not for me, she threw a fit.” “Roman, is Deacon yours?” He sighs. “To be honest, I’m not entirely sure. I asked for a paternity test, and it was inconclusive.” “Umm, so doesn’t that mean you should do it again? Especially before you go for custody of him…” “I love that little boy, Miranda. At this point, it doesn’t matter if he’s not mine. I will always be his dad.” Tears well up in his eyes and I realize I may have struck a nerve. “We should go swimming,” I say, just to take both our minds off the situation. I smile brightly at him, a forced smile, but still a smile. “We should. They sell suits in the gift shop in the lobby. I’ll call room service and have them bring us each a suit,” he says, wiping his eyes and standing up. He grabs the room phone, dials zero, and orders bathing suits. I feel like I’m in some surreal world where nothing is as it seems. I truly believed Roman was a player, and it turns out, he’s actually very sincere and humble about his upbringing. He’s got money, yeah, but he doesn’t flaunt it. I’m impressed.

Chapter Eleven Once we’re changed, we leave the room and head downstairs. The bikini he ordered is far more revealing than I prefer, but it fits, barely, so I don’t mind. I’ve wrapped a towel around myself to keep from showing too much skin. As we walk to the elevator, Roman grabs my hand and squeezes. This night is not what I expected, but it’s turning out to be even more than I could have imagined. Roman is a caring guy, one who sticks close to the people he loves. And from what I can tell, he loves his son a lot. Even if little Deacon isn’t his, biologically, I know that Roman will care about him forever. That’s just the kind of person he is. “So what about Hazel?” I ask as the elevator doors close and we descend to the main floor. I look up at him with a half-smile. In the beginning, sharing him wasn’t exactly a problem, but knowing so much about him, about his past… I kind of want him all to myself. “I texted her while you were in the bathroom. It’s over. She agreed and isn’t pissed. We both said when we started up again that it wasn’t permanent or exclusive. So I think she kind of expected it,” he says with a grin.

Surprised by his insight, I go up on tiptoe to wrap my arms around his shoulders and kiss his cheek. What I really want to do is take him back up to our room and make love to him all night, but a quick peck will have to do. Roman has other ideas. He envelops me in his arms and lifts me even higher, so my toes are barely grazing the floor. He kisses me fully, a heart-wrenching kiss, one that is so tender but passionate at the same time. His tongue presses softly against my closed lips and I open for him, allowing him access. Just when he moves to deepen the kiss even further, a soft cough sounds behind me. I pull away, dazed, as Roman takes my hand and drags me out of the elevator into the lobby. I hang my head in mortification, but I can hear a couple laughing softly as they get on the elevator. As we burst through the double doors that lead to the outdoor pool, Roman erupts in raucous laughter. I slap his arm playfully, but I can’t hide my smile. I look around and start toward the pool. Roman grabs my arm. “Wait. I want to show you something.” He leads me around to the side of the building, where there is a children’s water play area. There are buckets that fill and dump water onto whoever is standing beneath them, as well as opposing fortresses with water guns facing each other. Roman draws me under one of the buckets, tossing our towels onto a nearby chair. “Time to get wet.” I laugh as the water drenches us, covering us both head to toe in water. I flip my hair back and smile at him. The play area is empty since it’s after ten, but there are still lights on around the area. I tilt my head at him. “Are we going to war?” “You bet your ass we are,” he declares, running toward the eastern fortress. I watch, enraptured, as he gets to the top of the fortress and aims one of the water guns in my direction. I manage to get out of the way just as he presses the trigger. I shriek and race to my own little castle, ready to play this game. I run up the steps, go to the first gun, and press the trigger before I even line up a shot. It’s too far away, though, so I duck down to crawl along the plastic barricade to the next gun. I can feel water droplets coming from over the plastic, so I know Roman knows exactly where I am. When I reach the bridge, I decide to make a run for it. I stand up and race across. Roman’s aim is almost perfect. He only misses me by a few inches as I duck for cover on the other side. The next gun isn’t above the plastic, but rather built into it, perfect for my attack. Instead of firing right away, though, I wait patiently as the water trail from Roman’s water gun passes over me and continues along. He probably thinks I’ve moved on to the next gun because it’s higher up. There’s a tiny space above the gun so I can line up my shot. Roman is facing my right, a steady stream flowing from his gun. I smile in anticipation as I see him start to wonder when I’ll pop up. I move the gun slowly so I don’t draw attention to myself, lining up the shot perfectly. I stare at Roman’s near-perfect form for an extra second, admiring his good looks, but as I do, I realize how broken he is, how much he’s had to give up in his life. My heart goes out to him. Shaking my head to clear it, I press the trigger and watch as the water blasts straight into his chest, surprising him and knocking him backward. His head swings toward me and he gives me a vicious stare. He points his finger at me once he regains his balance. “You’re dead.” I laugh, but when he starts to run across the plastic fortress, I start to worry. With a shriek and a slip, I manage to get up and start running across the plastic. I almost wipe out on the

bridge, but my death grip on the rail saves me. I try to watch where I’m going and look for Roman, but I can’t, so I just keep running. At the bottom of the steps, I make a snap decision and start back toward the pool, leaving my towel behind. The concrete isn’t wet, so my feet carry me much faster than the plastic did. I hear him behind me, his breathing heavy. I stifle a giggle and race on, pushing myself even faster. I hear him suck in a deep breath as I reach the pool. I round the corner of it and make it ten feet. He’s almost on top of me; his hands encircle my waist. And then I’m flying through the air, twisting around as I hear his body splash into the water milliseconds before I go under. The pain reminds me of when I used to belly-flop as a kid. Only this time, it’s my back that gets all fun. I wave my arms around under the water until I break the surface, gasping for air. We’re in the deep end, which is good, since we would have landed on the bottom if it was too shallow. I look around for Roman, not finding him. The pool isn’t as well lit as the children’s area, and I start to worry. Just as I’m about to make an expedition underwater to find him, his hands grip my hips from behind. He pulls me up against him, nuzzling his face into my neck. I spin around and realize he’s tall enough to stand without treading water. Curse you for being short, I yell at myself. “You okay?” he asks, pulling me closer. “My ass hurts,” I complain. “Poor baby,” he replies, moving his hands to rub my ass. He winks. I put my arms around his neck, and since I can’t touch anyway, I wrap my legs around his waist. I bring us closer together and rest my chin on his shoulder, enjoying how warm he is, even if the water is a tad cold. We stay there, wrapped in each other’s arms like that for several minutes before my teeth start chattering. “Cold?” “Just a little,” I admit, reluctant to let go of him. “Just hang on, Short Stack,” he laughs when I pinch him. He walks us to the shallow end and then keeps right on going, out of the pool. I hang on for dear life; I’m not used to being carried around. He walks us toward our towels and then sets me down. He wraps one around me to dry me off and the look of sincerity in his eyes scares me. This guy could break my heart.

Chapter Twelve The next morning, I wake up to a wonderful aroma: bacon. Roman is sitting at the small table, which is covered in plates of food. Of course, I can only assume they’re full of food. Each dish is covered but the steam coming from them proves to be a good sign. “Oh good, you’re up,” he says with a smile as he looks up from the newspaper. “A newspaper? Really?” It seems so cheesy. “Some people like to know what’s going on in the country,” he chastises me. He walks over and kisses me soundly. As he pulls back, he magically produces a cup of coffee and hands it to me. “Thank God!” I moan as I suck down my first gulp, not minding at all that the liquid caffeine scorches the back of my throat.

I’m back in my teddy, which is what I slept in once we made it back to our room. After a quick shower, Roman tucked me in bed and then took his own shower. I was so exhausted, I didn’t even feel him get back into the bed. But I woke up at one point and found him cuddling me, on top of the blankets with a protective arm around my waist. He’s so endearing. “Coffee’s hot,” he warns, seconds too late as he walks back to the table. “Breakfast is ready, too.” He gestures to the table of food. “Yum,” I say, pulling the covers back and moving my legs off the side of the bed while carefully balancing my delicious cup of coffee. I stand and walk to the table, where Roman pulls a chair out for me. So sweet. I sit on the chair and cross my legs under the table. We eat together, as he’s obviously been waiting for me to wake up to eat, and I find that so romantic, even though it’s such a little thing. By eight-thirty, we’re both dressed in the clothes he had sent up from the gift shop. My shirt is three sizes too big, and I have to pull the drawstring on the Bermuda shorts as far as they will go in order to keep them from sliding down my legs. Roman looks like a Greek god in his own pair of Bermuda shorts and a loose T-shirt. He smiles at me as we ride the elevator again, with all our clothes from last night tucked into the gift shop bag. In the parking lot, Roman opens my door for me. He’s proving to be much more of a gentleman than I originally thought. Back on campus, I all but run to my dorm so I can change into a pair of jeans and fitted tank top. I run a brush through my hair, but I slept on it, so it’s wild. Instead of messing with it, I pull it back into a messy bun, grab my Intro to Lit book and notebook, as well as a pen and highlighter, and then I’m making my way toward my first class. I run into Hazel just outside the class. She’s there, leaning against the wall, waiting for me. I eye her nervously as she falls into step with me and we go inside. “So? How did it go?” “Umm, what?” I can honestly say I have no idea what she’s talking about. “Oh, come on. Roman told me he was taking you away last night! How did it go?” She looks excited, even anxious. “I didn’t realize he told you. You aren’t upset with me?” I recoil automatically, waiting for her to strike. Everything I know about her leads me to believe she’s vindictive and oh-so-angry. “I was, at first. Last night came as a little bit of a shock, but I knew he was seeing someone else. You didn’t try to be friends with me just to flaunt your relationship, did you?” She eyes me warily as we take our seats. “No. I actually like you, and I don’t want to flaunt anything. I just really like him, and I don’t want to lose our friendship. I think we could actually have a real friendship. This thing with me and Roman just kind of happened.” I tell her everything, from our weird sexual interaction in his dorm room to our romantic, un-sexual night last night. Our conversation is cut off in the middle as our professor starts the class, but Hazel passes me a note, something I know she hates, asking me for the rest of the story. I write it all down for her, keeping it short and simple, but enough for her to get the point. When we finally get out of class, she stops me in the hall. “I’m really happy for you, Miranda. It seems like you are exactly the kind of girl he needs. I wasn’t the one for him. Besides, I was planning on breaking it off with him in another week or so. I was just using him to get the guy I like to break it off with his girlfriend.” “Ooh, gossip! Who’s the guy?” I’m immediately intrigued. “I can’t say. Not right now, anyway. But the point is, I’m very happy for you and Roman. And I think you’ll be good for each other.”

With tears in my eyes, I hug her, another thing she doesn’t like. To my surprise, she hugs me back. When we pull apart, tears are running down my cheeks, but I smile through them, happy that I still have a friend. I wipe the tears away. “Okay, new subject! What’s up with the rumors going around?” Hazel smiles, but I see something in her eyes, something I can’t fully identify, but in a blink, it’s gone and her smile goes all the way to her irises. “I’m not sure. It’s crazy, right? So far, unfortunately, everything is true, though, from what I’ve discovered. Even me and Andre.” “You guys did it on the beach? Was it romantic?” “Not as much as you’d think. Sand gets everywhere. Everywhere. But, it was an experience…” “Wait! Is he the one you’re pining for? The mystery guy?” “No, he’s not. He’s really nice, but I have my eyes set on someone else. Don’t worry about him. It’ll happen, eventually. I just have to be patient.” I smile at her. “Good for you. Patience is a hard thing to have.” “But speaking of gossip, have you heard anything about anyone? I’m dying to know who it is. And maybe if we get ahead of the rumors, we’ll be able to outsmart the person responsible,” she insists. I do know a secret, one Audric let me know on our date, but I’m still unsure about telling her. Hazel might be my friend now, but she could turn in an instant. I bite my lip as I deliberate. “What is it? I can tell you know something…” “I do. But I don’t know if I should tell anyone. It’s kind of big,” I say. She only gets more excited as we walk together. “Oh, I won’t tell anyone, I swear!” I look around. “Don’t you have a class to get to?” “Only on Mondays. I’m free for two hours right now. Please tell me, Miranda,” she begs. I consider not telling her for another minute. Then I give in and tell her what I know.

Chapter Thirteen Hazel’s face contorts in horror as I explain to her what I know about Audric. When her horror turns to worry, I seriously wonder if I shouldn’t have told her. She’s kind of a loose cannon, and something like this could spout from her mouth during one of her tirades in an instant. “Are you sure?” she asks in a whisper. She grips her hands together so tightly her knuckles fade to white. “You can’t tell anyone, Hazel. No one. Promise me,” I demand. She blinks for a few seconds and then looks at me. “Of course I won’t tell anyone. That’s not the sort of thing you go around telling people, especially when he’s trying to keep it quiet.” “Thank you. I need you to keep this a secret until Audric is ready to tell the world – however long that takes.” “Feel like a shopping trip this afternoon?” Hazel holds up her credit card with an evil smile and I smile back, ready to forget that I just told her a huge secret. I breathe a sigh of relief and nod. *****

We opt for a cab instead of borrowing a car. We direct the cabbie to the huge outlet mall on Route 501 and then schedule a time for him to return. He promises to meet us in hour and then we shop. I’ve never been one to overindulge, but being around people with money is exciting, exhilarating. I know I can never afford any of the things Hazel picks out and buys for me, but it’s so wonderful to have nice things. After forty-five minutes, we’ve only been inside three stores. Hazel checks her cell for the time and then demands we hit up the shoe store. “If you’re going to be with Roman, you’ve got to at least look like you belong together. He comes from money, and that means he has expensive things. Granted, I’m sure he knows you don’t have the kind of cash flow he does, nor does he expect it, but won’t it feel amazing to surprise him with some designer stuff?” She explained this to me while she purchased a Coach bag for me in the last store. I only glanced at the price tag, but it had four digits in front of the decimal point, so I stopped looking. The shoe store is actually kind of normal, and I have shopped there before. Hazel bought me six pairs of shoes, declaring I needed them all. I could tell something was bothering her, since she only bought herself a few things, and was spending most of her money on me. Maybe she was trying to distract herself from Audric’s secret. It makes sense, but I still worry about her telling someone. The cabbie loads all our purchases into his trunk. “You ladies had fun today.” We both smile at him and nod. He opens the door for us and we slide in, ready to get back to school. I don’t have another class until four, but Hazel has one in another hour, so she’s got to be back for that. I’m anxious to get back and try everything on again. Some of the clothes Hazel picked out are items I would never wear, but I know Roman will like them. Roman has the whole afternoon free, so I wonder what he’s up to. As the cabbie pulls out into traffic, I grab my phone to text him, but realize he’s already texted me and I missed it. Hey beautiful girl. Got plans before your 4 o’clock class? The time stamp says he sent it half an hour ago. I type out a quick reply. No plans at all. What did you have in mind? I wait impatiently as Hazel answers a call. I listen intently to the one side of the conversation I can hear. “Hey! Yeah, everything is set. No, not at all.” She pauses. “I think I have something to add, but I’m not sure it’s going to pan out, so we can talk about it tonight.” Another pause, longer this time. I strain to hear the other voice, but get nothing. “Oh. Well, that’s fine, then. No, really. Go have fun.” Before the person on the other side can answer, Hazel drops the phone to her lap and presses end. “Everything okay?” I ask. She forces a smile. “Of course. I just get to spend the night alone. Again.” She sounds so lost, so desolate. “I’m sorry,” I mumble, unsure of what else I can say. “It’s not your problem. Eventually, he’ll come around,” she sighs.

Chapter Fourteen

By the time I get to my dorm, Roman is waiting for me. He’s leaning against my door, looking so sexy. He's changed out of the surfer shorts and is now wearing a pair of khaki cargo shorts with a fitted black tee. His muscles all but ripple underneath the soft cotton, making my knees buckle slightly. I trip into him, but he’s quick. He catches me and sets me straight. “You okay?” He looks at me like I might fall down again. He keeps his hand on my back as he turns so I can open the door. Once it’s unlocked, he surprises me by lifting me into his arms and carrying me into the room. The wedding reference isn’t lost on me, but I remain silent. I refuse to get roped into a love situation before I’m ready. To my relief, Roman treats it like a joke and drops me, unceremoniously, on my bed. I bounce a few times and then laugh. The bags I was holding fall lifelessly to the floor. My laughter disappears as he follows me onto the bed, his fists on either side of my head, creating a cage from which I don’t want to escape. I smile as his head descends to mine. When our lips meet, all thoughts of the stressful day disappear. His presence consumes me. I run my fingers through his hair, gripping the short strands between my fingers. I pull and he growls, a menacing sound that only serves to turn me on. “God, you’re gorgeous,” he mutters against my lips, pressing himself more firmly against me between my thighs. He presses just the right spot and I arch into him, loving the feel of his body on top of me. “Oh shit! Sorry!” I hear from the doorway. We were so caught up, we didn’t hear my roommate open the door. Unless we didn’t close the door… I’m too distracted too remember. Either way, it doesn’t matter. Roman sits up and hauls me up with him. “We were just leaving,” he says and then drags me out of the room. I have to run to keep up with him as he pulls on my arm. “Hold up,” I call, out of breath and feeling like my arm has been removed from its socket. He stops and turns to me. “Sorry. Will you make it?” “I’ll be fine. I just need a minute to breathe.” “You’re roommate has to worst timing,” he whines. “That she does,” I agree. “Let’s get somewhere more private,” he suggests. “No more hotel rooms,” I beg. “You didn’t like it?” He looks crushed. “No, it’s not that. I just like to live in the real world, not the one where we can have a water fight at the hotel.” I wink at him. “Fine. No hotels. But Audric is in my dorm for the afternoon, so I don’t know where we can go for privacy.” Perfect. “Actually, I wanted to talk to you about Audric.” “What about him?” “How well do you know him?” I ask. “Pretty well. I mean, we aren’t super close, but I know him,” he explains. I decide to just come out and ask him. “Umm, what do you know about his sexual preferences?” “He’s bi-sexual. Why?”

“Well, he told me that, and although I don’t have any problems with it, we decided not to be together. You know that. But today, Hazel kind of got me to tell her about it and she seemed surprised. So I’ve been worried all day that she’s somehow a part of the rumors going around, and I’m afraid it might get out. He’s only told a few people. Not even his family knows the truth.” “It’s shitty that you told Hazel. But she won’t tell anyone. Not if she knows what’s good for her,” he mutters. “I need to go talk to her, just to make sure. Can I meet you in the lounge in an hour?” “Of course,” I agree, grateful he’s going to help me with this. I don’t want Audric getting hurt. Roman smiles, gives me a quick peck on the lips, and then he’s gone. ***** An hour later, I’m waiting, impatiently, for Roman. The lounge is quickly filling up, and I have a class in ten minutes on the other side of campus. Instead of being late for class, I decide to start walking and shoot a text to Roman, saying I have a class. I don’t get a reply, but it shows that he’s opened the message, so I figure he’s just busy. I go into the hall and take my seat. Cheyanne is in this class, and usually, we sit together. She’s nowhere to be found when I sit, so I decide to let the ball be in her court. I pull out a notebook and start a doodle, just to pass the time. “Hey,” Cheyanne says as she sits next to me a minute later. “How’s it going?” “Just peachy,” I reply, more sarcastic than I intended. “I know you’re dating Roman,” she accuses. “So?” “Stay away from him. He’s bad new, Miranda. He’ll only hurt you,” she promises. “What is your deal? Just because you couldn’t keep him doesn’t mean someone else can’t. And as far as I can tell, you were just a money-hungry bitch who got pregnant on purpose.” I give her a look of disgust and pick up my notebook and textbook. “Stay the hell away from me.” I move to the far side of the class and seethe in silence. I want to make a big scene, but now is definitely not the time or place. “I can’t believe you said that to her,” a girl says as she sits next to me. Her pink hair is offputting, but I smile at her. There’s kindness in her bright green eyes. “Yeah, she deserves it. Roman isn’t her personal property,” I whisper as our professor comes into the classroom. “I agree. I’m Claire.” She puts out a hand and I shake it. “I’m Miranda,” I say. “Duh. Everyone knows that. You’re dating Roman. He’s kind of a big deal around here. He’s so dreamy.” She reminds me of a little sister, and she definitely seems too young for college. “How old are you?” She laughs. “Yeah. I’m sixteen. I’m taking college courses while in high school. It’s a new program for our school and only the five best GPAs are invited to do it.” “Sounds exhausting. It’s nice to meet you, though.” “Ladies! Quiet please,” the professor admonishes us and we both giggle.

***** After class, Roman is waiting for me. He pulls me into an empty corridor before I even have time to greet him. Instead of talking, though, he presses me against the wall and kisses me. He doesn’t wait for permission to take it further and thrusts his tongue into my mouth. My hands grip his shirt and I can’t help but love the way he kisses me. When he finally lifts his head, we’re both breathless. “Hi.” “Hi,” I sigh, my chest heaving as I try to catch my breath. “Sorry I missed you at the lounge,” he says. “No problem. I figured you ran into a snag.” “Actually, I didn’t,” he chuckles. “But you know Hazel. She’s eccentric. Anyway, she won’t be telling anyone about Audric,” he assures me. “How can you be sure?” I worry that she’s just told him what he wanted to hear. “Trust me.” And I do. More Books from Dawn Pendleton

The Broken Series Broken Promises Broken Dreams Broken Pieces

The BFF Series Liar, Liar Knocked Up Mall Rats Terms of Endearment Cruel Intentions I Love You, Man The 40 Year Old Virgin Role Models Risky Business

About the Author Dawn Pendleton is a new adult author who began her writing journey in New England with her husband and their pup, though she now resides in Georgia and promptly became a Southern Belle (or so she likes to think). When she isn't staring at a blank page, willing the words to jump from her head to the screen, she's usually playing on her iPhone, reading a book, or taking pictures with her fancy camera (which she has no idea how to use).

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