"And the one with Cal," she says, a smile in her voice. "Tell him I said hi."
"You're evil."
"You two need to be friends again."
"Again? We were never friends." I get up from the bench. "Gotta go. Bye!"
When I get to class, everyone's either talking or staring at their phone. I thought I was late but I don't see the professor anywhere. I don't see Cal either.
As I take my seat, Stone turns around, smiling at me.
"Hey, Agnes."
"My name is Birdie." I set my backpack down.
"I'm just kidding around. So what's new?"
"Nothing." I take out my laptop and open it, hoping Stone will take it as a signal I don't want to talk.
"The professor had to leave for a phone call," Stone says. "Said he'll back in a few minutes."
I nod, and wake up my laptop.
"You dating anyone?" Stone asks.
My hands freeze on my keyboard. Is he asking me out? Or just wanting to know if I'm dating? There's no way he'd go out with me. He's president of the frat house. A rich, preppy arrogant ass who looks like a politician. Even if he asked, I'd never go out with him.
"Why do you care?" I say, clicking open the file for today's lecture.
"I'm asking for a friend."
I look up from my laptop. "What friend?"
"It doesn't matter if you're not single."
"I'm single. Who is it?"
"Jared Riley."
"Don't know him," I say, my eyes returning to my laptop.
"You met him at the party a few weeks ago."
"I met a lot of people that night and was too drunk to remember them."
"You know him from commercials. That one for almonds where the guy's working out? That's Jared. And he's in that gum commercial."
I give him a blank stare.
"The one where the guy asks the girl to prom by writing it on the gum wrapper."
"Guess I don't watch enough commercials. I have no idea what you're talking about."
"He's been in some movies too but you probably haven't seen them. Anyway, he saw you at the party and has been asking about you. I told him you're in my class and would see if you're interested."
"If he likes me so much, why doesn't he ask me himself?"
"He doesn't have your number. I told him I'd ask you for it so he could call you, assuming you're okay with that."
"I'm not okay with it. I don't even know this guy. What year is he?"
"Freshman, but he acts more like a senior. He's mature for his age, probably because he's been working for so long."
"Working where?"
"In Hollywood. He's been doing commercials since he was a kid. He's also done some modeling."
"I'm not really into models." I scan through today's lecture, wishing the professor would show up so we could start class and Stone would stop talking to me.
"He's not the typical model," Stone says. "He's just a normal guy. I think you guys are a good match."
My eyes lift to his. "Why?"
He shrugs. "You both seem driven. Hard working. Goal oriented."
"You don't even know me. How do you know if I'm like that?"
"Cal told me."
"You told Cal about this? About some guy from the house wanting to date me?"
"I didn't tell him that part. I just asked him about you." He leans forward and lowers his voice. "I wouldn't tell Cal about this. I get the feeling he doesn't want you dating."
"Why? What did he say?"
"It wasn't what he said. It's how he acted when I asked about you."
"How did he act?"
"Like you were off limits. He didn't even like that I was asking questions about you."
"Asshole," I mutter.
"What?" Stone asks.
"Nothing. I'm just sick of Cal thinking he can decide who I date. It's none of his business."
"So what do you think? Are you open to meeting Jared? It doesn't have to be a date. You could just stop over at the house sometime."
I sigh. "I guess. When's he around?"
"It varies depending on his class schedule. I think he's around tonight."
"I have to work until seven but I could stop by after that."
He smiles. "I'll tell him you're coming over." He turns back to the front and gets his laptop out just as Cal races in.
"I thought I was late," he says, sounding out of breath. He drops his bag on the floor. "Where's the teacher?"
"He had to make a phone call," Stone says.
"Why are you late?" I ask Cal.
He shakes his head. "Had to deal with some shit."
"What shit?" I ask.
"I had to make some phone calls. Don't worry about it." He sounds angry.
"Did you call about the photo?" Stone asks.
Cal glares at him. "Do you ever shut up?"
"What photo?" I ask.
Cal glances at me. "Nothing. Just forget it."
"Cal, what photo? What's going on?"
"You might as well tell her," Stone says. "It's not like she won't find out."
"How the hell would she find out? She doesn't even know about that fucking website."
"Hey, man, don't be getting pissed at me," Stone says. "I didn't do it."
"What website?" I ask. "What happened? What's going on?"
The girl next to me must've been listening in because she leans over and shows me her phone.
"They're talking about this." She points to a photo of Cal and me at the awards ceremony.
"Why is there a photo of us online?" I ask Cal.
He turns to the girl. "Seriously? You really had to show her that?"
The girl frowns. "I'd want to know if it was me."
"What do you mean?" I take her phone to get a closer look. "Is there something wrong with the photo?"
"It's not the photo," the girl says.
"Birdie, give her the phone back." Cal tries to grab it but I hold it away from him.
Looking below the photo I see a caption that says, "Hottie Cal Tuckerman showing his charitable side by bringing a fat girl to an award ceremony honoring his father, golf legend Lou Tuckerman."
"I'm having them take it down," Cal says. "That's why I was late."
I give the girl back her phone.
"It's just a stupid website," Cal says. "Nobody even looks at it."
"I do," the girl next to me says. "It's actually pretty popular on campus."
"Would you stay out of this?" Cal snaps at her.
"I'm just saying," she mutters.
"It's fine," I say, looking back at my laptop. "Websites always say stuff like that. They have to or people won't go there."
"Sorry I'm late," the professor says, hurrying into the room. "Let's get started by going over the homework I assigned last week."
The rest of class I don't even hear what the professor says. I'm too upset over what that website wrote about me.
I'm not fat. I have curves. A round ass. Big boobs. I look like a woman. A normal woman.
I don't think I'm fat so why does it hurt so much when someone calls me that? Why do I let it bother me? Why do I let someone I don't even know who works for some stupid website make me feel bad about myself?
After class I race out of the building and head to the coffee shop. I don't feel like working today but I don't have a choice. Katy scheduled me every afternoon this week.
"Birdie, wait!" Cal says, racing to catch up to me.
"I have to get to work." I walk faster, which is hard because I'm wearing sandals that keep slipping off. They're super cute and go great with my floral jumper but they're not made for walking.
"Work?" Cal says. "You have a swim lesson today."
"We're not doing those anymore."
"Since when?"
"Since we stopped being friends."
"We're still friends."
"We were never friends." I stop just long enough to adjust my sandal, then take off again.
"I don't care if you're sti
ll pissed at me. We need to keep doing the lessons."
"Actually, we don't."
"You don't want to learn to swim? What about spring break?"
"I'm not going. Nobody wants to see a fat girl in a bikini."
He gets in front of me, stopping me. "You're not fat."
"Move. I need to go."
"Just because some bitch writes something on a website doesn't mean it's true."
"And yet people will believe it. Funny how that works." I try to go around him but he blocks me.
"Why are you letting this get to you? When people give you shit, you tell them to go to hell. Or give them the death stare."
"When they tell me in person, yeah. But this is online. I can't do anything about it."
"They're taking it down. It's probably already gone."
"What'd you do? How'd you get them to take it down?"
"I called my dad's lawyer. He said to start by just asking them to take it down. He said if that didn't work, he'd get involved."
"So what happened?"
"I called and told them I wanted it taken down immediately. They said it'd be gone by this afternoon."
"That's it? You just had to ask?"
"They don't want to mess with a Tuckerman. They know my dad has the money and lawyers to shut down their website."
"Is the photo anywhere else?"
"It was in the local paper the day after the event. The caption just said I accepted the award for my dad. It didn't say anything about you."
"How many people do you think saw it? The photo you had taken down?"
"I don't know. It doesn't matter. It's gone, and by tomorrow anyone who saw it will forget about it."
I go around him. "I have to get to work."
He walks beside me. "You're really quitting the swimming lessons?"
"Maybe. Let me think about it. I need to be working, not swimming. I'm broke."
"What if I pay you?"
"Pay me to take lessons from you?"
"If the lessons mean missing work, I'll pay you whatever you would've made at the coffee shop."
"You're not paying me. Why do you care if I take lessons or not?"
"Everyone should know how to swim. It's not about spring break. It's a safety thing."
My brows rise. "And you're worried about my safety?"
"Will you just agree to keep doing the lessons?" he asks, sounding exasperated.
I pause to consider it. "Okay. See you next Tuesday."
He stays behind as I continue down the hill to the coffee shop.
"Birdie!" someone yells.
Turning back I see Isla running toward me.
"Hey, Isla. I'm going to work."
"I know. That's why I'm here. I wanted to see how you're doing."
"Why? What happened?"
"Didn't you see the website?"
"Oh. Yeah. That. I saw it."
She hugs me. "I'm so sorry. I can't believe someone would write that."
"I can. People are shitty. Shitty assholes who like making other people feel shitty so they feel less shitty about themselves."
She smiles. "You always find the bright side of things."
"I do, don't I?"
She laughs. "I've missed you. We need to go out."
We continue walking down the hill.
"Sorry I haven't texted," I tell her. "I've been super busy with class and work."
"Are you still doing the swimming lessons?"
"Yeah, but I don't know if I'll keep doing them. I had a fight with Cal. It's a long story. I'll tell you later."
We get to the coffee shop and she comes inside with me.
"You want to come over after work?" she asks.
"I can't. I told this guy I'd go meet his friend."
"What guy?"
"Stone. The president of Cal's fraternity."
"His name is Stone?"
"Yeah. I don't know if it's his last name or first name. They go by different names there. It's very confusing."
"Who's his friend?"
"I don't know. Apparently I met him at the party but I don't remember him. Stone says he's done some commercials and modeling work."
"You're dating a model?"
"I'm not dating him. Just meeting him." I see Katy and give her a wave. "That's my manager. I gotta go."
"Okay. I'm going to grab a coffee while I'm here. Call me tomorrow. I want to hear how this date went."
"It's not a date," I say but she didn't hear me. She's already in line to get her coffee.
I go in the bathroom to change into my uniform, then go to the break room to clock in.
"Hey, Birdie," someone says from behind me.
Turning around I see John there.
"Hey. I didn't know you worked today."
"I'm filling in for Janelle. She has an interview for an internship today."
"Good for her. I hope she gets it."
He pauses. "I need to tell you something."
"What is it?"
"Janelle and I are dating. We've been dating a few weeks now."
"A few weeks? Guess I'm behind on the work gossip."
"I hope this isn't going to be awkward. Us working together."
"Why would it be awkward?"
"You seeing me date someone else."
"We only went on one date. It's not like we'd been dating for months."
"I know, but still. I went out with her right after going out with you. It was that weekend you cancelled on me. Janelle was working that day and asked if I wanted to go for dinner after our shift."
"So she asked you out?" I say with a smile.
"She did." He smiles and it's the same kind of smile Taylor had when she first told me about Luke. "I really like her."
"I'm glad you found someone. You two seem like a great couple."
"You sure you're okay with it?"
"More than okay. I think it's great."
He still has that smile on his face. He's happy. Excited. Maybe even in love.
When I went out with him, he showed no emotion. I could never tell how he was feeling. But now that he met the right person, he can't hide how he feels. I can see by the look on his face how much he likes Janelle.
Taylor claims I've never had that look. How could that be? I've dated tons of guys and had several boyfriends.
What if Cal is right and I'm dating the wrong guys? But how do I know if they're wrong?
Maybe this guy I'm meeting tonight will be the right guy.
Jared Riley. I've never heard of him, still don't think I met him, but I'm willing to give him a chance.
Chapter Nineteen
Birdie
"I'm here to see Jared," I say to the shirtless guy that greets me at the frat house. His hair's a mess and he's holding a piece of beef jerky.
"Jared who?" he asks, gnawing on the jerky.
"The one who does commercials?"
He nods. "The freshman. I think I saw him in the kitchen."
"What's he look like?" I ask, but the guy took off before I could even get the question out.
How am I supposed to know which guy is Jared if I don't know what he looks like?
Going in the house, I'm hit by the smell of sweat and some kind of food. Maybe burgers? Cal said they cook burgers almost every night. He lived here for a semester last year but didn't like all the noise and the smells so moved to an apartment.
"Are any of you Jared?" I ask the guys in the kitchen. There are five guys there, all sitting at the table eating the burgers I smelled.
"He left," one of the guys says.
"Left, as in he's not here?"
"Left the kitchen. I don't know where he went."
I sigh and walk back to the living room. This was a stupid idea. If Jared wanted to meet me he should've set up a time to meet. Maybe this isn't even real. Maybe Stone told me to come here to see if I'd do it. To see if I'm desperate enough to show up to meet a guy I don't even know for a possible date.
I never should've done this. I'm ju
st going to leave.
"Birdie?" a guy says, walking up to me.
"Yeah?"
"I'm Jared." He smiles. "I'm really sorry about not meeting you at the door. I didn't know what time you'd be here. I've been waiting here in the living room, studying, but I had to go upstairs a minute and that's when you got here."
Jared isn't what I expected. I imagined him being tall and thin without much muscle, like a runway model. But this guy is average height with muscular arms and a v-shaped torso with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His hair is dark and cut short and he's really tan. Add in the blue eyes and deep dimple in his cheek and yeah, this guy is hot. I can see why he models.
A guy like this could have any girl he wants, so why me? Why would he pick me out of all the girls at the party? Stone said Jared and I met that night but I can't remember what I said to him. Maybe I was hitting on him, but I wouldn't have done that if Zach was standing there.
"So why'd you want to meet?" I ask.
"I wanted to get to know you."
"Why?"
He chuckles. "What do you mean?"
"I just picture a guy like you with a different type of girl."
"What type of girl?"
"Skinny. Blond hair. Big boobs." I point to myself. "Clearly I have the big boobs and blond hair but I'm not exactly skinny."
"I'm not looking for skinny."
"So you're looking for smart, funny, great personality, and someone who can kick your ass at bowling?"
He smiles. "Yeah. That's exactly what I'm looking for."
"That's too bad. I suck at bowling."
He laughs. "You're funny. I'm surprised you're not dating someone."
"I was, but it ended." I glance behind him at the couch. "So you want to sit down or what?"
"Why don't we go sit out back? It stinks in here."
"I was going to mention that," I say as we walk to the back patio. "What's that smell?"
"Guys who don't know how to shower," he says as he sits down on a lawn chair. "I can't figure out how some of these guys get dates when they have such poor hygiene."
"Are you a clean freak?" I sit on the lawn chair across from him. "Germaphobe?"
"Clean freak, yes. Germaphobe, not really. But I believe in showering at least once a day, or twice if I do a workout."
"You work out a lot?" I laugh. "That sounded like a cheesy pick-up line."
"I work out every day. I have to. My agent even calls every morning to remind me."
"Your agent?"
Kinda Hate You: An Enemies to Lovers College Romance Page 19
