Boarded by Love

by Toni Aleo

  Allen was dating her? I had never seen him with this girl or the Ellen girl, so really what did I know? I move my gaze from the redhead to Ellen, seeing that her eyes are filling with tears. I have to look away. I hate when girls cry.

  “I can’t work.”

  “It will be okay, I swear.”

  “If I can’t work, I can’t pay my bills.” Ellen stresses, moving her hand along her cheek.

  “But if you get caught doing this, boss lady could find out and fire you. Think, Ellen. Use your brain. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

  Ellen looks away, and for some reason, I find myself drawn into this drama. I want to ask who boss lady is and why the girl can’t work, but I have no business knowing anything. I really should walk away, but I’m not done talking to the redhead. I basically know everyone, and the fact that I have never seen her before has me deciding I need to change that. I don’t even know her name, and I find I desperately need to know it. I want them to work out their little issue so that the redhead can divert her attention back to me.

  “Fine,” Ellen says and then turns to walk away.

  I watch as Ellen dumps the flyers she has in her hands, and the redhead lets out a sigh. When I turn to talk to her, she’s already walking away, pulling flyers down as she walks. I rush to catch up to her, and when I do, I notice she’s smiling, and then I see that she has sweet dimples. I like dimples. She has a very girl-next-door look to her, so not someone who Allen would hook up with.

  That’s probably why he was cheating on her; she wouldn’t give it up. She is probably a virgin from the sticks of Tennessee. Her daddy is probably a preacher while her momma runs the bible school and focuses solely on making sure their beautiful, sweet little girl does something wonderful in this world. But then her eyes cut to mine, and something about the way her eyes darken has me thinking I’m completely wrong about her.

  “Why are you following me?” she asks as she pulls down another flyer.

  I shrug my shoulders. “I wasn’t done talking to you.”

  She drops her hand from the tree and turns to look at me.

  “Oh, really? What do you want to talk about?”

  “The weather?” I ask.

  “It’s cold,” she says with a look that tells me she’s bored.

  I smile. “Maybe you could tell me your name?”

  “Why?”

  “So I can call you something else other than the most gorgeous girl on campus.”

  It’s cheesy, but hey, it works.

  Her eyes widen as she shakes her head. “Does that actually work on girls?”

  Or maybe it doesn’t.

  “Usually.”

  She smiles. “That’s so sad. You might need to come up with something better. Anyway, see you around.”

  I watch as she turns her back to me and starts walking away once more. I watch as her ass sways back and forth, and I can’t believe that my line or my charm wasn’t working on her. This should be an easy bag, but I can tell she’s a tough nut to crack. I think I should walk away, chalk this one up as a loss, but then again, I never lose.

  So I do the next logical thing, I follow her.

  Chasing after her, I fall into step with her once more. She’s quick, but I’m quicker. Looking over at me, she rolls her eyes.

  “Are you stalking me?”

  I scoff. “Not at all. I just want to talk to you, know your name. I’ve never seen you before. Are you a transfer?”

  “Sheesh, are you the CIA? Why so many questions?”

  I smile as she stops, turning to look at me. A smile is pulling at her glossed-up lips, and it takes everything out of me to look from her lips to her eyes. “I told you I want to know you.”

  “Why?” she asks with her eyebrow arched as she put her hands on her hips.

  I shrug. I could either lie or be brutally honest, and since I didn’t like to lie to girls, I say, “You have a great ass, and much to my delight, your face is even better. So I think it’s easy to say I’m pretty attracted to you.”

  She blinks a few times and then smiles. “Wow, you are something else.”

  I grin. “Is that a good thing or bad?”

  She smiles back and then turns to walk away. Looking over her shoulder, she calls, “Good thing.”

  I couldn’t stop smiling if I tried, but then I realize she’s making a run for it, again. “Hey!”

  She turns around, walking backward, her face bright as she looks back at me. “What?”

  “Am I going to have to chase you all over campus just to find out your name?”

  She laughs before bringing her bottom lip between her teeth. Very sexy. “Maybe?”

  She continues to walk backward, her body calling to mine, and soon I’m nodding as I pick up the pace to meet up with her. “Are you in a rush, or are you trying to get rid of me?”

  She looks over at me. “Both.”

  I laugh. “You haven’t even given me a chance.”

  “Well, you see, I decided to start dating, and the guy I picked basically ruined the male gender for me. I have decided that I want nothing to do with guys till I graduate. Maybe then I can find a man worth dating.”

  I want to kill and kiss Allen West all in one. I want to kill him for ruining the male species, but then I want to kiss him since he let go of one of the most gorgeous girls I have ever seen.

  I smile. “Maybe the man you’re looking for is chasing you across campus.”

  “You?” she asks with her mouth pulling up at one side. She’s spectacular, and I know that I have to have her. I don’t know what it is, but I am completely smitten with one look into this girl's eyes. That has never happened to me before.

  I shrug my shoulders as my face breaks into a wider grin. “Maybe.”

  She laughs. “So what, you gonna convince me you are the guy of my dreams?”

  “I wouldn’t have to do much convincing. I’m pretty much the greatest guy on campus.”

  She shakes her head, her eyes dancing with amusement as she says, “Wow, you are full of yourself.”

  I shrug. “Well, when you’re this sexy, and have an amazing knack for pleasing women, you become very confident.”

  Her eyes darken as she holds my gaze. “I’m speechless.”

  “Don't worry, that happens a lot to girls. It’s my sexiness.”

  She laughs again as she rolls her eyes, and I can’t help but smile at her. She looks around us and then back at me. As we hold each other’s gaze, lust washes over me. I want to wrap her up in my arms and hold her tight against my body as I kiss the hell out of her. Her lips are begging for me to kiss her, and I’m on the brink of doing it, but something is holding me back.

  “So bringing back the question from earlier, are you new, a transfer?”

  She shakes her head. “Nope, this is my second year.”

  “Mine too. I’m surprised I’ve never seen you before.”

  She shrugs. “I’ve kept to myself.”

  I nod. “Oh, what are you like a hermit or something?”

  She smiles. “No, I work a lot. After that and school, I tend to sleep a lot.”

  “Me too,” I say as I cross my arms across my chest. “I was actually about to go back to my house and go to sleep after I finished my homework, but I saw you first and had to talk to you.”

  Her cheeks fill with color as she looks away.

  “I still don’t know your name.”

  She looks up at me and says, “Claire. Claire Anderson.”

  I smile. She’s beautiful, classy, and Claire fits her perfectly.

  “What’s yours?” she asks, crossing her own arms under her breasts. The top button of her Henley pops open, giving me a few glimpses of her delectable white skin and black lace bra. I promptly forget my name. When I don’t answer, she looks down before glaring up at me, rebuttoning her shirt.

  “Sorry, I think seeing the lace of your black bra just made me forget my name.”

  The glare she’s pinning me with drops, and she
shakes her head as she lets out a sigh.

  “Anyway, what’s your name?”

  I smile, watching as her neck and cheeks turn red. Man, it is a great color on her. Looking deep into her blue eyes, I say, “My name is Jude Sinclair.”

  She blinks twice and then smiles. “Like, ‘Hey Jude, don’t be afraid’?”

  Usually when people ask that, I get mad. Obviously my mom is a huge Beatles fan. I mean, not only am I Jude, but my sister is Lucy. As in “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”? My dad put his foot down for Jayden and Jace, but I’m not worried about them right now. For the first time, I’m not mad that she’s teasing me. I only nod and say, “That’s me.”

  What does that even mean?

  Chapter 3

  Claire

  Jude, or Hey Jude, as I’m going to call him, is not the guy you bring home to mother. Or in my case, Reese and Phillip. I can hear Phillip now, bitching that this guy is only out to get into my pants, that he is wild and not the right guy for me. I haven’t dated since Phillip found me in bed with one of his teammates when I was sixteen. But that doesn’t mean that boys didn’t try to get with me, and Phillip always made a point to scare them away. Most of the time he is right; he was a wild boy himself until I came to live with him and Reese came into his life. I usually listen, but for some reason, Jude has me stopping, throwing Phillip out of my mind and focusing only on him.

  When he said he was sexy, he wasn’t lying. My heart still isn’t beating right, hasn’t been since the moment my eyes met his in the quad. He has dark brown hair that’s shaved up on the sides of his head but is long on the top, falling into his eyes. It’s fuller than a Mohawk, and I have to admit, it’s super hot. His eyes are a dark green, his lips are thin and light red while his face is dusted with dark hair along his jawline. His shoulders are wide and his arms are thick; I could tell that even with him wearing a pullover, which meant this guy is toned. He’s taller than me, and when he pins me with those green eyes, I feel like he’s looking inside my soul. He has tattoos too, and that alone is a panty-dropper. I can’t see them the way I want since he’s covered up, but two are peeking out of the top of his pullover, and when he pulls his sweatshirt up to his elbows in a carefree way, I notice that his forearms are covered.

  God, he is hot.

  “So, your mom likes the Beatles?”

  He nods, his eyes never leaving mine. It’s weird; I’m used to guys looking at my body, but this guy is dead set on looking me in the eyes. It’s nice.

  “Yup, my sister's name is Lucy, but my dad wouldn’t let her name my younger brothers.”

  I smile. I always wanted a sister, or hell, even a brother, and for a moment I wish that I’d had a mom and dad who thought it was a grand idea to name me after a popular song, so that when I was older, a guy would sing my name to me. It is a nice thought, but not what happened for me. I was probably named after some brand of cocaine or something.

  “That’s cool.”

  “Are you secretly laughing at me?” he asks, his eyes bright as his lips curve into a grin.

  I shake my head. “Nope. I really do think it’s a cool name, but believe me, whenever I see you next, I’ll call you Hey Jude.”

  He doesn’t smile or ever glare, he just holds me in a heated gaze. “When will that be?”

  I’m confused. “When will what be?”

  “The next time I see you.”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Since you haven’t seen me before this, it’s probably the last time.”

  He shakes his head. “Nope, we will meet again.”

  I laugh. “Sure we will. So anyway, I’ll see you around.”

  “You forgot two things,” he says, stopping me by taking ahold of my hand.

  I glance over at him, my hand burning in his. His hand swallows mine, and when our eyes meet, his eyes dance with mischief. It causes my heart to skip a beat.

  Oh, this guy is sexy, with a capital S.

  “And what might that be?” I ask.

  “One–” he says, holding up one finger “–you forgot to tell me your major. I mean, come on, it’s part of the script for college kids.”

  I have no clue what he’s talking about, but I say, “Business.”

  “So you’re one of those gung ho girls, one with a plan.”

  I laugh. “Yup, and nothing will stop it.”

  “Someone as beautiful as you, it’s hard not to believe anything that comes out of that pretty mouth of yours.”

  My body catches on fire, and I can feel my blush creeping up my neck. With a grin, I say, “Okay then, Hey Jude.”

  “What?”

  I look over at him, confused yet again. “Huh?”

  “You said, hey, Jude.”

  Laughter bubbles in my throat. “I told you that was what I was going to call you from now on!” I explain, not holding in my laughter, but laughing so hard I can’t breathe. He looks down, confused, but soon he’s laughing with me. Catching my breath, I send him a grin before waving. “I’ll see you, Hey Jude.”

  “Claire, I still have one more question.”

  I stop and turn again. Why do I keep stopping?

  “And that is?”

  “Can I have your number?”

  I smile. I want to give it to him, but then again, I like this little cat-and-mouse chase we have going on. He looks like the kind of guy who likes a challenge, so maybe I'll give him one.

  “What for?”

  He gives me a deadpan look that causes me to cough to hide my laughter.

  “So I can call you,” he says slowly like I’m mentally challenged.

  “Sorry–” I say, shaking my head “–I don’t give my number out to strange men.”

  “I’m not a stranger. I just followed you all over campus,” he informs me with a smile on his face.

  “Oh, that’s true. So I shouldn’t give my number to stalkers either, right?”

  I shoot his shocked face a grin and turn around. “See ya, Hey Jude.”

  “Oh! A challenge, I see,” I hear him say. I turn to see that he has jumped on the stone wall and now is pointing at me. “I accept this challenge, Claire Anderson. If you think I’m a stalker now, you just wait! I will have your number, and I will get you to go on a date with me, and in the end, I will rock your world!”

  “Sure, you will,” I call at him as I continue to walk backward. “Good luck with that.”

  “I don’t give up, Claire Anderson!”

  I smile widely at him and then turn around, my smile growing. For some reason, I am really excited about this, and I hope like hell he does get my number and gets me on a date, rocking my world in the process. But I’ll be damned if it is going to be easy. Looking behind me, I see that he’s still watching me. A large smile is on his face, making his eyes shine. I roll my eyes and wave when he waves at me. I don’t know what it is about him, but he excites me. No guy has done that, ever. I don’t know what that means, but I’m sure it means something is bound to happen between us. I sort of hope it’s of the naked variety, but then again, maybe it could be more. Maybe he could be what Phillip is to Reese, and I’d live happily ever after. And maybe I’ll start choreographing for Justin Timberlake, and as I’m teaching him a routine, he’ll tell me he’s desperately in love with me and needs me for the rest of his life.

  Letting out an aggravated sigh because my life is not a Disney movie – good guys don’t go for girls like me – I cross my arms, hoping to shield my chest from the cold. It is a little nippy for the beginning of October, but I learned very quickly when I came to Tennessee that this weather has a mind of its own. As I round the corner to Fisher Hall, which is the building that houses my dorm, a crowd gathers around something. Since I’m nosy, I make my way to the crowd to see that a group of girls is dancing. Despite the cold, the girls wear little jumpers that are black and have a teal belt. The chest piece is covered with black mesh and crystals. When the girls do a turn, I see that in crystals on their backs it says “Bullies.” I have to admit; they are really
good. Not Reese Allen’s Dance Company good, but good.

  When the song ends, the girls stop with big cheesy smiles on their face. They are smiling so hard that I start to smile, which was probably their goal. As everyone claps, one of the girls picks up a megaphone and turns to the crowd.

  “Hey, y’all! I’m Rachael Haynes, the captain of the Bullies Dance Girls. We hope you enjoyed our little dance routine, and want to invite all you sophomore girls to tryouts for the University of Bellevue Bullies. We dance at all the home games for the Bullies hockey team and any other event they sponsor. We’re a tight-knit group of girls who love to dance and have fun. Do you feel you’ll fit in? We have five spots open, and we’re looking to fill them with amazing dancers! Tryouts are Tuesday at six at the meeting center in Bradshaw Hall. Grab a flyer, and I’ll see you there!!”

  Somehow I intercept a flyer. I don’t know how, or why, for that matter, but soon I’m telling myself that maybe I could try out. It could be fun. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I dial Reese’s number, and she answers on the second ring.

  “Hey!”

  I smile. I love Reese. She’s honestly one of the best people in my life. She was a little standoffish when I first met her, but we soon grew into friends, and now we have this amazing relationship where she’s basically my mom.

  “Hey! Quick question.”

  “I mean, shit, Claire, can’t you tell me you miss me or anything?”

  I laugh. “Ohemgeeeee! I miss you so, Reese’s Pieces!”

  She laughs along with me. “I miss you more, Claire. Summer flew by, in my opinion. But anyway, what’s up?”

  I know what she means. We spent the whole summer together. We went to Mexico, New York, and Florida for vacation. It was awesome. I lost out on some money, but at the same time, spending all that time with my family is much better than strutting my ass all over a stage.

  Going back to the reason I called, I ask, “What do you think of my trying out for the dance team here at school?”