by Ali Parker
My entire world shifted, and I realized he stood up, holding me against him. He was muscular, but I didn’t know how strong he was. He held my weight as if I were nothing.
He held my waist and placed me on my wobbly legs. My knees were weak, practically jelly at that point. I could have blamed me sitting for so long, but I knew it was because of that mind-blowing kiss. No wonder I always saw everyone making out in the quad and other random places on campus, it felt amazing and opened up a part of me I never knew was hidden. I licked my lips, needing to taste more of him.
Wordlessly, he took my hand and tugged me alongside him. Was he going to take me up to his room to kiss me in a more private place? Was I ready for that? He was an experienced president of a fraternity, was I ready to take it to the next level? My nerves got the best of me and as I was about to tell him that when he spoke.
“You should go home,” he said. “You don’t belong here.”
My mouth dried up, the lingering taste of him turned sour on my tongue. “What?”
“I want you to go,” he said.
A painful tightness wrapped around my throat like someone was choking me. “I need to stay with my friend.”
What was going on here? First, he was kissing me and asking me to be his tutor, now he wanted me to leave? Was I that bad of a kisser?
“Who is your friend?” he asked, halting in his place.
“She’s the nurse,” I said, scanning the area. Amber was on the dance floor, grinding her butt against some guy’s crotch.
A sharp whistle caught my attention, and I whirled around as Alex flagged down two of the shirtless guys with ‘AKA’ written on their chests. They scurried over like servants.
“Get that girl over here,” Alex said to them, pointing in Amber’s direction. “The nurse.”
They sprinted over to Amber.
Heat whipped through my body, emanating from Alex’s hand still clasped with mine.
Amber’s surprised expression made my chest hurt. I did something wrong and now the both of us were getting kicked out of the party. Amber would never forgive me for this.
The two frat guys brought her over to me. Her eyes searched mine for an answer that I couldn’t wrap my words around.
Alex let go of my hand and grabbed my arm instead. His grip wasn’t tight enough to hurt, but he meant business. Heat flashed behind my eyes as he and the other two led us through the house and out the front door.
When we were in the front yard, he finally let go of me and stared me down. “Go back to the dorm. Now.”
And with that, he turned and headed back inside.
I wrapped my arms around my suddenly chilled body.
“What was that all about?” Amber asked. “Weren’t you just making out with him?”
My stomach rolled as I watched Alex’s body disappear in the throng of people inside the frat house. Where I had been warm before, I felt as if a dark, snowy cloud had appeared over my head, chilling me to the bone.
I turned on my heel, not wanting Alex to see how upset I was if he changed his mind and raced after me. Who was I kidding? He wouldn’t come after me. This wasn’t a movie where the senior guy fell for a lowly first-year.
All the way home, Amber questioned me about what happened. There were no words to explain.
Eventually, she stopped asking. I was sure the frown shaping my lips helped her understand that I had no idea either. I knew she probably thought that I said something wrong and let it go. Though she wasn’t as upset as I thought she’d be. For the remainder of the time, she told me that she got a few numbers from the frat brothers and hoped that there would be another invite to their parties.
Deep down, I knew she was trying to make me feel better, but I couldn’t help feeling hurt about what had happened. How was I going to face him in class next week?
Chapter 5
Alex
The next morning, I rolled over, feeling the after-effects of the three vodka sodas that I downed the night before after several cups of beer. I reached into the side table and opened the drawer, my eyelids barely open. This wasn’t my first rodeo. I grabbed a small pill bottle and popped it open, pouring two of the capsules into my palm.
I fisted them in my hand and sat up, keeping my eyes closed so that the room wouldn’t spin. Once I got up from the bed, I crossed the room to the small refrigerator and grabbed a cold bottle of water. I swigged the entire thing down along with the pills.
Next, protein shake.
Hangovers were a thing of the past for me. After joining AKA, I learned quickly how to get rid of them so I could be a functioning member of society.
I opened my door and stepped over one of my pledges who was passed out in the hallway. He laid on his side and the steady rise and fall of his back eased my mind that he was going to be okay.
I glanced at Bret’s closed door with a sock on the knob. I grinned. At least one of us had a good time. After meeting and kissing Lily, she was all I could think about. No one would have guessed from the way I cut across the dance floor the rest of the night, but with her in my pocket, I knew I had to buckle down. Dealing with some chick this morning was only going to get in my way.
It wasn’t just Bret who had a good time last night. On the way to the kitchen, I walked over several passed out members of the frat and other party goers. At least no one was drinking and driving. The house was close enough to the campus to allow for people to walk over while not having to deal with campus security when our parties were too loud.
Thankfully no one passed out in the kitchen, so I was given a moment of peace to walk around the space. Thankfully, I wore flip flops since the floor was incredibly sticky from spilled drinks and other unmentionables. The pledges had a long weekend of cleaning ahead of them.
I never went anywhere in the house on the weekends without shoes on. It was a mistake you only made once.
I measured the powder of my protein mix and added that and a few other items to the blender before turning it on. After taking aspirin, the next step to hangover freedom was hydrating with extra protein. Adding lost nutrients to my body would clear it up within an hour. Then, I would get to work on my assignments for the weekend.
I walked back to my room as a million thoughts raced through my head. There weren’t any plans for a party tonight at our house, but I was sure Bret would inform me of at least one going on. I hoped to get my assignments done for next week, so I could enjoy myself.
Speaking of Bret, the door burst open just as I finished mixing the shake. Bret stumbled into the room, his eyes were like slits, and his hands were in front of him, blocking the sun peeking through the side window.
“Bro, get the shades,” he said.
I chuckled and crossed the room, lowering the shades. “Rough night?”
“How are you even functioning right now?” Bret asked, leaning against the counter. His skin was gray, and he looked as if he were going to throw up.
“Practice, my friend,” I said clapping a hand on his shoulder.
He groaned, and I laughed. “By next year when you’re in my spot, you’ll have it down.”
“I have it down,” he said, attempting to stand up straighter. “I even slept with a hot chick last night.”
“What was her name?” I asked, pouring two glasses of the shake.
“I have no idea,” Bret said. “I can’t be bothered with details like that.”
“Or you can’t remember,” I said, gulping down the shake.
“There’s that too,” he said, sipping from the glass. He cringed.
“Drink it all,” I said, tipping the glass back for him. “You’ll feel fit as a fiddle soon enough.”
“Doubt that,” he said after choking down the final sip. “What are you doing today?”
“I have to catch up on some homework,” I said.
He stood up, already looking a little better, at least the correct color of his skin reappeared in his cheeks. “I’m going to go Round Three with what’s-her-face. Se
e you later, bro.”
I pressed my lips together, suppressing a smile. Must be nice…
Even with a clearer head, I was still unable to make sense of my notes from class. My handwriting was illegible and what I could read made no sense at all which was par for the course with that class. I raked my hands through my greasy hair with frustration and shoved the work away from me.
A shower would clear my head. I knew I was procrastinating again, but I’d never be able to get through the homework without feeling clean.
I was about to head across the hall to the bathroom when my phone rang.
I whirled around. It was the ringtone set for home. I knew if I didn’t pick up right away Mom would think the worst. She already had enough to worry about from her failing son other than if I was alive or not.
I sighed and picked up my cell. “Hey, Mom.” I hoped I sounded convincing enough for her to not ask about my studies.
“Hi, Alex,” she said. “How are you?”
“Fine,” I said. “Just about to get into the shower. Can I call you—”
“I wanted to check in with you to see how school was going?”
“Oh,” I said. “Everything is fine.”
“You said that already,” she said, her voice going flat.
I rubbed my forehead. “Because everything is fine, Mom.”
“What’s wrong?” she asked. “I can tell when something is off.”
She might as well have stood in front of me to ask that. Her powers of perception bordered on psychic.
“I’m not doing so well in Cost Accounting,” I said, finally opening up. She’d find out soon enough when my grades came in. At least if I got some money from her for a tutor, she might not be as disappointed at the end of the semester. I hated to ask her for more money than she already shelled out for me on a monthly basis.
“How bad?” she asked.
“Professor Tarrington suggested I get a private tutor,” I said.
There was a long sigh from the other end. It wasn’t as if I wanted to be horrible at the class, I just didn’t understand the concepts. I was never great at academics. It was my athletic ability that got me into school. She didn’t need to work to make me feel worse than I already did.
“Where do you expect to get the money to pay for that?” she asked.
“You know I don’t have time to work,” I said. Between classes, practice, and my AKA duties, there was barely enough time to sleep.
“I think you need to start prioritizing what’s important to you, Alex,” she said. And I knew the lecture was starting. I sat on my bed, waiting for her to dive in. “Your father and I can barely afford the costs of your fraternity life. Is your scholarship in jeopardy with this class? You know we can’t afford to make up that cost. And with only one semester remaining, I’d hate for you to have to drop out because of that.”
“Mom,” I said sharply. I needed her to stop freaking out. I was twenty-two years old. I could handle this. And she needed to start trusting me. Lily’s face popped into my head. I would make it work with her. There had to be a compromise for her to help me without costing Mom more than her means. “I have this under control. My scholarship isn’t in danger. I will buckle down for the rest of the year and make you proud.”
“You always make me proud,” she said after a moment. “I can’t help but worry. I am your mother.”
“I know,” I said. “And I love you. But I really have to go now.”
“Okay, call me when you can.”
“I will.”
I tossed my phone onto the bed, my nerves a bundle in my stomach. I glanced at my shoes. Screw the shower. I needed to let out the negative energy and the only way to do that was to run it off. Maybe after I cleared my head, my notes would make more sense.
I changed into running shorts and slipped on my sneakers. Even though the sun wasn’t as blazing as it was in the summer in Dallas, I threw on a tank top to protect most of my chest from a potential burn. So far, it was a mild December, but I wasn’t willing to take that chance with my body.
Even though there were plenty of side streets to jog down, I liked to make an appearance on campus when I could. Living off-campus created a separation and I had to keep in touch with other students outside of class so our parties would remain as well attended as possible.
Several girls looked my way, and I made a point to check them out as well. My reputation was paramount, and I had to admit that I was looking for one girl in particular.
Outside the library, I found her. I wasn’t sure who was surprised more, her or me. She wasn’t dressed as sexy as last night, but I was happy that I had a look at her smoking body when I did. From here on out, it had to be strictly professional between us. I couldn’t disappoint my family because I couldn’t control myself around a first year student. Even though she was considered a sophomore, she was technically a freshman to the school. I grew out of that phase two years ago, and I couldn’t slip back to my old ways with my grades on the line.
As I approached her, she slowed, and her eyes widened. Even with no makeup on and her hair tied back into a tight bun, she had something special about her. I typically went for the girls that took the time to look pretty but the natural look suited Lily better than that.
“Hi,” I said, slowing down. I paced around her, keeping my heart rate up.
“Hi,” she said, tightening her hands around her books.
“I was hoping to run into you.”
“You were?”
“Of course,” I said. “I wanted to hammer down the logistics for the tutoring sessions.”
She let out a choking sound.
“What is it?” I asked. “Did you change your mind?”
Her eyebrows knitted together and my heart dropped. I hoped that she hadn’t changed her mind. This delicate girl was my only hope of passing Cost Accounting and graduating on time.
Chapter 6
Lily
It was hard to believe that Alex could get any hotter. When I saw him jogging from across the small courtyard between buildings, I was sure he’d keep going, ignoring me completely. But when he started in my direction with that gorgeous grin of his, I nearly dropped my books in surprise.
He jogged around me in a little circle. It was hard to keep my eyes on his instead of his sweaty body.
All night I thought about him and his strange behavior. First, he wanted me to tutor him. The idea was too unbelievable to be true, which he proved when he kicked Amber and me out of the party. She barely spoke to me all morning about it, and I didn’t bother to breach the subject with her since I still had no idea what happened. While I wanted to study in my room, her cleaning up her mess was far more distracting than her music. Which was why I hid in the library for most of the morning.
Now here he was, asking when we’d be able to start.
“I didn’t change my mind,” I said. “I just didn’t think you were serious.”
“Why wouldn’t I be serious about getting help from the smartest and most beautiful girl in class?”
My cheeks burned, and I pressed my hand against one to calm my body down. The temperature felt more like Fall than it did all semester, helping cool me down a bit. “I’m wondering why you forced the most beautiful girl in class to leave the party last night.”
He shrugged and started to stretch his legs as if it wasn’t a big deal. “Our parties get a little wild, and I was concerned for you. You were clearly out of your element.”
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as my spine stiffened. I adjusted the books in my hands again, wishing I would have borrowed Amber’s backpack that morning. “I can handle myself without a babysitter, thank you very much.”
“I wasn’t implying—”
“I should go,” I said, turning away from him and back toward my dorm.
“Wait,” he said. He ran over to me and stood in front of me, blocking my way.
I lifted my chin, daring him to say something that would explain his actions
. “What, Alex?”
“You don’t want to tutor me now?” he asked.
Of course, I wanted to tutor him. Spending time with him outside of class would be a dream come true, especially if it involved more kissing. But his actions from the night before weren’t cool. Was he going to treat me like a child when his friends were around? I wasn’t sure any amount of kissing could make up for feeling like this all the time.
“I have a lot on my plate this semester,” I said, glancing over his shoulder. I was never a good liar. Sure I had a lot on my plate, but I knew how to balance my schedule. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’ll have enough time.”
I tried to move past him, but he placed his hand on my shoulder, stopping me in place.
My books suddenly lifted from my arms. Alex carried them as if he were carrying a pillow under his arm. I dropped my hands to my sides, suddenly unaware of what to do with them.
“Please,” he said.
I glanced up at him, craning my neck. The desperation in his voice was palpable. I wanted to make sure he was as serious as he sounded. With the sun behind me, the light from the star accented all of his features. He was not unlike the sun himself, outrageously hot and out of reach.
“Let’s make a deal,” he said.
I placed my hand on my hip. “What kind of deal?”
“If you’re concerned with attending some frat parties then I’ll take you to our three hottest parties of the season: The Reindeer Riot, Santa’s Slay, and the Mistletoe Meltdown.”
“Nice names,” I said, unable to suppress a smile.
His smile returned. “They might sound corny, but if you want to make an impression, those are the parties to attend.”
“And all I have to do is tutor you?” I asked.
“Yes,” he said. His eyebrows lifted a little, expectantly.
I didn’t care much for parties, but I didn’t care that I made that impression on him. This was a way to make last night up to Amber. If Alex guaranteed that we could both attend the parties she’d be over the moon to be invited to not just one party but three.
