by Vixen Kane
I take the stairs two at a time, and when I reach the first floor, I push open the door. When I step outside, I tip my face to the sky and breathe in the fresh air. After a few deep breaths, I feel slightly better, but when I drop my head, all my hard won calm disappears.
“Hey, Val.” Seth Carnes pushes off the brick building and stands in front of me, blocking my path. He looks at me and his brow furrows. “You okay?”
My eyes are glued to his face, and my mouth is suddenly full of cotton balls.
“Val?” Seth reaches out to touch my arm, but at the same time, the door behind me opens, causing me to flinch.
“Hey, Val, we’re going to—”
Gemma’s mouth slams shut when she realizes who’s standing in front of me. Lexie has no such problem.
“Seth, what are you doing here?”
I glance over my shoulder at Lexie, and she has a shit eating grin on her face.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but I came to talk to Val.” There’s something in Seth’s tone that causes me to pause. Frustration, maybe? Annoyance?
“I don’t have time to talk.” I step around Seth and start to walk toward my dorm.
He ignores my dismissal completely and falls into step beside me.
“We’ll see you later, Val!” Lexie calls out to me, and I don’t hear footsteps behind us, so I assume she and Gemma aren’t coming back to the dorm.
“See you later,” I yell back to them without turning around.
I quicken my steps and damn him, Seth doesn’t even struggle to keep up.
“Look, Seth, I don’t know what you want to talk about. I appreciate your… help the other night, but that’s all it was.”
“You sure about that? That kiss didn’t seem like it was just for help.”
I come to a halt, but Seth keeps walking. When he doesn’t stop, I groan in frustration because he clearly is not going to make this easy.
“What do you want from me?” I yell at his back.
He finally stops and slowly turns to face me. I stomp toward him and fold my arms over my chest.
“Spit it out.” I don’t have time for whatever this is and quite frankly, I’m humiliated about how I acted the other night. I wasn’t, not until he was right next to me talking about it.
“I thought we called a truce. This doesn’t feel very truce-like.” He smirks at me, and I can’t help but notice the dimple that forms.
Get a grip, Valerie Lynn.
“You’re right.” I don’t want to fight with him and maybe if I just agree with him, he’ll leave me alone.
“I know.” The smirk never leaves his face.
“Again, what do you want?” I glance at my watch, realizing that I don’t have much time, and start walking toward the dorms again.
Seth falls into step beside me, and I glance at him out of the corner of my eye. There’s no denying that he’s hot. Like really freaking hot. But he’s Seth Carnes. He’s the guy that instigated the most humiliating experience of my life. He’s an asshole. Problem is, he wasn’t an asshole the other night. And even though he’s infuriating right now, he’s not being an asshole.
“So, Val, I was thinking…”
When he doesn’t finish, I allow my gaze to take him in fully. I’m shocked to see that he appears to be struggling to find the right words. I don’t ask him to finish because I’m not sure I really want to know what he’s thinking. Not if it’s causing him this much trouble. I feel a smile bloom at his awkwardness. It’s hilarious really. And a little charming.
“What’s so funny?”
“What?” My gaze snaps to his.
“You’re trying really hard not to laugh, but it’s there. I can see it in your eyes. And in the way you’re biting your lip to keep it in.”
I instantly release my lip from my teeth, bothered by the way he picked up on that. We stand there in silence for what seems like an eternity but was really only a few seconds.
“Have dinner with me tonight?”
“Wha… I… you… why?” Even though we’re outside, there is not enough oxygen to keep my lungs inflated.
“Because,” he states matter-of-factly.
“Because? That’s it? Just… because?”
“Well, you kissed me and—”
“I didn’t kiss you!”
“Yes. You did. And it wasn’t bad.”
I’m outraged now and begin to pace.
“Wasn’t bad? Wasn’t bad? What the hell kind of thing is tha—”
“I thought you said you didn’t kiss me?”
That stops me in my tracks.
“Well… I… oh shut up.” I start walking again, and his hand grips my arm, spinning me around to face him.
“Have dinner with me?” There’s a glint in his eye, and I can’t quite discern what it means.
“But why?”
“Look, that kiss,” he throws his hands up to silence me when I open my mouth to protest. “I’d be lying if I didn’t say I felt something.“
“You felt something? Like what? Your cock wanted to come out and play?”
“Damn, you have a mouth on you.”
“I’m not the nerdy girl you think I am.” His right eyebrow raises over an ice blue eye. “Well, I’m not. At least, I’m trying not to be.” I slam my mouth shut at the smug look on his face. Why did I say that? And to Seth Carnes, no less.
“Then have dinner with me.” There’s a pleading quality to his voice, causing me to second guess my reticence.
I huff out a breath. “I can’t. I have to work.” I look at him to see if there’s any recognition in his eyes when I mention work. There’s none and I’m a little shocked by that.
“Oh. I didn’t realize you had a job.” How doesn’t he know? I work for his family.
“Well, I do. So, no, I can’t have dinner with you.”
“That’s not a ‘won’t’ have dinner. ‘Can’t’ and ‘won’t’ are two very different things.”
I glance at my watch again and realize I only have thirty minutes to get back to my dorm and change before I have to leave for work.
“I’m not going to argue with you about this, Seth. I really need to go.”
“At least think about having dinner with me tomorrow night, then.” His tone oozes confidence, but his jaw is ticking, hinting at a bit of anger. What the hell does he have to be angry at me about?
“Fine. I’ll think about it.” I give him a small smile, hoping he doesn’t read more into it than what’s there. I walk away from him, grateful and a little surprised when he doesn’t follow.
“I’ll text you later!” He calls from behind me. I raise my hand above shoulder level to acknowledge that I heard him.
He’s not going to text me. He doesn’t even have my phone number. But if he does text me, how would I respond?
The fact that I don’t know the answer to that question leaves me feeling anxious. And I hate being anxious.
12
Seth
“Ante up, bitches.” Smoke leaves Nate’s mouth as he chokes out the words. I put my cigar to my lips and suck, exhaling a cloud of my own a few moments later. The kitchen looks like the cover for Pineapple Express, and I laugh at the image, picturing Nate as Seth Rogan and Connor as the other guy. Okay, I’m pretty high. The cigars are laced with the best weed on campus.
“How much is it again?” Tristan asks.
Nate coughs out a laugh and sets his cigar on a tray. “How many times are you going to ask that?”
“Put a blue one in,” I say, pointing to his pile of chips. He studies them for what seems like an obscene amount of time before putting a five dollar chip in the pot. I’m not even sure if we’re really playing for money at this point, but I don’t care. I’ve been stressed out for days, and these few hours of carefree bliss are priceless. Plus, I’m winning.
Connor deals the hand and sets the stack of cards back down on the table. Tristan lifts his cards up too high, and with me beside him, his hand is clear as day. Pocke
t aces, but there’s no way he’s in the right headspace to play it right. Sure enough, when it’s his turn, he raises all in and everyone folds, including me.
“Pussies,” Tristan says, pulling the pot his way with a victorious grin on his face. Yeah, this is good. Almost good enough to forget about everything else. To forget about her.
“So, Seth.” It being his turn to deal, Nate takes the cards and shuffles them. “How’s your last challenge goin’?”
Did he just read my mind?
I shrug. “According to plan.”
Connor leans forward and blows out a puff of smoke, filling the space. I’m not sure at what point our lungs got used to this.
“And what is the plan exactly?” There’s skepticism lacing his tone, and before I even look at Tristan, I know he spilled the beans. Last night was supposed to have gotten me laid, at least according to their standards. They didn’t know this girl, though. Valerie’s comment today floats through my mind, and I suppress a laugh. I honestly had no idea she had a mouth on her, so maybe I don’t know her much either.
That’s about to change.
“I’m taking her to dinner tomorrow night. She’s a three date kind of girl, so it’s going to take more than a little scare for her to give it up. It’s all part of the plan, trust me.”
Lie. Last night worked great, but this whole thing is an uphill battle and we have a long way to go. I have to step up my game. By a lot.
“I never said I didn’t trust you.” Connor glimpses his card after Nate deals, and I do the same. King and a three. “Just gettin’ a little worried… If you need some kind of adjustment to the challenge, now’s the time to say so.”
I glare at Tristan, who, even in his high-as-a-kite state, knows he fucked up. His bloodshot eyes are focused on the table, but the guilt is written in his expression. He told them about me knowing her. He told them everything.
And they don’t think I can pull it off.
I toss chips into the middle, calling Nate’s bet, but my mind is no longer on the game. My foot taps against the linoleum, and my jaw ticks. I don’t know why I’m angry, not really. I’m the one who said it might be a lost cause. I’m the one that expressed doubt first. But I’m also the future president of this fraternity, and I’m not about to pussy out to take an easier challenge. This is the one I was given, and it’s the one I’m going to complete. Successfully.
I clear my throat and sit up straighter, leaning my elbows on the table. I have no intention of responding to his bullshit comment, but there is something I need.
“Does your cousin still own Paneveno’s?”
Connor nods. “Yup.”
“Think you can get me a reservation there tomorrow at eight?”
Nate flips his cards in the middle, but I don’t look at them. I couldn’t give a shit about the game. My temporary bliss is over. Even the weed isn’t keeping my mind from obsessing about how the hell I’m going to win this girl over. Not anymore.
Connor puts out his cigar and rubs at his eyes. I’m not sure if it’s the smoke that’s bothering him or if it’s his lack of confidence in me. I’m not sure it matters which one because I’m brewing underneath all the same.
“You sure she’s going to go? If I make the reservation and she’s a no show, Jacklyn’s going to be pissed.”
“She’s going.”
“Yeah? You asked her and she said yes?”
“Yes.”
No. Not yet at least.
Connor shrugs and glances at the last card Nate just laid in the middle of the table. I’ve got exactly nothing and am without a doubt losing this hand, but I throw chips in the middle to call Tristan’s bet anyway, not breaking my focus on Connor. “All right. You got it.”
“Thanks, man.” I finish the hand, losing to Tristan, of course, and pull my phone from my pocket. Probably as good a time as any to seal the deal. I go to my messages and find the text where Lexie gave me Valerie’s number. Tristan was onto something when he said go for the roommate. Not the fucking her to make Valerie jealous thing, but she’s a valuable resource. She knows more about Valerie than I can find out by myself, and all it takes is pretending I’m a good guy who’s really into her friend to get her on my side. One thing I’ve learned is a girl’s friends are as much a part of the decision on whether or not they date you as the girl is.
After copy and pasting the number into a new message box, I stare blankly at the screen for a few moments. I guess the weed is still getting to me after all. I type my message and hit send.
Me: Pick you up at 7:30 tomorrow. Formal wear. See you then.
I’m ninety nine percent certain that isn’t going to work, and I cringe as I read my message over. My thinking was that if I don’t give her the illusion of a choice, she can’t say no.
Wrong.
Her: So sorry. I can’t go. Or, as you put it, I won’t go. That kiss didn’t mean
anything, Seth, and I thought we decided on being friends? JUST friends.
I roll my eyes and set my phone on the table. I could argue with her, tell her there’s something between us, make up some shit about a spark, but would that even work? Probably not.
I pick up my phone and try a new tactic.
Me: It’s just dinner. Friends can go to dinner, right? I have something I want to talk
to you about…
Three dots pop up then go away, and she doesn’t start typing as long as I’m looking at my phone.
“Who are you texting?” Connor asks when I fold the next three hands without looking at my cards.
“No one.”
Nate laughs as if he thinks this whole thing is funny. Or he’s just high. I snap my gaze to him and narrow my eyes. “Something funny?”
He laughs again, staring into my eyes as he does it, and I almost leap across the table and grab the collar of his stupid fucking Polo.
He takes a drag of his cigar, letting the smoke out slowly before setting it in the tray. “You wouldn’t get it.”
I know he’s quoting Joker. He loved the shit out of that movie and quotes it nonstop, but it still pisses me the fuck off. Everything pisses me off lately.
My chair falls backward when I jerk from it. “What the fuck did you just say to me?”
“Whoa, Seth, take it easy.” Connor stands slowly and lifts his hands in the air. “It was just a joke.”
Nate laughs more, and then I fucking lose it. I leap across the table and grab his shirt, dragging him toward me. Spit flies from my mouth as I yell, but I’m not even sure what I’m saying. Nothing I’m doing is making sense.
It’s over as fast as it started. Connor and Tristan both grab hold of me and yank me away, shoving me from the table.
“Stop.” Connor says, his voice full of authority. He spins to Nate and puts his hand out to stop Nate from coming at me like he clearly wants to. His chest is puffed out, and his nostrils are flaring. He wants to fight, and I wish they’d let him. I could use a fight too.
“You wanna know what’s so funny?” he asks, taking a step my way against Connor’s command.
I don’t say anything, but my fists clench.
“The fact that you can’t get a nerdy freshman to let you bang her. You’re fucking pathetic, Seth.”
My lungs fill with air, but Tristan shoves me from the kitchen before I can say anything back. Despite every cell in my body urging me to do otherwise, I let him. I take a few angry steps into the living room before turning to Tristan.
“You fucking told them?”
He puts his hands up and shakes his head, although he’s not denying anything. He just doesn’t know what to say.
“Dude, I—”
“I’m going to be president, and you’re going to be my VP. I already fucking told you that. You don’t need to go telling my shit to those two.”
“I know, dude, I’m sorry. I was just trying to help.”
“Well, don’t.” I storm off toward my room and slam the door when I make it. I’m so fucking pissed, I don’
t think there’s anything that’ll calm me down, so I start pacing the room. They don’t think I can do it. They really don’t think I can do it.
None of them.
I take out my phone and bring up my messages, but instead of clicking on Valerie’s name, I go to Lexie’s. I might not know what Valerie wants, but I’m about to find out. Because I am not failing this fucking challenge.
Me: Need your help.
13
Valerie
I pull my phone out of my clutch and press the side button to bring the screen to life and check the time. 8:23pm. I’m late.
I shove the phone back in the stupid black sequin bag that Lexie insisted I carry and then stop short when I catch a glimpse of the red heels and black dress I’m wearing.
Why did I let her talk me into this?
I’m a few feet away from the entrance of Paneveno’s, the fanciest Italian restaurant in our college town. When I see the delicate scroll on the door, my insides do a little flip flop and the contents of my stomach threaten to come up.
You’re not going to throw up. You didn’t even eat anything today.
I couldn’t eat. Lexie talked me into agreeing to dinner with Seth sometime in the middle of last night. All I remember was being exhausted after work because Sarah had a particularly bad meltdown. When I got back to the dorm, Lexie started in on me, and I think around three in the morning I caved just so I could get some sleep.
It had worked. I managed to get a few hours of shut eye, but when I woke up, I was immediately reminded of what I’d agreed to because Lexie spent the rest of the day taking me dress shopping, shoe shopping, and doing everything she said a girl should do before a date.
This is not a date.
Maybe if I keep reminding myself of that I’ll actually start to believe it.
I glance at my fingers as they grip the large, iron door handle. Hell, she even insisted on a manicure and pedicure. I have to admit, though, it had been fun. Lexie had quickly determined that I didn’t have the money for anything she insisted was necessary, so she treated me, saying it was a belated birthday gift. At first, I didn’t want to accept, but Lexie is nothing if not persistent. The fact that I’m here at all is evidence of that.
