One of Them Girls

by Cala Riley

  “That sounds awesome.”

  Xavier watches me pack up my belongings before resting his hand on my lower back and walking me out of the library.

  Once outside. he turns. “What would you like to do?” he asks, shoving his hands into his pockets.

  “What would you normally be doing if you hadn’t invited me out?”

  “Playing video games with Jack.”

  “Oooh. Let’s do that. It sounds fun.”

  “Really?” he says skeptically.

  “Yep. Loser buys pizza.”

  “I’m game. Let me call Jack and have him meet us at the dorm.”

  He dials Jack as he leads me to his car.

  “Hey, you at the dorm?”

  I smile as I hear Jack’s voice on the phone. I can’t hear the words, but his tone always makes me smile. He has an infectious smile, and the boy is never serious.

  “Cassi and I are joining you. We will be there in ten. For the love of God man, pick your drawers up off the floor.”

  He clicks the phone off as he opens the passenger door for me. Then he rounds the front of the car, jumping in.

  “I’m surprised you want to play video games with us. Usually girls hate that kind of thing.”

  I watch as he turns out of the parking lot, staying quiet for a moment.

  Then, I turn to look at the side of his face. He is handsome. Even with his city boy style, I can’t deny I’m attracted to him.

  Maybe this is a bad idea.

  I brush the thought away.

  “I’m not a normal girl. I think you’ll find we are a different breed down here.”

  He chuckles. “You’re right. It’s a whole different world down here.”

  “What do you think of it?” I ask, realizing I never asked him if he even liked it here.

  He glances my way, smiling. “It’s interesting. The people are different. Jack, for example, is a goofball, but he’s loyal as fuck. I’ve never had that for myself before.”

  “Jack’s a special one.”

  “It’s not just him, though. The people here are friendlier. Do you know how many times people wave at me or even give me a simple smile?”

  “Oh yeah, I’m sure the girls are falling all over you,” my sarcastic tone hides the twinge of jealousy that I feel when I think about it.

  What the fuck is that? I think to myself.

  “Sure. The girls are friendly, but it’s not just them. Everyone has been very hospitable to me. It’s a different experience.”

  “You make it sound like people are assholes where you’re from.”

  “Maybe not assholes, per se. Disconnected is the word I would use. Here, everyone is in your business. Where I’m from, people won’t even make eye contact with you on the streets. They are so focused on their own lives that they don’t even look around.”

  “That sounds bleak.”

  “You can see why Texas is refreshing for me. So you want to play video games? That’s crazy to me. I’m used to girls that care more about taking their next selfie or shopping than spending quality time together.”

  “Quality time, huh? Is that what we’re calling it?”

  He smiles at me. “Yep. Quality time. Besides, you can learn a lot about a person from the way they play video games.”

  “Oh yeah? What are you hoping to learn about me?”

  He doesn’t look at me, but I can see the side of his lip tick up. “Everything.”

  My heart races.

  Why do I want him to know everything?

  “There’s not that much to learn.”

  “I think there’s more to you than you let on. It’s okay though. I’m patient.”

  When he pulls into his parking spot, he gets out.

  I don’t move to follow him right away, attempting to fight the sudden blush covering my face.

  Friends. We are friends.

  He opens the door, reaching his hand in to help me out.

  As soon as I slip my hand into his, a spark lights me up. My breath catches as my heart beats faster and I feel flutters in my stomach.

  He gives me a smirk like he knows what just happened, but how could he?

  How could he know that for the first time in a long time I feel something other than overwhelming grief?

  “Come on,” he lets go of my hand, breaking the connection.

  I follow him inside, barely containing myself from reaching out to touch him again. To feel that feeling again.

  He opens the door to his dorm, ushering me inside before closing it behind him.

  I stop, taking in his room. There’s a window along the far wall with the blinds closed. On each side of the room is a bed. To the right, the bedding is messed up like someone had just woken up. To the left, the bed is made and looks immaculate. In the middle of the room, there are two beanbag chairs. Straight ahead, there is a TV on a dresser in front of the window. Jack is sitting in one of the chairs, playing a game.

  “That game looks interesting,” I murmur, knowing full well what game he is playing.

  “Let me finish this game and X and I will teach you how to play.” Jack says.

  I let a smirk fill my face.

  They are falling for it. Hook, line, and sinker.

  Tonight is going to be interesting.

  Xavier

  We walk into my dorm to find Jack already playing a solo game in front of the TV we have set up.

  It was a short ride, but it was deeper than I expected. I hadn’t expected to open up to this girl the way I have, but fuck if it doesn’t feel good.

  I mean some of the shit I’ve told her, I haven’t even told Tinsley. I was always careful with Tinsley, making sure she was okay. She had her own shit going on and didn’t need mine.

  I feel like Cassi has her own shit going on too, but with her, I feel like it’s okay to deal with my shit too. Like we can work through it together.

  Fuck if that doesn’t feel refreshing.

  Cassi’s eyes take in our dorm. It’s not much to look at, but it still makes me anxious.

  I want her to like my space.

  “That game looks interesting,” Cassi smirks.

  “Let me finish this game and X and I will teach you how to play.”

  “Avi and I have a bet.” I smile as she uses the nickname she’s given me. “Whoever loses buys pizza. You in?”

  Jack laughs. “Totally. Better be ready to pay up, sweet cheeks.”

  I smack him across the back of the head. “Watch it.”

  He chuckles. “No harm, no foul. Right, Cass?”

  “Not at all. Now, what do these buttons do?” She holds up the controller.

  She takes a seat on the vacant bean bag chair, leaving me to get on my bed. Not the best vantage point to be playing, but for her, it’s worth it.

  After a quick lesson, we jump into a three player game. After the first couple minutes, I can see we’ve been duped.

  Cassi’s better than we thought. She’s really fucking good. It’s hot as hell.

  “Oh, did I kill you, sugar?” Cassi asks Jack, shooting a wink at me.

  “How did you do that?” he grumbles.

  “Beginner’s luck, I guess. Oops. I did it again.”

  I chuckle, watching her play more than watching my screen. By the time the round is done, Jack tosses his controller down.

  “You sandbagging little jerk. You knew how to play.”

  She shrugs. “I like ham on my pizza. Ooh, and breadsticks.”

  “Watch your girl, X. She’s a hustler,” Jack says as he calls the pizza place to put in our order.

  “Where did you learn to play like that?” I turn to face her completely.

  “My brother, Ryan. He played a lot when we were growing up. There wasn’t much else to do around the ranch, so we often played together. Sometimes with Jared, too. I guess when you spend hours at a time perfecting your skill so the boys don’t always slaughter you, it kind of sticks with you.”

  I laugh. “I would’ve bought you pizza eit
her way. You know that, right?”

  “Yeah, but I feel like Jack needed to be reminded women are more than a nice ass and great rack.”

  “You’re damn right they are. They’re a good lay too,” he says as he hangs up the phone.

  Cassie smacks his arm. “We have brains too you know.”

  “Oh, I know. I stay away from the smart ones like you, though. You’re the ones always wanting the big ‘M’ word.” He shivers. “I’m not ready for that yet.”

  Cassi laughs. “Big, strong Jack’s scared of a little marriage talk, huh? You realize we’re in college, right? Not all women are looking to settle down and have kids at twenty.”

  “What about you?” I ask, not sure why I want to know.

  “Hell no. This is my first year in college. I don’t even know what I want right now. Marriage and kids? Sure, someday, but not right now. Are you telling me you want that?” she asks wide-eyed.

  I shrug. “One day. If I found the right girl.”

  “Well, I know I can’t even think about it without my skin crawling. Hell, I’ll probably never get married. Can we drop all this talking bullshit and get back to the game?”

  “Jack,” I warn.

  Cassi laughs. “I thought you would never shut up. Let’s get back to me whooping your ass.”

  As we continue to play, I glance over at Cassi more and more. She’s beautiful, sure, but I’ve never met anyone like her. She has this feisty personality that makes her shine that much brighter. Add in the mouth like a sailor, and she’s a catch.

  I find myself comparing her to Tinsley. Tinsley’s beautiful, with a soul made for a saint. She’s always so sweet and forgiving.

  I can’t imagine her ever wanting to play a video game, let alone owning us guys as she does it.

  Tinsley’s an angel, but Cassi? She’s a firecracker.

  “Stop staring at my tits and play the game, Avi,” Cassi bumps into me, gaining my attention again.

  “Can’t help it. Listening to some of those words fly out of your mouth, I had to look to make sure you were real.”

  “Never heard a woman curse before? Buckle up, buddy. This is going to be a long night.”

  A long night it is, but I wouldn’t trade a minute of it.

  Cassi

  “Come on, lazybones. Up in the bed you go.”

  I smile and crack my eyes open. “What are you doing?”

  Xavier lifts me easily into his arms, standing. He places me on his bed, pulling the blanket over me.

  “You fell asleep on the floor. It looked uncomfortable.” He brushes a piece of hair away from my face.

  I scoot over and pat the spot beside me. It’s a twin-size bed, so it will be a squeeze, but fuck if I don’t want to get up and go home right now.

  “You can take the bed. Don’t worry about it. I’ll take the floor,” Xavier leans down to grab a pillow, but I grab his arm instead, pulling him down next to me.

  “We are two adults who are old enough to share a bed. This way, we both get to be comfortable,” I reason with him.

  “Are you sure? I really can sleep on the floor.”

  “Stop arguing with me and get in here.”

  He finally slides under the blanket next to me, but tries to give me space. I squash that real quick, cuddling into his chest. He stiffens.

  “You can touch me, you know. I’m not going to melt,” I tease.

  His hand reluctantly comes to rest on my side.

  “There you go,” I quip.

  He chuckles. “You don’t give anyone a break, do you?”

  I smile against his chest. “Nope. When you grow up with a brother and his best friend who’s there just as much as he is, you learn to get some thick skin. I don’t know how to act any other way.”

  “So you can hang out like just one of the boys?” he asks.

  I purse my lips before speaking. “I suppose you could look at it that way. In high school, guys seemed reluctant to date me. Sometimes it was because of my brother, but others I don’t think they could handle that I could give as good as I could take.”

  “It can be intimidating to some guys. Having a woman who can do the things they can do. Let me guess, you can change the oil in your car yourself.”

  “My car, my parents, the tractor. You name it and I can probably change the oil. Hell, most parts honestly. That’s not from being raised with boys, though. That’s all my dad. He wanted me to know how to take care of myself. Besides, living on a ranch meant taking care of things yourself. Daddy never hired anyone to come tend to his machinery.”

  “Fuck, I shouldn’t say this while you’re in my arms, but you keep getting hotter and hotter.”

  “Oh, so I don’t intimidate you?” I quip.

  “You do. For all I know, you’re about to chop my dick off or you’re about to kiss me, but fuck, that just makes you sexier.”

  “You say that now, but if you dated me, my mouth would get old real quick.”

  He pulls back so I tilt my face up to look at him.

  “I don’t know who you dated in the past, but there’s nothing wrong with your mouth. Hell, if I was in a better place mentally, I would do many things with that mouth.”

  His eyes glance to my lips. My tongue sneaks out, wetting it. I think I hear him mutter something like “fuck it,” but I can’t be sure because the beating of my heart drowns it out.

  Just when our lips are about to meet, a sudden, loud noise in the room startles us a part.

  “Fucking gross ass roommate of mine,” Xavier mutters.

  My hand flies over my mouth as I try to withhold the laughter. “Did he just fart?”

  “Yes, that fucking cockblock.”

  I press my face into his chest as I let the laughter flow. A few seconds later, I feel Xavier’s chest shake with his own amusement.

  “I think that was a sign we should go to sleep. We have class tomorrow,” he says.

  “We do,” I agree.

  He pulls me in closer before whispering in my ear. “‘Night, Adra.”

  “‘Night, Avi.”

  In the warmth of his arms, I allow myself to drift into a peaceful sleep.

  I startle awake at the slamming door.

  “Fuck, why are you always so goddamn loud, Jack?” Xavier murmurs into my hair.

  I breathe in his scent as I cuddle closer to his chest. I feel completely content as I hear the beating of his heart beneath my ear.

  His hand reaches out to run his fingers through my hair.

  “Sorry, princess. I didn’t realize you still had company. Besides, it’s like noon. You should be up by now.”

  I shoot straight up. “Noon? Fuck, I have to go. I’m going to be late to class.”

  Xavier chuckles. “Late? Try I missed all of my morning classes.”

  I wince. “Sorry.”

  He stands up, watching as I pull my shoes on and grab my bag. “It was worth it.”

  My belly warms at his words. Missing class was worth it. Does he mean because of me?

  Is it wrong that I hope it’s because of me?

  “I’ve got to go. Thanks for the video games and pizza. Talk to you later?” I smile up at him.

  He leans in, hugging me to his chest before placing a chaste kiss on the top of my head. “Text me when you get out of class.”

  “Will do. Bye, Jack.”

  “Yeah, bye Ace.”

  I smile to myself as I shut the door. Ace. Jack called me that after our fourth round. He said I was an Ace at shooting, then demanded we play teams instead. I think his ego was getting wounded by all the ass-kicking I was doing.

  Too bad for him. My brother always taught me to win. Never concede, even if it’s to stroke a man’s ego.

  A pang hits me in my chest.

  Ryan.

  God, I miss him.

  Shaking off my somber thoughts, I head to my room to quickly change. As I open the door, Rebecca accosts me.

  “Where have you been, missy? Doing the walk of shame at noon.” She tsks
her tongue.

  “I stayed over with Jack and Xavier,” I tell her as I quickly undress before dressing again.

  “Two men at a time? Damn, you’re such a hussy,” she teases.

  “Not two men at once, you dumbass. We were playing video games ‘til late, and I fell asleep.”

  She gives me a knowing smirk as I turn to face her. “So whose bed did you end up in?”

  Rolling my eyes, I give her a quick hug. “I don’t have time for this. I’m already late. See you later!”

  I rush out of the room and practically run to humanities. I offer a small smile in apology as slip into class ten minutes late. Thankfully, my professor doesn’t stop teaching as I make my way to my seat. Once there, I take a deep breath before pulling out my laptop.

  I’m taking notes furiously when my phone vibrates in my pocket. Glancing up at the professor, I take a chance to glance at it quickly.

  Avi: You made an impression on Jack. He’s been bragging to all the boys about his “Ace”.

  My heart races. I don’t know why he does this to me. Typing out a quick response, I leave my phone on my knee.

  Me: Haha. I’m surprised he’s telling anyone he got his ass kicked by a girl.

  Avi: Oh, he isn’t telling them who Ace is. He is, however, signing you up for a tournament with all the guys and betting his basket on you.

  I smile. Jack is a sweet guy. He reminds me a lot of Ryan in that way.

  Me: For Jack, I may be willing to take on a hoard of guys.

  “Miss Davis. Please pay attention.” I cringe as my teacher calls me out.

  I slip the phone into my pocket, about dying when it vibrates again. I can’t tell you what was taught the rest of class because I was so focused on what he said.

  The moment class is over, I rush out into the hall, pulling my phone out of my pocket.

  Avi: Should I be jealous of this newfound friendship with Jack?

  I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face.

  Jealous?

  Why does the thought of Xavier being jealous heat my blood?

  Me: Don’t worry, Avi, You’re still my number one boo. *Blowing kiss emoji.*

  For the first time in a long time, my chest feels light. I almost feel like the old Cassi. Leaning against the wall, I wait for his text back.