by Paula Mabbel
“Well that’s tough luck,” Cassie shrugged. “This is my room too.”
Lucy walked a little further into the room. Her false nails were digging into the curves of her waist, as she glared at Cassie. “Look, I get that you think you can do whatever you want, but you can’t. This isn’t your school. It’s mine. Don’t make me make your life harder than it already has to be,” Lucy threatened.
“Whatever,” Cassie said standing up. “I’ve got stuff to do anyway.”
“Good,” Lucy looked triumphant. “Don’t bother coming back tonight. Your bed is probably going to be in use.”
Cassie didn’t bother saying anything. She just walked out of the room without giving Lucy a second look. What did Lucy really expect of her? Where could she possibly go that would have her out all night? She was obviously going to have to go back to her room at some point.
The sun instantly lapped at her skin, when she walked out in the gardens. She pulled out the campus map from her jeans pocket and examined it. If she was going to be forced out of her room, then she might as well be productive, she thought, as she worked out the quickest route to the football stadium.
She figured that would be a good place to start. She wasn’t even sure who the captain of the football team was. Even if he wasn’t on the field, there would be someone she could ask, when she got there. She put the map away and cut across the gardens in front of her. The stadium was close to the boy’s dorm room, which was on the other side of campus.
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Chapter 4
Liam
Liam sighed with relief when the coach blew the whistle to end practice. It was far too hot. The sun was directly over in them in the sky and Liam could feel his face burning under its intense glare. He jogged over the field to the changing room. The other guys had already gone in and he was the only one left on the field. “Excuse me?” he heard a timid voice call out from the bleachers.
He stopped jogging and held his hand above his eyes, so that the sun couldn’t block his view. He didn’t recognize the voice and he didn’t recognize her face. He walked over to her, using the time to take her in. She was gorgeous. Her hair a peachy kind of ginger that matched up to the soft freckles that ran across the bridge of her nose and scattered out across her cheeks like stars.
She smiled, when he stopped in front of her, forcing him to take in her cherry red lips. “Hi, are you Liam?” she asked, when he’d blocked the sun from her face.
“Yeah,” he nodded. “You’re the new girl right?”
She nodded. “So, you’ve heard about me then?” she sighed. She looked tired, even though her bright green eyes were full of life.
“I heard that there was a new girl on campus,” he shrugged. “What’s up?”
“Look, I know that I’ve stepped on a few toes or whatever,” she started and Liam knew instantly that she was taking about Lucy and the room she’d been forced to share. “But, I’ve got this assignment for the school paper to interview you, so it would be really great if maybe, I could ask you a few questions?”
She brushed a strand of her long hair back from her face and tucked it neatly behind her ear. Liam’s eyes started to slip to hemline of her top, which was marking the line of her cleavage. “Sure,” he told her, before he’d really thought of the ramifications. “Do you want to meet me a bit later? I’ve got to go shower and stuff now.”
“Oh,” she looked surprised. “Sure.”
“Cool, look there’s this little bar about five miles south of here. Meet me there at seven and we’ll talk,” he smiled in the hope that she might smile again too. She did.
“Okay, that’s great, thanks,” she looked relieved. “That was easier than I thought it would be,” she admitted standing up.
“You thought that getting an interview from me would be hard?” he asked curiously. What had made her think that? Was it because she thought he was hot? Was she one of those quiet girls who didn’t realize how hot she was too? Had that thought just made her even hotter?
She sighed. “I’ve been here two days and it feels like Lucy had turned half of the campus against me,” her eyes glazed over his shoulder and over the field behind him.
“Oh,” he said, as the ramifications started to sink in. “Yeah, Lucy; don’t worry about her,” he brushed off Cassie with a shrug. What was Lucy going to do to him when she found out? It wasn’t like she was going to take this lightly. He was helping the enemy. He was helping the girl that his girlfriend detested. He was playing with fire, but he couldn’t bring himself to put out the flame. Cassie was the only girl on campus that wasn’t controlled by Lucy. She was new to the school, she was still innocent, and he wanted to get to know her, before she turned into another clone.
The conversation with Cassie had set him behind everyone else. By the time he’d finished showering and getting changed, everyone else had left. He wasn’t too bothered though. He was happy to walk back through campus on his own. “Liam,” Lucy called from the same bleacher that Cassie had been sitting on before he’d gone into the changing room.
His heart started to hammer against his chest. Did she know what he’d done? Had she somehow managed to find out already? Was that why she’d picked the same spot to sit in? Was she checking him for him reaction? “What’s up?” he managed to get out through the sudden panic she’d managed to induce in him.
“I’m having a room party tonight,” she stood up. “I want you to come.”
“Oh right,” relief fell over his body. “You’re having a room party?”
“Yeah,” she reached out for his hand. “I’ve kicked out the new girl for the night, so it’ll just be us and a few of my friends.”
“You’ve kicked out the new girl?” Liam asked in surprise. “Where is she going to stay?”
Lucy shrugged. “Like that’s my problem.”
“Right,” Liam tried to hide the distain from his tone. “Well, I can’t come over tonight. Some of the guys from the dorm are going off campus for the night, so I thought I’d tag along with them.”
“Oh,” she looked disappointed. “You could always come over when you’re back?”
“Yeah,” he nodded. “Maybe,” he added, so she knew it wasn’t a promise. He had no real intention to go over to her party. It would just be her and a bunch of girls talking crap about guys all night. It wasn’t exactly something he was missing out on.
“Cool,” he pulled her hand away, when they’d got to the girl’s dorm building. “Well, I guess I’ll see you later,” she pushed herself up onto her toes, so that she could kiss the side of his cheek.
“Yeah, maybe,” he said again turning, so that he could head back over his dorm. He wasn’t due to meet Cassie for another couple of hours. The more he thought about it. The more he realized that Lucy’s party was happening at the perfect time. She’d have all of her nearest and dearest with her, so there was a reduced chance of been spotted at the bar with Cassie.
He waited until he was sure that he’d arrive at least five minutes late and set off.
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Chapter 5
Cassie
Where was he? Was she at the right bar? Cassie turned and looked at the door to the bar. She was willing it to open. She was willing Liam to walk through it. She cursed at herself for not taking down his number. If she had, then she’d be able to call him, find out why he was late. What if he wasn’t coming? What if he’d set her up for a laugh? Cassie found herself on her feet. If this was a joke, then why she was still waiting there? She wasn’t going to be made an idiot out of all night.
The bar door opened. “I’m so sorry I’m late,” Liam apologized smoothly walking over to Cassie.
“Oh, it’s okay,” she downplayed the fact that she’d been about to leave. “I’ve just got here myself,” she lied outright.
“Do you want me to get you a drink?”
“Sure,” Cassie nodded. “I’ll just have a beer.”
“A girl after my own heart,” Liam joked, before
he turned to the bar and called for the bartender’s attention.
Cassie watched him curiously. There was something about him, and she wasn’t quite sure what it was, that took ownership of wherever he was. He had confidence. He had good looks. He had good manners. He was the poster-boy for what a captain of a football team should be like. He got the two beers from the bartender and passed one over.
“How are you enjoying St. Bernard’s?” he asked, when they’d sat down at a table. “It must be hard transferring over for senior year?”
“It’s alright,” Cassie shrugged. “I’m looking forward to the classes starting. At the moment I just feel in the way.”
“Living with Lucy that bad huh?” he asked tipping his bottle to his lips.
“It’s not great.”
Liam gave her a knowing kind of look. “She’s not the easiest girl in the world to be around. I’m not sure she knows that everybody else on the planet wasn’t put here with the sole purpose of serving her.”
Cassie laughed. “I know right,” she agreed lifting her own bottle to her lips. “It’s like she’s got the whole school under her thumb.”
“That’s exactly how it is,” Liam nodded seriously. “You’ve just transferred here, but I’ve been dealing with that for four years.”
“So, you know Lucy well then?” Cassie asked him curiously.
“Sure, I’ve seen her around.”
“Are you friends or something?” Cassie asked him, because he seemed to be keeping something from her. She wasn’t sure what it could be or why he’d feel the need to hide anything from her, it wasn’t like her opinion of him mattered.
“No, I wouldn’t say that,” Liam laughed. “Anyway, have you got some questions for me?”
“Sure,” Cassie sighed. “Listen, I’m going to be straight with you,” she met his chocolate brown eyes. He held her gaze longer than she thought he would. There was an awkward hide of silence at the table. “I’m not really into sports,” she tore her eyes away from his. “So, I’m not really going to ask you a tonne of football questions. Is that cool?”
He nodded. “Why are you doing sports coverage if you’re not into sports?” he asked her curiously.
“I think that Lucy got to the editor on the paper,” Cassie told him seriously. “I went in there today and she seemed to really hate me. It’s not even like the room thing is my fault. If the school had given me somewhere else to stay then I would have gone,” she vented.
“Hey, hey, hey,” Liam cut into her words calmingly. “Don’t let her get to you. If she knows that you’re cracking she’ll only push harder.”
“Sorry,” Cassie felt stupid. It wasn’t like Liam even cared about her problems. He was the captain of the football team. He lived in an entirely different world to her. “So, what first got you into football?” she asked him, so the personal part of their conversation could end, at least for her.
“Oh, straight in with the deep questions,” Liam smiled at her. “I guess it was my dad. He works away a lot and I never really got to see him much. But, when he came home, he’d always make time to throw a ball around with me in the back.”
“That must have been hard?”
“Is that a question for the paper?” Liam peered curiously at the small reporters’ notepad, she was clutching close to her.
“No,” Cassie shook her head. She felt stupid again. She’d veered from her list of preapproved questions. It wasn’t the reader’s curiosity that was fueling her, but her own. “Sorry, that was just me.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Liam had another drink. “I guess it was hard,” his shoulder lifted slightly and then fell quickly. “He’s busy though, you know? I wouldn’t have half of what I have without him. So, I can’t really complain too much.”
Cassie nodded. She had no idea what it would be like growing up with an absent parent. Her dad had always been home each evening after work. It wasn’t until the year before that he’d really seen his creation take off. Cassie had noticed that he’d had to travel more, but it hadn’t bothered her too much. She was already grown up. It was different. “So, how did it feel carrying your team to the championship?”
“I didn’t carry the team,” Liam told her quickly with a look of surprise. “All the players on my team are good. They all have skills and it’s those skills that get them out onto the field. It was great scoring the winning touchdown though. When the crowd erupts and whistle blows,” he leaned back from the table with a happy look on his face. “There isn’t really anything that compares to it.”
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Chapter 6
Liam
He wanted to lean over and read what she was writing. His eyes kept getting pulled down to her busy hand that was sweeping across her notepad. What was she writing? There was defiantly more going onto the page than what he was saying. Her eyes jumped up from the page and met his. God, she was so fucking beautiful. The dim lighting in the bar diminished nothing. Her pale skin was flawless. Her dark eyelashes framed her eyes in a mysterious way that reminded him of when girls wore liquid eyeliner. “So,” she held her pen poised, ready to take down every little detail. “What are your plans after you finish St. Bernard’s?”
“I’m going to go on to college. Hopefully I’ll be playing football.”
“Is that it?” Cassie asked him with a surprised look.
What did she mean by, is that it? What else did he need? He shrugged. “What else do I need?”
“What if football doesn’t work out? What are you going to do then? Don’t you have any, you know-real plans?”
Liam was surprised with how blunt she was being. He laughed. “Real plans?” he leant forward, so he was entering her half of the table. “You’ve clearly never watched me play.” What was he doing? Was he flirting with her? He watched her startled reaction over his sudden proximity.
“I’m sure you’re great,” she said, flustered. “But, it’s not a certainty. I mean what if you break a leg or get cursed with bad luck or something?”
“Cursed with bad luck?” Liam’s eyebrow arched. “Who is going to curse me? I’m the campus hero,” he flexed his arms out jokingly. Cassie didn’t look very amused. She looked concerned. Liam wasn’t sure what to say to her. He’d never really had anyone question his future before. He’d never really even questioned it himself.
“I guess you’re just going to have to make sure you don’t drop your basket,” she shrugged.
“What basket?”
“You know the one you’ve put all your eggs in?” Her eyes met his. She had a strong look of disapproval brimming in them, which made Liam feel uncomfortable. Who was this girl to judge him? Who was she to disapprove over his future?
“Do you have many more questions?” he asked sharply. His beer was nearly finished. He didn’t want to sit around all night being made to feel bad about his choices. If he wanted to spend the night bored, then he could go to Lucy’s party.
“No, not really,” Cassie shook her head softly. “I didn’t mean to offend you or anything,” she told him, reading his body language.
“Don’t worry about it,” he brushed off her apology. It didn’t matter what she thought. He knew what he was doing. He was the star player. He was captain of the football team. He was going to play football in college. He was going to get spotted. He would leave college with an offer from a decent team. That was the plan. He didn’t need another one. If he planned for failure, then that was admitting that failure was a possibility. “So, I heard you got kicked out of your room tonight?” he said, changing the subject.
“Apparently so,” Cassie finished off the bottle in front of her. “I’ve been told not to go back until morning.”
“So, what are you going to do?” he asked her. There wasn’t a hotel or a bed and breakfast around for at least twenty miles. She’d already had a beer and she wasn’t exactly a big girl. Was she really going to drive through the night for somewhere to stop?
She shrugged. “I don’t know. The b
ar doesn’t shut until pretty late though, so I’ll probably just stay in here until they kick me out.”
“Do you want me to get you another drink then?” Liam asked, before he could stop himself. Two seconds ago he’d wanted to leave, but now the conversation was back on lighter topics, that urge had gone.
“Um, yeah, if you don’t mind,” Cassie nodded. Liam watched, as she tucked her notepad back into the back pocket of her jeans. It was his excuse to look at her ass. It was a great ass. It curved at just the right angle. The thought of her bent over in front of him entered his mind. Did she have a dip where her spine was? Would he be able to run his fingertips across it?
“I’ll just go to the bar then,” he mumbled turning, so that she wouldn’t be able to read his thoughts. What was he even thinking? If Lucy found out she’d kill him. Crap. He needed to calm down. How was Lucy ever going to find out? It had only happened in his head. He wasn’t actually guilty of anything. He managed to get his breathing back down to a normal rate, before he reached the bar.
Cassie was looking down at her phone, when he walked back over. She looked sucked into whatever she was reading and he wondered for the first time, whether she had a boyfriend. He put the bottles down on the table and she jumped. “Sorry,” he said sitting down. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it,” she shoved her phone back in her pocket.
“Was that something important?” Liam couldn’t keep his curiosity at bay.
“No, not really,” she shrugged.
Liam tried to get the answers he wanted from her expression. He cursed himself for asking the wrong question. It wasn’t whether the text was important that he was wondering about, it was whether it was from somebody important. Her expression made it impossible to tell. She was back in the room, fully invested in what was happening around her.
“I guess there must be people missing you back home, huh?” he asked. He didn’t want to ask her outright. He didn’t want to make it obvious that he wanted to know about her relationship status. He couldn’t have asked her outright anyway, Lucy would have him killed.
