#Nerd (Hashtag #1)

by Cambria Hebert

  For once, I kind of wished Ivy wasn’t passed out and was in the back giggling like an idiot. The quiet was a little too loud.

  I had too many opportunities to replay the short conversation I’d just had with Romeo.

  He hadn’t really said anything all that unusual, but I had.

  There for a moment, I had actually been flirting.

  Chapter Ten

  Romeo

  Guys were streaking naked through campus.

  Eating challenges commenced in the eating hall.

  Girls were running around taking selfies of themselves kissing every guy they saw.

  Rush was in full swing. It was entertaining as hell.

  I was given a couple tasks throughout the week, but they were almost lame. After the bonfire and Trent’s warning, I was expecting a lot worse.

  Part of me thought it was the calm before the shit storm.

  That’s okay. I was ready.

  I was also getting kind of irked. Most the Omega pledges had their assignments of who they needed to sleep with. But not me.

  Not one word, not one name had been sent to me. I was beginning to think Zach was waiting, letting the clock run down so I had less time to close the deal with whoever he chose.

  Maybe it was his way of trying to level the playing field. But it didn’t matter. This was a game I knew how to play and I was going to win no matter how long he gave me.

  Coach put us through the ringer at practice tonight, and I was dog tired. My muscles were shredded, and I really wanted to slip into an ice bath and let the frigid cold work out some of the worst.

  But I couldn’t.

  I had to be at the library. On top of it, I was late. Rimmel said she wouldn’t wait if I ever showed up late. Part of me was glad because I wanted to go home. Dark clouds crowded the sky and the air smelled like rain as I walked into the library.

  Where the hell was the rain an hour ago when we were killing ourselves on the field?

  I loved football, it was my life, but sometimes even I wanted a break.

  As soon as I stepped through the glass doors, I looked toward the back where Rimmel always sat. She chose back there because she thought people wouldn’t see us; she thought we would blend into the books and stuffy atmosphere.

  It never worked and it was always fun watching her get flustered when people would stop by the table to shoot the shit. I don’t know why it bothered her so much. No one ever talked to her. It wasn’t like she was forced to have a conversation.

  She looked up and frowned at me as I made my way toward the table. I grinned because she was still here. Her hair was wild as always. We’d been meeting for tutoring almost two weeks now, and I still had yet to see her full face. Her glasses were perched on her nose and she looked small sitting in the wooden chair with an oversized shirt concealing her upper half.

  “You’re late,” she said when I sat down.

  I leaned across the table and spoke into her ear. “You waited.”

  She ducked her head and I pulled away. I loved getting a reaction out of her. It was so damn easy. She reached out and slid a tall Styrofoam cup with a plastic lid toward me. “I got you a coffee.”

  There was an identical cup still sitting in front of her.

  I groaned a little and reached for it. “How’d you know I needed this?”

  She gave me a sidelong glance as I sipped at the sweet brew. “I didn’t. But I thought it would be rude to bring one for me and not you.”

  “Well, thanks. Practice today was a bitch.”

  She swung her full gaze at me. It wasn’t the first time I noticed how wide her eyes were beneath her glasses. They were brown, but there was a ring of hazel around her irises. Some days the center looked more green and some days it was gold. Today they were deep green, like a freshly mowed football field.

  “You’re welcome.”

  I set aside the coffee and pulled out my laptop and powered it on. I might not feel like being here, but my grades were better and Coach wasn’t breathing down my neck every day about teetering on the edge of being suspended from the team.

  “I have this assignment due in science. It’s a one-page paper on hypothesis vs. theory. Would you mind taking a look at what I have so far?”

  The document flashed onto the screen and I tilted it toward her. Rimmel pushed up her glasses and leaned in to read. Her hair fell forward and brushed my arm, but I didn’t bother to move away.

  She smelled good.

  A combination of vanilla and apple. Usually she stuck to her side of the table like glue. This was the first time she’d leaned over into my personal space. I lounged back in the chair and kicked out my foot and sipped the coffee while she read.

  She seemed intent on the computer, so I took a minute to study her without her knowing. Her skin was pale and smooth. Her eyes were framed with thick, dark lashes and her full lips were a pale shade of pink. The urge to reach out and push back some of her hair so I could study the rest of her came over me, and my hand flexed around the cup.

  She must have felt the shift in the air because her body tensed. She glanced at me and her eyes widened when she realized just how close she was.

  I didn’t bother moving. I smiled lazily. “What do you think?”

  “A-about what?” she fumbled.

  Without thinking, I reached up and fingered a strand of her hair. It was silky soft. “The paper.”

  She jerked back like I’d tried to strike her. “It’s good. You don’t need to change it. Just finish the conclusion and it’ll be fine.”

  I wasn’t used to girls trying to get away from my touch. “Are you a lesbian?” I shot out, sitting up.

  She made a little squeaking sound and her mouth fell open. “What?”

  “Are you?” I demanded.

  “No!”

  I grunted. “Then why do you dress like that?”

  Her mouth snapped shut, then opened again. Hurt flashed into her eyes but quickly disappeared. What the fuck was I saying? What did it matter how she dressed?

  “You know what?” she said. “I’ve had enough tutoring for today.”

  “I just got here.”

  “And I’ve already had enough of you,” she snapped and packed up her things. The way she slapped them into her bag drew some stares.

  When she was done, she pushed away from the table and stalked toward a row of books and disappeared between them.

  My cell went off.

  I picked it up and looked at the message.

  SHE’S YOUR GIRL

  I really wasn’t in the mood for this cryptic shit.

  WHAT?

  A second ticked by and then I got a response.

  YOUR CHALLENGE. IT’S THE NERD

  I sucked in a breath and looked around for watchful eyes. I didn’t see anyone. Zach sure knew how to pick them. And at the perfect moment too. It’s like he knew she was a complete disaster and she was pissed at me.

  She was the only girl on campus who didn’t seem to be affected by my charm. And I’d just insulted her.

  Shit.

  I wouldn’t give Zach the satisfaction of my defeat. I pulled out my phone and texted back.

  GAME ON.

  Chapter Eleven

  Rimmel

  My phone beeped with yet another notification from the #BuzzBoss. I winced and put the ringer to vibrate. Didn’t that guy have anything better to do than send out texts every five minutes?

  Still, I looked to see what he posted. I regretted it immediately. Of course it had to be about Romeo. I sank back against a row of books and took a deep breath. Usually people didn’t get to me. Usually I never gave them much thought.

  But not with him.

  Romeo got to me.

  It didn’t matter that I pushed him away, that I kept my distance. He was just a student I was tutoring. That’s all.

  But he wasn’t.

  Sometimes… sometimes just sitting beside him made my stomach do funny little flips. Sometimes when I caught the curve of hi
s lopsided smile, I wanted to smile back. When I walked to class in the mornings, my eyes sometimes looked for him. At night when I lay in bed, I thought about the night of the bonfire and the way he gently stroked my sore wrist.

  I didn’t want it. I didn’t want any of it.

  But it’s like I couldn’t stop the softening of my insides. It was like driving way too fast and knowing you were going to crash, but your foot stayed on the gas.

  I brought him coffee.

  He insulted me.

  I leaned my head against a shelf and looked up at the ugly lights on the ceiling. Guys like him were dangerous. I knew it firsthand. They took what they wanted, wrecked your insides, and walked away while you stood in the center of chaos without anyone to pull you back.

  This was why I preferred animals. Since I ended tutoring early, I still had some time. Seeing Murphy was exactly what I needed right now. His unconditional love could heal anything, including a stupid insult from Romeo.

  When I got to the end of the row I peeked out toward the table to see if he was still there. He wasn’t, and I let out a breath. A loud roar of thunder shook the building, and I grimaced. Of course it would be raining right now. I’d left my umbrella and my scooter at the dorm and walked here.

  I debated just running back to my room and staying there, but the urge to see Murphy was pulling at me. I decided to just go grab my umbrella and a raincoat, then walk the few blocks to the shelter. Riding on a scooter was kind of pointless in the rain.

  Through the glass doors I could see the rain spattering against the sidewalk, and I prepared myself for the cold drops as I stepped outside. Romeo was parked at the curb, in a no-parking zone, leaning up against a lime-green car.

  He had a baseball hat pulled low over his face and his arms were crossed over his chest.

  Why in the world was he standing out here in the rain?

  “Come on,” he called to me and motioned at his car.

  I glanced behind me to see if he was talking to someone else.

  His chuckle floated through the rain. “Yes. You. Come on.”

  He wanted to give me a ride? “No thanks!” I called out.

  He moved fast. Of course that wasn’t a surprise. But the way he sank low and wrapped his arms around me was. I shrieked as he lifted me off the ground and carried me over to his car. When I was on my feet again, he opened up the passenger side and looked at me from beneath the rim of his hat. “You aren’t walking home in the rain.”

  His glare was steady, and since I was getting wetter by the minute, I gave up and slid into the warm leather seat. I settled my bag between my feet as he dashed around the front of the car and got in. The seats were bucket style, so I could barely see over the dashboard, but he fit behind the wheel just fine.

  He tossed the hat into the backseat and ran a hand through his hair. “What dorm you in?”

  “Why are you doing this?” I asked.

  He glanced at me. “Because I was an ass.”

  I fidgeted with the hem of my too-long lesbian-like sweater. “You totally are an ass.”

  “Look. I’m sorry. I’ve had a long day and I’m tired.”

  “I wasn’t going back to my dorm,” I replied, not sure what to make of his apology. I felt myself softening again.

  “Where to?” he said and started the engine.

  “The animal shelter on Barnes Street?” I asked.

  He nodded and pulled away from the curb. I stared out the window as we passed through the campus. The heavy rain was bringing down some of the gold and burnished leaves from the trees that lined the streets. They littered the ground like sprinkles on an ice cream sundae.

  A bit of fog was rolling in and the day was turning dark. I shivered a little as my wet shirt pressed against me. A warm blast of air brushed over me, and I glanced down to see Romeo adjusting the vents so I would have most of the heat.

  I didn’t say anything because it wouldn’t make up for his butthead ways earlier.

  “So why are you going to the shelter?” he asked.

  “I volunteer there several days a week.”

  “You go every night after tutoring?” he questioned.

  “No, but since we quit early, I have time tonight.”

  There was a beat of silence as we turned out onto the main road away from campus. “You like animals, huh?”

  I leaned my temple against the glass of the window. It was cold. “I love them.”

  “You said you had a scholarship. Is this what it’s for?”

  Wasn’t he full of questions? “Yes, I’m studying to be a vet.”

  A few moments later, the car slid up to the curb in front of the shelter. I could see the lights were still on, and I smiled. “Thanks for the ride.”

  My hand paused over the handle when he shut off the engine. “What are you doing?” I asked warily.

  “I’ll walk you in.”

  “That’s really not necessary,” I rushed out. I didn’t want him here. This was my place. My sanctuary.

  He popped open his door, and I hurried to say, “But you’ll get wet.”

  His arm disappeared into the backseat and came back with his hat. “I’m already wet.” His smile was rueful.

  I had no choice but to get out and hurry toward the door. Romeo was already there, and he held it open as I rushed past him inside.

  Michelle was at the front desk and she looked up in surprise. “Rimmel! I didn’t expect you tonight.” Then her gaze went to Romeo as he came in behind me. Her eyes widened and she glanced at me with a question in her eyes.

  “I had a little extra time tonight and thought I’d stop in to see if there was anything I could help with.” I prayed she told me to clean up poop or something that would scare Romeo away.

  “Everything’s been done. We’re closing up in an hour.”

  “Oh,” I said, feeling dejected. “Well, I’ll just go say hi to Murphy.”

  Michelle smiled. “I’ll be back in the office, filing paperwork.” Then she glanced at Romeo again.

  He stepped around me and held out his hand. “I’m Roman. I go to school with Rimmel.”

  Michelle shook his hand and smiled. “So nice to finally meet a friend of Rimmel’s!”

  I wanted to groan out loud. Instead, I walked back toward the room where the cats were kept. Everything was tidy like Michelle said and there really wasn’t anything that needed done. I spoke hello to a few of the cats who looked up at me as I wandered toward the corner where Murphy was.

  When I sank down on the floor in front of his cage, he looked up and saw it was me. It made me feel warm inside when he got up and walked to the door. When the door swung open, he stepped out into my lap.

  I laughed. “Hey there, Murphy.” I stroked his velvety fur and he began to purr. “I missed you today,” I told him as he pushed his nose against my hand.

  I felt rather than saw someone hovering behind me, and Murphy looked up over my shoulder. I leaned back and glanced up. Romeo was hovering in the doorway, watching me with unreadable eyes.

  I sighed. “Wanna meet Murphy?”

  He came into the room and Murphy darted back into his shelter. Romeo’s footsteps faltered, and I waved him forward. “It’s okay. You’re just new.”

  Many of the other cats got up and went to the doors, looking at him with interest, but not Murphy. Murphy was too used to being ignored and sometimes sneered at. It made me feel sad for him, but part of me also identified.

  I leaned back into the opening and held out my hand for him. He rubbed his nose against it, but I didn’t move to grab him. That would only scare him more.

  “Sit,” I told Romeo.

  He looked around like he wasn’t sure what to do, and I giggled. He smiled and then sank down behind me on the tile.

  “You like it here, huh?”

  “It’s my favorite place,” I replied honestly. I didn’t feel as guarded, like a door to my insides opened up when I was here and I felt it was okay to let him see just a little.

&
nbsp; Murphy crept a little closer to the door, but I didn’t let on that I knew. Instead, I started scratching behind his ear.

  “That cat sounds like a lawn mower,” Romeo quipped.

  I laughed again. “Yeah, he kind of does.”

  My hair was wet and felt heavy against my back, making my shirt wetter than it already was. I pulled back my hand and lifted the heavy mass up and away from my shoulders and face using a hair tie around my wrist to secure it into a messy bun at the top of my head.

  The air brushed against my neck and I shivered.

  “Your shirt is soaked,” Romeo said.

  I shrugged and leaned back to pet Murphy some more.

  “Rimmel,” he said softly. Whatever I heard in his voice caused something in me to stir. I turned toward him, my body answering the call in his tone.

  He didn’t say anything. He just looked at me. His eyes roamed my face like he’d never seen it before. I felt the blush creep up from the bottom of my neck and work its way up until my cheeks felt warm.

  “What?” I said, my voice coming out more as a whisper.

  “Nothing. I just wanted to look at you without your hair in the way.” He continued to stare, unapologetic. When I couldn’t take any more, I ducked my head, causing a strand of hair to fall loose against my cheek.

  Romeo leaned forward and lifted my chin with his fingers. My eyes connected with his and this… this current went through the room. His fingers slid from beneath my chin and tucked the hair behind my ear. “You’re beautiful,” he said, a hint of surprise in his tone.

  A rush of warmth filled my chest, but then reality came crashing back and I snorted. “Are you trying to get me to do your work again?”

  He winced and his hand fell back to his lap. “I mean it.”

  I was saved from having to reply when Murphy crawled back into my lap. I smiled and stroked down his back and turned to face Romeo. “This is Murphy.” The affection was clear in my voice.

  “Is he yours?” Romeo asked, holding out his hand to the cat. Murphy smelled him tentatively.

  “He would be if I didn’t live in a dorm.”

  Romeo moved slowly, sliding his hand back to rub the cat behind his ears. The loud purring started up again. “So are all these cats homeless?”