Chapter One
“Luke!” Ella called out. Lucas, who was leaning on the pillar as he watched Adam and the rest of the team play, turned around at the sound. Ella was jogging towards him. He felt himself cheer up against his will as he watched her approach. “Luke!” she said again before throwing her arms around him. Lucas laughed at her enthusiasm as she hugged him tightly. Her soft blonde hair brushed against his cheeks, and he noticed that they smelled of rosewater. His arms wrapped around her waist.
“Whoa, missed me?” he asked her.
“Was positively lost,” Ella said as she released him. As she stepped back, he finally got a good look at her.
Ella Scott had straight, blonde hair that fell to her waist. She had a pretty face with brown eyes and a golden nose ring which went nicely with her facial structure. She was almost as tall as Lucas. She had pulled back her hair with a black hairband which matched with her black outfit. Ella wore black a lot; in fact, sometimes it seemed as if her whole closet consisted of black items and nothing else.
“I haven’t seen you in two months. You need to tell me all about Italy,” Ella said.
“Eh, there isn’t much to tell.”
“Oh come on!” Ella’s eyes were twinkling. “I’m sure there are a few stories. I’ve heard Italian women are very pretty.” She raised her eyebrows meaningfully.
Lucas laughed.
“I saw you earlier,” he said, changing the topic.
“You saw me, and you didn’t come up to meet me? Even though we haven’t met in two months?” Ella feigned anger. “Is this what our friendship has been reduced to?”
“You were with Prince Charming,” Lucas replied. Prince Charming was the name he had come up with for Patrick out of bitterness at first, but now it had become somewhat of a private joke between the two. Patrick was the old fashioned, gentlemanly type who was literally the Prince Charming of any girl he dated.
Ella rolled her eyes. “Prince Charming dropped a bomb on me today.”
“How amusing. What was it?”
“He said he loved me.”
Lucas’s heart skipped a beat, but he tried to tell himself he doesn’t care anymore. “Good for him,” he replied, without a hint of anything he felt.
“I didn’t say it back, though,” Ella continued. “I couldn’t say it back.”
“What did you say, then?”
“I told him I can’t say it back.”
Lucas smiled inwardly at that. It was such an Ella thing to do. Some girls would feel pressurized to say it back and end up lying. Others would not respond. Ella would answer and tell him she can’t say it back. Lucas also felt a vicious happiness at that. Ella didn’t love him. That should mean something good for Lucas.
Lucas Sawyer and Ella Scott had been friends since high school. It didn’t start off too smoothly which was partly because of Lucas’s extreme arrogance and his belief in his undeniable charm. Lucas Sawyer was as popular as any teenage boy can hope to be. He was every girl’s dream; basketball player, poet and the son of a big business tycoon. Lucas relished in the attention and admiration he received. So naturally, Lucas felt as if he was going to get any girl he set his mind on. In his haughty teenager phase, Lucas had asked Ella out multiple times. Normally, her harsh replies always amused him since he was convinced that no girl would want to deny Lucas Sawyer and that she was only playing hard to get. It became more of a game to Lucas: How to get Ella Scott to say yes to him. He was obsessed with playing this game. It was only later that he realized somewhere along all the games, the intense but interesting arguments with her and the rare, calmer moments when they weren’t arguing, he had fallen for Ella. He didn’t tell her, though. Once he stopped asking her out at every opportunity he had and deflated his ego a little, which happened in the summer after high school, Ella and Lucas developed a close friendship. As fate would have it, they even ended up at the same college.
Adam jogged to where Ella and Lucas were continuing their playful banter.
“Ella Scott,” he greeted.
“Adam,” Ella sang giving him a one armed hug. “Why haven’t I seen you all summer?”
“I can ask you the same question.”
Adam looked around at the stands which had a few onlookers watching. Most of them were girls whose only interest in the game was Adam. He seemed to be enjoying that greatly. Adam Murdoch was handsome, to say the least. He was like the hero of several clichéd romance movies. Careless, trouble maker and mysterious, Adam Murdoch was the most popular one from the two friends. He had probably kissed every girl he had ever known at some point in his life, and his idea of female friendships was physical more than anything else. His dark hair fell into his eyes, and his tall frame had just the right amount of muscles and build.
Ella left the boys on the basketball court as she headed back to her apartment but was met with Mary at the exit.
“I’ve been looking for you,” Mary told her. “Should have guessed you were with Lucas.”
“Came to say hi.”
“Lucas had grown even more handsome after the summer.”
“You’re not allowed to sleep with Lucas, Mary,” Ella said sternly. “He’s one of my best friends, and that would just ruin everything.”
Mary rolled her eyes. “If I had a ‘best friend’ half as good looking as Lucas, I would be sleeping with him right now.”
Ella shook her head.
Mary Shields was the duller of the two when it came to intellect. As far as looks were concerned, Mary Shields was superior to Ella by far. She was petite, curvy and had lush black hair which fell to her shoulders. In some manners, she was like Adam; they both enjoyed the attention of the opposite gender and in fact, relished in that attention. The girls were as different as could be but they had been best friends since middle school. While Ella’s interest lay in arts and books, Mary was into dramatics, and that was what she was majoring in at college. Ella was the one unofficially in charge of keeping Mary in line.
“I’m getting tired of Stebbins, El,” Mary complained. “Tell me how to get rid of him.”
“The same way you got rid of the previous hundred men,” Ella suggested.
“It’s different with Stebbins. He’s actually nice. The rest of them were all jerks.”
“Well, just tell him you’re not interested anymore.”
Ella had spent more afternoons than she would like to admit drawing up strategies with Mary on how best to ditch the latest of Mary’s experiments.
“Maybe Adam can help you out,” Ella said sarcastically.
“That’s not a bad idea, actually,” Mary mused.
“Two idiots getting together to figure out how to get rid of people you invited into your beds willingly. How adorable.”
Mary rolled her eyes.
Chapter Two
Lucas was trying to focus on the books in front of him, but the fruitlessness of his attempts was frustrating him to the point of slamming his book shut at any minute. Giving in to the instincts, he did exactly just that before heading out of the library for a smoke. Despite being a writing major, Lucas had lost track of all the times he completely went blank when he had to write an important story for one of his classes.
Walking down the corridor, Lucas thought he heard some commotion at the end. Since he was never one to mind his own business, he went to investigate.
“Stebbins, I told you no…” The voice grew more and more familiar as Lucas approached closer. He recognized it as Mary Shields’ voice though he had never interacted with her much except for when she was with Ella.
“You don’t always get to call the shots,” a male voice, rougher than Mary’s, answered back.
“Stebbins, I’m done with this.”
Lucas peered over the door into the small classroom at the end of the corridor. Mary was leaning against the white board while Stebbins stood in front of her.
“Who the fuck do you think you are?” Stebbins took a step towards her. “You whore.”
Ma
ry blinked. Straightening up, she made to walk away, but Stebbins grabbed her roughly and pushed her back against the door.
“You’ve practically slept with the whole university, but I still gave you a chance. And this is how you repay me,” Stebbins was standing dangerously close to her now. Mary looked back at him, her expression completely blank.
“Let go of my arm, Stebbins,” she said calmly.
Stebbins’ grip on her arm may have tightened because of the cry Mary let out before Stebbins crashed his lips onto hers. Mary struggled, but it was useless; Stebbins was much larger and stronger than her. His hand painfully pulled her hair back.
Lucas had seen enough. He opened the door noisily to announce his presence. Stebbins didn’t seem to realize someone had entered and Mary was too busy struggling with him. Lucas reached them and roughly pulled Stebbins off her. Losing his balance, Stebbins almost fell as he staggered backward, glaring at the intruder.
“What the fuck?” His face had turned red with anger as he stared at Lucas.
“It’s not nice to force yourself upon a lady.” Lucas’s voice was so deadly that Stebbins seemed to recoil for a minute before regaining his composure.
“I wasn’t forcing myself upon the whore. And even if I was, it’s none of your business.” Stebbins took a step towards Mary again.
“Don’t use that word again,” Lucas said lazily as he stepped in front of Mary. She seemed too shocked to be able to say anything, and she was staring at Stebbins as if seeing him for the first time. Stebbins weighed his options. Lucas was much taller and much bigger than him. It would be best not to pick a fight with him. Shaking his head and cursing under his breath, Stebbins walked out of the room, banging the door shut.
Lucas turned to Mary who seemed like she was in a trance.
“Are you alright?”
“He… he—” Words seemed to fail her as she touched the hair where he had pulled. “How dare he?” she finally finished. “I dated him despite everything. I’m Mary Shields. I can have anyone but I- I chose him? And he had the audacity to-” She seemed to be talking more to herself at this point. Lucas looked worried. “Do you want me to call Ella?” he offered.
“No,” Mary said. She shook her head as if clearing her head of a mist. “No, no, no. Let me digest this first.”
Suddenly, tears sprang to her eyes and she began to sob. Lucas moved closer awkwardly and patted her on the shoulder.
“How did you even end up dating an asshole like Stebbins?” Lucas asked in an attempt to distract her.
Mary wiped away the last of her tears and smiled weakly.
“Um,” Lucas tried to think of something to say. “Let me buy you coffee. And then you can tell me how things even got this far.”
Mary seemed visibly cheered at that. “Alright,” she agreed.
Minutes later, they were seated in a cozy, street side café with large cups of hot chocolate in front of them.
“It’s strange how we’ve never actually had a real conversation,” Mary was saying. “I mean you’ve been friends with Ella for years and I’m her best friend. I should know you.”
“If you aren’t busy trying to get rid of admirers, maybe we could have met properly.”
“I can say the same for you,” Mary replied humorously.
“That’s not true. I never chase off admirers. I welcome them.”
“Well, it’s easier when you’re a guy. For girls, it’s different. Especially when creepy men start admiring us.”
“I know.”
“You do?”
“Absolutely.”
“How?”
“Don’t hurt me, Mary,” Lucas said, traumatized. “Are you suggesting creepy men have never admired me?”
Mary giggled.
“I need to hear this story.”
“Oh, you will. Later.”
There was silence before Lucas spoke up again.
“So what’s the deal with Stebbins?”
Mary sighed. “No deal. I was with him for a couple of weeks. Got tired of it so I told him I can’t see him again. You saw the rest.”
“What an asshole.”
“I had no idea.”
“Why did you get sick of him?”
“I get sick of every guy eventually. I’m not one to settle.”
“I see.”
“You probably think I’m an awful slut like most people do.”
“You’re not a slut.”
“Oh, I am. I’ve slept with a lot of people. I’m the definition of a slut. I just don’t care much for it. If I were a guy, no one would care. It makes me so angry to the point of not caring what people think anymore.”
“You’re not a slut. And I would disagree with anyone who thinks guys get away with it. Adam would be a better definition of a slag.”
Mary laughed. He smiled back. He had a rather nice smile, she noted.
“Thank you, Lucas. For what you did today. It means a lot.”
“Just did the right thing to do,” Lucas shrugged.
“And,” Mary continued. “You and I need to stay in touch. I want to hear about all the creepy men who admired you.”
“Of course,” Lucas winked at her before he pushed back his chair. “I’ll drop you off at home.”
“I can walk,” Mary suggested.
Lucas rolled his eyes. “I’ll drop you. Don’t want Stebbins lurking around somewhere waiting for an opportunity.”
Mary looked scared at that possibility.
“I’m kidding,” Lucas backtracked. “Don’t worry.”
Mary slid an arm through his before smiling up at him. “Shall we go then?”
Chapter Three
“Ella Scott, you are a life saver,” Adam said.
“Never doing that again, Adam.”
“Yes, you are,” Adam grinned at her. “You’re practically Lucas now.”
Ella laughed. They were seated in the cozy living room of Ella, Mary and Donna’s shared apartment. It had been set up extravagantly by Mary’s father who was always showering the three girls with presents and money. The living room consisted of several plump cushions, fluffy carpets, and exotic rugs. A flat screen TV stood towards one corner.
Ella had just gotten Adam out of an unwanted date by pretending to bring him the terrible news of a nonexistent friend, Dean being ill and needing his help. It had worked spectacularly, and the two had headed for her apartment so as to not be seen until the duration that Adam is supposed to be with this Dean character.
“Why do you get yourself into dates that you know you’re going to regret later? You and Mary both.”
Adam shrugged. “I didn’t know it’s going to be this torturous. I thought we’ll have a nice make-out session and that’ll be it. She wanted to talk about feelings, though.”
Ella shook her head. “Wouldn’t want that, would we?”
“Nope.”
“You and Mary should date,” Ella jokes.
“Hmm, that’s a good suggestion,” Adam mused.
“Idiot,” Ella said, shaking her head.
“What about you, Scott? How’s the boyfriend?”
“Unexciting,” Ella replied before she realized what she said.
“Then why are you with him?”
“You misunderstood.”
“I understood that he’s unexciting.”
“He’s very sweet too. And caring. And a complete gentleman.”
“Yet unexciting.”
Ella rolled her eyes. “Let it go, Adam.”
“Alright,” Adam said, holding up his hands to show defeat. “But if you ever want something a touch more exciting-”
“Adam,” Ella warned.
“What? You didn’t even let complete before your mind jumped to conclusions.”
“Okay, complete.”
“If you ever want something a touch more exciting, I could set you up. There. I wasn’t suggesting anything else. I know I’m extremely irresistible and exciting, but I would never suggest you and me be anything mor
e than what we are. Lucas would kill me.”
“What’s Lucas got to do with this?”
Adam hesitated for a moment and then said, “You’re his best friend. After me, of course.”
“Of course.”
Adam grinned enigmatically. “Well, let’s just leave it there.”
“Who would you set me up with, then?”
Adam only grinned. “Thinking of breaking up with our Prince Charming, are you?”
“No!”
“I won’t judge, Scott.”
“I’m not.”
“Alright, alright. Let me make you some coffee as a thank you for saving me from a terrible date. She wasn’t even a good kisser…” Adam’s voice trailed away as he walked into the kitchen. Ella leaned back on the sofa. Patrick had been her boyfriend for the past month, and she had been satisfied with their relationship. He was everything that a 20-year-old girls’ 21-year-old boyfriend should be. He held open doors for her, complimented her dressing style, listened to her when she needed to talk, kissed her at just the right moments and surprised her with presents. In short, he was a typical boyfriend any girl would dream of. And typical sometimes became synonymous with boring. There was nothing exciting about their relationship. They met every day while at college. He took her out to fancy dinner and movie dates on the weekends. On weekdays, they studied in the library or in one of the lush, green grounds. They made out often and sometimes had sex. Sex was mostly nice but nothing mind-blowing. In short, Ella was satisfied despite feeling unfulfilled at times.
She was still lost in thought when Adam returned with a cup of coffee.
“Aren’t you having coffee, too?” Ella asked.
“Nope. I stay away from caffeine.”
“Why?” Ella asked suspiciously as he handed her the cup.
“Don’t worry, Scott. I haven’t poisoned your coffee.”
“Wouldn’t put it past you,” Ella muttered.
“What do you mean, Scott?” Adam pretended to be traumatized. “I would never do that.”
Ella rolled her eyes.
“You clearly don’t think very highly of me,” Adam commented. “We need to spend more time together, Scott.”
“We could do that.”
The Campus Jock: A College Bad Boy Romance Page 14
