The Same Side (University Park #2)

by CM Doporto

  Raven dug his fingers into my hair and his full lips covered mine. My stomach tensed and then relaxed. The room spun around us and I responded fervently, moving my lips against his and sliding my tongue into his mouth. He tasted like beer and gum, but I didn’t care. I could have kissed him until my lips turned blue and even then, I’m sure they would have to bury me with my lips puckered.

  Maybe I was ready to hand over my virginity. Tonight.

  Σ

  Chapter 3

  The night ended too soon thanks to Delaney. I knew she had taken too many of those burning shots. I was glad it was her instead of me, even though I was the one that was supposed to be having a great time, since it was my first party. In all honesty, other than the Silicone Triplets showing up, the night had been exciting and thrilling. Being with Raven was unexplainably incredible.

  “Laney, why are you crying?” She had one arm hooked around me and the other one around Raven. Her feet dragged as we stumbled across the grass to Raven’s car.

  “Why…” she sobbed and moaned, “why doesn’t he want to talk to me?”

  “I’ve got her, just open the door.” Raven handed me the keys as he held on to Delaney. I unlocked the car and then pushed the seat forward. “You better not throw up in my car,” Raven told her as I helped him lay her in the backseat. “That’s all I’m asking.”

  “I’m not going to throw up.” Delaney’s words slurred from her mouth as she wiped her tears away. “I never throw up.”

  “Maybe we should put her in the front?” I moved my hair away from face and took a deep breath. “Just in case she has to puke.”

  “It’s only a few blocks. Hopefully she’ll be alright.”

  “Okay.”

  Raven waited for me to get in the car before he shut the door. The kind gesture reminded me of the sweet things Collin would do for me and I shook my head, determined to stop thinking about the past. I turned around to check on Delaney and saw that she held her phone close to her chest.

  “Why won’t he text me back?” she whined.

  Raven started the car and with the help of one of his frat buddies, backed out onto the street. Cars lined both sides of the road and it was a narrow squeeze all the way to the dorm.

  “Darn. Is the whole school at the party?”

  “That’s nothing.” Raven motioned with his hand. “I think we only had about half the crowd we normally have.”

  “Seriously?” I looked down both sides of a street we passed and saw the never-ending line of cars parked everywhere. There wasn’t an open spot for blocks.

  “Yeah. I think students are still out of town for the Thanksgiving holiday.”

  “Wow. I can’t even imagine a party with more people.”

  “What the hell is she crying about?” Raven ran a hand down his face and I could tell Delaney’s complaining was wearing on him as well.

  I turned around to face her. “Delaney, what’s wrong?”

  She held up her phone. “He doesn’t want to talk to me. Ever.”

  I grabbed the phone from her hand. Luke’s name appeared at the top of her text messages. Not wanting to get in the middle of their spat, I handed the phone back to her, refusing to read the messages.

  “She’s fighting with my brother,” I sighed.

  “Call him for me,” she begged.

  “No.” I adjusted the seat belt and turned to face the front. “I’m not getting in the middle of this.”

  “But you have to tell him that I didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “Why does he think you’ve done something wrong?” I tried to keep my voice steady and calm, but irritation seeped through.

  She continued to cry like a two year old not getting her way. “Because he saw the pics I posted on Facebook and he thinks I hooked up with that guy.”

  “With Matt?” Raven shot me a questioning gaze.

  “Who’s Matt?” I pulled out my phone and hit the Facebook app. I quickly typed in her profile name and went to her page. Several pictures were posted, including ones with her and me. “Is this who you’re talking about?” I showed her a picture of the cute blond guy with spikey hair that was freaking her on the dance floor.

  “Yes. I knew I shouldn’t have posted it.” She wiped her eyes and let out a huge hiccup.

  Raven pulled up to the dorm and parked in the loading zone. “Can I see?”

  I handed him my phone. “That’s my friend, Matt Russell.” He scrolled through a few of the pictures. “Hey, look at us.” Raven pointed to a picture of him and me, cheek to cheek. The guy had the face of a model with a square jaw, straight-line nose, and stark white teeth. He really was out of my league.

  “Let me see that.” I slipped the phone from his hand and stared at the cute pose of us together. “Aww. I want that pic.”

  He leaned closer to me and I wanted to snuggle up to him. “Tag me because I want it, too.”

  “How do you do that?” He looked at me like I was crazy. “Sorry, I’m not on Facebook that often.”

  “Oh.” He leaned over me and touched the screen. “Just tap on the picture and it will take you to another screen. See that thing that looks like a price tag at the bottom?”

  “Yes.”

  “Hit that and then tap the picture again.” A box appeared with several people’s names listed. “Now you can type our names.”

  “That’s easy.” I typed in my name and then Raven’s.

  Before I could check to see if the pictures posted to our pages, Delaney yelled, “Open the door. I’m gonna hurl.”

  Raven and I both threw our doors open and he pulled her from the back seat quicker than catching a forty-yard pass. He held her as she purged the contents of her stomach all over the sidewalk. I felt bad for her and knew it was going to be a long night. After Delaney was done puking, Raven picked her up in his arms. I was slightly jealous that she was the one being carried instead of me. But after seeing how sick she got, I was fine walking into my dorm room.

  “Are you sure they won’t tow your car?” I pulled the keys from the ignition.

  “Just make sure you turn on the hazard lights.” He looked over his shoulder as he headed up the front stairs.

  I reached into the car, hit the hazard button on top of the steering wheel, and then shut the door. I pressed the alarm button as I dashed up the walkway. With haste, I removed the access badge from my pocket and scanned it. The back door to Carter Hall unlocked and I held the door open for Raven. We quickly rounded the corner and waited for the elevator. Several people passed by us, doing a double take at Delaney lying limp in Raven’s arms.

  “She’s going to hate tomorrow.” Raven looked down at her while I brushed the strands of hair away from her face.

  “Better her than me.” I raised my brows.

  “I’m sure you’ll have your turn one day,” he said as the elevator doors opened.

  I hit the button for the sixth floor and leaned against the wall. “I don’t think that’s something I want on my list.”

  “Oh, come on,” he laughed, “everyone experiences drinking too much and paying for it.”

  I shook my head. “Doesn’t mean I have to.”

  The elevator doors opened and he shifted Delaney, holding her closer to his body.

  “Is she heavy?” I walked quickly down the hall toward our suite.

  “Anyone that’s passed out is heavy,” he grunted. “It’s dead weight.” I now understood what Luke said about my ass being heavy when he carried me up the stairs after my mimosa incident.

  As soon as I opened the door, Delaney’s cell phone rang. I glanced at it and saw Luke’s picture flash across the screen.

  “Ugh,” I moaned, trying to decide if I should answer it or not. “Lay her on the bed.” I pushed the door to her room open and stepped back.

  “Hello?”

  “Who’s this?” Anger laced his voice and I held the phone away from my ear.

  “It’s your sister,” I snapped, feeling a little irritated by the situation.<
br />
  “Where’s Delaney?”

  “Passed out. Drunk.” I motioned for Raven to help me pull off Delaney’s boots.

  “Oh shit.”

  After we pulled off her boots, she popped up from the bed. “I need to throw up.” She motioned to the bathroom and Raven quickly picked her up. I pointed to the door across from her bed and he shot through it. A few seconds later, I heard her heaving and hurling. I stepped into the living room so I could talk to Luke.

  “I take that back. She’s in the bathroom throwing up again.”

  “Great.” Heaviness filled his voice and I knew that wasn’t the first time she had drank too much. “Where the hell were y’all?”

  I pulled a bottle water from the mini frig. “At a party.” I unscrewed the lid and then chugged down half the bottle. Why the heck did alcohol make you so thirsty?

  “A party? Where? With who?”

  I paced the small hallway back and forth, trying to keep calm. Luke didn’t have to drill me about where I’d been or whom I’d been with. It was none of his damn business.

  “A Kappa Sig party, why?” I said, as if it were no big deal.

  “Were you drinking, too?”

  I huffed, feeling more frustrated by the minute. “What does it matter? Why don’t you get your ass over here and take care of her. She’s the one that’s drunk. Not me.”

  “You know what, you’re right. Fuck it. You take care of her.”

  Before I could respond, he hung up the phone. I squeezed the phone in my hand to prevent a scream from escaping. Luke knew how to make me so frustrated at times. Even though he’d said the breakup was between Collin and me, he had grown colder toward me. The bond we once shared as twins didn’t exist anymore and maybe it was all because I had hurt his friend.

  I set Delaney’s phone on her nightstand and went into the bathroom. Raven sat on the edge of the tub, holding Delaney by the hair as her head hung over the toilet.

  “Sorry. It was my brother.” I opened one of her drawers and took out a hair band. “I asked him to come and take care of her but he got mad and hung up.”

  “It’s okay.” Raven let go of her hair when I wrapped my fingers around the muddled strands.

  “He doesn’t want to help me?” Delaney slurred her words together as she tried to help me pull her hair up.

  I filled a cup with water. “Here, rinse your mouth.” She took the cup and attempted to take a sip but spilled half of it on her in the process. Instead of getting mad, I grabbed a hand towel and wiped her face.

  “I think I’ve got this.” I smiled at Raven.

  “Are you sure?” He had his forearms pressed against his thighs as he leaned over. His eyes watched me intently and I took a quick peek in the mirror to make sure I looked somewhat decent. Thankfully, I didn’t look anything like Delaney.

  “I think I can manage, unless I have to carry her to the bed.” I knelt beside her to make sure she was somewhat coherent. “Besides, you look tired… you’ve had a long day.”

  “I feel tired.” Raven glanced at a big white watch he wore around his wrist. “Damn, it’s only twelve-thirty. I can usually hang longer than this, but I really took a beating on that field today.”

  “I understand,” I reassured him, even though I didn’t want him to go. Aside from Luke, Raven was the first guy I’d had in our suite. Collin really didn’t count since he refused to step foot in my room, claiming it was better if he stayed in the living room.

  “I’m sorry… I ruined your night,” Delaney mumbled. Then she said something else that I couldn’t understand.

  “I don’t think I drank enough.” He stretched and stood.

  I let out a slight laugh. “What?”

  He towered over me and the proximity of my face to his waist made my body flush with heat. I slowly leaned back, taking in his well-defined legs, not to mention the huge bulge below the hem of his shirt.

  Stop staring!

  “If I only have a few beers, I get really relaxed instead of a buzz. I think that’s what happened tonight.”

  I got up from the floor, making sure Delaney had a tight grip around the toilet. “Oh, I see. I’m sorry you didn’t drink more.”

  He cupped my face with his hand. Warmth spread up my neck and zing of desire hit every nerve ending. “Don’t be sorry. I wanted to make sure I remembered this night with you.”

  Melt my heart, why don’t you?

  “It was my decision to not get wasted.”

  I soaked up every one of his words. I was on toxic overload and loving every minute of it. “In that case, thank you.”

  He winked and then kissed my forehead, both cheeks, and my nose. I froze, unable to handle the soft, tender pecks he adorned me with. I was shell-shocked and he hadn’t even swapped spit with me.

  “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  I nodded, completely breathless, not to mention, speechless. A multitude of emotions flooded me when he positioned his hands on my hips. He pulled me closer to him and I felt every lump and bulge that carved his lower body. My hands rested on his chest and my fingers splayed across his pecs. Flashes of what he looked like without a shirt on inundated me. Just as we were about to kiss again, Delaney started hurling. So much for a hot kiss goodnight.

  ***

  “Hey, you awake?” Several knocks sounded at my door.

  I shifted and stretched. “Yeah, just waking up.” I yawned. “What times is it?”

  Reaching for my phone, I tried to focus on the display.

  “I don’t know. I think it’s a little after eleven.” Luke walked into my room and sat down on the edge of my bed. He had shown up about thirty minutes after Raven left. I was grateful because Delaney passed out an hour later and he had to carry her to the bed. I would’ve had to leave her on the bathroom floor.

  “Thanks for coming over.” I laid my phone on my bed.

  He shrugged his shoulders. “I’m used to it.”

  I sat up and ran my hands through my matted hair. “What do you mean, you’re used to it?”

  He cast me a dubious stare. “This isn’t the first time she’s done this shit.”

  “Um, I know she’s my roommate and friend, but I’ve never partied with her. In fact, I’ve never seen her or heard her puking because she drank too much.”

  “Yeah, I guess you haven’t.” Luke leaned back against the bed. “She usually comes home with me or goes to Jordan’s when she’s that messed up.”

  I stalled for a moment, realizing that I really didn’t know Delaney like I thought I did. She really had been living a life that I didn’t know much about. And apparently, Luke had been a part of it more than I knew.

  “Is that why you didn’t want me to know you two had been hooking up?”

  “What?” His head turned quickly in my direction. “No, that’s not why.”

  “Then why didn’t you want me to know?” I readjusted the pillow behind me. “It doesn’t bother me that you’re with her.”

  “I thought it would piss you off if you found out about us.” He traced a fleur de lis pattern on my bedspread. “Besides, Delaney is complicated. I’m not sure what kind of relationship we have.”

  “More than friends?” I hinted, knowing about the time he came over here.

  “Yeah, something like that.” He rose up and then ran his hand through his messy hair. “By the way, sorry I hung up on you.”

  I shifted, leaning over on my left forearm. “I thought maybe you were mad at me because of Collin.”

  “I told you I didn’t want any part of that.” He crossed his arms and laid them against his chest. “That’s between the two of you.”

  The sudden urge to ask how Collin was doing played on the edge of my tongue. Even though I was glad we were broken up, I still cared about him. I’d known him for way too long and getting over him completely would take some time.

  “I know, but you’ve been acting shitty toward me lately so I figured it was because of the breakup.”

  Luke stood and I
could tell he didn’t want to have this conversation with me. “Look, I care about you, Sis. I really do. But what you do with your life is really none of my business. You’re a grown woman and you need to make decisions for yourself. Just like I do. So, if you don’t want to marry Collin, then that’s your choice.” He placed his hands on his hips. “Collin’s my friend, but I’m not going to tell you to marry him if you don’t love him.”

  “Mom and Dad thought they could.”

  He smirked. “Don’t get me started on Mom and Dad.” Luke apparently still had mommy and daddy issues like I did.

  “You don’t have to say that twice.”

  “Do me a favor. Tell Delaney I went home to shower. I don’t want to wake her because she needs all the sleep she can get. I know she has tests to study for today.”

  I nodded and threw back the covers. “I’ll tell her. I need to shower, too. I have two finals on Friday and if I don’t get my butt busy, I might fail them.”

  “See ya later.” Luke walked out of my room and I heard the front door shut.

  As I walked to my dresser, I heard my phone chime. I crawled across the bed and grabbed it. Turning it over, I saw that it was a text from Raven. A smile crept over my face.

  Raven: Are you awake?

  Me: Barely.

  Raven: Did you stay up all night with Delaney?

  Me: No. My brother showed up a little while after you left. Thank God.

  Raven: He’s a good guy.

  Me: Do you know my brother?

  It had never occurred to me that Raven might actually know Luke.

  Raven: I don’t think so. I just meant he was a good guy to take care of his girl.

  Me: Oh.

  A slight flutter swirled around in my stomach. Would Raven be willing to take care of me like he did Delaney? He barely knew her, yet he stayed with me to help her.

  Raven: How many finals do you have?

  Me: Four. Two this Friday, one on Tuesday, and one on Thursday of next week.

  Raven: Are you ready?

  Me: No. I haven’t really given school enough attention the last month.

  Raven: Me either.

  So, I wasn’t the only one. Did I have anything to do with his lack of dedication?