The Wrong Way: Hanson University: One

by McKenna Kerrick

  “Look,” Jared starts again, but I cut him off.

  “You’re going to stay as far away from Lila as you can get, understand me?” I glare. “You have a class with her, you leave it. Flunk it, move to a new class, I don’t care what you do. But if I find out that you’re within breathing distance of her, I will end you. Understand me?”

  “Yes,” Jared bobs his head and I shove him away from me.

  There. I got that out and turn on my heel to walk away from him. But can the stupid idiot just keep his damn mouth closed? No, he had to go and open it.

  “She’s a lousy bitch when she wants to be anyways,” Jared calls after me.

  I stop in my tracks, spin on my heel and don’t regret the satisfying crunch his face makes when I punch him.

  “You’re bleeding,” Ian tells me for the fifth time since we entered the locker room after practice.

  “I know that,” I respond.

  “You were bleeding before we got here,” Ian points out and sits next to me on the bench. “Did you hit him?”

  “Why? Are you going to rat me out to coach?”

  “No,” Ian sighs. “I’m not going to rat you out to coach. Just wanted to make sure your hand was okay.”

  “It’s fine.”

  “Let me look at it.”

  I sigh and shove my hand into Ian’s chest. He’s scarred up his knuckles so bad from fights in high school that he’s the one we all go to when we get into scraps off the field.

  “You’re going to need to wash it out and wrap it, but it’s not going to kill you.”

  “Thanks, Mom,” I joke.

  There’s a moment of silence when the locker room door opens. I crane my neck to see if coach is going to deliver another speech after he just got finished giving us one. But it’s not coach’s head I see come flying around the corner of the locker room, but Lila’s.

  “There’s a chick!” someone hollers, and all of a sudden it’s a fucking rampage in here. Guys are quickly covering up or moving to places where they can’t be seen.

  Not that Lila cares for any of that because her eyes are locked on the bench that I’m sitting on, an angry frown marring her face as she stomps towards me. “You!” she points angrily.

  “What did I do?” I frown.

  “Why did you have to hit him?” Lila growls. “He’s going around telling people that I had you beat him up for dumping me!”

  “Good,” I answer bluntly.

  “That’s not good, Killian!” she yells.

  I’m not seeing how it’s not a good thing. But the fact she felt the need to storm into the locker room to yell at me tells me that it probably, actually, is a big thing. “Well, I’m not going to apologize for it.” Not after the name he called her.

  “The whole art department is talking about protesting the football game,” she continues on, like she didn’t hear a word I just said. “Do you know how much shit I’ve had to deal with the past few hours? Why didn’t you leave him alone?” Now she just sounds hurt, which doesn’t bode well with me.

  “Sorry,” I offer out. “I didn’t mean to make your life hard.” And it’s true. The football team is a big deal and those associated with us tend to lean into the popular crowd. Except Lila, she sticks to her little mismatched group of friends and doesn’t stick around long enough when people start crowding around me. If she could be a hermit, I think she’d be one.

  “I just,” she stops talking and lets out an angry breath, her whole body deflating with the move. She starts over saying, “I just want this nightmare to end.”

  “He’s not worth it.”

  “You’re not in the same building as him all day, or get the new girlfriend thrown in your face all day long,” she huffs. “So no, he may not be worth it, but it’s not like I can exactly escape him.” She stands taller, her face less red and angry as her grey eyes become clear. “I want to be like you.”

  “Be a guy?” is Ian’s idiotic segue into our little conversation.

  “No,” Lila rolls her eyes. “I want to do what he does.”

  “Play football?” Ian frowns. “I hate to break it to you, but we aren’t exactly a co-ed team.”

  “I want to sleep around,” Lila enunciates each word out to Ian.

  “Uh-uh, no way,” I say and stand up. “That’s not happening.” I glare down at her but she just glares back. Stubborn woman. “We already talked about this and there’s no way that I’m going to let that happen.”

  “You don’t get a say,” Lila frowns.

  “What the hell is going on in here?” I hear coach’s voice as he rounds the corner. He pauses only for a millisecond when he sees Lila before folding his bulging arms across his chest. “There are to be no females in the locker room.”

  “I know,” Lila bobs her head. She doesn’t look scared of our head coach, which is new because almost everyone is scared of the ginormous retired lineman from the NFL. “I had to yell at Killian.”

  Coach Stephen’s stands there, his bald face showing no sign of believing her but his shrewd gaze sweeps my way. “This true?”

  “Tore me a new one, Coach,” I wince.

  Lila looks awful pleased with my remark and gives my shoulder an awkward pat. “Okay, well go hit someone or whatever it is you do.”

  “I catch and throw the ball,” I roll my eyes.

  “Well then go do that and stop intimidating people because they pissed you off,” Lila says flippantly as she pats Coach’s shoulder too as she walks by and out of the locker room.

  No one breathes for a moment. It’s like if we move an inch that Coach will annihilate us all at tomorrow's practice in a moment. Not that I can blame him. How Lila got back here is beyond me, but the fact that she came out swinging probably lessened the punishment I would receive for her being back here.

  “Girlfriend?” Coach finally asks me.

  “No, sir,” I shake my head. “Best friend.”

  He stares at me for a moment before glancing down at my swollen hand, then back up to my face. “Sure looked more like a lovers quarrel. Keep her out of the locker room, y’hear me, boy?”

  “Yes, sir,” I nod my head.

  Coach bobs his head and turns around to head back towards his office just outside the locker room.

  As soon as the door shuts behind him, everyone is in motion again to clean up after practice just ended. At least no one’s talking about Lila that I can hear.

  “So,” Ian pauses, “that was interesting.”

  “I don't get why she's so mad I decked the guy.”

  Ian stares at me for a heartbeat. “Just because they broke up doesn't mean she's going to automatically move on in a few days notice. So you hitting him and him going around spreading some bullshit just means he's in her life longer.”

  Now it's my turn to eye Ian. “And how did you come to that conclusion?”

  “I have a little sister,” he sighs. “And I've been where you've been. Apparently they don't want us to fix anything.” At that, he rolls his eyes. “They just want to complain to someone and then be done with it.”

  “Oh.” I rub the back of my neck and wince. Every time someone said something I didn't like about Lila, I tended to hit them first and think about the consequences later. It never occurred to me that I wasn't supposed to fix it.

  What kind of best friend just lets someone get away with being an asshole?

  “So am I supposed to just let her go have sex with anyone she meets?” I frown. Because like hell am I ever going to let that happen.

  “I don't want to get involved.”

  “You're already involved,” I point a finger at him. “She's going to drive me insane and I need you to not let that happen.”

  “Bro,” Ian huffs, “she's already driven you insane.”

  “Then help me out here.”

  He stares at me for a few long moments. “Why can't she sleep around?”

  “Because she's not like that.”

  “Okay, so can she date around?”
/>   My entire body freezes. “What's that supposed to mean? You want to date her?”

  It takes me a moment to clear my head of anger to realize that Ian's standing in front of me laughing his ass off.

  “Dude,” I glare.

  “Sorry,” he chuckles. “No. I don't want to date her. She's practically my little sister. I was just meaning, let her get on one of those dating websites to meet people.” He clears his throat. “Or there's this once a week dating thing the dining hall does where they pair you up randomly and you dinner date with them.”

  “So speed dating?” I frown.

  “Nah,” Ian shakes his head. “You sign up and they put your name in a bowl. They draw two names and then you eat a meal together for thirty minutes and see if you click or not.”

  Now I'm just staring at him like he's lost his mind. “How do you even know about this?”

  “My little sister is a freshman here,” Ian frowns. “She decided to try it and like hell was I going to let her go out with some stranger without keeping an eye on her.”

  I'm beginning to think that Ian might be just as overprotective as I am.

  “But anyways, it's safer since it's on campus in a crowded place versus online. And it's not picking up some sleazy douchebag from the bar.”

  Safer option is always best when it comes to Lila. “Cool,” I nod my head. “I'll tell her about it. Maybe then she'll put to rest this whole wanting to be like me thing.”

  “Pretty funny she wants to whore herself out since it's completely not who she is,” Ian shakes his head. “I get you like to sleep around, but I'm suddenly struck by that saying that friends influence each other.”

  “So?”

  “So,” Ian laughs. “Her wanting to go out and bang random guys is really your fault.”

  I throw one of my dirty gym socks at him as he laughs on his way out of the locker room. Could my whoring around really seem that appealing to Lila?

  Maybe if she thought I wanted to get serious with someone it would backtrack her thinking of doing the same.

  I mean, after all, I don't even have to go out with these girls. Just show up with Lila until she meets someone she clicks with then go back to my monogamous-free lifestyle.

  Easy right? I've got this in the bag.

  Chapter Three

  Lila

  Okay. I can see Killian’s mouth moving, but nothing he's saying is registering with me.

  He wants me to go out and speed date, but not speed date. So he can speed date? Yeah, I'm not following any of this.

  “Sorry,” I wince as I look around uncomfortably. “I don't think I'm following you.”

  “You said you want to be like me,” Killian says. “Well I want to try this dining dating thing they do at the Union.”

  “Okay, but that's not what I want to do.”

  “Lila,” he growls. “This is already taking a toll on me as it is. Can't you just try it out so I can keep some of the sanity I have left?”

  “But what about you?”

  “I'll try it, too,” he shrugs. “It can't be that bad.”

  “Do you think you'll find anyone you like enough to date?” I ponder.

  Killian hesitates for a few minutes before replying. “I honestly have no idea. I'm not not opened to the idea of a girlfriend. I've just never met someone who brought out the concept of wanting a girlfriend in me before.”

  “You're seriously going to make me do this, and in return, yourself do this so I don't go out and sleep with some dude?”

  “Yes. You're not a hooking up kind of girl, Lila.”

  “And you're very anti-relationship, Killian.”

  He throws a potato chip from the bag sitting in between us at my head. Which is his common reflex for when I annoy him during our standard Wednesday movie nights.

  Sometimes we play television shows, movies or sometimes we just attempt to play a video game. And by we, I mean Killian. I have absolutely no idea how to play and have the reflexes of a sloth.

  “You're going to drive me crazy and then, when I can't play for the NFL and have to work the farm, my mom is going to be so pissed at you for squandering my talent,” he points a finger at me.

  “Your mom loves me.”

  “My mom only loves you because you're not currently squandering my talent.”

  He's so full of horse shit. His mom loves me to pieces and always has. We've been neighbors for years and I think I satisfy the need for her to have a daughter without going through the process of having a baby. Just like for my family, my parents love Killian like he's one of their own.

  I suppose it's one of the perks of having him as a best friend, double the parents and fun of holiday shared meals. Who would argue with that set up?

  “It's tomorrow night,” Killian explains.

  “What is?”

  “Jesus, woman. The dining hall date night thing,” he twirls his hand like it's supposed to make sense that that's what he was referring to. “So I'm thinking of getting there early to scope it out.”

  “Be real with me for a second, are you going just to keep an eye on me?”

  “Of course.”

  It really shouldn't surprise me that he becomes overprotective when I go through a break up. Not that I expect him to let me wallow. And it was nice of him to find a way for me to date without having to go to a bar and find a rebound.

  And at the same time, he's doing it so I don't have to live with the consequences of trying my first one-night-stand. I can't completely blame him for being worried about me, now can I?

  “I just can't see you dating girls,” I shrug. Though it ought to be hilarious to see.

  “I'm attracted to females.”

  It's my turn to flick a chip at him. “That's not what I meant.”

  “I know,” he gives me a cheesy grin. “So tell me what you're looking for in a guy.”

  “Seriously?” I sputter. He's got to be joking. I don't think in the years I've known him that he's ever asked me something like that.

  “How else am I supposed to deem them okay to date?” Killian frowns.

  “By letting me decide?”

  “Okay,” he motions with his hand to go on, “and also what?”

  “Fine,” I sigh dramatically. “Someone who likes art, you know, because of my major.”

  “Obviously,” he deadpans.

  “And maybe someone nice.”

  Killian snorts but I ignore it.

  “Someone who makes me laugh,” I grin. “He's got to have a good personality and is funny. I think people overlook humor as a good trait and then find later on they've found they missed out, and I don't want to overlook that.”

  “Wow, this was a longer list than I thought it would be,” Killian sighs.

  I narrow my eyes at him. “What did you expect me to say?”

  “I don't know. Hot body, super attractive, insert something or other about that nerd-jock that girls always go on and on about wanting.”

  “Looks shouldn't matter.”

  “Just because they shouldn't doesn't mean they don't play a part in liking someone.”

  “I like to think I'm above that.”

  Killian blinks at me. “Okay, you probably are better than that. But it's going to come to whether you're attracted to them or not and their looks will definitely play into that. You can like someone unattractive to you, but it won't go very far.”

  “Unless I was blind,” I say.

  “Except you're not.”

  Well, he got me there. And while selfish and judgemental as it might be, it would be good to be physically attracted to their entire self and not just their personality.

  “Okay,” I answer slowly, “I guess I see where you're coming from.”

  “Thank you,” Killian tips the beer bottle in his hand at me before taking a drink. “I love being right.”

  “I didn't say that you were right, though.”

  “Doesn't matter, you were close enough to saying I was.”

  My God,
I want to hit him. “No, I didn't.”

  “Take it, Lila.”

  “I don't have to take it because I didn't even say it.”

  “Are you going to be this difficult tomorrow night?” Killian sighs.

  “I'm not being difficult.”

  “You're being a little difficult.”

  Oh. My. God. “This is why you can't have a girlfriend,” I tell him. “You would drive someone else insane and then you would have two insane girls in your life. And I can barely handle the level of insane you make me.”

  Killian gives me an odd look. Maybe my rambling only solidified how insane I am. I should probably work on that before tomorrow night comes.

  “What about you?” I demand.

  “What about me?”

  “What are you looking for in a girl?”

  “Uh,” he pauses. “I have no idea.”

  “Come on, you have to have some idea.”

  “I guess someone who doesn't care,” Killian shrugs.

  That makes me frown. “You mean not care about you?”

  “No, I mean care about my name. Everyone knows I'm headed towards the NFL after graduation, so a lot of people want to be associated with my name. No one would care about me if I were to break my leg and do limpy farmwork the rest of my life.”

  “Well, for one, I would care,” I shrug and poke my foot into his thigh since my feet are propped up on his couch.

  “You're different.”

  “Because we're best friends?”

  “I guess,” Killian grumbles.

  I frown at him and lean forward on my side of the couch. “What's wrong?”

  “I just realized that you're probably the only one who wouldn't care,” he sighs.

  “That's not true. You have friends who care about you. And Ian. He cares about you and wouldn't care if you didn't get drafted.”

  “The majority of guys on the team get drafted, so it's only a matter of when. And then we'd be in two completely separate worlds if I get hurt and could no longer play. Like I said, it's pretty much just you.”

  “Just me?” I squeak. I guess it never occurred to me that people might only hang out with him to boost themselves. All the attention our football team gets, it shouldn't surprise me, and it's been one of the reasons I try and stay in the shadows. But I still would have thought he had better friends than that.