The Crimson Hunt

by Smith, Victoria H.

Lila snapped her notebook shut and thrust out her chin. “Okay, I’m outta here.”

  “Wait a sec, Lila,” I said, trying to minimize my laughter. “Did you get the letter about our schedule change?” One unfortunate thing about being an art major alongside Lila Nix was we shared the same classes pretty often. We both happened to be buying our textbooks books at the same time last week and were rudely awakened to yet another schedule similarity. And the odds of us both choosing Zoology for our science elective … ? Slim to none. But, of course, we managed to do it. It was like the universe had it out for us.

  She glowered down at me. “I did. What of it?”

  “Are you staying in Professor James’ class?”

  “I don’t see how that concerns you, but I’m taking a class with Pondensky, instead.” She spun around, her platinum extensions whirling as she left. Her black and tan checkered scarf barely cleared the door as she exited.

  Piper laughed into her coffee, looking at me expectantly. “Come on, say it.”

  I may have made it a point not to stroke her already huge ego, but I was woman enough to give credit where credit was due.

  “You are a rock star.” I gave her a light round of applause. “You had me going there for a second. I honestly couldn’t tell if you were being serious or not.”

  Piper made a face. “Me at Welcome Week? They should be so lucky.” She looked at the door Lila just exited through. “You know, I should have a t-shirt made for her: The Blowjob Student Union – A Plastic Army of One.”

  I laughed. “You do that, and I’ll deliver it personally.” I shook her hand.

  “It’s a deal. So about our schedule ….”

  “I think we’ve already got the answer to that. We’re staying in Zoology.” Sure, I’d have haul ass across campus to make it to my next lecture every day, but the trek was worth it to avoid Lila Nix.

  “Works for me.” Piper scratched her chin. “Hmm, I wonder where I can get a t-shirt made?”

  I was about to suggest the campus print shop, but I was distracted by a sudden prickling sensation I felt on the back of my scalp. I rubbed the back of my head and turned to scan the café, but nothing struck me as out of the ordinary. Shrugging it off, I tried to focus on what Piper was saying, but the feeling that we were just being watched wouldn’t go away.

  Chapter Two

  How did I let this happen?

  I rushed out of bed, and the bright mid-morning light though my window blinded me. My vision spotted, I slammed a knee into my end table and hobbled around the room.

  That old alarm clock never steers me wrong!

  I grabbed a pair of questionably clean khaki shorts, a white camisole top, and a cream-colored cardigan. Throwing them on in a frenzy, I shouted obscenities at my “trusty” alarm clock.

  Today, of all days, for the stupid thing to malfunction … and where the hell is that other shoe!

  Two weeks! Two weeks of a flawless semester of classes, and now I was going to be late for the first quiz of the term. Where the hell was Piper? We always went to class together in the morning, but the one day I truly needed her, she was nowhere to be seen.

  I had to get it together. Now wasn’t the time to be frantic.

  I bolted out of my room and down the hallway. My feet connected with the stairwell before I could prevent myself from tripping over Piper’s hookah lying haphazardly on the second step.

  Tumbling in a half-barrel roll down the stairwell, my ass made sure to hit every step to sweeten the already succulent morning. I landed with a thud at the bottom.

  So much for not being frantic. Thank God I grabbed the banister on the way down, otherwise I would have probably broken my neck.

  I rubbed my sore rear-end as I grabbed my messenger bag. After snatching my car keys off the hook on the wall, I ran down our creaky front stoop. I was about ten feet away from my discolored 1980s Volkswagen when my vision blurred, doubling the light blue vehicle.

  There is no way on God’s green Earth that two of that luxury vehicle could still be in production.

  Groaning, I dropped my bag where I stood and ran back inside. I sprinted up the stairs, making a bee-line to my bathroom. Fumbling through all the crap on top of the medicine cabinet, my shaking fingers sent the white contact case for a swim in the open toilet bowl … but not before ricocheting off the side of the bowl. The lid of the case popped open, and the two half-spheres fell out and floated in the water.

  “Oh, come on!” Shaking my head—there was no way I was reaching into that bowl, even if they were my last pair—I grabbed my obnoxiously large, black-rimmed glasses off the bathroom shelf. Of course, I just had to accept that dare to buy the ugly specs at the optometrist’s office. I was going to kill Piper.

  I darted out the house and hopped in my rickety, blue car. After revving up the engine, I floored the gas pedal before I could remember anything else I may have forgotten.

  I made it half a mile down the road before the clouds opened up and rain came down in sheets.

  Shaking my hands on the wheel in frustration, I groaned. Naturally, I hadn’t brought an umbrella. I breathed in and out, trying to remain calm. As long as I stayed focused, I would make it on time.

  The ride was going pretty smoothly, considering the elements. The old girl really pulled her weight today. I patted the dashboard.

  “You’re being a good girl, today,” I said. “Yes, you are.”

  A sudden pop from the front of the car caused the car to jerk to the right. I hastily returned my hand to the steering wheel to prevent slamming into the rear of a silver Toyota.

  I righted the car and pursed my lips. “That was supposed to be a compliment,” I growled at the dash.

  I scrambled out of the car to assess the damage and was drenched before I even closed the door. I mentally made another check mark to the awesomeness that was today, then added yet another when I saw the flat tire.

  “I don’t have time for this!” I kicked the sagging rubber, putting all my morning’s frustration into it. I overestimated the distance to the ground with my leg’s backswing and lost my balance. With a plop, I hit the muddy ground. The grime instantly coated my derriere, and dirt and leaf bits flew into the air.

  Dammit! Dammit-dammit-dammit! Slapping my hands on the ground, I pushed myself into a standing position. With shaking hands, I removed my cardigan and tied it around my waist, covering the large brown spot on my shorts.

  Tears of stress and frustration welled, but I fought them back. I didn’t have the first clue how to fix a flat tire, and I didn’t have time to even try. I looked ahead, able to see the building my class was in through the water droplets on my glasses.

  I got back in the car and coasted the insolent vehicle to the nearest parking spot; the flat thumping all the way. After a quick slam of the door, I hoofed it toward class.

  The face of my rain-splattered wristwatch showed I still had twelve minutes until my test began. If I hurry I can still make it. I ran as fast as I could, starting to regret those brownies I had way too often from Demitasse. I really needed to get back into my cardio routine again, but finding the motivation was hard when Piper wouldn’t go with me. She always said she had more creative ways of exercising and didn’t see the point. Yep, that’s my “bestie.”

  My sopping-wet clothing weighed me down during my sprint, slowing my pace. I looked ahead to see how far I still had to go. The building wasn’t getting any closer. I stopped for a moment and grabbed my knees, catching my breath.

  “What are you doing, Richmond?”

  I looked up upon hearing Blaine Duncan’s familiar Southern accent. I smiled, shaking my head. I guessed he retired his skateboard today due to the rain.

  “I was just admiring the nice weather we’re having.” I flashed a sarcastic grin.

  Smirking, Blaine reached into the side bag on his gray moped. He pulled out his red backpack and opened it up, retrieving a spare jacket. “Looks like you could use this.”

  I accepted the jacket, though
it didn’t offer me much protection seeing as how the clothes underneath it were already dripping wet.

  Blaine pushed the sandy-blond hair out of his eyes and tightened his cheeks, trying to suppress a laugh. “Do you need a lift?”

  I didn’t know if he made the offer out of obligation to his Southern manners or if it was because he had the hots for Piper and knew it was always best to stay in good with the best friend. But at the moment, I didn’t really care. I needed the lift.

  “Are you sure you have room for me on that thing?”

  “Of course. Where are you headed?”

  I glanced down at my watch. I had eight more minutes before a quarter of my grade went down the tube. Professor James warned he’d be closing the doors right on time, so if I was late by even a minute I was done. “Landon Hall.”

  “Great. I’m in Anderson. Hop on.”

  I straddled the seat behind him. After I wrapped my arms around his waist, we took off. Blaine navigated the moped with great speed, considering the weight of his newly-acquired cargo.

  We whipped and weaved through a pack of students who were clearly freshman. No one else would carry what seemed to be every book they owned to lecture. I felt the vibration of Blaine’s laughter under my arms. He obviously thought the same thing I was about the newbies. One would think it being the third week of classes, the kids would know better by now.

  We darted past the school’s alma mater statue and made it to the familiar gray brick building of Landon Hall. I hopped off the seat and handed Blaine the jacket. “Thanks, Blaine. You really saved my life today.”

  “No problem, Richmond. Say hi to Lovelace for me, and remind her that she still owes me a date.” He winked and kicked off on his moped. His black and white plaid hoodie disappeared around the side of the building as he made his way to Anderson Hall.

  I would have to remember to put in a good word for him with Piper. She really needed to start re-evaluating her poor taste in men.

  I checked my watch and let out a sigh of relief. I still had five minutes! Forget about the good word; that boy was going to get a guaranteed date with her if I had anything to say about it.

  I made my way up the steps into the campus building. My soaked-through shoes slipped and slid through the heavy traffic in the halls. I pulled my class notes out of my bag as I walked. With my focus directed elsewhere, I almost beamed into the pole dividing the double doors between Landon’s east and west wings. Dammit, that thing came out of nowhere! I really didn’t need a concussion to sweeten the day.

  I shook it off and looked down, taking in my doodled notes. The Black-bellied Whistling-Duck is Dendrocygna autumnalis. The Cinnamon Teal is Anas cyanoptera.

  I glanced up, spotting the source of my upcoming nirvana. Soon, I’d be in my seat and could relax. I turned my attention back to my notes, absorbing any last minute details I could before class.

  The Barrow’s Goldeneye is—

  My face bounced off what was most assuredly a person, but what felt more like a stone wall. My glasses crunched into my nose, and the breath was blown from my body. My notes exploded in the busy hallway like a million paper airplanes and I slipped, landing on my rear end for an unbelievable third time that day.

  Crap that hurt! I cringed and attempted to catch my breath. I refocused my thoughts from the semi-truck impact I just experienced to the rage warring within me. Yeah, the hall bump—more like hall slam—was my fault for not paying attention, but still ….

  I sought out the face of the jerk that ran into me like an underwater sub locking onto a target. My bitchy remark solidified in my throat as I stared at who had to be the single most beautiful guy I had ever seen.

  He had a strong, chiseled chin and dark brown hair that was styled to perfection in a distinguished business cut. And his skin was so smooth and flawless. So much so, that it could even be said that the clarity was way beyond that of normal. His lips were full with a slight curl in the corners that made them deliciously mouthwatering. But even with that impressive grocery list of male perfection, it was his eyes that outshined every feature. They were a rich greenish-gray, the hue completely radiating intensity. In fact, they were so bright it was as if they … glowed.

  I gulped and blinked, scanning down. He wore a collared, hunter green button-up shirt rolled at the sleeves. The material did very little to cover up the lean, muscular body beneath. And those jeans … good Lord those jeans. The dark wash, vintage style hugged every bit of him until they stopped at the brown leather shoes encasing his sexy feet.

  Sexy feet? Did I just think that?

  I shook my head and blinked once more, looking him over again. He had to have some kind of flaw, a fault, or something to keep my body afloat as it was now quickly drowning in its own heat. But if he had any, I sure wasn’t seeing them. And I was looking pretty hard.

  What was this GQ model doing here? Sure, hot guys were common enough around Eastland-U’s campus, but I’d had yet to meet one who stirred my hormones into such a frenzy that it would take an ice bath to cool me down. Until now, that was.

  He towered above me with the stance of a Greek god. And there I was, looking like a nearly-drowned sewer rat in huge, dorky glasses and staring at him like I’d never seen a member of the male species before. Well, at least I could take care of one problem. I removed my glasses and tossed them into my bag.

  I looked up again and tried to think of something to say, but I could only stare. Formulating words had always been fairly easy, but at the moment, absolutely nothing came to me.

  He tilted his head to the side with his eyebrows knit. And those intense eyes scanned my position of the floor.

  Why did he look so confused as he looked at me? I swallowed again. Finally, words came to me.

  “I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you.” I reached around the floor, fumbling to grab my papers. “I was studying for my exam and completely ….”

  The words completely left my mouth as he moved closer to me. He bent down in an attempt to help. At least, I thought that’s what he was doing, although his confused expression hadn’t changed.

  He continued to close the distance; my gaze locked on his bright eyes. I was so focused on them that I actually felt my body snap back as his gaze released mine and settled over my shoulder. I looked behind me, but didn’t see whatever he’d seen. But whoever or whatever took his attention brought a complete change over him. He pulled away, the baffled look on his face now fading into unimpressed stoicism. Without another look, he stepped over me and walked away.

  I turned around in a daze and watched him saunter down the hallway. He went into the same auditorium of my morning lecture and out of sight.

  I shook my head. What just happened? What caused him to go from looking like he was going to help me to beneath his notice in 1.5 seconds?

  Realizing I still sat in the hall with my papers around me, I put my glasses back on and picked myself up. After gathering my notes and my belongings, I went to my classroom.

  *

  The packed auditorium sat dozens of students, but it wasn’t hard to spot Piper’s signature red bob in the crowd.

  As I walked among my fellow students to get to her, I couldn’t help but look for the guy from the hallway. Despite the fact that he had made me feel like complete crap, my eyes were still drawn to him. He wasn’t hard to spot, either. He sat three rows behind Piper, in the back right corner of the room, just as dazzling as he’d been when I’d first seen him in the hallway. A group of girls twittered about him like cats in heat as I passed them in the side aisle. But he continued to sport his emotionless gaze like he was completely oblivious to the commotion he stirred up.

  I looked down as I entered Piper’s row, not wanting him to see how much of an effect he’d had on me. I stumbled over the feet of a guy who was rocking back and forth with his head in his hands, probably panicked by the upcoming exam. I scooted past him and continued my observation of the ground. Making it to Piper, I crossed over her legs toward the seat
beside her.

  “Hey, what happened to you?” she asked. “You look like you took a dip in the quad fountain … and what is that on your ass?”

  I straightened up and turned my neck down toward my backside. The absence of my sweater met my eyes. Apparently, somewhere between my journey with Blaine and the doors of class, I’d lost its coverage. The brown patch of mud was now on display for the world to see.

  F my life.

  I dropped my bag and took my seat, ignoring her question. “Where were you this morning? I woke up late, my tire blew, and if it wasn’t for Blaine—”

  “Whoa, wait right there. I told you I had a lab this morning at the butt crack of dawn, remember?”

  “No.”

  “And what are you talking about that loser Blaine for? I’m pretty sure he’s stalking me, and what happened to you? Why are you so upset, and for the love of God, what is on your ass?”

  I rubbed my face under my frames, then ran my hands through the tangled, soggy mass on my head. My fingers caught in some muddy clumps, and I tried to pull them from my hair. “Nothing, I just had to walk in the rain a bit to get here. I slipped. I’m fine.”

  Piper made a face and cautiously put her hands in my hair. She helped me remove bits of mud and leaves.

  “I don’t believe you. Did something else happen?” She pulled a comb out of her hot pink purse and raked it through my hair.

  I let out a sigh and stopped the pointless task of trying to fix my matted black locks—and keeping information from Piper Lovelace. “You see that guy behind us in the back right corner?”

  She let go of my hair and indiscreetly turned around to scan the crowd for potential suspects. She squinted, grilling the students with her eyes. And when her puzzled gaze melted into a look of immense lust, I knew she’d seen him.

  “Damn ….” she said after a few moments of blatant starring. She actually rolled her tongue across her lips.

  She turned around, flipping her hair. “What about him? Ooh, did he ask you out? If not, I might have to get at that. I bet he just transferred. We’ll have to show him how to have a good time here in the Midwest,” she continued in a sitting version of her happy pee dance.