Before I know it, the hour passes and people are leaving the class. I glance at my equations. I haven’t finished a single one.
“Hazel? Can I have your solutions, please?” Professor James inquires when I’m the last student remaining.
“I – I’m sorry, I didn’t finish them,” I stutter.
“Well. Just bring me whatever you have. I’ll only grade what you’ve done.”
I gather up my stuff, shoving my book and notebook into my bag. I bring the single piece of paper to the front of the class. “I didn’t finish any of them.”
“I see. And why not?”
“I’m having some personal issues,” I admit.
“I don’t allow girls to use their menstrual cycles as excuses for not completing their work,” he begins.
“No! I’m not on my period, sheesh. I think my boyfriend is getting back together with his ex,” I explain, embarrassed.
“Well, the first week of class is a learning experience, so I’ll let you take the equations home and work on them over the weekend. But on Monday, I expect them to be complete.”
“Thanks,” I force out, though I don’t even care about Calculus anymore. All academics have suddenly taken a backseat to getting Roman back. I won’t lose him to Cheyanne. I won’t.
I take off for my dorm, pulling my phone out and seeing a missed call from Roman. When I listen to the voicemail, my blood boils.
“Hey, baby, it’s Roman. Sorry about this morning. I woke up late and by the time I got to the café at nine, you were gone. I’ll make it up to you, I promise. Later.”
He really had the audacity to lie to my voicemail? Ugh. I stuff my phone into my pocket and make a beeline for the dorms. I slam the door once I go through it, shocking my roommate. Seeing her just angers me further.
“Are you really trying to steal Roman back? Wasn’t it you who told me what a player he was?" I all but screech.
“What are you talking about? Roman and I met this morning to talk about custody of our son. Surely that’s more important than your stupid little coffee date? And I stand by my words – you should stay far away from him. Do you really want to date someone who has a kid?” She stands up to me, something I wasn’t expecting.
I take a deep breath and back up. “Whatever.”
I drop my bag and tuck my credit card and ID into my pocket. I slam the door behind me and pull out my phone, ready to do some retail therapy with Des.
Twenty minutes later, we’re almost to the outlet mall, a place I can’t wait to drop some serious cash at.
“I don’t really have much to spend,” Des says, looking ashamed.
“Today is my treat, Des. Get whatever you want,” I tell her in the parking lot.
“I couldn’t.”
“You can. And you will.” I pull her into the first store of the mall and demand she buy something cute to wear tonight on her group date. A date that I am still going on, I’ll just be the hottest looking girl going. As well as single. I want Roman to realize what he’s missing with me.
After two hours of shopping, Des and I are back at the dorms. I ask her to come with me to my room so I don’t kill Cheyanne. But Cheyanne is nowhere to be found. Thankfully, I start unloading all my purchases, and Destiny’s too. We have an hour until the game starts, and Nolan is meeting us at my room to escort us there.
Just as we finish getting ready, there’s a knock at my door. I make Destiny answer, certain she’ll stun Nolan when he sees her. I spent a lot of time doing her makeup and she looks amazing, especially when she gets out of those boot-cut jeans and into a pair of skinny jeans that show off her body. I put her in a pair of my favorite black heels, which make her ass look incredible. As a top, she picked out a thin, pink T-shirt that hugs her waist. She looks great.
She freezes at the door and I hear a low whistle. “Oh, hey…guys…” I pick up on her distress and walk over.
Nolan and Roman are standing there, waiting for us.
“Aren’t you supposed to be at the game already?” I snip.
“Yeah, I had to come see you, though. Can we talk?” Roman looks at Nolan, who pulls Des out of my room and they leave us alone.
“What do you want? I already know you lied to my voicemail this morning about sleeping in. So no bullshit.”
“You’re right, I did lie. I saw Cheyanne. I know I shouldn’t have lied, but I was scared, Hazel. I mean, you and me, we’re good together, and I didn’t want my kid to come between us.” He looks heartbroken, and I weaken.
“I get it. But don’t lie to me anymore, okay?” I can’t believe I just said that. Why am I not screaming at him for lying?
“You got it, babe. Let’s get to the game before I kicked off the team,” he laughs, taking my hand.
We walk outside and Nolan and Des are waiting for us. The four of us walk to the football field and before Rome takes off to do his thing, he kisses me, a kiss full of promise and regret, one I know neither of us will forget anytime soon.
Chapter Fourteen
The game passes quickly, much quicker than I remember football games passing last year. Of course, last year when I went to high school games, I wasn’t dating the star quarterback of the team, either.
Before I know it, I’m in the backseat of Roman’s car and we’re all headed to Steak & Shake, the best little burger place in town. I absolutely love their burgers. And the fact that they’re open twenty-fours a day? Even better. The hostess puts us in an extra-large round booth in the back, predicting that we’ll be a noisy bunch. We don’t disappoint.
I’m sitting between Roman and Destiny, the perfect place for me, as far as I’m concerned. On Roman’s other side is Andre, who I don’t know all that well. He seems nice, though, and Roman likes him, so I can’t complain. Nolan is next to Des and the two are cuddly and cute. Roman and I hardly touch during the meal, and I notice he seems off.
When we leave, he whispers something to Nolan, who pulls Des away from me and talks to her. Roman takes my arm and leads me to his car, alone. Thinking we’re going to be doing private things, I get in his car with a smile.
Before he can speak, I kiss him. He pulls away a little. “Let’s go someplace private,” he suggests.
I agree wholeheartedly. He puts the car in Drive and takes me back to the beach. It’s the same beach where we had our first kiss, and I can’t believe it’s only been a couple of days since I met him. It feels like forever.
Once he puts the car in Park, I’m all over him. I swing my leg up and over his, climbing on top of him in his seat. I kiss him passionately, letting him know with my kisses exactly what he means to me. My hands are under his shirt, touching each of his abs tenderly, in awe.
“I love you,” I whisper aloud, not meaning to. Maybe he won’t notice.
“What did you just say?” He pushes me away from him, his eyes fierce.
“It just slipped out,” I laugh, trying to be coy.
“Fuck, Hazel, shit like that doesn’t just slip out.” He pushes me again when I try to kiss him, but this time, I land in my own seat. Hard.
“Ow.”
“I’m sorry, Hazel, but this just isn’t going to work. I’ve got too much on my plate right now to be a boyfriend,” he says, but I don’t understand.
“You’re already my boyfriend,” I reply.
“No, I’m just some guy you slept with too soon. I know it probably makes me an ass, but I can’t be with you.”
I lean back against the door of the car, stunned. I can’t even speak as his words set in. I look down at my hands in my lap, more ashamed of myself than I’ve been in years. I put myself out on the line for him, and now he’s just throwing me away, just like all the other guys in my life.
“Asshole!” I manage to yell at him, but I can’t say anymore. I thrust open my door and get out, anxious to be as far away from him as I possibly can. I hear him calling to me, but I ignore him, running out to the beach and continuing on. I turn around to see if he’s following me, and he’s not,
thankfully.
I pull out my phone and text Des as the tears start to roll down my cheeks. She calls me immediately.
“Hey.”
“Oh my God! What happened? We’re already back at the dorms, and Nolan is doing another room check tonight, so he sent Andre to pick you up. Nolan will cover for you for tonight’s room check, too,” she adds, talking faster than I can think at the moment.
“Thanks. Tell Andre I’ll be on the beach, near where the bonfire was that first night. I don’t really want to talk about it, Des, so we’ll catch up tomorrow, okay?” I hang up without waiting for her reply.
I sit on the beach, near the water’s edge. Where did I go wrong? Roman seemed like such a good guy, too. Maybe I should have listened to Cheyanne…
After several minutes of sitting in silence, Andre approaches.
“Hazel, you okay?”
“Ugh, I just want this night to disappear,” I reply, burying my head in my hands.
Andre sits next to me. “It’s okay. It gets better.”
“When? When does it get better?” I mutter. “I’m sorry… I’m just so confused. I really thought Roman liked me.”
“He’s an ass, obviously. You’re amazing.”
I laugh. “You hardly know me. And you don’t have to be nice to me,” I say as I wipe away a tear from my cheek. When I look at him, though, Andre’s dark brown eyes are serious.
“You are amazing. I mean, we haven’t really hung out all that much, but Rome’s an idiot. Giving up a girl like you? He must be out of his mind.”
Even though I know he’s probably lying, his words make me feel better. I put my head down on his shoulder and his arm comes around to hug my waist. It would be so easy to get lost in this moment.
And as I think it, I realize I want to. I want to get lost in this moment with Andre, to let him have me, right here on the beach to wipe away my memories of Roman.
“Kiss me,” I demand, lifting my face up to his. “Help me forget him.”
He resists, not wanting to take advantage, I can tell. I decide then to take the choice away from him. I scramble into his lap, covering his lips with my own as my hands cup his face. For once, I just want to do something completely reckless. What’s the harm?
Chapter Fifteen
The brilliant sun is beating down on me when I wake. I’m covered in sand and memories of last night come flooding back. Not only did I lose Roman, I also slept with one of his friends. Such poor decisions…
“You’re awake,” Andre says, his voice deep, seductive.
“Yeah, barely.”
He smiles at me and I can’t help but feel guilty. I hope he doesn’t think we’re going to be a
thing. I just needed to forget Roman, not get tangled up in another too-fast relationship. “We should probably get back to the dorms,” he suggests as he stands, not mentioning the
events of last night at all.
I take the hand he extends to me and let him lift me up. We walk in silence back to his car
and the ride to the dorms is quiet, with only the faded hum of music filling the air. After he parks
in the lot, he turns to me and I want to let him down easy.
He beats me to the punch. “I’m sure you’re trying to find some way to let me know what a
mistake last night was, and blah, blah, blah. I just want you to know that it doesn’t need to go
any further, okay? You were feeling down and needed to get the taste of Roman off your
tongue.”
I smile, feeling better already. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I haven’t been used like that in a while. It’s an ego-boost,” he confirms, leaning
over to hug me. “Don’t feel awkward, either. We’re friends, and I hope that hasn’t changed.” I shake my head with a grin and then make the walk back to my dorm. I open the door
feeling more at ease with myself than I have in a long time. That feeling fades as soon as I see
my roommate.
“Do you finally see what I’ve been saying?”
“Huh?” I play dumb, wondering how she already knows about Roman and me. “Roman broke up with you last night, right?” She doesn’t wait for an answer. “I told you he
would hurt you, Hazel. Maybe next time you’ll listen to what I have to say! He’s a player,
through and through. Are you just going to stand there?” She looks pointedly from me to the
open door.
I close the door. “I don’t really want to talk about it.”
“I don’t care. I told you to stay away from him. I told you how he was just using you. And
he got what he wanted, right? He got you to sleep with him, didn’t he?”
“Yes,” I mumble, not really wanting to answer, but knowing she won’t let it go. She needs
to say her piece.
“Exactly. Love’em and leave’em, isn’t that what I told you?” she goes on, telling me exactly
how right she was and what a fool I am for letting him get to me.
She doesn’t ask how I am, like a true friend would do. All she cares about is being right, and
that just rubs me raw. The more she speaks, the more I want to make her feel the way I do:
heartbroken. As she goes on and on about Roman and his playboy ways, an idea forms in my
head. An idea that could take down Cheyanne and Roman at the same time. It won’t be easy, but
I know I can pull it off. Ruining the two of them, and possibly getting them out of Coastal, is my
idea of a good school year. Now I just have to work out the details. No one can know it’s me.
Ready for more from the Best Friends Forever group? Knocked Up, Episode #2 of the series will be available Tuesday, September 24, 2013!
More Books from Dawn Pendleton
The Broken Series
Broken Promises
Broken Dreams
Broken Pieces (release date: December 2013)
The BFF Series
Liar, Liar
Knocked Up (9/24/13) Mall Rats (10/01/13) Terms of Endearment (10/08/13) Cruel Intentions (10/15/13) I Love You, Man (10/22/13) The 22 Year Old Virgin 10/29/13) Role Models (11/05/13)
About the Author
Dawn Pendleton lives in Maine with her husband and their dog. She spends most of her time writing about strong heroines and sexy heroes. When she isn’t writing, it’s not uncommon to find her with her nose in a book or her eye behind the lens of a camera.
You can catch up with Dawn on her website: http://www.dawnpendleton.com www.facebook.com/authordawnpendleton
www.twitter.com/dawnwritesna
Liar, Liar (The Best Friends Forever Series #1) Page 6
