by J. L. Beck
The guy doesn't show up in any of my other classes, and he doesn't say much to me the following Monday or Wednesday. But, as soon as I sit down on Friday morning, he starts in on me.
"What are your plans this weekend?" he asks, sounding genuinely interested in my answer.
Shrugging, I reply grudgingly, "Not much, going to my parents for the weekend tomorrow."
He nods, "I bet that will be fun."
"Not likely," I say with a snort, "they aren't exactly the normal, loving family." Not even close. I was having a good day, until he mentioned this weekend. Seeing my parents is not going to be a good time. I know I sound like an even bigger bitch when I cut him off. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to pay attention to the professor."
Kat's friend looks as though he wants to say something, but after seeing the expression on my face he must think better of it. He only nods before turning back to the front of the room, ignoring me for the rest of the class.
When class is finally over, I can't leave the room fast enough. However, I barely make it out before he grabs my elbow, steering me away from the crowd of students leaving our classroom. He pulls me into a small alcove down the hallway, and I'm trapped between him and the wall.
"Are you okay?" he asks, sounding concerned.
Folding my arms across my chest, I don't answer right away. He makes no effort to move. In fact, he crosses his arms too, perfectly content waiting me out.
My shoulders slump, and I tell him, "I'm fine. Can I go now?" When he says nothing, I attempt to go around him, but he presses me further against the wall. He's got at least six inches on me, and he's so close now that to see his face I have to tip my head back. Once I do, I'm wishing I hadn't. Instead of the holier than thou look he gave me earlier in class, he's looking at me with what appears to be sincere concern and that's the last thing I want.
"Seriously..." I trail off, pretending I don't remember his name.
He rolls his eyes, not believing that I "forgot" before he fills in his name, "Wyatt. My name is Wyatt. And you're Peyton."
"Yeah, I know my name, jerk." I say, rolling my eyes. "Anyway, I really am fine, and I'm hungry. I'd like to get to the cafeteria before all the decent food is gone." As if on cue, my stomach growls, loudly, and he smirks at me.
"Alright, let's go get lunch then." He grabs my elbow again, holding it firmly, but not in a way that causes me any pain, and leads me down the hallway and out into the bright winter sun.
When we enter the campus cafeteria, he stays beside me as we move through the line picking out food. He piles his tray high with pizza, a cheeseburger, fries, and so much more that I can't watch anymore. I grab a salad and water and continue to the front to pay. Wyatt follows quickly behind me before leading me over to where Scarlett is sitting with Kat and the rest of the guys. Groaning inwardly, I let him lead me over. It's either that, or sit by myself and that will draw too much attention to me.
Setting my tray down across from Scarlett, I take a seat. Wyatt sits beside me and with a nod at the table, digs into his mountain of food. I know I'm gaping at him when Max's brother laughs loudly, "Don't mind him, it's basketball season. He's always starving during basketball."
So he plays sports. Interesting. I wouldn't have pegged him as athletic. Especially compared to his friends. Max's brother and other roommate, I can't remember either name, are both much stockier. They look like the type who would play sports, while Wyatt is muscular, but not overly so. The brother is wearing a white henley that's taut across his chest while the roommate is wearing a black sweater. Wyatt's wearing a button down shirt tucked into jeans. Like yesterday, he looks like the sophisticated one of the three, and I wonder where he's from.
Feeling my gaze on him, he turns toward me with a grin, "Take a picture sweetheart, it'll last longer."
Oh, he makes me so mad! My face flames, and I lose control of my mouth, "I don't need a picture jackass. You won't leave me alone."
Instead of getting offended, the jerk tips his head back and laughs! Deciding to ignore him, I go back to eating my salad, listening to the other conversations at the table. Max is teasing Kat while her face turns as red as Scarlett's hair, Clay and Emmett are alternating between competing for Scar's attention and talking to Wyatt about the team he's playing this week.
While they are discussing Wyatt's teammates and upcoming game, Scarlett leans across the table to whisper, "What's up with the sexual tension?"
"The what?" Sexual tension? She must be crazy.
Scarlett rolls her eyes, "You know, the sparks that are flying between you and Wyatt!"
"That's not sexual tension you idiot, it's loathing." She snickers, and I narrow my eyes at her, "Stop it! I'm serious!"
Giving me a knowing look, she says, "You're such a liar Peyton. I guarantee you'll be all over each other before Spring Break. Hell, maybe even before Valentine's Day!" She goes back to eating for a few minutes before continuing, "By the way, we're going out with Kat and her friends this evening. A bar in downtown Nashville that's really popular."
Before I can respond to that information, she gets up from the table, grabbing her tray. I take my half finished lunch and start to follow her, when Wyatt grabs my tray, "Where are you going? You've barely eaten a thing."
Pulling it away from him, I snap, "I'm going to my next class. Dickheads don't do much for my appetite."
I instantly regret my words when the smile disappears from his face and his eyes darken with anger. He turns away from me without another word, and oddly, I feel bad for what I said to him. I don't even want to analyze that, so I take off after Scarlett. I finally catch up to her at the door, and as I walk out behind her, I chance a look back at the table. Wyatt's watching me with an unreadable look in his eyes, and the cold weather isn't the only thing that makes me shiver.
I just don't understand what your problem is with Wyatt," Scarlett complains, as we get ready to go meet the guys. While it takes me all of thirty minutes to change clothes and get ready, she's still going through her closet looking for the "perfect" outfit an hour later. "He's a nice guy Pey, and he's really into you. I'd tap that in a heartbeat!"
I groan, "Scar, you know better than anyone that a boyfriend isn't part of the plan. I just want to get my degree before my parents decide they aren't going to pay for school anymore. I'm not here to tap anyone." My parents think that majoring in anything to do with music is a waste of time, and they demand a major change every time I speak to them. When I didn't bend to their wishes during winter break, they began threatening to take away funding which would mean getting a job along with a bunch of student loans or dropping out of college.
Scarlett pops her head out of the closet to glare at me. "Admit it Peyton, if it wasn't for the shit your parents keep pulling, you'd go out with him in a heartbeat." When I start to protest, she comes out of the closet holding the outfit she's finally decided on. Holding up a hand she states, "Just stop. I've seen how you stare at him when you think no one is noticing. You're just as attracted to him as he is to you. Yes, you hide it better than he does, but it's there."
Dropping my head in my hands, I mutter, "I am not. He's so annoying, and not my type at all."
Scarlett's hands pull mine away from my face as she gives me a sympathetic look. "Uh huh, sure sweetie. You keep telling yourself that and let me know how it works out for you."
I don't respond to that statement. What's the point? Instead, I ask, "Are you going to be ready at some point tonight? At this rate, we're never going to get there."
She raises an eyebrow as though she's challenging me, "Well, since you don't like him and aren't attracted to him, shouldn't you be excited about that possibility?"
"You're such an ass." The girl makes me so mad, but she's one of only a few people that I can't really stay mad at. I don't let people in easily, but she slipped past every wall I put up.
Scarlett's checking herself out in the mirror, turning from side to side to make sure the outfit looks the way she wants it to
. That doesn't stop her interrogation though. Pulling her shirt down and her skirt up, her eyes meet mine in the mirror, "Seriously Pey, the world wouldn't end if you gave a guy a chance. I'm not even saying it has to be Wyatt. But, you need to put yourself out there or you're going to end up as an old, lonely cat lady. And when you have fifty cats I will not be visiting you. That's just gross. Really, by finding a man you'd be doing me a favor, because I'd hate to stop being your friend over the cats. That would suck." Flopping back onto her bed, I pull a pillow over my face and scream into it. "Oh. My. God. How did we go from I'm not attracted to Wyatt to I need to date someone or I'm going to be a cat lady. Jeez Scar, I'm only nineteen! It's not like I'll be a spinster on my next birthday. It's 2014, not 1814!"
Ripping the pillow out of my hands, Scarlett leans over me rolling her eyes, "You're such a dork. Just give it some thought okay? I think Wyatt could be good for you."
"Whatever. Can we please drop this subject? And would you get ready to go? I have to go home tomorrow, so I'd like to get back here kinda early tonight."
Scarlett nods before going back to her mirror to finish her makeup. Twenty minutes later, she's finally ready to go. Annabelle is home and changed, and we're just waiting for Kat to get down here. She had a late afternoon class so she's scrambling to get ready. While we're waiting, Annabelle and Scarlett start discussing the merits of each guy that we'll be with tonight. It's all I can do not to groan; I really thought we were done with this subject.
"Okay, so while Kat's not here, what's the deal with her and Max?" Annabelle asks and she and Scarlett both turn to look at me.
I know my eyes are wide when I shrug, "How am I supposed to know? They act like they're dating, so I'm going with that until they said differently. Obviously, I'm not the best judge of who's in a relationship with who."
Annabelle blows out an exasperated breath, "Peyton, she's your roommate. Have you talked to her at all?" She pins me with her narrowed eyes, and I squirm. Annabelle is normally pretty quiet, but when you get her riled up, you better watch out!
"No, not really," I say guiltily. I haven't really put in much time this week getting to know my new roommate. I don't have the time or the inclination to get to know someone who will likely be gone at the end of the semester. I just need to deal with her until she's gone. Harsh, I know, but it's the truth. She was living with her sister until someone needed a place to stay. Surely they won't be there that long, right?
I'm saved from having to say anything else by a knock on the door. It might just be the first time I'm glad to see my new roommate. Scarlett is quick to open the door, immediately pulling Kat into a quick hug before stepping back to study her outfit.
"Kat!" she exclaims. "I adore that color red on you!" Scar's favorite color is red and I'm not sure if it's because of her name or not. She always dyes her hair red, although tonight she's used temporary color to add black streaks, which looks really cool. Scarlett loves to be the center of attention and is always trying to make people, especially guys, notice her while Annabelle and I are content to stay in the background.
Giving Scarlett a shy smile Kat says, "Thanks Scarlett. I love your hair." Scarlett beams at her, and pulls her further into the room. Here we go. Scar's going to ask her a shitload of meaningless questions to "get to know her" and it'll be another hour before we get to the bar. Annabelle and I both groan, prompting Scarlett to give us both a go to hell look before turning her attention back to Kat.
"So, Kat, how well do you know Wyatt?" Scarlett asks, giving me an innocent look when she sees my glare. Why does she have to torture me? We just agreed to drop the Wyatt discussion, and here she is picking it right back up.
"Um," Kat starts, giving all three of us a confused look. Scarlett and Annabelle are both looking at her expectantly, and all I want to do is change the subject. Unfortunately, Kat starts to answer before I can even attempt it. "I don't really know any of the guys that well, other than them being Max's brother, friends and roommates. Why?"
"No reason," Scarlett's quick to say, "Is he single?"
"Yeeees." Kat draws the word out looking even more confused.
Scarlett continues, "Awesome -" I clamp a hand over her mouth, cutting off whatever she was going to say next. At this point, even the death glare she gives me doesn't scare me.
"Stop it!" I hiss at her.
Scarlett's eyes widen and she nods so I remove my hand. She immediately starts speaking, "Come on Peyton. Just admit it. Admit that you like him and I swear I'll drop it!"
Throwing my hands up in the air in exasperation I shout, "Fuck! Fine! Yes, I like him! Are you happy now?" Good Lord! At this point, I would admit to being the devil incarnate if it meant she'd stop bugging me, but I'm surprised to discover that when I yell the words, I actually mean them. Damn it.
The fact that she was right makes Scarlett dance around the room shaking her ass while singing, "I knew it! I knew you liked him! Peyton and Wyatt -"
"Alright, alright you got me to admit it. Jeez, please can we let this go now?" I say, interrupting her impromptu song and dance. "Can we go to the bar now? What's this place called anyway?"
Kat, who's been watching this entire exchange with her head bouncing back and forth between Scarlett and I like a freaking ping pong ball, pipes up with, "Drench. The guys know the owner's sister."
Turning to Scarlett, I ask, "Can we go to Drench now that you've made me spill everything?"
"Yep," Scarlett says with a huge shit-eating grin, popping the "p" at the end of the word. Linking arms with me she pulls me out of the room, Kat and Annabelle following close behind us. I hope this whole exercise wasn't an indicator of how the rest of the night is going to go. If it is, I'd really rather stay in the dorm by myself. Since that isn't an option though, I'll just have to try to stay to myself and hope that Wyatt doesn't show. Yeah right, like that'll happen.
Once we're out of the dorms, Scarlett links arms with Kat as well and practically drags us over to my car. The other girls keep up a running commentary on everything from this semester's classes to Kat's non-relationship with Max until we get into downtown Nashville and head for Broadway. I try to drop them all off at the door thinking I can then sneak back, but Scarlett knows me too well. When I make the suggestion, she just narrows her eyes before shaking her head vehemently. Swallowing my groan, I search out a parking spot that's close enough we'll be able to get everyone back to the car after a few drinks. Trying to get a sloppy drunk to a far away parking spot isn't fun, and I've already had to do it a few times for Scarlett and her fake ID. Surprisingly when we get inside, the guys aren't there so we find an area with enough free tables we can push together to make enough room for everyone before settling down to wait.
We've been at this club for a little over an hour now and Kat's friends just showed up. Considering we're the girls, you would've thought we'd be the last to get here. It hasn't been so bad though. Scarlett gets along with everyone, and she's easily pulled Kat into our conversations. Even I have to admit that Kat isn't as bad as I first thought, though I'll never tell Scarlett that. She'll gloat for months.
When the guys get to our table, Max immediately sits beside Kat stretching his arm over the back of her chair. His brother sits on the other side of her, while Emmett remains standing next to the table, looking around the bar. Wyatt is the last to reach the table and he doesn't immediately sit beside me, even though that's what I was expecting him to do after our last few encounters. Instead, he tugs Kat's ponytail, grinning down at her when she whirls around to glare at him before sitting at the far end of the table, closer to Annabelle.
He scans the room along with Emmett before finally meeting my gaze. When our eyes meet, his search mine, although for what I'm not sure. His brow furrows as he continues to study me and I squirm inwardly. He's looking at me like he can see everything I'm feeling, everything I try to keep inside, and I hate it. I hate him. I glare at him but don't say a word. He's on the other end of the table, and with the noise level in t
his building he'd never hear me.
"Baby!" a feminine voice squeals, startling me enough that I'm able to break the connection with Wyatt. I turn just in time to see a slim girl with dark hair leap into Emmett's arms, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him exuberantly. Standing beside them is a blonde with pink streaks throughout her hair. She rolls her eyes heavenward before greeting the guys and taking the last empty seat at the table.
"Hey Wyatt," she says, her voice teasing.
He grins back at her, "Hey SB. How's it going?"
"Same as always, hanging out with Olivia," she says with a shrug before looking around the table. Her eyes widen slightly when her gaze sweeps over Annabelle, Scarlett and I, and she leans closer to Wyatt to say something in his ear. He tilts his head to the side, probably so that she doesn't have to stretch so far to speak to him. Even though he's listening intently to whatever she's saying to him, his eyes lock on mine.
Feeling too exposed, I tear my eyes from his and turn to Scarlett, practically shouting in her ear, "Let's go dance."
Pulling away, she studies me intently for a moment before nodding. Standing up, she pulls on Annabelle's arm to bring her along with us. Leading the three of us to the dance floor, they immediately join in the synchronized dance. Maybe the dance floor wasn't the best idea after all. Dancing is so not my thing. Scarlett and Annabelle don't let me stay on the edge of the dance floor though. Each grabs a hand and pulls me over to stand between them, attempting to teach me the moves as we go along. By the time I finally start to catch on, the song is over and a new dance starts. Luckily, this one is similar so I'm better able to keep up.
