by Mercy Amare
“Do you want to go to the gym tomorrow?” I ask Andrea as I take a sip of my drink. I try to push the guilt aside.
Andrea goes to the gym at least four days a week. I am trying to go that much as well, but getting into the habit is hard. I’d so much rather sit in my dorm and eat potato chips. Really, it’s a hard life.
“Absolutely,” she says. “I need chocolate tonight, so I have to work it off.”
Just as the words leave her mouth, Carter, Eric, and a tall brunette girl walk around the corner. The brunette girl I can only assume is Julie and she is freaking gorgeous. Like, she makes me want to send my Dr. Pepper back and get water. And then she makes me want to skip dinner altogether.
“I changed my mind,” Andrea whispers to me as we watch Julie walk to the table. “I don’t want chocolate.”
Julie legit looks like a supermodel. I’m wondering if somebody turned on a fan, because her hair looks like it’s blowing in the wind. Her make-up is perfect, her outfit is perfect... SHE is perfect.
“Maybe we should go to the gym tonight,” I say.
Andrea nods in agreement.
Carter, Julie and Eric take a seat at the table. I’m pretty sure that Andrea and I are still staring at Julie.
“Hey, guys,” Carter says. “What’s up?”
Finally, I look at Carter. “Hey.”
“This is my girlfriend, Julie,” Carter says.
Julie grins at us. “Hey. It’s nice to meet you.”
I get what Andrea was saying earlier about hating somebody who is prettier than you, because I kind of want to hate Julie for being so beautiful. Like, how unfair is it that one person can be so beautiful? But she seems nice so far. I can’t hate her.
Julie has super dark brown hair, light blue eyes, and big pouty lips. She also doesn’t have an ounce of fat anywhere on her body.
I take a drink of my Dr. Pepper and feel slightly better. I bet she only drinks water.
“Nice to meet you,” I tell her. “I’m Kihanna.”
Julie’s eyes get big. “Carter told me about you. You’re Mark Evers’s daughter, right?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m Andrea,” she tells Julie, then looks at me. “Who is Mark Evers? That name sounds so familiar.”
“Only the eleventh richest guy in America,” Eric says.
Wow. Even I didn’t know that.
“He created Staying Connected,” I tell her.
“And why am I just now finding out?” she asks. “Wow. That’s kind of a huge deal.”
“It didn’t come up,” I say, shrugging my shoulders. “And it’s really not a big deal.”
“You should’ve told me the first night we met,” Andrea says.
“What was I supposed to say? Hi, I’m Kihanna, and my dad is really rich. I hope that won’t affect our future friendship,” I say, sarcastically.
“Okay, you’ve got a point,” she says, then frowns. “You seem so... nice and down to earth. You don’t act like a billionaire’s daughter at all.”
“That’s because she was raised in St. Louis with her mom,” Eric says. “Her mom was a school teacher. She didn’t know about her dad until last year when she moved in with him. It’s kind of crazy, actually. A real Cinderella story.”
“Geez, how do you know this about me?” I ask.
“Google,” Eric answers. “You have your own Wikipedia page.”
“Seriously?”
Wow. Why have I never Googled myself?
“Yeah,” he says. “Plus, you’re all over the Berkeley website. They want everybody to know that Mark Evers’s daughter is here, I guess.”
“Oh, I knew that,” I say. “They wanted me to come here and do promotional stuff for them. Originally, I turned them down and accepted an offer to Stanford, but then... things changed. I wanted to go somewhere else. Even though it was April at the time, they made an exception.”
“You’re a lucky girl,” Julie says to me.
Says the girl with the genes of a goddess.
“It’s not a big deal,” I say again, hoping everybody gets the hint. “I’d rather talk about something else, honestly. I’m pretty boring.”
Julie sits up in her seat. “I’ve been invited to Fashion Week in London. I’m actually flying to London tomorrow afternoon.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Carter asks.
“It was a last minute thing. A girl broke her leg and I was her replacement,” she says. “I just found out earlier today.”
“That’s so exciting!” I say.
“So, you have to leave early?” Carter asks, looking a bit bummed.
“Yeah,” she says, biting her lip. “I’m sorry.”
Carter sighs. “Don’t be sorry. It’s Fashion Week! That’s, like, a big deal. I’m just sad because I’ll miss you. I wish I could be there.”
Julie grins. “You can’t miss the third week of school. But I promise I’ll send lots of pictures and we can Skype every night.”
“Okay,” he says, smiling back. I can tell his smile is forced.
It’s not that Carter isn’t happy for her. I’m sure he is. It’s just hard being away from the person you love. I feel bad for them. Being nineteen years old and having a long distance relationship has to suck.
“Fashion week doesn’t actually start until next Friday,” Julie says. “Maybe you can fly there for the weekend.”
My phone vibrates. I pull it out of my purse and unlock it.
Ty: Good news. I get it all. The houses. The jets. My dad’s money. Everything. His ex-wife gets ten million, which I’m sure she will blow through in a year. And I’m coming back tonight. That was over quicker than I thought.
Me: That’s awesome! I am proud for you!
Ty: Of course, I don’t actually get any of it until I’m 21. So until then, I’m broke.
Me: You’re hardly “broke.” My dad gives you everything you could ever want or need.
Ty: Yeah, but I don’t like taking from your dad... It’ll be nice to be able to pay him back.
Me: You know he won’t take it.
Ty: Maybe. So, do you want to hang out when I get back? Maybe celebrate?
Me: Sure. I’m eating dinner with Andrea, Eric, Carter and his GF, Julie. Hang out after?
Ty: Definitely. I’ll be waiting naked in your dorm room.
Me: You better not, Ty Newman. Also, aren’t you driving? NO TEXTING AND DRIVING! It’s illegal in California.
Ty: I’m using voice text. Chill.
Ty: It’s nice to know you care about my safety ;)
Me: I care a lot about you. Always have. Always will. See you when you get here. Be safe.
I put my phone away and see that Julie and Carter are still discussing Fashion Week.
“I can’t afford to just hop on a plane and come to London anytime I want,” Carter says. “Coming to see you in New York nearly drained all of my savings.”
Julie rolls her eyes. “It’s not like your parents couldn’t buy you a plane ticket. Your dad might not be Mark Evers, but he’s certainly not hurting for money. I mean, you’re going to Berkeley. It’s not exactly a cheap college.”
“I’m not going to ask my parents to buy me a plane ticket,” he argues. “They are paying for my education, room and board, and food. I can’t ask anything else of them.”
“So get a job.”
“And work when?” he asks her. “I’m taking twice a normal course load so I can graduate early and be with you. What more do you want me to do?”
“I don’t know,” she says, frowning.
Andrea leans over to me. “Lovely couple.”
I guess their relationship isn’t as perfect as Carter said it was.
“This is why I’m single,” Eric says loudly. “Too much drama.”
“You’re also single because you have an issue with hygiene,” Julie says.
“I do not,” he says, and then burps loudly. It doesn’t faze me, because by now I’m used to Toby.
“Point proven,” she s
ays, wrinkling her nose.
“All guys are like that,” Andrea says. “Trust me, I have five older brothers. The only time they would come into my bedroom as a kid was when they needed to fart.”
I laugh. “Oh, my God, poor you. But that is hilarious.”
“Not all guys are like that,” Julie counters. “Carter isn’t like that.”
“Maybe not around you,” Eric says, snorting.
Carter remains quiet. I can tell he’s upset about the argument that he and Julie just had. I feel bad for him. From what I’ve seen, he truly loves her. He has to, or they wouldn’t have lasted this long. Five years is a long time. I hope they work it out.
“Maybe we should go; and let you two talk,” I say. “I can give Eric a ride back to the dorm. We can just hang out another night.”
“No, don’t do that,” Julie says.
“Actually, I wouldn’t mind having some alone time with you,” Carter says. “I thought we were going to have all weekend.”
Julie’s smile falters for a second, but then she quickly recovers. I can tell that her smile is fake. “Okay, Carter. Whatever you want.”
I throw some money on the table to cover our drinks and then get up from the booth. Andrea and Eric both follow me out of the restaurant.
“Are they always like that?” Andrea asks Eric once were in the vehicle.
“Yeah,” he says. “Well, high school was different. For the first year, they were very in love, but after that, it seems like all they do is fight. Mostly they fight about the future. Carter wanted to go to college here and Julie wanted to be an actress. Neither of them were willing to budge and go with the other. The long distance thing was their compromise, but it’s not really working. Carter has a tough schedule at school. He’s trying to graduate early so he can join her, but it’s only stressing him out worse.”
“That’s sad,” I say. “I really hope they can work things out.”
Eric shrugs. “He’s too young for such a serious relationship anyway.”
He’s right.
I hate that he is.
I wanted to believe in happily ever after.
Maybe true love is just a myth and “the one” just doesn’t exist.
Still, I can’t help but feel a little hopeful. I want my fairytale ending.
9 p.m.
Is somebody here?
When I get back to my dorm room, Ty is waiting in my bed. But thankfully, he’s not naked. Though, I guess these days my reaction is debatable. Maybe I’d be happy to see him naked in my bed. There is obviously something wrong with me. This is Ty Newman we’re talking about here.
Okay, so, maybe he is kind of dreamy. He has the most gorgeous green eyes, his smile makes my knees weak. But it’s normal to find your ex-boyfriend attractive, right? I mean, I dated him for a reason.
“Hey,” Ty greets me. He is lying back on my bed with his hands folded behind his head.
“Hey,” I say back.
“How was your dinner?”
I fall onto the bed beside him. “Awful. How was your meeting?”
“Awful. But at least I never have to see Angela Newman, ever again,” he says. “I hate that woman so much. I used to feel sorry for her, being stuck with my dad, but I realized she is just as ruthless as he was. She was so pissed that she got only ten million out of the whole deal.”
“If I had ten million dollars, I’d be thrilled,” I say. “She’s crazy.”
Ty looks at me and smirks. “You have a lot more than ten mil. Your dad is a billionaire, Kihanna.”
I shrug. “My dad is. Not me.”
“Until you get your trust fund.”
“Dad’s never talked to me about a trust fund. Who says I will even get anything?” I ask. “It’s not like I deserve anything.”
“And I do?”
I nod. “Ugh, yeah. You put up with a psycho dad for eighteen years. I’d say you deserve a lot.”
“True,” he says.
“So, it’s really all over?” I ask.
“Yeah. It really is.” He smiles. “I’m free now. I don’t have to worry about court dates or lawyers. It’s awesome.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
Ty turns on the bed so he’s facing me. “Are you kidding? I’m sorry that my dad tortured you and made your life miserable for nine months.”
“It wasn’t your fault. Besides, something good did come out of it,” I say. “Your dad is finally paying for his crimes. He’s where he belongs. And your mom finally has the justice that she deserves.”
“Too bad it took me eight years to come forward.”
“You were ten. Nobody blames you for what you did.”
“Yeah, but I keep thinking if I had... you never would’ve gone through what you did,” he says.
“I can’t regret anything that happened to me. Everything has led me here. And I’m with you, so it’s not a bad thing.”
Ty grins. “So everything brought you to bed with me?”
“I guess it did,” I say, grinning back.
“Speaking of being in bed... did I mention how much I love the fact that you don’t have a roommate?” he asks. “Because I do.”
“You might’ve mentioned it a few times.”
I know, I know! I’m flirting with Ty. And I realize this is a very dangerous thing to do, but I just can’t help myself. A very big part of me wants to do very bad things with him in this bed.
It’s too soon to think like this! Gabe and I have only been broken up two weeks now. Just because he’s moved on, doesn’t mean I should.
I guess it wouldn’t be moving on if Ty and I just hooked up. I mean, it’s like, we’re not going to have a relationship. Friends with benefits. That’s it. I mean, he did offer.
But this is Ty. The same Ty who cheated on me a year ago.
No. He’s not the same Ty. This is the Ty who shot his father to save my life. He would do anything for me. I truly don’t think he’s the same guy he was when he cheated on me.
“What are you thinking about?” Ty asks me.
“Just how much you’ve changed since we dated,” I answer, leaving out the part where I’m considering his friends with benefits offer.
“I was an idiot back then,” he says. “If I was smart, I never would’ve pressured you to have sex before you were ready, and I definitely wouldn’t have cheated on you. You never would’ve been pushed to date Gabe, and we would still be together.”
“Well, you can’t change the past.”
“No,” he says, frowning.
“But you can control what happens in the future.”
He looks at me, his eyes full of hope. “Do you think there could ever be a future for us?”
His question is loaded and I don’t know how to answer it because I simply don’t have an answer. Right now, all I want to do is be selfish. I want to focus on me. And Ty would just complicate things.
I look at his lips. He was always such a good kisser. And while we never did other... things... I have a feeling he would be good at that too.
So, right now, I say screw it. I want to kiss him. And I might regret it in the morning, but right now, I am living in the moment.
“Ty?” I ask. My voice comes out in a whisper.
“What?” he asks.
“Will you kiss me?”
He looks at my lips and then at me. “Are you sure?”
I nod. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”
My answer seems to satisfy him, because within seconds, his lips are on mine.
Well, not just his lips.
His hands are on me too.
Ty’s lips press firmly against mine as he runs his fingers gently through my hair.
His kiss is just like I remembered. And in normal Ty fashion, the kiss heats up pretty quickly. He runs his hands slowly down my sides, but he doesn’t try to touch me anywhere inappropriate.
But I really wish he would.
I’m just about to tell him so when the
re is a knock on my door.
Ugh, really?
I groan in frustration as we break the kiss.
“I could ignore the door,” I say quietly. “Pretend I’m not here.”
As the words leave my mouth, the person pounds on the door harder and louder.
“You should answer it,” Ty says, then kisses me gently on the lips. “But run them off fast, because I am so not done with you, yet.”
I get up from the bed and walk over to the door. When I open it, Gabe is standing on the other side.
I haven’t seen him since I picked him up drunk from the sorority last Monday, so I am shocked to see that he’s here.
“Gabe, hi,” I say.
“Hey,” he says.
Gabe isn’t drunk. And it’s nine on a Friday night. I’d say that’s progress.
“I just came over to apologize for being such an idiot the last couple of weeks,” he says. “Losing you just made me crazy. But that’s no excuse. I hurt you and I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I hurt you first,” I say.
Gabe looks at me. “Were you asleep?”
“No.”
“Why is your hair so messy?” he asks.
I run a hand over my hair. “Oh, umm... I was just in bed.”
My face grows warm.
I’ve always been such a bad liar.
“Is somebody here?” Gabe asks.
“What?” I ask, stupidly.
Gabe pushes the door open with his hand before I can stop him. He looks at Ty and then at me.
I stand there and wait for him to start yelling at me. To say that I’m making a huge mistake. But he doesn’t. What he does hurts much worse than anything else he could have said or done.
He looks back at Ty. “I guess you won this round,” then he looks at me. “Call me when you get tired of him. Until then, I’m going to go hang out with your stepbrother and find a random sorority girl to fuck.”
With that, he turns and walks away.
