Violet pulled away and looked me in the eye. “You’re doing great at life, Taryn Michelle Markos. You just don’t see it yet.”
I loved Violet, but she was wrong. If I didn’t pass this semester, I wouldn’t have the credits to graduate by May. A fifth year of college was out of the question since I was broke. I hated my communications major but had no idea what I wanted to do with my life.
As my time at NJU drew to a close, I started to feel scared about my future. I wanted to make a good life for myself, but I didn’t know where to start. I knew Violet had enough to worry about with her boyfriend situation without piling on my insecurities.
Instead of letting Violet sit around and cry over Oliver Stoneridge, of all people, I suggested my go-to cure for the blues. “Let’s go out.”
Maybe if we dressed up and made ourselves look nice, random guys would tell us we’re awesome. That’s what I needed tonight, and maybe it’s what Vi needed too.
She grimaced like I’d asked her to run a marathon. “I don’t know. I really should pack.”
Grabbing her hands, I yanked her across our apartment. “You aren’t leaving for another three days, so you have plenty of time to pack. Let’s go have a drink. I know this isn’t the best time for you, but we should celebrate your Fall Abroad—”
“—and your Miss Lovely New Jersey runner-up award.”
I stopped and put my hand over her mouth. “Shh, you promised never to speak of that.”
Over the summer, I’d been crowned runner-up in the Miss Lovely New Jersey pageant, which I’d entered solely for the scholarship money. I was robbed of the title, but in a way, I was happy to be runner-up. It meant that I got a little cash but didn’t have to deal with the Miss Lovely America pageant in two weeks. That runner-up scholarship, along with my work-study stipend, was the reason I was able to come back for senior year.
Violet was the only one who knew about my lack of funds and my pageant success. She pulled my hand off her mouth. “Everyone’s going to find out anyway as soon as Miss Lovely America airs.”
“They won’t find me. Not as long as Ashton Rigley holds the crown.” Thank God for Ashton. I had enough to deal with between graduating and figuring out my life. “And don’t change the topic. We’re going out.”
I dragged her to her closet and slid open the doors. Scowling as I flipped through the drab clothes, I took her hand again and pulled her across the hall into my room.
When I flung open my closet, she groaned. “I’m not wearing your clothes. You’re like a foot taller than me.” She pulled out my satin, skintight, little black dress. “And our styles don’t exactly match.”
Poor Violet was a bit vertically-challenged. But she was a woman, and I knew how to dress women. I grabbed a pink summer dress with a flowy skirt. “All my stuff is short on me so you’ll be covered just fine.” Because I knew she’d be all Violet and shy, I pulled out a cute denim jacket too. “Wear this over.”
“Can’t we Netflix and chill?” she teased, adding an exhausted sigh.
I scoffed. “You’ve done enough of that the past three years with Oliver. Now you’re going to come explore the nightlife of NJU with me. By that, I mean we’re going to The Study.”
Vi let me run my fingers through her curls. As a woman with pin-straight hair, I loved her dark, unruly locks. She cringed when my fingers got stuck. “Ouch. The Study, really? I’m a little scared.”
“You’ll be fine, grandma.” The Study could be a little intense, especially since they didn’t card, which made it a popular spot for underclassmen. But Vi and I could handle it. “We’ll have one drink, and I’ll take care of you.”
She smacked me. “You promise not to find a man and leave me there?”
Damn. I guess if I said I’d take care of her, I wouldn’t be able to ditch her for a hottie. She wasn’t the type of roommate who’d see me hooking up, offer me a silent toast, and Uber her way back. Despite growing up in the city, she was needy and dependent. I blamed Oliver and her parents for spoiling her.
I grinned. “Promise. No hooking up. I’m all yours.”
Still, even though tonight was about Vi, I picked a sheer, cleavage-baring shirt and a pair of tight black pants to try and feel sexy—even if I wouldn’t be bringing anyone home but my twenty-one-year-old, coming out of her shell, dowdy but delightful roommate.
Chapter Two
Oliver
A pitcher and a half in at The Study, I still couldn’t numb the sting of Violet’s break up and her impending trip. None of it made sense—I hated when things didn’t make sense.
The place was packed. The Randoms, a local favorite, took the stage for their second set while me and Josh hung back in the bar area. We weren’t there to see the band. Josh had managed to scout out the place earlier and secure prime real estate at the bar. We planned on sitting there all night, until we either got kicked out or passed out face first onto the grimy wood.
He slid another full pitcher into the on-deck spot of the bar we’d overtaken.
“You know,” I slurred, my eyes blurring when I tried to focus on my roommate’s face, “you’re my best friend.”
He laughed, patting me on the shoulder and nearly knocking me off the stool. “You say that every time we get drunk.”
He didn’t seem affected by alcohol. Maybe it helped that he was over two hundred pounds of muscle. He was probably violating some football player rule, or ten, by taking me out, but that was the kind of guy he was. He knew I needed a distraction, even though he tried to dissuade me from the bar. But I’d never had my heart broken before. I didn’t know how to handle it.
Even when girls came up to Josh and tried to start conversation, he blew them off. “Helping out my roommate tonight. Maybe next weekend,” he’d say, keeping himself planted next to me. It was no secret that he was afraid if he left my side, I’d get myself into trouble like I had at happy hour with Violet’s camp crew.
When The Randoms started their second set, the bar area cleared out, taking with it all the women throwing themselves at my roommate.
Nobody ever threw themselves at me, but I had never cared before because I’d had Vi. “I can’t believe I’m single,” I groaned into my half-empty glass.
Josh filled it for me. “It’s not that bad. Think of all the girls you’ve been denying that hot bod to because of Vi.”
“Ha.” He always made fun of my skinniness. I ate a lot but couldn’t keep weight on. “I’ll never get laid again.”
He scoffed. “Calm down. You’ll be fine. You have that dorky kind of charm girls love. You just haven’t perfected your pickup skills since you’ve been with Violet for so long.”
Josh was right. I had no idea how to pick up women. “I don’t want anyone else but her anyway.”
He took a swig of his beer. “Maybe you two will work it out. Vi’s just going through something all chicks go through—”
When Josh stopped talked, I looked up to find him staring behind me. “What’s wrong?”
“Oh, uh, nothing,” he stammered.
I twisted to follow his gaze, but he grabbed my shoulders, not letting me look. Even drunk, I knew something was up.
Wiggling out of his grasp, I flung around, scanning the room.
And saw Violet.
In a pink dress, her hair piled on her head. She was laughing and obviously happy.
“Fuck.” I sat back on the stool and hid my face in my hands.
“Sorry, dude. You’re going to have to get used to seeing her, I guess.”
I peeked over my shoulder, watching her. She always hated that she was petite, but I loved it. The dress showed off her cleavage and her little waist. She looked taller, but as my gaze moved downward, I noticed she was wearing heels.
I turned back to Josh. “It’s only been three days and she’s wearing heels? Violet never wore heels. What’s that about?”
“Welp.” He smirked. “There’s your answer.”
I turned again and saw Taryn, looking like he
r usual hot self, standing over my girlfriend. Rather, my ex-girlfriend. “Fucking Taryn.”
Josh shrugged. He didn’t like to talk about any of the girls he’d been with, out of respect. He was a gentleman that way, I guessed. He leaned closer. “If you want Violet back, then you probably should think about being nice to her roommate.” He looked past me again. “Damn, she looks good.”
When I spun around again, Taryn’s gaze met mine, and her face dropped. She walked past Vi, who looked to be flirting with some asshole, and toward me and Josh.
Chugging the rest of my beer, I turned back to Josh and smacked him in the chest. “She’s coming over.”
He ran a hand over his short blond hair and relaxed his stance.
From behind me, she popped her chin onto my shoulder and whispered in my ear. “How’s it going, Nerdilicious?”
I twisted to glare at her.
“What’s up, gorgeous?” Josh asked.
She wiggled between me and Josh, facing him, and I scanned her from behind. Her ass looked incredible in a pair of tight black pants. Her sheer top teased the black bra underneath. She smelled like vanilla, like she always did. I could see how she managed to pick up all the guys. Luckily, after three years of dealing with her, I was immune to her charms.
“Can I have a minute with Ollie?” she asked Josh.
“I’m afraid I can’t leave him alone,” he answered. “He’s my responsibility.”
“So we’re both caretaking the roommates tonight, huh?”
“Yours seems to be doing fine on her own,” I slurred from behind Taryn.
“See?” Josh said, pointing over Taryn to me. “He’s getting sloppy.”
She peeked over her shoulder with her makeup-smudged, green eyes. As a fixture in Vi’s life, I’d seen Taryn at her best and her worst. Tonight, she looked good. On a Taryn scale of one to ten, she was ranking about an eight.
She turned back to Josh. “Looks like you’re doing a terrible job of taking care of him.”
“It’s what he needed after your roommate dumped him.”
“Hey!” I yelled at them. “I have an idea. Why don’t you both just leave me alone?”
Taryn scowled at me, as she leaned into Josh and whispered something in his ear.
“Fine,” he said to both of us when she pulled away. “Five minutes.” Then, with a shrug, he disappeared.
“Offer him a blow job?” I asked, hating myself the second I said it.
“Jealous?” She rolled her eyes.
From where I sat on the stool, I was pretty much face-to-face with her rack. She crossed her arms under her tits, and I looked up at her face, feeling dizzy from the new angle. As she shook her head, I could see the pity in her eyes. I didn’t blame her. I pitied myself too. “Tell me your problems, Oliver.”
I downed the rest of my beer. My head spun as the warm, flat liquid slid down my throat. I already dreaded my future hangover. “You’re my problem. Why are you letting her out like that? Letting her flaunt herself all over campus like a…mini you.”
She gasped, dramatically widening her eyes. “What’s so wrong with that? She’s having fun.”
“She’s better than that.” Until I said it, I didn’t realize I would offend her. At the moment, with Violet flirting with some jerk off, I didn’t care.
She shifted her weight and glared down at me. “Well fuck you too.”
I turned to check on Vi. She was still standing in the group of God knew who, talking and smiling. She hadn’t noticed me yet, and she did look like she was having fun, damn it. “She doesn’t have to be like that to get a guy.”
“And how would you know? She’s never gotten a guy except you.” Taryn looked at her phone, clearly bored with me already.
“Listen,” I said. “I know you’ve been dying for this moment where she would dump me and the two of you could ride off into the sunset or something. But I miss her. I love her. You know I do. Help me get her back.”
Taryn laughed. “Why would I do that?” She took my glass, refilled it, then drank a few sips.
“Because I’m cute?” I wiggled my eyebrows. Josh was probably right. The way to Vi was through Taryn. Taryn knew the secrets that I didn’t. “Tell me why she wanted this. The real reason.”
“Stop creeping me out with your unruly brows.” She shoved me. “I think she just wants to see what it’s like to be with someone else.”
Exactly what I thought. Vi wanted to screw around with the hot guys. I wasn’t an Adonis, but I thought I satisfied her enough. I looked okay cleaned up and in a suit. “She never wanted that before. Why now?”
She squinted, moving closer to inspect my face. “I could do wonders with a pair of tweezers.”
I scowled and backed away, fending off her vanilla scent. “Focus, Tar.”
She stood up straight again and took another sip of my beer. “It’s senior year and you have her married off and settled for the rest of her life. Give her some room to breathe. Maybe try to be her friend for a while.”
“Friend?” I scoffed. “While she hooks up with other guys?”
Taryn shrugged. “If you love something, set it free, right?”
I hated that bullshit phrase. “Help me get her back.”
“No.”
The way she said it, without hesitation, gave me pause. “Why not?”
She tilted her head, studying me. “Because I hate to tell you this, but I don’t think you’re right for her.”
I laughed at her ridiculous statement. “Wha? Wha…? We’ve been together for five years. How are we not right for each other?”
Lifting her chin, she looked down her nose at me. “I don’t think you know who you are yet, Oliver Stoneridge. And until you figure that out, I don’t think you should be with anyone, especially my best friend.”
“Well then, fuck you too, Taryn.” I tried to put together words to explain why she was wrong, but thanks to the beer, I was on fifty-percent power mode and nothing cognitive seemed to be working.
Taryn flipped her long blond hair over her shoulder and walked away.
I know who I am. I poured more beer. Only half made it into the glass.
Josh appeared, reclaiming his spot and taking over the pouring duty. “You okay, man?”
I shook my head. “No.”
He threw money on the bar and hoisted me up by my elbow. “Alright. Time to go, tough guy.” Taking the long way out, he pulled me toward the stage, to the exit farthest from Vi. As he led me through the crowd, I looked back at her.
She caught my eye, and her face dropped, making me feel like my heart was twisting into a ball. Why was she doing this to us?
Taryn looked between us and rushed to Vi’s side. I gave the girls a fake salute as Josh dragged me away.
Once the cold air hit me, my anger and drunk muscles came out full force, and without thinking, I cocked back my arm and smashed my fist into the brick wall of The Study.
* * *
The next thing I remembered was waking up in the hospital with a cast on my hand.
I groaned and rubbed the cast. Josh leaned over my face, looking at me with his bloodshot eyes. “You’re killing me, Oliver.”
“Shit.” I’d done it again. Another stupid drinking incident. I couldn’t hate myself more. “I’m sorry.”
He patted my shoulder. “I failed you. Should have cut you off sooner.”
I gulped down the dry lump that seemed to have lodged in my throat and tried to sit up. “Where are we?”
“ER. It’s tomorrow morning. And no, I didn’t call your parents. Now that you’re awake, let’s get the fuck out of here.” He pressed the red button next to my bed for the nurses’ station and nodded toward my new cast. “Vi’s going to love that.”
I lifted my arm. My fingers throbbed. I’d injured the same hand that I’d almost broken on her camp director’s face. “Fuck my life.”
“And fuck mine for being stuck with your sorry ass. You’re on lockdown until further notice. How about we hit
up the pancake house and watch football all day? No women, no booze. Cool?”
Rubbing my temple with my good hand, I nodded. “Yeah. Sounds great. Thanks for taking care of me.”
A young, brunette nurse came in, and Josh directed his attention to her.
I laid there and waited for him to finish flirting. Vi was going to lose her shit when she saw the cast—if she even cared anymore. This breakup was going to wreck me. Vi was my sanity, my rock. Without her, I didn’t know what to do with myself. I needed to find a way to get her back, and soon.
* * *
Taryn
A week after Vi left for Austria, I did something I hated. I went to the library. The library wasn’t really my jam. It was quiet, creepy, and boring as fuck. But I’d been locked in the apartment for days, and my communications paper wasn’t going to write itself. I’d hoped maybe the library would inspire me. At least it gave me a reason to get dressed.
In a simple pair of jeans and an NJU T-shirt, I walked from Mill Street down into the heart of campus, enjoying the last bit of summer before the New Jersey air turned cold and everything started to die. I hated New Jersey for the seasons and hoped to graduate and move somewhere where the air was always warm and the trees always green.
I’d be lucky if I graduated at all, never mind found the funds to move.
As I approached the library, its spokesperson, Nerdilicious himself, sat on a bench outside of the entrance. He rested his ankle across his knee as he read a giant book. His dark-rimmed glasses, and his curly hair fell over his forehead. He looked about fourteen in his plaid shirt and khaki shorts, holding the book with his good hand and flipping the pages with his broken one.
Vi had let him have it when she saw the cast the day he’d showed up to say goodbye to her. He’d promised to control himself with drinking. The poor kid was so desperate he probably would have promised her the moon if he thought she’d give him another chance.
My instincts told me to turn around and go back home before he saw me, but instead, I stood still, watching him. I hadn’t spoken to another human in at least twenty-four hours, and I needed to be social. He’d have to do.
Breaking the Plan: Mill Street Series #1 Page 2
