The Wrong Prince Charming

by Renee, Holly

  Once the game ended, I quickly moved toward the field with Dillon. I glanced back once at Easton. He was talking to a group of guys who sat near him in the bleachers, and I’d be lying if I said that I hated that I couldn’t hear the sound of his laugh as he threw his head back in laughter.

  The players were all on the field talking. Some were high-fiving, some looked pissed, but Theo had his head down and was listening to something one of the coaches was saying to him.

  I waved at him once he finally looked up, and he grinned when he spotted me. His coach clapped him on his shoulder pads then he moved in my direction. There was a good five or six feet that still separated the bleachers to where he stood, but I could see the droplets of sweat as they slipped down his face.

  “Good game.” I smiled at him to match the one on his face.

  “Thank you.” He nodded toward Dillon before bringing his attention back to me. “That’s a nice-looking jersey you have there.”

  I looked down at the number seven plastered across my chest that matched his. “I have to represent the best damn player on the field.” I thumped my fist against my chest twice like I was some sort of gang member.

  But Theo laughed, his brown eyes squinting from the force of his cheeks.

  One of the players clapped him on the back as he passed and said something I couldn’t make out, but Theo nodded his head.

  “I have to head to the locker room. You’re going to be at the party, right?”

  I hadn’t planned on going. I had planned on avoiding that frat house like the plague, but Theo’s face looked so hopeful as he asked the question and I had never learned how to tell him no.

  “We’ll be there.” I leaned over the rail a bit and found myself wanting to touch him.

  “Keep the jersey on.” He winked at me. “It looks hot on you.”

  With that, he took off in the direction of the locker room, and I was left more confused than ever.

  Ten

  The frat house was completely packed as usual as Dillon and I walked in. Everyone was excited. It was the first football game of the season, even if it was against our own team, and the energy was electric.

  There was more red and black than I had ever seen filling the walls of the house, and I wasn’t surprised to see the guys whose chests were completely covered in chipping black and red paint manning the keg.

  I hopped up onto the counter as Dillon started pouring herself a drink from the selection of liquor, and I watched people as they high-fived players as they strolled in like they were some kind of gods. Drinks were put into their hands without them even asking, girls were attached to their hips like leeches, and I swear, people moved just to let them walk by.

  Theo had texted me ten minutes ago to let me know he would be at the house soon. I probably should have waited for him, but we didn’t. Instead, Dillon was shoving a plastic cup in my hand that had her latest concoction in it, and I took a long drag to try to calm my racing thoughts.

  “Hi.”

  I looked up at the guy standing in front of me. He was cute, in an adorably nerdy way, and I found myself smiling at him.

  “Hi.”

  “I’m Brett. I think you’re in my math class.”

  “Oh yeah.” I snapped my fingers. “Sorry. I can barely understand a thing that man says, so it’s hard to remember faces of the people in there.”

  He laughed, but I was sure he didn’t have any trouble understanding any of it. “You’re Maddison, right?”

  “Right.” I nodded my head and leaned forward on the counter a bit. My hands were resting on the edge and my feet were dangling in front of me.

  “If you ever need help, I’m pretty good at math,” he said shyly, and I knew that this was the kind of guy I should be looking for. A sweet, uncomplicated guy who could like me, who did like me, without any problems.

  “Are you hitting on my girl?”

  The question came at the same time I was about to tell him thank you, but Brett physically shrunk away from me as Theo leaned against the counter.

  “Don’t be an ass, Theo.” I shoved my shoulder into his. “Thank you, Brett. I might just have to take you up on that.”

  “No problem.” He muttered the words before he turned and moved away from us without a second thought.

  Theo smiled up at me, but I shoved his shoulder again.

  “That was rude.”

  “Oh come on.” He rolled his eyes. “That guy didn’t have a chance with you anyway.” He turned his body to face me, and even though I was struck with how handsome he was, his comment pissed me off.

  “You don’t know that.” I shook my head and tightened my fingers around the counter. “I could have been interested in him.”

  He moved in front of me and pressed his hands against my knees. “I’m sorry. Alright?” His grin told me that he wasn’t actually sorry at all. “I think I would know if you were into someone.”

  I should have told him that he was wrong. I should have told him that he hadn’t been able to see that I was into someone for the last five years, but I couldn’t. I had the same argument in my head so many times before—whether it was worth it or not, but it never seemed to be. The consequences always seemed too steep. Risking our friendship for the chance at something more. It was too treacherous.

  “Yeah.” I nodded my head with a smile on my face. The same smile I always gave him when it came to us. The same smile I had mastered years before.

  Dillon tapped her finger against my thigh, and she sipped her drink as she inconspicuously nodded her head toward the kitchen entrance.

  I heard the sound of his voice before I saw him. He was joking around with someone behind him, and my breath caught in my throat.

  I honestly didn’t think Easton showed up to things like this. I had never seen him at a party before when I came with Theo, but here he was.

  From my vantage point on the counter, I watched him walk into the kitchen and grab a plastic cup from one of the guys at the keg. He hadn’t noticed me, and I wasn’t positive that I wanted him to.

  Because I couldn’t look at him without wanting to kiss him, and I knew that he couldn’t look at me without knowing.

  “Theo, you in for a game of beer pong?” one of Theo’s frat brothers yelled through the open patio door.

  “Yeah.” His hand gently squeezed my thigh. “I’ll be right there.

  “You going to come outside and cheer me on.” His body was settled in between my thighs as he spoke to me, and I hadn’t even thought about our position until I looked up and saw Easton watching us.

  I forced myself to look away from Easton and the daggers he was staring into Theo’s back. “Yeah. I’ll be out there in a few. I need to use the bathroom first.”

  “Okay.” He reached forward and tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear. “I’ll see you out there.”

  He moved away from me, the loss of his warmth instant. I tried not to immediately look in Easton’s direction, but it was impossible.

  I wondered if those around him, those that got to be near him, that got to hear his laugh and see the deep creases of his dimples, knew how lucky they were.

  But he wasn’t looking at them. He was watching me.

  And he was savagely seducing me without a single touch. His gaze was physical, like a burning caress, and I knew that if I didn’t protect myself, I was going to become addicted to something I could never have.

  I jumped off the counter and turned toward Dillon. “I’m going to run to the bathroom real quick. I’ll meet you outside.”

  She nodded, already turning back to her conversation with some guy I have never seen before I walked away.

  I could feel Easton tracking my every move as I pushed through the crowd of people to get to the bathroom, but I didn’t stop. I stared ahead as I moved past him, and I guess God thought I finally deserved a bit of luck, because I actually found the bathroom open.

  I closed the door, the loud click echoing off the nearly silent bathroom wall
s, and I pressed my back to the door.

  My body felt like it was on fire, my blood rushing through my veins, my heart electric with confusion. I turned my head to the side and stared at myself in the mirror. My hair was a wild mess of waves on the top of my head, my cheeks were flushed, and Theo’s number seven sat on my chest like a brand.

  I inhaled, as deeply as I could, before blowing out a slow breath. It was only weeks ago that I knew exactly where I stood. I was the undecided freshman who was best friends with the star football player and the daughter of what seemed like the perfect parents. I knew what was expected of me. I knew what I was supposed to do.

  But everything seemed like it was turned up on its head.

  I turned on the water as cold as it would go, and I ran my fingers through the cascade. I needed to forget about Easton. While he made it perfectly clear that we were off-limits, the way he looked at me was messing with my head.

  But I didn’t have time for any more boys who didn’t know what they wanted from me.

  I quickly dried my hands and tightened my ponytail.

  I was here to be with Theo, to celebrate with Theo, and that was what I was going to do.

  I pulled the door open and braced myself for what I knew lay behind it, but I stopped short at the sight of Easton leaning against the wall.

  “We have to stop meeting like this.” His hands were tucked in his pockets, and I would have thought he was relaxed if it wasn’t for that tiny hitch in his smile.

  “I’m starting to think you’re following me.” I arched an eyebrow at him, and his smile finally turned genuine.

  “It would seem that way, huh?”

  He was beyond confusing.

  “Well, if you’ll excuse me. I need to get back to Theo.”

  He moved then, his body blocking my escape, and I made the mistake of breathing in the smell of him.

  “Why him?” He asked the question like it was the easiest thing in the world to answer.

  “What do you mean?” I looked up into his eyes. “Why not him?”

  He pulled his bottom lip between his teeth, and I could tell he was warring with himself about what he wanted to say.

  “Why not him?” I repeated the question slowly.

  “He doesn’t deserve you.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. He didn’t know a thing about Theo. He didn’t have a clue what he deserved.

  “Who does deserve me then, Easton?” I threw my hands out to my sides. “If Theo doesn’t deserve me and you don’t want me, then who?”

  He stepped closer to me, closing the space between us, but I took a matching step back.

  “I never said I didn’t want you.”

  “No.” I shook my head. “You said you can’t have me. You’re my TA, remember? They don’t get to determine who I date either.”

  His eyes burned against mine. “Are you and Theo dating now?”

  “What if we are?” I didn’t know why I was pushing him, but there was something about it that felt good. Getting a reaction out of him, provoking him.

  “You’re wearing his jersey.” His eyes roamed over my chest.

  “I am.” I nodded my head.

  “I fucking hate it.” He moved toward me again, and this time, I let him.

  His hand slid around my back pulling me into his body, and I barely managed to breathe out the words, “You’re my TA.”

  “I don’t care.” His words were quick and sure, and he didn’t hesitate as his mouth dropped to mine and he kissed me. There was no warning, no permission, he simply pressed his lips to mine and drew out my ragged breath as if it belonged to him.

  His hand pressed against the back of my neck, angling me exactly where he wanted me, and my heart paused for what seemed like an eternity before his tongue caressed the seam of my lips. The small amount of fight I had in me disappeared, and I gripped his arms beneath my fingertips as I tried to hold on to him with everything I had.

  His tongue met mine, wild and unrestrained, and I wrapped my legs around his waist as he lifted me in the air and placed me down on the counter. I heard the door shut behind him, but I didn’t dare look up. Instead, I tightened my legs around him and groaned into his mouth as his groin pressed against mine.

  “Fuck.” He whispered the word against my lips before his mouth moved down the curve of my neck. The heat of his breath warmed my skin while leaving a trail of chill bumps on every inch that went untouched. I arched into him, desperate for more, but a loud knock on the door caused me to jump and his lips to slip from my skin.

  “Just a second,” his gruff voice called out to whoever was on the other side of the door, and I tried to catch my breath as I felt the rapid push and pull of his on my skin.

  “I should get outside anyway before Theo starts looking for me.” I hated saying those words to him, but they were true. Theo would come looking for me.

  He pushed away from me, just slightly, so he could look down at me, and I practically purred as he ran his fingers along my jaw until they stroked the sensitive skin of my lips.

  “Don’t run back to him.”

  “I’m not.” I shook my head. “He’s my best friend.”

  He nodded his head, but he didn’t look convinced.

  “Meet me at the library tomorrow.” I couldn’t leave this bathroom without knowing he didn’t think this was a mistake. I needed to know that I was going to see him. “We can finish up our project.”

  “Just the project, huh?” He arched a brow at me, and my stomach flipped at the way he smiled.

  “Who knows what could happen in the library?” I pushed against his chest and climbed off the counter. “That place holds all the secrets.”

  He caught my chin in his hand. “Until tomorrow, then?”

  I licked my lips and tried to think about how I would survive until tomorrow without kissing him again.

  “Until tomorrow.”

  He pressed his lips against mine, softer than earlier, but too rough to be called anything but vital. He looked me over one last time, his eyes saying more than he was, then he opened the bathroom door.

  Eleven

  I didn’t see much of Easton the rest of the night. I joined Theo while he won his game of beer pong, and this time when he asked me to stay the night, I turned him down.

  I didn’t want to sleep in Theo’s bed when I couldn’t stop thinking about Easton.

  The library was relatively dead when I walked in the next day. To say that I was anxious to see Easton was an understatement. I hadn’t told Dillon about our kiss. I didn’t want her to make more out of it than it was. Especially when I had no clue what was happening myself.

  Easton was clear that day at the lake that he couldn’t be anything with me, but last night was more than confusing. It was everything.

  Easton was already sitting at a table when I entered, the same table I had sat at last time, and I couldn’t stop smiling thinking that maybe he was as anxious to see me as I was him.

  “Hi.” I set my bag down on the desk in front of him, and he looked relieved when he looked up. Like maybe he thought I wouldn’t come.

  “Hi.” He ran his fingers through his hair and smiled as I sat down across from him.

  We stared at each other, neither of us knowing what to say, before we both opened our mouths at the same time.

  “I got you something.” Easton pulled his backpack off of the chair beside him and set it on the table.

  “It was a pretty good first kiss, but I didn’t know we were doing gifts,” I joked.

  He cocked an eyebrow at me. “Just pretty good?”

  “I don’t know.” I shrugged my shoulders. “It was at least in my top five.”

  I was lying and we both knew it. It was the best kiss I had in my entire life.

  “I guess I’ll just have to try harder next time, huh?” He unzipped his backpack and started rummaging through it.

  “That would be my suggestion, and I wouldn’t stop until I got that number one spot.”

&nb
sp; He pulled a black case out of his backpack and set it in front of me. “I bought this before our mediocre kiss.” He smiled, but he looked nervous.

  “What is it?” I had no idea what he could have bought me. Honestly, we barely knew each other.

  “Open it.” He nodded in the direction of the box.

  I pulled the box closer to me and lifted the lid without an ounce of patience. I stared at the present that lay inside.

  “Do you hate it?” Easton shifted in his seat, but I didn’t look up at him. I was too busy staring at the camera. “If you don’t like it, you don’t have to keep it.”

  I pulled the box a couple inches closer to me so he wouldn’t take it away from me.

  “Why?” That simple, complicated word slipped past my lips.

  “Why what?” I finally looked up at him, and he was looking over every inch of me. “You said this is what you love. It’s not brand new.” He reached for the box and pulled it out. “A friend of mine was selling his online, so I bought it.”

  He said it so simply like he hadn’t just given me the most thoughtful gift ever.

  He pushed the camera into my hands, and I hesitantly took it. “This is too much.”

  “It’s not.” He chuckled softly. “It’s not a big deal.”

  But it was. It was a huge freaking deal.

  “Now you can practice your photojournalism, and maybe you’ll decide that it is the right major for you.”

  I was shaking my head as he said the words because I couldn’t. I had already made the decision to put it out of my head. My parents wanted me to get a business degree like my father.

  But it felt like the last thing I wanted.

  “I was accepted to Columbia.” I looked up at him as I said the words I wasn’t even meaning to say.

  “What?” He almost looked shocked, but I couldn’t say that I blamed him.

  “I did.” I nodded my head. “I wrote this entrance essay, and I took photos on my phone that I included. They offered me a scholarship.”