Changing Lanes (Lake Park University Book 1)

by Christina Escue

  “Dang. Maybe you should go with them,” I say, and he shakes his head.

  “No,” he replies as he unlocks his car and opens my door. “They need to learn to handle their own shit, and I would so much rather spend time with you.”

  “I’d rather spend time with you, too,” I tell him, and he grins at me.

  “Do you have to be back in your room right away?” He asks and I shake my head. It’s only nine, and curfew isn’t till midnight on weekends. “Good. I want to show you something.”

  He shuts my door before I can respond and rounds the front of the car. Once he’s inside, he buckles his seat belt then starts the engine.

  We drive for a few minutes before he pulls into a parking lot of what appears to be an open field with a massive tree in it. “What is this place?”

  “Cellon Oak Park,” he answers then opens his door. He gets out then rounds the car. Once I’m out, he grabs a blanket from the backseat and folds it over his arm before taking my hand and leading me toward the large tree. “It’s basically just a field with some trees in it, but the oak over there is massive, and draws quite the crowd in the daytime.”

  “It’s an impressive tree,” I say, and he chuckles.

  “I didn’t bring you here to see the tree,” he says as we walk past it to the other side of the field.

  “Why did you bring me here?” I ask as we stop, and he spreads the blanket on the ground. “And since you have a blanket with you, I’m assuming you planned this.”

  “I think you’ll like what I have in mind,” he says and steps closer to me. “Come here, Graycen.”

  “What are you going to do?” I ask, nervously.

  “Not what you’re obviously thinking,” he says and steps back. “Come sit with me please. I promise all I want to do is sit with you under the stars and talk.”

  I nod and step toward him. He takes my hand and helps me sit on the blanket before he sits beside me then lays on his back. “Look up,” he says softly, and I do as he says.

  “Wow,” I breath out when my eyes land on the sky. The stars are beautiful from here, and I instantly relax and lay on my back beside him. “I’m sorry.”

  “No need to be,” he says as he shifts so our arms are touching. “You had every right to be nervous.”

  I turn my head to look at him and our eyes lock. Before I know what’s happening, I lean forward and press my lips to his.

  He groans and shifts so his arm comes across me as he deepens the kiss. His hand trails down my side to my thigh, and I shift so our bodies are pressed together. I feel things for him I’ve never felt before, and they scare me a little.

  His hand kneads my thigh for a moment before he moves it and lays it on my waist and breaks the kiss. “Let’s get you back to your room,” he says breathlessly.

  “Did I do something wrong?” I ask as confusion sets in.

  “No,” he says and presses his forehead to mine. “But we’re not ready for what will happen if we stay here.”

  “Oh,” I say and look away from him.

  “Graycen, as much as I want to lay you back and lose myself inside you, I won’t. Not here and not this soon. I want you to be completely ready before we take that step. I’ve never had sex with someone I wasn’t in a relationship with, and I’ve never had sex this soon in a relationship.”

  I nod, as he rises to his feet and extends his hand down to me. “I’m definitely not ready for that,” I tell him once he has the blanket over his arm and we’re walking back to his car.

  “I know, and neither am I,” he tells me.

  “I really like you, Ethan,” I say as he opens my door and I slide in.

  “That’s a damn good thing, because I really like you too,” he says then shuts my door.

  The ride to my dorm in made in silence, and when he pulls into the parking lot and shuts the car off, I turn to look at him. “Thank you for a wonderful night,” I say, and he smiles.

  “Thank you for going with me,” he says then leans forward and kisses me softly. “I’ll see you tomorrow, baby.”

  “See you tomorrow,” I say and brush my lips against his before I open my door. “Be careful going home.”

  “I always am,” he says with a wink and I laugh and blow him a kiss before I shut the door behind me. He watches from the car as I walk into my building, and I turn to wave just before he backs out of the parking lot and leaves.

  Once he’s gone, I head to my room. Tonight was amazing, and I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Rico

  I pick Dylan up at her dorm at eight, and nearly kick myself in the ass for asking her out. She’s dressed is a skin-tight, red leather skirt and a black halter top that leaves nothing to the imagination. Her dark, nearly black, hair is pulled back in a tight ponytail, and her make-up is so thick you can’t see her true skin tone under it. I instantly compare her to Graycen and frown. There’s no comparison at all. Graycen is sweet, and innocent, and wouldn’t be caught dead in an outfit like Dylan’s wearing.

  “Hey, Al,” she greets me with a seductive smile. From the look in her eye, she wants more than a few drinks and dances from me, which is exactly why I called her in the first place.

  “Hey, Dylan. Ready to party?”

  “With you? Always,” she responds, and winks and I’m once again reminded why I ended things with her.

  “No drugs tonight, Dylan,” I tell her, and she pouts. “I can’t be around that shit during the season, and you know it. If I get caught with anything in my system, I’ll lose my place on the team, and my scholarship.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” she says and rolls her eyes. She’s never understood my love for bowling, and she never will. “Let’s go. Alcohol awaits.”

  I shake my head and grab her elbow. With the heels she’s wearing, she’s nearly as tall as my six one frame, and I find myself longing for someone a hell of a lot smaller than her.

  “You’re still driving this heap?” She asks has we stop next to my car.

  “It’s not a heap,” I respond and roll my eyes. My car is a two-thousand twelve Nissan Xterra, and it’s completely paid for, but because it’s more than two years old, it’s not good enough for Dylan. “It’s a great car, and it’s paid for.”

  She scoffs and I shake my head. I am such a dumbass for calling her.

  “Whatever you say,” she says as she opens the door and wrinkles her nose. “You’ve been smoking again.”

  “Yeah,” I say and shake my head. “Been a stressful few weeks.”

  “You know how I feel about cigarettes,” she says and shuts her door. I roll my eyes and walk around to the driver’s side door. I take a deep breath and exhale slowly before opening my door and climbing behind the wheel.

  “Cigarettes aren’t illegal,” I tell her pointedly and she grins.

  “No, but they’re not as much fun, either,” she says as I start the car. It’s going to be a long night.

  “What classes do you have this semester?” I ask, trying to make small talk as I drive to the West side of the city. The UF campus is huge, but I have been to the Kappa Sig house multiple times during my time at LPU.

  “Nothing special,” she says and shrugs. “I do have one interesting class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, though.”

  “Oh, what is it?” I ask, my curiosity peeked. She’s never been interested in classes, and from what I’ve learned about her, she only came to college for the parties.

  “Oh, the class itself isn’t interesting, but there’s this one freshman in it who will make things interesting,” she says, and my hands tighten around the steering wheel. “She’s really nerdy, but like me, she has a name that isn’t usually viewed as a girl’s name.”

  “What’s her name?” I ask, pretty sure I already know the answer.

  “Graycen, with a C E N at the end,” she says and giggles. “Tuesday she was wearing this shirt that had a dinosaur on it and said something about getting one. It was stupid and making fun of
her is going to make that class interesting.”

  “Leave her alone, Dylan,” I say as I pull onto the street the Kappa Sig house is on. It’s a quarter till nine, and the party is already in full swing. All I can think about is getting a couple of beers in me, then ending this bad idea.

  “Oh, do you know her?” She asks and I look over at her.

  “She’s on the bowling team with me,” I tell her. I don’t want to elaborate on Graycen. “Just leave her alone.”

  “You know, you’re not as much fun as you used to be,” she says then gets out of the car and walks toward the house.

  I shake my head and follow her up the sidewalk. “Just leave her alone,” I tell her again when I catch up to her.

  “Fine, whatever,” she says and opens the door. Tonight is already one of the worst in a long time, and it’s not even gotten started yet.

  “Al,” I hear my name from the other side of the room and turn around. My eyes land on Markus, and I grin. I may hate frat parties, but Markus is one of my buddies from high school, and he always makes me feel welcome at the Kappa Sig house.

  “Markus,” I greet him when he saunters over to me. “How’s it going, man?”

  “Good, good,” he says and looks around. “Did I see you come in with Dylan?”

  “Yeah,” I say and shrug.

  “You tappin’ her again?” He asks and I shake my head.

  “Hell no,” I tell him. “Thought about it for about a minute, but then I remembered why I stopped.”

  “Good man,” he says and laughs. “Since you ain’t tappin’ her, there’s a whole house of ladies to choose from.”

  “I’ll settle for a drink for now,” I say, and he nods.

  “Keg’s over there. Help yourself,” he says then slaps me on the back and walks away.

  I make my way to the makeshift bar they’ve set up and snag one of the empty plastic cups from the stack. “Fill me up,” I say and hand my cup to the pledge who is manning the keg. He fills the cup to the brim, then hands it back to me.

  “Enjoy the party,” he says, and I grin at him as I take a sip.

  “Thanks, man,” I respond then walk off. It’s loud as hell in here, but they have a good supply of alcohol, and an even better supply of co-eds to choose from.

  “Hey, sexy,” a tall brunette with glossy red lips, and boobs the size of cantaloupes says as she steps in front of me.

  “Hey,” I respond and smile. She’s hot as hell, but I find that I’m not interested in the least. “Sorry, but not interested tonight.”

  “Your loss,” she says and shrugs as she steps around me and moves on to the next available dick.

  I’m not sure what’s wrong with me, but I can’t seem to push Graycen aside enough to see myself with someone else.

  I shake my head at myself and walk out onto the back porch. We haven’t been here an hour yet, but I see that Dylan hasn’t wasted any time moving on from me. She’s wrapped herself around some unsuspecting guy and is slowly sucking his soul out of his body through his lips. I can’t help but be thankful that I’m not her victim this time.

  I stand on the porch and look out over the spacious back yard as I sip my beer and let my mind wander. Graycen is somewhere on this side of Gainesville tonight with Ethan, and I can’t help but wonder if she’s having fun with him. I hate that I can’t stop thinking about her, but I know it’s useless to try anymore.

  I finish my beer and go back for another. As soon as I step back onto the porch, someone steps out behind me.

  “Hey man,” Markus says, and I turn to face him. “I have some chronic shit, wanna hit?”

  “Nah, man,” I answer. “I can’t pop positive on a piss test during the season.”

  “Damn, that’s right,” he says and shakes his head. “Sorry, man.”

  “No biggie,” I say and shrug. When I ditched Dylan last year, I ditched smoking weed, too. It’s not worth getting thrown off the team for. “Go and enjoy. I’m gonna finish this and probably head home anyway. Gotta work tomorrow.”

  “Okay, bro,” he says and walks back inside as I pull a pack of cigarettes from my pocket and take one out. Just as I go to light it, a voice from the other side of the porch catches my attention.

  “Oak, man, Ethan will kick your ass if you try that,” the male voice says. “Gray is his girl now, and he will kill you, man.”

  “She’s way too hot for Ethan,” he says, and I narrow my eyes. They somehow know Graycen and are talking about her. “I mean, did you see that dress she was wearing tonight? It took all my willpower not to corner her and show her the effect she has on the male population.”

  I feel something inside me snap when I hear the other one chuckle.

  “I know what you mean, man, but she’s Ethan’s girl. We don’t mess with each other’s girls, no matter how fuckable they are.”

  “Bro, when Ethan’s done with her, I’ll take his sloppy seconds,” he says, and their laughter causes a red haze to cloud my vision.

  “Think Ethan will share?” The other one asks, and I snap.

  “How the hell do you know Graycen?” I ask in a cold voice as I approach the two of them.

  “Who the hell are you?” The taller of the two asks.

  “Answer damn my question,” I say as I toss my cup onto the porch and curl my hands into fists.

  “She’s screwing one of our teammates,” the shorter one answers.

  Before I can stop myself, I throw a punch and land it right in his smug face. The other one jumps on my back and lands a solid blow on my right shoulder blade, but I barely feel it as rage overtakes me.

  I fight dirty since it’s two to one, and before I know it I have one of them pinned under me. “Leave Graycen the hell alone,” I say coldly then punch him in the face as the other one grabs me and yanks me off his buddy.

  “What the hell is going on here?” I hear Markus shout and feel myself being thrown across the porch. “Get the hell out of here, Al, and don’t come back.”

  “Fine, whatever,” I shout back but look at the two assholes who were talking about Gray. “Stay the hell away from Graycen or I’ll finish what I started.”

  “Mind your own damn business, Wet Back,” one of them yells, and I lunge forward again.

  “Enough, Al,” Markus says as he catches me around the waist. “Get the hell out of here.”

  I push out of his hold and walk off the porch and around the house. As I round the house, I hear Markus yelling at the two guys. “I want you two gone, too. You don’t come in here and throw racist slurs at people.”

  “He started it, man,” one of them says and I step back around the corner.

  “Your mouth started it,” I say and look at Markus. “And if you’re allowing guys who openly talk and laugh about raping a girl to come to your parties, then I’m more than happy to not come back.”

  “What?” Markus says and I look at the dickwads in front of him.

  “They were joking about showing a girl who is dating one of their friends how she effects the male population and wondering if he’ll share her. It’s disgusting.”

  “Al, go,” Markus says, and I narrow my eyes at him before I turn on my heel and walk away. If I go back, I’ll end up beating the hell out of those two shitheads.

  I reach my car in seconds, and squeal tires as I pull onto the road. I can’t see through the red haze still clouding my vision, so I pull to the side of the road and kill the engine. I lay my head on the steering wheel and think back over the things those two shitheads said. Graycen was with Ethan at a party for the swim team, which means those two asshats are on the swim team with Ethan and Gabe. I raise my head and look around. I want to call and check on Gray, but I know I can’t do that, so I decide to call Wes instead. He’ll know who those two asshats are, and after I tell him what they said, he’ll be as pissed as I am.

  “Al?” he answers on the first ring, and I sigh.

  “You at your dorm?”

  “No, I’m at Gabe’s apartment. What�
�s wrong?”

  “I need to talk to you,” I say and sigh again. “It’s about Gray.”

  “Come over here,” he says then rattles off the address.

  “I’m only a few minutes away,” I tell him then end the call. I’m certain I look like shit, but I don’t care. I need to talk to him, and I need to do it now.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Graycen

  “What the hell happened to you?” I ask when my eyes land on Rico at practice. His right arm is in a sling, and his face is bruised, and the skin broken in a couple places.

  “Nothing I won’t heal from,” he responds and looks over at Wes.

  I turn to Wes and narrow my eyes. “Do you know what happened to him?” I ask.

  “Yes,” he answers softly and looks at the others. “The three of us are meeting up with Gabe and Ethan after practice and we’ll talk about it then.”

  “What the hell is going on?” I ask, not wanting to wait. “And if you, Gabe, and Ethan know, why don’t I?”

  “We wanted to tell you together,” Rico says, and I turn toward him.

  “If you’ve talked to my two best friends and my boyfriend, then it clearly involves me,” I snap.

  “Calm down, Gray,” Wes says, and I turn to glare at him. “Let’s practice then we’ll meet with the guys and talk.”

  I don’t say another word to either of them as I walk over to the lanes and join the rest of the team.

  “You okay?” Ryder asks after I throw my first warm-up ball and miss my mark by a long shot.

  “Yeah,” I answer then look over my shoulder to where Rico and Wes are talking softly.

  “When did those two become friends?” Brennon asks, following my gaze. “And what the hell happened to Al?”

  “I have no idea,” I answer then turn from them. “But they’re keeping something from me, and I don’t like it.”

  “Want me to find out?” Brennon asks and I shake my head.

  “No, if they don’t want to tell me, they don’t have to,” I answer and walk to the ball rack. I grab my Carnage and throw a perfect strike before turning and walking to the bathroom. I need a minute to calm down, and I can’t do it in front of everyone else.