Steeling Her: A Romance Novel

Carter

I click my pen against my paper in thought about how we should approach this assignment. I’m so unsure about how reports are written in college. Research reports are the worst, and I haven’t even written anything. I sit there and mind-numbingly click my pen, synchronizing with the clock above us.

Kevin’s hand suddenly rests on my own to stop me. I forgot people can hear me, even through the walls.

We rented out a study room so we could do this assignment together and help each other out. He seems to know a way to write this ungodly report but I cannot seem to motivate myself to do the damn thing. It’s eating at me. I couldn’t be less motivated even if I tried.

Time is slowly ticking by, and I just want to leave. However, the deadline is two days from now and I haven’t done a single thing.

College problems.

“You going to keep staring at the blank page or are you going to start writing down some ideas?” Kevin teases me. His hand runs through his icy blond locks with a playfully pointed look. As soon as his eyes meet mine, his brows ride up to tell me he was waiting for a reply.

“My brain isn’t working today,” I say with a sigh and drop my head onto my arms that are resting on the cold wood. I groan at how tired I’m feeling. I sleep nearly twelve hours a night but always feel more tired than when I went to sleep. It’s just a recent thing.

It’s probably because I miss my family. My brothers were the last to leave me; they left this morning. I miss them so much. I hate being away from my family. It always bums me out when they leave.

“Are you okay? You look a little drained,” Kevin asks with a worried expression. I nod, not lifting my head off my arms.

“I’m just tired, that’s all. I probably need a nap or something.” I shrug my shoulders while I hear him chuckle beside me.

“Didn’t you sleep for like twelve hours last night? Maybe you have a cold or something?” he suggests. I groan in frustration, praying that it’s not. I have the worst immune system. It always fails me, I never have the strength to fight off sickness on my own. I always end up in the doctor’s office with multiple prescriptions afterwards.

“Don’t say that . . . I don’t need that on my plate right now.” He rubs my back out of comfort and I shift my head to the side to see him smiling down at me.

“How about we just make a plan for today and do some research? We won’t write up anything and we can do it all tomorrow morning before our class. It shouldn’t take long to do . . .” I sigh. After a bit, I sit back up with a smile as I’m making myself comfortable. My head is not in a good way today, for some reason.

We spend the next couple of hours planning out the report and writing notes to ourselves while researching, and let me tell you, the time did not fly by. Typing away on the computer and getting some sort of momentum going, I finish the last part of the sentence on my last bullet point. I sit back and breathe a sigh of relief that I actually got something done today. I haven’t been motivated to do anything other than lie in bed and read for the last few days.

“Let’s get you home. You look exhausted.” I feel my eyes ride up to the top of my head while I stare at him.

“Do I really look that bad?”

“Crap! I didn’t mean it like that! You look pretty today—I mean . . . shit . . . ugh . . . You just look like you . . . Forget it, I’m digging my own grave right now.” I laugh at him and his eyes widen in surprise at me. I lean back on the chair and try to cover my cackle while I feel my body shake. Once I finish, I open my eyes to see a grin on his face. It’s a mixture of confusion and amusement.

“It’s okay, Kevin, I know I look like crap today . . .” I close my laptop and slip it inside my handbag then gathered up my notepad and pens.

“You don’t look like crap, Carter.” I see his cheeks turn light pink in color as he averts his eyes away from mine so he can pack his stuff away. I give myself a tight smile, not knowing what to say.

I’ve never been good with compliments. I never got them often enough to know how to take them. Although, I don’t really know if it was a compliment to be honest. “Come on, I’ll walk you home.” He towers over me as he rises to his feet. He’s a tall guy and quite toned too. The girls in my class gush over him so much. He’s super nice and very sweet. I just don’t know why he wants to be around me. I’m the complete opposite of him; awkward and weird.

As soon as we leave the study room and go into the library itself, he’s hounded by people greeting him. I shift my bag awkwardly up along my shoulder. Seeing a group of girls I recognize from my class stalk over to him as we slowly reach my dorm area, I feel out of place next to him, so I decide to leave him to it.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Kevin. Thanks for walking me home.” I smile and was about to walk ahead when his voice stops me.

“Wait—” But before he could say what he wanted to say, he was interrupted by the gorgeous brunette making her way over to him.

“Kevin! Hey, what’s up! What are you doing outside our dorm?” she asks, striking up a conversation with him with relative ease. How do girls do that? I would stand there and stare at the person, hoping they say something to me. Usually something along the lines of “Can I help you?” or “Are you okay?” because they don’t understand why I’m talking to them.

“Hey, Rachel, just finished off a study session with Carter. I’m just walking her back to her dorm.” He smiles at me and I fidget with my top.

“You’re such a gentleman, Kevin,” she says with a purr over to him. She takes one step into his personal space and I know that’s my cue to leave. I walk ahead, waving him off and he once again bellows a “Wait!” over at me, making me turn back around.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell . . .” He laughs awkwardly while rubbing the back of his neck. “We still on for tomorrow? I was thinking nine? Before class? We could grab a bite to eat and get going on the report.” Before I speak up, the girl who had been talking to him before me got there first.

“I would love to! I need to get this report done, it’s been hanging over my head for a while.” She batts her eyelashes at him and he smiles at her before turning back to me.

“Well, actually, I was asking Carter . . . I promised I’d help her out tomorrow.” I see her cheeks heat up with embarrassment from what he said. This so awkward. Before anything registered with me, I blurt out, “You can join us if you want? The more the merrier, right?” I bite my lip as I watch Kevin clear his throat and widen his eyes. I don’t know if that’s what he was implying? This is why I avoid people, because I say stupid things that I know I will regret.

“Yeah, sure . . .” he mumbles. The girls are delighted to join us. I honestly don’t mind, and I hope Kevin doesn’t either. If he does, I would be doing some serious making up. I just can’t read him. “Um, I’m just going to walk Carter to her room . . . I’ll talk to you guys tomorrow?” He sends her a smile and she returns it. He meanders around them to walk in step with me. He puts his hand on my back, guiding me through the bodies outside the building. While going through the lobby, he gets a few stares yet continues to bring me to my room. We take the stairs to the fourth floor. By the time we reach it, both of us are struggling to breathe.

“Next time, we’ll take the elevator,” he pants out with a small laugh and I laugh along with him. I nod in agreement. Those stairs are only made for when you’re going down them. We walk to my door. I know Danielle is the only one in there because Haley is in the library cramming for a test for tomorrow. She’s like a demon at the moment, so we’re steering clear of her, advice courtesy of Nick.

I smile at the thought of that day he told us to stay away from Haley when she studies. “She’s like an angry troll.” I remember him saying. Reaching my door, I put the key in and unlock it.

“You want to come in?” I ask him before I hear a crash and an angry grunt followed by someone yelling, “NICK!” My eyes widen as I witness Nick running by me then stop and trail back turning his head to face me. His eyes dart from me to Kevin behind me, narrowing his eyes to slits.

“Who the hell are you?” he asks, and a pillow flies at the back of his head. I turn my eyes to see Haley being pinned down by TJ on the floor and her screaming for him to get off. I thought she was studying? I know she’s thoroughly enjoying him on her. She informed Danielle and me on their little date and make out session.

“NICK! You’re such a dick wad!” Haley screams at his direction and TJ breaks out in laughter, lying back on the floor and allowing her to get up and lunge for her brother.

“What the fuck?” Kevin whispers out while we see Haley run towards Nick and jump on him. I place my hand over my mouth, trying not to laugh. It’s very hard not to, seeing a five-foot-three girl slapping her six-foot-two older brother on the face and sitting on top of him.

“Shit, Haley! Jesus, will you chill!” He laughs at her and tries to cover his face with his arms.

“Chill? CHILL?! I’ll give you fucking chill, you dick head!” He continues to laugh. TJ hasn’t stopped laughing either. He’s rolling around on the wooden floor, laughing at the girl he likes beating her older brother.

“I’m sorry! Look—OW! Fuck! HALEY, get off me! NOW!” She continues to find an opening to get to his face. “Not the money maker! Come on!” he says with a laugh, and she grunts in response, trying to get the perfect connection.

“You ate my fucking slice, Nick!” she screams. “You’re the worst!” she yells right in his face.

“Fucking hell! You’d swear you’re on your period, Haley!” he teases her and I release my laugh, leaning on the door.

“Nick!” I walk over to her to take her off him, seeing as TJ is not going to help one bit. I hear Kevin snort behind me and it sets me off on a small giggling session of my own. I grip onto Haley’s waist, trying to drag her off and I slip on something and land right on my back. Silence deafens the room instantly.

“Shit! Carter, are you alright?” Nick pushes Haley off and crouches over me and I start to laugh, bringing my knees up to my chest. Why am I such an embarrassing person?

“I’m fine.” I sit up on my arms and stare at Kevin, who is still next to the door, then over to Haley, who is biting her tongue and trying not to say anything. Then once she snaps out of it, she whacks Nick on the back. I almost felt that thump.

“OW! Haley! What was that for?!” He spins around at his flustered sister sitting on her butt on the rug.

“She slipped because of you, you dipshit! That was your fault!” She narrows her eyes at him and he shakes his head, trying to bite back a smile.

“Are you alright? I’m sorry, the gremlin is out today.” He gestures his head to Haley, and I snort at the face she’s making at his head. Kevin steps inside and holds his hand out for me. I take it and he pulls me up off the floor, pressing his lips together to not laugh.

“Go on, laugh. I know you’re dying to.” I shake my head, and he lets it rip along with everyone else in the room. I walk over to the kitchen to wash my hands. I giggle at myself and my clumsiness. I wipe my hands on the towel and see that everyone has calmed down. I meet Nick’s eyes and they pulse through me like no tomorrow.

I haven’t seen him in a couple of days, but those eyes give me the same reaction no matter how often I see him. He gets more handsome every time I see him.

He clears his throat and looks away from me. I focus my attention back to Kevin, still standing by the door. I walk back and close it behind him and invite him inside. “Kevin, this is Nick and TJ. You know Haley. This is Kevin.” I point to him to introduce him to everyone. Nick shakes his hand but I don’t miss the wince from Kevin. Then TJ shakes his hand and almost does the same. I roll my eyes at how alpha male they’ve gone.

“Come, sit down. I’ll make food.” I point to a seat in the kitchen. Kevin sits in one and Haley joins him then the two boys. I place two pizzas in the oven and place some fries along with it. I tell everyone that I’m going to change as I direct my way to my room.

“Hopefully, Nick remembers to knock once the food is ready,” TJ teases his best friend and Nick smacks him on the back of the head. I shut my door immediately, feeling my cheeks heat up. I was so embarrassed when he walked in on me. Thank God I was in my underwear. Plus, I’m not in shape right now, so everything is jiggly. I groan at the memory, I can’t believe he saw me half naked.

He was so in shape and fit when I saw him in his underwear. He plays football, I know, but I felt so self-conscious, especially now. I hide my figure all the time nowadays. I wear jeans and jumpers to hide it. I don’t have a great body. I never did. There were times when I would absolutely avoid mirrors because I hated looking at myself. I feel myself going back to that stage and avoiding my own reflection.

I slip my hoody over a pair of leggings and walk back out to see the two boys quizzing Kevin, but Kevin stands up and slides the chair back in. “Hey, I’m sorry but I just got a message from my roommate to come and do an assignment that I completely forgot about. I need to do it tonight. I’m sorry, I know you were making me food, and I wish I could stay . . .” He sends me an apologetic smile.

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it. We always have leftovers anyway. Thanks for walking me here, though. I’ll see you tomorrow?” I see the smile fall off his face and I don’t know why? Did I say something?

“Can we reschedule for lunchtime instead? I’ll be up all night doing this assignment. Plus, I’d really want Rachel to not come with us . . .” He bites the inside of his cheek and I nod, surprised by what he said.

“I thought you wanted her there? That’s why I asked her to come? I’m sorry if I put you in an awkward position. I just th—”

“No, no! It’s fine. It’s just . . . we um . . . We dated in high school . . . so she likes to meddle and make her claim. I’m not interested though,” he adds that last part in. I’m not really sure why.

“Okay . . . well . . . lunchtime then? It gives me more time to sleep,” I joke with him and he smiles across the way. I walk over to the door and open it for him.

“I’ll text you when I’m leaving so we can meet up. I know a quiet place where we can get stuff done. I’ll tell Rachel we cancelled.” Seeing him beam a smile at me, I wave him off as he leaves down the corridor. I close the door and walk back to check on the food.

“You guys still want some?” I ask those sitting around the table. Seeing them nod and smile, I turn back to take out the plates because it’s nearly ready.

“You have a date tomorrow?” I freeze after hearing that word. “When were you going to tell me?” Haley whines again.

“I don’t have a date tomorrow.”I reply back to her in a skeptical tone. She sends me that look that just screams “are you kidding me?” Kevin and I are just doing an assignment, it doesn’t classify as a date.

“Carter, come on, Kevin clearly likes you! It was written all over his face!” I widen my eyes as I look at her and shake my head.

“N-No he doesn’t? He just . . . he’s like that with everyone. He’s a nice guy.” I hear her snort and an “OW” leave her mouth. I whip my head up to see she’s glaring at Nick.

“Sorry, my foot slipped.” Now it was TJ’s turn to snort. What is going on between those boys? I’m so lost right now. But I don’t want to draw any attention to it, I don’t have the energy to sit and listen. I just want some food and then crawl into bed.

I serve up the food and place it in the center for everyone. The guys take a mountain, as expected, while Haley and I take little bites here and there.

“You both eat like birds.” TJ laughs at our plate, not even being half of what they have on theirs.

“Well, at least we don’t eat like wild beasts that haven’t been fed for a week!” she snaps back at him, making him grin in response. She is not in a good mood, and TJ loves pushing her buttons. If he wants that date, he better not go any further.

After a while, I kept yawning and widening my eyes to keep them open. I couldn’t stand it anymore. I needed to sleep. I push the chair back and place my plate in the sink, reminding myself to wash it tomorrow morning before my lecture. I get funny stares from all three of them and I wave them good night.

“I’m sorry, you guys, I’m exhausted right now. I’m going to go to sleep. ’Night.” They all wish me good night as I shut my door and climb under the sheets. I hear the muffled sound of the TV outside my door and I relax my head into my cold pillow. I sigh at the feeling of it on my skin. I feel something buzz in my pocket. I shuffle in my bed to retrieve the phone from inside my pants.

Kevin: I’ll come get you at 12 tomorrow to do the assignment! Hopefully you’ll feel better and sorry for rushing off.

Me: Perfect! I’ll see you then, no need it’s understandable.

I place my phone back down on the bedside table and shuffle into a comfy position. I need to warm up my body, the cold sheets is too much for me now. I place my hoody over me and feel much better. I drift off unknowingly.

Sleep.

Just what I needed.

***

Nick

“Aaaaand release!” Bulldog bellows over me. On cue, the ball cuts through the air and lands right in his hands. “Perfect, Jackson! You do that today, you’ll be unstoppable! Keep your eyes on your men! No room for mistakes today, you got that?” I nod with a smile on my face. The smile for one reason and one reason only.

She’s here.

She’s come to watch me play today, just like she promised. I feel like such a kid waiting for her to sit with Danielle and Haley in the stands. I want to show her what I’ve got, how good I am, and to impress the shit out of her. Not to get to her dad, I just want to get to her.

I want her.

I’ve made it my mission to get her. It clicked when she looked up at me with her doe-like blue eyes while she was sitting on the floor after she slipped. I rushed to her side immediately to help her up. When those eyes met mine, I couldn’t help the feeling I got. I started to sweat. My veins started to pump the adrenaline around my body. The excitement; the heart palpitations; the feeling of wanting to touch her soft skin; the need to wrap my arms around her. I want her. I really, really want her.

“Jackson! Keep focused! Come on, put your dick back inside! I know you’re waiting on a certain lady to take her seat. So if it becomes a problem, I may ask her to leave!” A flash of panic races across my face because I know he would. He’s done it to other players before. He’s asked the person who has distracted the player to leave the stadium. No doubt he’ll do it for me too.

I throw the ball over to him with a little more force that necessary to show him I’m not happy. He smirks at me, he read me like a book. “I would rather a fireball in the form of a shot, not a football, Jackson. Don’t get pissy with me! Focus. Now,” he says lowly and points the tip of the ball in my direction.

He’s right. I need to keep these feelings to myself. I can’t let them dictate my play. That’s when distractions come in. I can’t afford that if I want to go pro. I throw him one again and see the grin take form again.

“Better; much, much better. Remember that feeling; remember that throw. Stay focused. You’ll be pro in no time, kid!” He’s always been so supportive of me. He reminds me of my dad. That’s why I take to him so much. He’s an honest man and a straight shooter. “Come on, we’ve gone over time. You need to get inside the locker room and change.” I nod and turn on my heel, lifting my drenched top over my head. It’s fucking hot today. As soon as it’s off, I automatically scan the stands and see her.

I stand there frozen while I watch her laugh with my sister. She’s setting her bag down and sits in her seat between the two girls. The stadium is filled to the brim with people, but my eyes are only on her. As if she felt my stare, her eyes meet mine, and I gulp down at the sight of her. I see her eyes scan my chest, stopping at my abs and then immediately back up to my eyes.

“Ahem . . . Are you two going to stop gawking at each other so we can start this game?” I hear my best friend’s laugh erupt and I slap him on his own bare chest. He always catches me these days. I’m not really discreet but it’s fucking hard to look away when I see her. The sight of her just does something to me. It’s like she slaps me in the face and grabs hold of it with both hands, restricting my eyes from looking elsewhere. This girl has got me by the balls and doesn’t even realize it.

The three of them wave at us and we wave back. TJ pushes me towards the locker room. I wish I could have her with me on the field and teach her a few things, even though she probably already knows how to throw a ball or hike it back to me. Damn, I would love to see that cute butt in the air when she bends over to snap the ball back to me.

The stadium is huge and the crowd fills it easily. We attract a lot of support. We are at the top of the league. I have a lot of pressure on my shoulders with each game, no thanks to Austin Steel. He set the bar high, so high that I have to live up to it. To meet him was unbelievable. Chris as well.

But their sister, Miss Carter Steel, something else.

We walk through the tunnel to get to the refurbished locker room and I hear our studs clicking on the hard surface. The sound I’ve heard so many times on a daily basis.

Pushing the door open, I’m greeted with half naked bodies that I’m used to seeing. I trudge over to my bench and see my jersey hanging nicely under the small arch. I spray some deodorant on before I have my padding sorted.

This is when the nerves set in.

My leg bounces up and down. MS state is gracing our field today. They’re on our turf—my turf. We need to win this. We need to keep our title. I need scouts eyeing me up at every game, but the girl sitting in the front row sandwiched between two of her roommates is not helping my focus or nerves right now.

A hand on my back drags me out of my thoughts and back to the present. Bulldog is hovering over me with a worried look in his eyes.

“Jackson, if you don’t focus, I will have to ask her to leave. Get it together.” I nod and sigh.

“I’m just nervous, that’s all. I’ll be good once I get going,” I reassure him, but he’s not buying it.

“Nerves will help, just stay focused . . . Piece of advice: stay in the moment and trust yourself. Play your own game. Then, when it’s over and you’ve won, go and kiss the shit out of her!” He chuckles, making me smile. Easing into the moment, we all leave out the tunnel to be greeted with loud roars. With my team behind me, I try not to look out into the stands to search for Carter.

“Stay focused, Nick,” I whisper to myself as I see the opposing team walking around on my field with their captain psyching them up. The bowl-shaped stadium all brings the attention down to the two teams, mine and his.

Game on.

The game starts with a thunder around us. This game is different compared to the last. It feels different, more intense. TJ is on fire tonight. He’s everywhere. Running around freely like he’s being chased by a hungry dog. Ryan too. Ryan is open most of the game, and I use that to my advantage. We’re annihilating this team. My arm is behaving today.

Touchdown after touchdown, we then begin to slip a little, leaving ourselves open for them to get a touchdown of their own. Dammit. I wanted a perfect score without them getting a chance.

Although we were ahead, the game was very intense. They couldn’t keep up with us, but their defense was on point. They made it very hard for me to get the play to my guys, but I still managed to get touchdowns. The game is called, and we won by a mountain. Surprised by the gap, I stand there and think how the fuck that happened. MS state were on their game tonight, but we were something else. We walked all over them with no mercy. TJ runs towards me taking his helmet off, revealing his sweaty head.

“Holy fuck, Nick, you were on fire today!” He slaps my helmet. I laugh at him.

“I could say the same to you, TJ. Every time I looked up, you were running.” I pull my helmet off and drop it down on the ground.

“Carter wouldn’t have anything to do with it, right?” He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively. I roll my eyes, trying to hide my smile but I can’t. She had everything to do with it. “Holy shit! Bro, you need to just accept that you like her. I can see it all over your damn face, Jackson.” He pokes my cheek and I swat his hand away while laughing at him.

“Shut up, TJ.” I start laughing again. I’m not telling him. He’ll let it slip and tell everyone. That stays between me, myself, and I. And maybe Carter. Someday.

We all gather around, congratulating each other and the staff for such a great game. We all just clicked today. A few messy passes here and there, but overall we played like we’ve been playing together all our lives. Smiles were worn all around the stadium, but there was only one smile I wanted to see.

And I see it from a distance. She’s talking with Haley while Danielle flirts with a guy sitting beside her. Both of them are laughing about something—something that I want to know. Watching her giggle and cover her mouth with her hand makes me smile too.

The light wind blows her hair around her face. Her cheeks are a rose red, probably from the heat. I feel like a creep admiring her from afar. I focus my attention back on the guys and see them all staring at me with huge grins on their faces, all of them except for Ryan.

“Glad to have you back, Jackson. Thought I was going to have to light a fire under your ass to get your attention back . . .” he mutters lowly. “I must say, I can see why you’re so distracted right now.” Coach bobs his head over to the girls. I feel the embarrassment in my cheeks. I apologize and listen to him talk to my team. “Good work guys! Training in the gym this Monday at nine! If you’ve got class, then report to me and I’ll reschedule it to the evening for you. We need to keep this momentum! That was the best I’ve ever seen all of you play! You in particular, Jackson. Your arm was unstoppable!” He slaps his hand on my shoulder pad making it dip. The guys congratulate me and I thank them.

Showered and ready to see the girls, I’m waiting on TJ, who is fixing his hair in the mirror of the restroom. I stand there and study him. This idiot is taking too damn long.

“TJ, hurry the fuck up! You’re worse than my mom!” I bellow at him and leave the restroom, grabbing my bag. He saunters out of the restroom and grins at me.

“I can’t have Haley fixing my damn hair again at this party, Nick. I’ll look like a kid walking out of Sunday school . . .” I laugh and agree with him. His hair is still a mess though. It always was, not that he ever cared, but for some strange reason he does now. “Let’s go.” He walks by me and out the doors of the stadium where I’m greeted by Haley and a hug, like always. She then moves to TJ and I focus back on Danielle and Carter standing there and watching this.

“You guys were unbelievable out there! NICK! Your arm was like a cannon! And TJ, you were like the Road Runner!” We both laugh at Haley and I see the two girls behind her nod their heads. We really did want to know what Carter thought though. She’s a football fanatic. The girl with the famous football name. The girl who’s name has so many ties in this industry.

“You guys were amazing!” Carter beams at both of us. “I was pleasantly sur—”

“Nick!” I hear an all too familiar voice behind me. I turn around to see Erin, or that girl I fucked a long while ago. I think her name is Erin. I groan, wanting to know what Carter thought of our game, especially about what she thought about me on the field.

Dammit, Erin. You had to come over, didn’t you?

“Hey . . .” I trail off, not remembering her name.

“Mia.” She points to herself and I cough a little, thinking I was way off with her name.

Whoops.

“Hey, what’s up?” I am trying to be polite, but I really just want to get rid of her. I see her eyes turn back behind her to a group of girls leaning against the glass of the stadium, waiting for her. Then her eyes wander to me, then TJ.

“We’re having a party at the sorority house tonight. You guys are welcome to come and join us, if you want?” she invites us flirtatiously. I remember her game so well. She flirts real hard, isolates you, gets you fucking wasted, and the next thing you know, you’re waking up next to her naked in her bed.

“Cool!” Haley smiles up at her but Mia looks at her like she has five heads.

“ I was asking them. We have enough girls at the house for the team. I’ll let you know if we need another, but for now . . . we’re good.” She sends her the fakest smile I’ve ever seen. Little does she know, she’s related to me. That’s her first slip up. This is what usually happens. When I’m with my sister, they think she’s a lost puppy, but when they realize we’re related, they act all sweet and look like they shit roses. I see right through them though. They just want one thing: me.

“Uh, excuse you. He’s my brother, and I most certainly do not need to cater for his needs . . . or anyone else’s for that matter.” She puts a hand on her hip while the other two girls stand there with their eyes darting back and forth between them. I catch Carter’s eyes and she sends me a small smile, then she averts them quickly.

“We’ll go”—I watch Mia’s face light up—“but they come with us.” I point to the three girls and she immediately drops her grin for a second. I see her nod and plaster back on the fake smile.

What the fuck did I see in her?

“Fine. Come find me later . . . if you want round two.” She winks and leaves us alone. I don’t bother to look at her, but I can see Haley’s eyes trained on her and then another scowl crawls on her face.

“What a social climber . . .” Haley folds her arms and rolls her eyes. If she rolls them again, they’ll probably get stuck; she does that so often.

“Come on, cranky pants, lets go.” TJ pulls her out of her funk and we all walk towards his car. It lights up as we near it. We place our bags in the trunk while the girls climb in the back, both me and TJ up front. I close the door as soon as Carter gets in. I slide in and buckle up.

“Here’re your heels, guys!” Haley pulls out numerous pairs of shoes and passes them down to the right person, each of them slipping them on, with me and TJ laughing as we watch them. They all peel off their tops to reveal what’s underneath, and we watch them with raised eyebrows. Both TJ and I swivel in our seats, watching this magic show unfold as we wait for another trick.

“Well, are we going or are you just going to sit there and stare at us?” Danielle points out the front window.

“We were waiting for the grand finale,” TJ teases them, and I chuckle at him. He starts up the engine and we drive to the sorority house. This will be my second party with Carter. This time there will be nothing happening to her, I’ll make sure of it.

Once we arrive, I step out and reach back to get her door. Her foot meets the pavement, and I get a glimpse of what she changed into. A yellow string top tucked into her black jeans with heels that spell out “come to me big boy.” I bite the inside of my cheek at how sexy she looks.

“You look nice,” I compliment her and I watch her eyes snap up to mine. A sincere smile appears on her face as she closes the door.

“Thanks. So . . . um . . . So do you.” She’s blushing, and I smile at how cute she looks when she does that. She’s so innocent and pure. I like that about her.

“Thanks,” I reply over the booming beat that greets us when the door opens up. We all look over to see Kelly standing there and checking TJ out as soon as he walks through the threshold.

“Fuck!” he curses as his attention goes back on me. He gives me a “help me” look and I nod, telling him I’ve got his back. Kelly was TJ’s last . . . Well, I don’t really know what she was. She likes to call him her boyfriend, whereas to him, she was just a quick fuck in the restroom, but she hasn’t left him alone since then. As you might’ve guessed, he regrets getting with her.

“TJ! I had no idea you were coming tonight, babe! You look . . . hot!” She struts over and checks him out. Haley and Danielle stand beside Carter. They are all watching this unfold. For once, it’s not me. Thank the Lord.

“Thanks . . . bye!” He walks by her, allowing the three girls to walk in front of him. He’s trying to get away from her. She steps in front of him but allows the girls to pass. She presses her hand on his chest and leans into him, her tits spilling out of that dress she’s wearing and pressed against TJ. He steps back and looks at the girls, who look curious as to who she is. They don’t want to know this girl. She’s just like Maya—annoying as fuck. They’re actually best friends. Haley knows her and is not a fan. Not many people are when it comes to her and Maya.

“Do I not get a hello kiss from you?” She starts flirting with him and he laughs hard in her face.

Suddenly, he stops and looks her dead in the eyes. “No,” he says tersely and removes her hand from him and continues to walk to the girls. Once he’s inside the makeshift living room, I’m standing there alone. I brush past her while she stares at his retreating frame.

“Oh, Nick! Maya is in there looking for you.” She smirks at me as I walk away from her. This annoying little witch has always pushed Maya on me.

When I walk inside, the music is blaring right in my ears. I wince at first, slowly adjusting to the beat. The rooms have an orange tint to it, and I saunter around until I can recognize a familiar face. I see Danielle talking to one of the guys at a wall. Then I see Haley and TJ in the kitchen, with Carter pouring drinks. I decide to join them and grab a beer. One won’t hurt. TJ already hands me one and I take the first sip, sighing in relief.

I look down at the blue eyed girl looking around the room, uncomfortable in the setting. I lean down to talk in her ear, “You wanna head outside? It’s a little loud in here!” I ask and I see her head nod up and down. I mouth to TJ that we’re heading outside, who nods and stays with Haley in the kitchen. Thank God. I wanted some alone time with Carter.

I shut the backdoor, restricting the music from leaving. It’s quieter out here. You can still hear the chatter of people and feel the beat, but I can at least hear myself breathe. We sit on two chairs under a small dim light with a table underneath it.

Alone at last.