As I turned right to go up the stairs to the entrance, I pulled out my phone to check the time and a text came through.
Mom: Have a great day and good luck on your interview.
I clicked in the reply box, then a large shadow fell over me and chills coursed down my spine. When I glanced up, my pulse kicked up. It was like staring at a beautiful picture or reliving a bittersweet memory from my past. Unfortunately, I couldn’t forget his hate-filled glare from the party last week as he crudely kicked me out. Roman. I averted my eyes and tried to move around him because I made a vow to never be caught off-guard again. However, he blocked my path. “Move out of my way.”
“Not yet,” he said, crowding the limited space between us. His chest was as broad as ever, more so even, as muscles constricted under soft fabric. I saw the tan skin that peeked out from the collar, and my eyes traveled up farther, studying his face. The angled, square jawline. The indentation in his chin. Sensuous full mouth. His pronounced straight nose. All his features screamed out strength, hard, and alpha. When I reached his caramel-colored eyes that I used to get lost in when he gazed at me, I nearly faltered. It was one thing to see his wrath from a distance. It was quite another to experience it up close. They were dark and his straight eyebrows were drawn together as he stared at me with a mixture of coldness and fury.
“What are you doing here?” His voice sounded ominous as though I was trespassing on his property.
“I go to school here.”
He leaned in; his inky hair fell across his forehead as he ground out, “How?”
My skin began to burn as he edged in, and his masculine, woodsy scent filled my senses. He’d broken my heart, and now seemed as though he wanted to strangle me. That was apparent. However, Roman questioning how I got into this school was ridiculous. Was he implying that I wasn’t good enough or too poor to attend this small private school?
“I have a scholarship.”
“Is that right?” His voice rose with a deceptive coolness. “You were always very resourceful, huh, even coming from the trailer park. You should be very grateful for my family’s generosity.”
“What does that mean?” Did he think I should fall to the ground in gratitude because I had the chance to live under his family’s roof while my mother earned her way? Why was I standing here listening to this? I complied when I was at the party. However, I was not going to listen to his condescending crap while I was on campus getting the education I worked hard for. What could he do? Kick me off campus too? “I earned the right to be here.”
“I’m sure you did.” His mouth lifted in a cruel smile. “But, don’t get too comfortable because once you think you have everything, it could all be lost in the blink of an eye. You know, karma and all.”
“We’re not at a stupid frat party. You can’t throw me out of the university.” The intelligent side of my brain knew I should’ve ignored him and ran as far away from him as I could. Instead of trying to provoke him.
I shouldered around him and before I could step forward, fingers dug into my elbow, yanking me until my back crashed into his chest. I felt his breath at my ear as he warned low, “That’s where you’re wrong. Don’t tempt me. You don’t know the lengths I will go to when it comes to you.”
I sat down in one of the desks at the back, glancing around the small auditorium preparing for my Sociology class, still shaken over seeing Roman again. I thought he was different. Yes, I came from poverty, but over the years he’d befriended me, even defended me when the other privileged kids in high school made fun of me. I thought he loved me. I thought I was good enough. I thought he wasn’t a superficial person who cared about status. In reality, I was good enough for him to sample the milk, but not to be seen on his arm.
“Is this seat taken?” I shook my head and glanced up to see the blond Adonis who’d seemed to show up late every day we had class this week. Hearing the whispers among other students, he was supposedly some football star on campus. He certainly was built like one. His eyes were light green and his skin tan. His muscles were etched under the white designer T-shirt he wore. Then recognition hit me, and he said, “Remember me. The guy you ran into the other night.”
“Oh hey.”
He dropped down beside me, and I noticed he didn’t bring anything with him—no laptop, books, pen, or paper. “You took off in a hurry. I’m Nick by the way.”
“Yeah, I wasn’t feeling well. Think it was food poisoning.”
“Ugh. That shit sucks.”
I bit back a smile and flipped open my school-issued Chromebook as our professor began his lecture. Soon, another guy slid into the chair next to blondie. He was equally built too, but had dark curly hair and mocha skin. “You didn’t bring anything to take notes?” he whispered as though put out.
“No.” Nick leaned back in his seat. “You know you’re a better note taker than me.”
“What the fuck, bro? Do I look like your personal assistant?”
The professor paused and glanced around the auditorium until his eyes settled on our area in the back, apparently hearing the loud whispers. “If you find my lecture boring, you can leave.”
When the room remained silent, he turned and started writing something on the Smart Board, and Nick whispered to his friend, “You told me if I took this class with you, you’d make sure I passed. You said you’d take one for the team.”
His friend sighed, but didn’t respond. A few minutes later, as I furiously typed my notes, I felt blondie’s eyes on me as he bent his head to my ear. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you again, since I noticed you were in the same class as me.”
I chewed on my lip, and kept moving my fingers across the keyboard.
He leaned in again. “But I still don’t know your name.”
I blinked up at him and rushed out, “Theodora.” I cautiously glanced back to the, front of the auditorium scared that I might be heard and then asked to leave the class.
I felt a breath on my ear again. “Theodora. I like that name. It sounds exotic.”
Dr. Smith paused and scanned the room. A few seconds later, Nick exhaled a loud breath. “Do you even know what the hell this lecture’s about? I’m lost.”
“Shh,” I warned as silently as possible. Maybe if he wasn’t talking through it, he would know.
There was a quiet chuckle. “Don’t worry. He won’t kick me out of class. I have immunity.”
Of course he did. It was the same in high school with the star athletes. Obviously, college was just an extension of allowing athletes to have carte blanche. Did Roman get a pass too? Was he regaled on campus like he was in high school?
When the class was over, I heard the rumbles of students and the click of laptops flipping shut. I was still trying to finish typing my notes. As I gathered up my things, I glanced up to see Nick’s grin with his golden-boy looks. His friend leaned in nudging Nick aside. “Apparently, this asshole has no manners. I’m Axel by the way.”
“Theo.”
Nick shoved him back playfully. “Don’t you have another class across campus? Better hurry. Don’t want to be late.”
“Yeah, unlike you I take school seriously.” He leaned in whispering conspiratorially. “Don’t believe anything this joker says.” With that, he saluted with a huge grin. “Later.”