Page 16 of Obsessions of the Heart

One thing I’d learned was my roommate was the nosy type, but she also seemed like the outgoing, fun type too—if I ignored that little hint of something that I’d seen in her eyes, anyway. While I didn't know if we were going to be “besties” as she put it, I did think it would be wise to clique up with her for now. She seemed like she knew all about this school, and she was connected. That might be helpful in the future.

I laid my head down, hoping to god that I didn't have any nightmares tonight. I didn't want to embarrass myself.

Here’s to hoping.

I yawned for the second time this morning, fingering my necklace before a craving for a pick-me-up settled in. I was desperately wishing I still worked at the diner with its unlimited access to that life-giving elixir.

In between being dead tired from the day before, my nerves shot for my first day, and a nightmare in the middle of the night, I was even more tired than I was yesterday. On the bright side, my back didn’t ache for once. Give a win to the fancy school and their fancy beds.

Not being able to sleep had its advantages, though. Since Cin didn’t come back from the party, I was up at five AM, messing around with my new laptop and phone, so I could get used to how they worked. I made my way to the main hall’s gift shop first thing in the morning. As I was shopping around, that chill ran up my spine, the kind I got when people were watching me, but there was no one inside the shop but me and the cashier, so I gave up on the thought.

In order to get out of there fast, I snagged the nearest backpack and purchased it with my new black AMEX. As I swiped it, my heart skipped a beat. I wasn’t used to things being this… easy. As soon as the sale went through, I asked for the receipt. I planned to keep every single one since I was betting that I would need to report them against the monthly bill.

Now that I had my laptop, backpack, and map of the campus, I made my way over to my first class. When I got there, the classroom was locked.

8:06 AM. Oh fuck.

I was way too early and way too tired to just sit in front of the classroom like a loser. I turned around and decided that I should try finding the rest of my classes, killing two birds with one stone.

By 8:53, I had found my classrooms and a tucked away café where I could get a large black coffee with two shots of sugar. I’d even gotten back here in time for class.

I took a breath before I opened the door. Several seats had been taken at the front, so I made my way to the back, snagging the only seat with no one sitting around it. It was perfect.

At least it was until a panicked-looking guy with wavy strawberry-blond hair came busting in, interrupting the teacher. He called out in a lyrical Irish accent, “Sorry. Sorry. Please continue.”

The teacher glared at him. “Get seated.”

The guy looked around for a seat, and I shrunk down, eyes closed, gripping my coffee with both hands. I whispered to myself, “Not me. Don't sit by me.”

It only took a few seconds before I heard, “Hello, love, anyone sitting here?”

“No,” I moaned out, disappointed that my solitude was broken.

He plopped into the seat next to me, smiling wide, his body completely turned toward me. “Now, peaches, please don't tell me that you're that disgusted with me? You don't even know me.”

Keeping my face forward, I spoke out the side of my mouth. “I don’t even know you.”

He leaned in closer, whispering next to my ear, “Then why the tone, peaches? I’m a nic… a decent guy.”

A small laugh slipped from my lips, and I swung my head his way. “Nice save.”

“Am I interrupting you two love birds? Do you need to step out for some one-on-one time?” Snapping my head forward, I mumbled an apology to the professor, but that wasn’t how the Irish stranger handled it.

“Aw, man, I wish I was wooing this gorgeous lady. If you could just give me a wee bit of time, I think I can get her to smile at me again.” He was still facing me even though he was talking to our professor, and I gulped. This wasn’t what I wanted to get myself into. I wanted to do my schoolwork, get my degree, and have a shot at a better life with better people in it.

The professor's face was getting redder by the second. “Do I need to throw you out of this class?”

The stranger laughed and opened his mouth, probably to keep his little attitude going, but I wanted it to stop. I wanted all the prying eyes to look away.

“Quit it.” I flicked my eyes to him. That lazy smile was still plastered on his face, but his eyes were sharp emeralds that drilled into me so hard they could cut.

He faced forward, giving a half-assed apology to the professor, who huffed and turned away, pointing to the board. As the professor began writing out some highlights from the syllabus on the board, hot air whispered along my neck. “This isn't over, peaches.”

My blood ran hot, recognizing that he was trying to push me. With my street knowledge, I knew that if I didn't push back, he would see me as weak and walk all over me. I needed to nip this in the bud now. Watching the professor, I clenched my teeth, “Is that a threat?”

The professor turned around to glare at us, but we covered our asses by facing forward to make it seem like we were paying attention to him. He eyed us for another second before turning back around. This was my moment. I turned toward the asshole with sexy green eyes and a voice I bet made all the girls sing.

Before I could get another word out, he twirled a strand of my hair around his finger, grinning at me. “You take it in whatever tone pleases you the most.” His eyes flicked to my lips, and my breathing came out hard since I’d just worked myself up into being pissed. He leaned forward, and I jerked back, but he yanked me back. His eyes softened. “I think I’m really going to enjoy…” He looked at the board then back to me. “English 101.”

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