Page 18 of Obsessions of the Heart

“What do you want?”

Cin’s voice broke me from my exploration. We were in front of a small yet quaint café with a few small tables and chairs. Only two people were in line at the moment, so I glanced at the menu. It was small, listing basic sandwiches or salads, partnered with coffee, tea, and soft drinks. It was perfect—no frills, no fancy shit, just plain food and an amazing view.

Feeling something bump into me, I looked down at a grinning Cin. “I knew you'd like this place. You scream unpretentious.”

“Um… thank you?” I didn't know if that was a compliment or an insult, and Cin didn’t clarify, just smirked.

After we ordered, Cin paid—she took advantage of my wandering eyes—but I made her promise that she would let me pay next time. I wasn't a mooch.

For the next forty-five minutes, Cin talked nonstop. She told me how she felt about having a brother and cousin here with her, how she never truly got to be free with them lording over her. She said I would know what she meant when I met them on Thursday at the party. I was curious as to what her family would be like since Cin seemed to be her own brand of person. Was it a family trait or just her thing?

I learned her second major was in computer programming and analytics. It took me a second to digest that, but she explained that she was looking to rule the world within the lines of the law using technology. She even cackled into the sky at the end. Now, that seemed more like her.

She loved the combination of pink and black because they “represented both sides of her personality perfectly.” I nodded in agreement even though I’d only known her for a short amount of time. Her favorite dessert was a soft and chewy cookie. If you gave her dry, crispy ones, she would cut your face off—her words.

While she had grown up in a wealthy family, she was unlike any rich person I had met before. She was a little quirky, definitely a space invader, but she was actually really down to earth and fun to be around. The opposite of what I’d pictured her to be when I first met her.

She reminded me a tad of Vivian.

Vivian was outgoing and fun like Cin, but she’d carried a deep sadness behind the happy, beautiful mask she’d created. It was that sadness that had led us to connect and become friends. With Cinzia, it was more like she had been working me like a nut, banging me against the counter until I cracked so she could force her way in with her funny sayings and persistent attitude. Vivian would’ve liked her.

While that thought made me sad, thinking about Vivian wasn't as painful. Surprisingly, it made my heart feel light, almost like I had Vivian next to me saying that she approved of the friendship. She would want Cin to take the lead since I was the skeptical, realistic one.

We eventually had to split, her going to an advanced computers course while I headed over to some basic science class. After that was a film class and entry-level math to end the day.

Lying in my bed after my first day, I felt much better about everything. It seemed like a normal, decent school, the dorms were nice and clean, and I was getting along with my roommate. I was engaged in the classes I liked, and the others weren’t terribly hard. My schedule was stacked so that I went to school all day on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, giving me Tuesday and Thursday to relax, explore the campus, and really get comfortable where I was now living.

On Wednesday, I braced myself to face off with the Irish psycho, but he wasn't there. Maybe he’d gotten kicked out, or better yet, he’d dropped out? A girl could hope.

Before I knew it, it was Thursday night. I was cozy in my bed and pajamas when Cin burst into our room in a frantic tizzy. “Oh my god, are you not even ready yet?!”

Oh shit, I’d forgotten about the party.

I felt a bit of déjà vu when Cin looked at my wardrobe and gasped at how little I had. She kept promising, despite my refusals, to take me out shopping over the weekend. I tried to explain that I didn't need more than a few shirts, underwear, socks, and a set of leggings, jeans, and a skirt. That was when she dramatically fell onto her bed and cried about how it was a crime against women that I only had the “basics.”

She grabbed the one black skater skirt I had and put it on my bed before she went to her closet, which was crammed with clothes, picked her smallest racerback crop top, and set it next to my skirt.

“What? No—” She lifted her hand, her face giving me a serious glaring warning to shut my mouth.

“It's not that bad. Plus, we want to show off how hot you are even though none of them can have you because of your dick ban. It will make all of them go crazy to try to win you, which means you might be able to collect some favors.” She spouted off all of this while digging through her closet for shoes before settling on a pair of thigh-high black wedges. It sounded like she had this all planned out… for me. Why?

“Cinzia, why are you doing this?”

She set down the shoes near my bed, went to her makeup bag, and motioned for me to sit. When I didn't budge, she smirked and lightly pushed me into position.

“Look, I like you. At first, you were kinda closed off, but I realized that you were never really mean about it, which meant you were a nice person. As you heard Miss Clara Barns say in orientation, they’re looking for the wolves of the world, and I’m…” She hesitated as she took out a brush and started with some eye makeup.

I didn’t know why I just sat there and let her do it, but it felt like I should take what she was giving. She continued. “I just want to make sure you make it. I don't like most women, but I like you. I want you to stick around, and if that means we use these boys for their connections because you're beautiful and fabulous, then so be it.”

“And how can they help me?”

She blinked a few times before answering, “Lay, this is a small university that brings in people from all over the world. Very exclusive with a specific type of person that graduates from here. These will also be upperclassmen, so they have inner knowledge about how each teacher works, what they’re lenient about and what they aren't.”

I was so focused on what she was saying that I didn't notice she was putting on lipstick until she told me to smile.

“Making connections now could affect you in the future. You might be in a bind, but because you graduated from this university and made the friends that you did, you’ll be able to get out of anything. We need to put our best feet forward tonight and be memorable, even if you don’t let them touch you with their dicks.”

“Are all the upperclassmen men?” I was curious because that would tell me a lot about this school.

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