Page 3 of Fire of the Fox

Here came another lecture, one I was determined to nip in the bud before it got started. “I’m sure it was just a one-time thing. He said he was gonna be too busy on vacations all summer to do the reading, and he didn’t want to be stressed his first week of school by not having it done. He asked if I could read it and take notes for him so he could start off freshman year on good terms.”

Dallas flung herself onto my bed, facing me with her all-knowing gaze. Crossing her arms, she pursed her lips. “Right. What was that about having time to take you on a date?”

I shrugged, pretending to be really interested in sorting my clothes. “If he has loads of assignments, he won’t have time to see me. Since I’m faster with school-work, he thinks it might be better for me to occasionally help out with his so that he has time for me.”

She blinked her big green eyes at me. “Do you hear yourself right now?”

Groaning, I collapsed facedown next to her. “I know. Pathetic. Even I can tell that he’s using me. I just don’t want to believe it, I guess.”

The bed creaked as she lay down next to me. I turned my head to look at her from beneath my hair as she raised a brow at me.

“This is exactly why we’re going out. You need to see that there are other people out there who aren’t complete asswipes.”

We spent the rest of the evening unpacking our stuff and organizing our desks and personal areas. Our mini fridge was in desperate need of drinks and food, and our snack rack was lacking in midnight munchies. Gathering our bathroom bags, we headed off to the dorm showers to rinse off all the sweat from the day of moving. After throwing on some clean leggings and a pink sweater, I pulled my long blonde hair into a high ponytail and waited on Dallas to finish getting ready.

“I’m starving,” Dallas pouted as we walked to her silver Honda Pilot. “Let’s find somewhere to eat first.”

“Sounds good to me. I could use some food.”

It was a short drive from campus to the main area in town. The streets were lined with stores, cafes, and restaurants. Since we wanted to walk the streets to sightsee, Dallas parked along the sidewalk. The setting sun painted the sky in strokes of orange and pink. Cool wind blew through the lingering warm air, making it the perfect weather for a stroll.

“Look at all these boutiques,” I started. “A lot of them are hiring.”

“Well, yeah. With the start of the new school year, these places are sure to be packed and ready for some new faces. Maybe we should think about applying to one.”

I was so busy peering into one of the shops, I didn’t notice the man standing outside a store until I knocked into him. Gasping, I grabbed onto Dallas to keep from falling backward. The stranger whipped around from where he’d been staring into a tattoo parlor window, and I was hit with a heavy wave of disdain. The dark-headed man narrowed his eyes at me, and his lip curled as he snarled at me.

Caught off guard, I stammered, “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t—”

He shoved past me, and a chill rolled down my spine as he did. The man stormed down the sidewalk, and I stared after him in complete shock.

Dallas held me close to her side, staring after the guy. “What an asshole,” she huffed.

I tried shaking off the collision, but something about him didn’t sit well with me. My stomach was curled tight, and the heavy hand of dread settled on my shoulders. It was such a startling encounter, it took a while of walking with Dallas to finally feel grounded again.

We were able to put some pep back into our step as we talked in excited circles about plans for the semesters, goals we wanted to reach, and memories we wanted to make this year. As we planned our ideas for the school year, Dallas suddenly inhaled sharply, gripping my arm tight.

Alarmed, I snapped my head in her direction. “What’s wrong?”

“Pizza. A big, cheesy, greasy slice of pizza. Straight ahead.”

I froze. Immediately, I knew she wasn’t talking about the food. Pizza was her code word for a ten-out-of-ten guy. Back in high school, Dallas and I had come up with a code for rating cute boys. We somehow decided that rating them via food was a good idea. Dallas’s scale was based on unhealthy foods. The healthier the food, the less attractive she found them. The unhealthier the food, the better the taste, she would say. Pizza was her max.

My scale was done by sweets. I had a huge sweet tooth, so the sweeter the treat, the cuter the boy. My max was my favorite treat, cinnamon rolls.

Composing myself, I tried to play it cool as I looked for this mystery person. Up ahead was a group of guys standing outside of a bar and grill. I scanned their faces and saw Mr. Pizza. He stood facing us, laughing at something one of the other guys had said. He was tall, dark, and handsome. What girl wouldn’t like him?

He had large brown eyes set against rich, dark brown skin. His hair was thinly cropped, exposing a piercing in his right ear. I knew Dallas would eat that up. Even from this distance, I could tell he was built. His shirt pulled tightly over his muscles, and he could probably bench press Dallas from the size of them—also something she’d definitely be into.

Smiling sideways at her, I pulled her along. “We’re gonna be walking past them in a minute. What’s your plan?”

She scoffed at me and gave me that all-too-familiar smirk. “I don’t have one. I don’t need a plan.”

We were close enough to have drawn their attention, and their attention we did draw. The conversation slowed as we sauntered past. As we stepped around them, Dallas grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the grill’s storefront, where they had a chalkboard of specials.

“Oh, Bria, look! They’re having a deal on burgers tonight. I wonder if they’re any good here.” She glanced over to the four boys who were watching, and the corners of her lips lifted just a fraction. “Have you guys eaten here before?”

Mr. Pizza smiled. “We have. It’s really good. Best burgers in town for sure.”

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