Page 58 of Obsessed with the Heartbreaker

Keller glared at me. “I’m notjealous. But I will be very happy when the Heartbreaker finally dumps your ass for all to see.”

“I’m not with him,” I said between my teeth, because damn, he was getting to me.

He chuckled. “Everyone saw—”

“You sound awfully confident about something that happened at a party that you weren’t eveninvitedto,” Oliver said, suddenly appearing beside me and putting his stuff on the table. “Is your life that boring that you have to get your kicks from gossiping about other people’s sex lives, Keller? Or are you secretly in love with the Heartbreaker?”

Well,thatI didn’t like the sound of, even if it was said just as a jab.

The Professor chose that time to enter the class and everyone, including Keller, went to their seats and settled, quieting down and getting ready to start.

“Had he been grilling you for long?” Oliver whispered as he took out his laptop and a notebook.

“Just the usual.”

“And is it true? That he’s also shooting for your internship?”

I closed my eyes again.

Fuck.

“Yes. It’s like he’s doing it on purpose.” Just to spite me.

I’d been going to my advisor’s office this morning, when, by chance, I found out that Keller was also applying for the internship I wanted. There had been several I’d selected as okay candidates, but this one was by far the best. It would be at a company whose name in my resume would open endless doors and would help people look over the fact that I was a regimented, stiff guy, and let them see that I was more than capable.

But Keller? As much as I was number one where he was two, he had an ability to kiss ass that was unmatched, not to mention a charming smile that he could turn on and off at will.

Two things I completely lacked that might cost me my ticket to securing my future.

It was why I had to study my ass off now to ensure I would still be number one in all of my classes, so that at least I could objectively have that over him.

“Hey, that sucks, but you’ll be fine, okay? Don’t even worry about it. Only idiots would choose him over you.”

Spoken like a true friend.

More and more, I realized that Oliver was someone I could truly confide in and trust, which made me want to just introduce him properly to my best friends at some point.

While I’d technically made some short introductions, we hadn’t hung out yet, but not for a lack of trying. I hadn’t really seen Oliver hang around people he looked close to on campus, but every time I suggested he come and hang out, he had something coming up.

We all had our issues, so I wasn’t going to push it.

In any case, his words of comfort didn’t really help. He told me that because he knew me, but employers wouldn’t. I always came across as quiet, reserved, and of few words. I wasn’t instantly comfortable around other people like Henry was, for example. I couldn’t charm them into feeding me grapes and rubbing my feet if I wanted to while still being an asshole to them, which Henry was no doubt capable of, and that had always been one of my greatest insecurities.

One I didn’t like to speak of.

Because I knew that if I voiced all of these out loud, if I told Oliver or Eliot or Scott about my worries about my internships, they would only dismiss them. They would tell me that I was making a big deal out of something insignificant but itwasn’t.

This wasmy life. I was the first person in my family to go to college and Ineededto prove to them and the Campbells andmyselfthat I was worthy of my Andino last name. That I could make a name for myself, that I could make myself succeed with grit and determination and stubborn hard work.

“And speaking of the party,” Oliver said, still whispering. “Is it true that you got involved with Henry?”

I pondered what to tell him and settled on a half-truth. “I was in the middle of a pissing contest, but otherwise…”

Well, not a half-truth. More of a three-quarters lie, but so what?

I couldn’t very well tell him that Henry had made come so hard, I thought I might have blacked out for a second.

Or that I still hadn’t washed my dirty T-shirt, because on the part that wasn’t stained by his come, it smelled of Henry and his shampoo.

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