Page 55 of Wicked Surrender

Fuck, this is getting twisted.

Instead of heading straight back to the frat house, I detoured and walked through the library, seeing her sitting there and writing on a notebook, seeming to study for her own coursework.

She was there, just like I expected.

It was a reminder that she wasn’t good or a diligent student for the sake of appearances, but because she really did like it. She wasn’t lying when she admitted that she loved to learn. And I hated how that made her even more… endearing.

When I got back to the house, Dennis and Rory looked up at me. They sat on the couch, and Rory smirked. “There he is. Ask him.” He scratched at his crotch.

“Ask me what?” I slowed, mildly curious what they wanted.

None of them had asked me about why I broke the projector or lost my cool at those pictures of Laura they showed. They probably assumed I’d taken her to my room and fucked her, and that was that.

“I’ve got this cheerleader upstairs who wants two of us,” Dennis said. “She likes it up the ass and wants to go double.” He grinned, nodding like he just couldn’t wait.

“I’m out,” Rory said with a wince, still scratching. “I think one of those bitches gave me crabs over the weekend.”

I rolled my eyes, glad that no matter what, I got myself checked for STDs every other week. Then again, I hadn’t gotten any for months now, too angry to want easy pussy.

“No thanks.” I wasn’t even remotely interested. How could I be when the memory of Laura had me two seconds from an instant boner all day and night?

“Dude, what’s up with you?” Dennis asked. “Do you realize what you’re giving up?” He scoffed and shook his head.

“Yeah, I know what I’m passing on,” I replied.

“Since when are you not interested in sharing a girl?” Kevin asked from the chair across from the couch.

I shrugged as Rory left the room, still scratching his crotch.Since now. Since… Laura.

“You’ve been acting weird since that, um…” Dennis frowned. “Since taking Second-Best to your room.”

I hate that fucking name.

How could she be second-best at anything when she alone had the power to make me so needy like this? No other woman had ever made me feel this unsettled and unfinished.

“Wait.” Kevin grinned. “Don’t tell me she isn’t second-best at that…” He laughed, and Dennis joined in.

“I’m going to the gym,” I said, leaving before they could ask me anything else. I couldn’t bring myself to defend her, either, because that would trigger them to know something was up.

During my workout, I, of course, was cursed with her in my mind. It didn’t matter if I spent time checking out the girls exercising in here, only wearing sports bras and the teeniest shorts ever. It didn’t matter if I replayed equations in my head.

I couldn’t shake my thoughts of her.

Only when I trained my focus on my brother did my obsession wane a little bit.

Because she was the opposite of what I was supposed to be doing. I was stretching out my college time just to make Dean Chen pay for expelling William. Wanting and lusting after Laura didn’t feel like I was paying anyone back for anything.

I went through my usual routine of lifting and stretching. Doubling my time on the treadmill, I tried to outrun my thoughts, too.

I failed.

I couldn’t figure out what the hell I was supposed to do about that raven-haired, quiet beauty now.

That simple taste of her last week wasn’t enough, but I hated myself for wishing for more.

Besides my guilt trip about wanting the enemy and obsessing over the girl I couldn’t have, I struggled with the logistics of it too. As was shown with my frat brothers, I was perplexed about how to act around her after setting the precedent and routine of tormenting her.

I couldn’t just pull a drastic one-eighty and be nice to her now.

---