Page 3 of Of Pranks and Passion

Smiley dropped into the seat across from me, popping a gummy into his mouth before picking up his first taco. I wrinkled my nose at the combination but whatever. It wasn’t me eating it.

“Just sit in the back and don’t linger,” he suggested with a mouthful of food. Coach sighed heavily at his lack of manners, but Smiley either didn’t hear it or didn’t care. “I got through two years without making any friends outside of my dealer.”

“Only two?” Chuckles teased.

Smiley shrugged, an easy grin on his face. “Couldn’t keep up with the tests. My brain isn’t made for studying. Especially with how often I was visiting my dealer.”

True. Smiley was too much of a pothead to keep up with school. We all indulged, but he relied on it to keep his head on straight. He got no judgment from us for it.

Still annoyed, I decided to move on. I’d already accepted that I couldn't change anything. I just had to get shit done.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Shut up and pass the guac. You’re eating tacos like a heathen.”

Everyone laughed. That was who we were. We would back each other up when things got tough, but if it wasn’t important, we’d give each other shit for it. These guys were my found family, they understood me better than anyone else and with their support, I’d deal.

CHAPTER TWO

GARY

When the professor’sgaze swept over the room, I ducked my head automatically, pretending to study my notes to look for the answer. I’d hoped after getting through the first few weeks of classes, I’d feel more settled. But I still felt awkward.

“Anybody? No?”

Nope. No one here. Please look elsewhere.

He sighed, obviously put out about the lack of enthusiasm in the room. What did he expect? It was beginning statistics.

The door to the back of the large auditorium opened with a loud bang, startling everyone. I whipped my head over my shoulder, eyes wide as I took in the newcomer. He had a grungy look to him, his clothes all baggy and dark colors. His black hair was messy, long enough to fall into his eyes, half hidden under the hood of his sweatshirt. There were tattoos on his hands peeking out under his massive hoodie, and he had a bunch of rings and necklaces on. Dark green eyes scanned the room almost suspiciously before landing on me. I froze, sucking in a sharp breath when he headed my way. But he wasn’t actuallyheaded for me. He plunked himself into the empty seat beside me, the closest open one, and slouched in his seat.

Oh. I berated myself internally for jumping to conclusions. That was unfair of me.

When the professor started talking again, I dragged my attention back to the front. At least, I tried to. It only took a few minutes before the new guy sighed heavily. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. He looked annoyed. I hadn’t seen him before now. Maybe he switched classes at the last minute? Starting behind would stress me out, too.

I bit my lip, trying to force myself to pay attention to the professor. Another thirty minutes passed before I gave in to my curiosity and peeked at the guy again. He wasn’t conventionally handsome. More average in appearance. He had a line on his nose that looked like a healed break and a small scar on his cheek. He pulled off his hood at one point to run his fingers through his hair, and I saw several piercings in his ear. That was kind of cool, actually. I could also see more tattoos peeking up on his neck. I couldn’t even begin to guess what they were, though.

He must’ve felt me staring because he turned to look at me, and I heard him huff out a small laugh when I whipped my head forward again.

I was kind of an awkward person in general. Years of being bullied by my older sister took its toll. But even I knew staring was rude. I opened my mouth to apologize, but I hadn’t realized the professor had dismissed the class. The guy was out of his seat and disappeared back out the door he came through before I could even form the words in my head. It was then I realized that he came in without a backpack or even a notebook. He had no notes.

Then again, not everyone needed notes. My roommate said he studied better by putting his head down and listening, but I thought that was a joke. Now I was wondering if I got it wrong.

The question bugged me the rest of the day, and by the time I was heading back to my dorm room, I had a headache. I couldn’t get the new guy out of my head. Did he not need to take notes? Or did he think because he was already behind, he had no hope of catching up? I felt bad for him, if that was the case. I knew what it was like to struggle trying to study. Despite my appearance, I wasn’t a nerd like most people thought. I loved reading, but I wasn’t some kind of genius.

My roommate was already there when I got back. He was a decent enough guy. He was on the football team, very outgoing and sociable, so our personalities didn’t match up, but he didn’t take offense when I didn’t engage like he did. He was actually nice enough to invite me to lunch whenever our schedule matched up. I accepted because I promised myself when I went to college I’d make friends. I had enough of being considered a pariah all through high school.

“Hey, Gar. How was class?” Carter asked amiably.

“Fine,” I murmured. “You?”

He shrugged. “It was whatever. One of my profs is a real fox, so that’s always something to look forward to.”

I forced out a smile and nodded. Carter was the typical college jock, always talking about hot women and parties and hooking up. Meanwhile, I was a twenty-four-year-old virgin who started school late and didn’t fit in with most of the freshman class. I purposely evaded any and all questions Carter had about my sexuality. I didn't want him finding out I was gay and freaking out about living with me. He was actually nice to me. I didn’t want to lose that.

Sitting at my desk, I pulled out my notebook for statistics and flipped through the first week of notes. This professor didn’t start things slow, and there was a lot of information there that the new guy missed.

“Homework already?”

I pressed my lips together, frowning at the notebook. “Not really. I mean, yes, there’s some reading and stuff to do, but I wasn’t thinking about that.”

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