Page 2 of Trusting Tanner
Devon chuckled. “All right. Cool. I’ll text you when I get to the frat house.”
“Sounds good. Drive safe.” She ended the call.
“Who’s that? Your boyfriend?” The sound of Rebecca’s voice startled her.
“Devon?” Juliana laughed. “God no. He’s my best friend.”
“He must be gay then.”
“What? No. Why would you say that?” She couldn’t stop the angry indignation from creeping into her voice.
Rebecca lay down on her bed, her black hair spread out around her. Juliana couldn’t deny she was a beautiful girl. Devon would be happy about that. “Because there’s no way a straight guy could be BFFs with you and not want to tap that. Hell, I don’t swing that way and I want to bang you.”
Was that supposed to be a compliment? Juliana refrained from rolling her eyes.
“Do you have some sort of friends with benefits thing going on?” Rebecca smirked.
“Ew, no. That’s gross. Devon’s like a brother to me.” She tucked her phone into her back pocket. Her stomach rolled with unease. She’d never been the gossiping type, and she sure as hell wasn’t the type to talk about her personal life, especially with someone she’d just met.
Rebecca propped herself up on her elbows. “Do you have a boyfriend?”
“No,” Juliana said. “Do you?”
“There are a few guys I hook up with every now and then. But nothing serious.” Rebecca sat up and swung her legs over the side of her bed. “I know. I’m going to help you find a guy.”
“Uh, thanks, but no thanks.” A relationship was the very last thing she wanted. She still hadn’t gotten over the train wreck of the last one she’d been in.
“Aw, c’mon, why not? One night with one of my guys and you’ll be thanking me.”
My guys?Was Rebecca a pimp or something? She needed to tone down the snark if she was going to make this work. Sighing, Jules sat on her bed. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate your offer, I do, it’s just…” Bile rose in the back of her throat, and her palms became sweaty.
“It’s just what?”
The promise she’d made herself this summer raced through her mind:I won’t let my junior year be as shitty as my sophomore year, and I’ll go out of my way to open up and make more friends.Actually, it was a promise she’d made Devon, but she’d taken it to heart. “I recently got out of a bad relationship, and I need some ‘me’ time to get my head back on straight.”
Rebecca leaned forward like that was the most interesting thing she’d ever heard. “What happened?”
Jules tucked her hands under her legs and averted her gaze. “A lot.” She swallowed hard. “He cheated on me with his ex. More than once.” She shook her head with disgust and self-loathing. “I was stupid and bought into his lies and fake apologies. Then he started to say some pretty awful things, telling me I wasn’t good enough to keep a man happy and that I wasn’t long-term girlfriend material.” Letting out a nervous laugh, Jules stood and wiped her palms on her jeans.
“He sounds like a first-class dick bag.”
“You’re being entirely too nice.”
“Seriously, the fastest way to get over an ex and boost your confidence is to hook up with a new guy, get him to fall crazy in love with you, and then dump his ass. Trust me, it will make you feel so much better.”
That was probably the worst advice she’d ever heard. She wasn’t the type to do random hookups. Not to mention, she wasn’t going to hurt some poor, unsuspecting guy just to make herself feel better. She wasn’t cold and heartless like Zach.
“Let me know if you change your mind. I can find you a guy, like that.” Rebecca snapped her fingers. She stood and stretched her arms over her head. “I’m going out with some friends, so don’t wait up for me.”
She hoped Rebecca wouldn’t be the type to stay out late partying and then come in at all hours of the day or night. Her last roommate had been a partier, and Juliana got cranky when she didn’t get enough sleep. “You’re leaving now?”
“Yeah, I’ve got a few things to do before I meet them. Do whatever you want with the room. If there’s anything you need…clothes, bathroom stuff, whatever, feel free to use mine.” And then Rebecca left.
Jules blew out a breath. It was certainly going to be an interesting year. She busied herself with unpacking. Even taking her time, it only took about two hours for her to settle in. Devon wouldn’t be back for another three or four hours. Checking to make sure she had some cash, her ID, her meal plan card, and her phone, she left the room and walked to the closest dining hall.
It was early afternoon, and all the parents who were on campus for move-in day seemed to have flocked to the dining hall. One final meal before they left their almost-grown kids to fend for themselves. The looks of uncertainty and sadness on the parents’ faces were met with expressions of impatience and excitement. The kids wanted the parents to go, and the parents wanted to stay. A stab of longing for things she’d never get to experience pierced her chest, but she forced it away before it could take hold and ruin her day. The start of every semester was always hard, but it was worse than normal this year.
She got in line and grabbed a bottle of water and an apple. She knew she’d eat a ton with Devon later, so she didn’t want to eat too much now. Making her way outside, she found her favorite spot beneath the largest tree and sat. It was the same spot where she and Devon usually had lunch since meeting a year and a half ago. As she ate, she watched the bustle of students and parents.
