Page 103 of Steeling Her
Little One
Nick
My phone has been ringing all morning. I know it’s Maya, she’s been constantly on me since the whole car incident, which was entirely her own fault. It has nothing to do with me, that’s between her and the Steels, but I feel like she’s grovelling to me, hoping I can talk Carter into not pressing charges against her. Which is not going to happen. She brought this on herself. I didn’t think she’d stoop to this level of psycho, but she did, and I’m backing away from her. I’m no longer putting myself in that position again.
It has nothing to do with me, although I know I’m the reason behind her smashing up Carter’s car. I’m staying out of it. I know Carter doesn’t want me involved, even though I already am.
It’s exam season now, and the library, coffee shops, and restaurants are full of college kids cramming for their tests; me being one of them. Although I’m in my room, sulking about not being able to see Carter, as pathetic as I sound. She’s been isolating herself so she can study for her exams too. She fell behind, and now she has to make up for it. I’m itching to text her right this second to find out what she’s doing.
I’m laying on my side with my book propped up on my stomach, making it go up and down every time I breathe. I peer over to my phone, hoping she magically morphs out of it and climbs on top of me.
I shake my head, trying to get myself to focus on my book, but my eyes drift back to it. “Come on, Nick.” I focus back on to the book that’s acting as I barrier between me and the phone sitting teasingly on my desk. I can almost hear it whisper to me. Biting my lip, I take the risk to glance at it once more.
“That’s it.” That was the final straw. I give in and push myself off the bed. I bulldoze my way through the clothes piled on the floor and snatch it from the desk that I should be studying at. I start typing out a message asking Carter where she is. I need to see her, just for a few minutes.
Carter: I’m not telling you, you should be studying??xx
Me: Oh come on!! Just for a few minutes. Pleeease xx
I beg her to tell me where she is. I want to see her so badly today. It’s really fucking desperate. It’s like an itch she can only scratch when I’m like this.
Carter: Nick, study. Now! xx
I can practically hear her chuckling at me. I smirk to my screen knowing where she is now.
Me: You’re in the library, aren’t you? Xx
The fact that she didn’t reply confirmed that, that is where she is right now. I’ll be there soon and surprise her. I grab my laptop, charger, stationery, and notebooks then make my way towards the girl that I haven’t stopped thinking about since our first meeting.
Finally grabbing my black Snapback, I bolt out the door. It’s hot as hell outside for me, the sheen of cold sweat greeting my skin already. Maybe wearing a black shirt wasn’t a good idea. It’s starting to cling to me; like Maya. I laugh at that thought and proceed to make my way towards Miss Steel. I have never been so obsessed over a girl in all my life, and I can’t tell if that’s a good or bad thing?
I’m walking by houses with Ole Miss’s flag perched on their porch, some of them waving with the country’s flag. The people around here are proud of the college and most likely went to college here.
The smell of freshly cut grass and the sound of sprinklers surround my senses. I slip my earphones on and turn up the music as I make my way towards the campus. Reaching the outskirts, I’m greeted with the usual stares but avoid making eye contact them and proceed towards the building. Cutting across the quad and nearing the building where the best air conditioning system on campus is, I can see that there are lots of people outside enjoying the sunshine and fresh air.
As I reach the doors people are coming in and out of, one girl holds it open, knowing I’m coming inside. I thank her for holding it open for me, but I know she can’t hear me; she has her earphones in and continues her way towards the coffee shop inside. I start walking toward the library.I don’t think I’ve been here since sophomore year?
I scan my card along the machine to allow entrance, the beep signalling me to move through the barrier. I look at what floor she could be on. Deciding I’ll start with the science floor, I make my way up the escalators.
I will find you, Steel.
***
Carter
Nick: You’re in the library, aren’t you? Xx
How does he know that?It’s like he can read me without seeing me. I hate that. I’m like an open book with him.
I smile at the message and put my phone back down onto the table, Ignoring the excitement in my belly. There’s a part of me that wants to see him, but the logical part of my brain is telling me that I need to study.
I’m playing soft guitar music to help me focus on studying for the exams. My stress levels are through the roof, and I know it’s not good for me right now. I need to get good results, I can’t afford to slip and disappoint my parents. I don’t want to upset them, I’m the only one that didn’t get a scholarship. Austin and Chris did, they had to pay for me, and I don’t want to let them down.
I flick back and forth through past papers that I’ve done for the module and decide now is the time to actually understand it all. Minutes go by, and I already feel like I need a break from all of this.
I look up in front of me, sighing heavily and slightly panicking at how I’m going to remember all of this. Then, I notice there’s a lot of movement on my floor. Looking around, I see some cheeks blushing and some girls fixing their hair and applying lip gloss. Some girls are pulling their tops down ever so slightly to get theirassetsout. Just from the look of lust in their eyes, I know one thing for sure: There’s a hot guy on our floor.
I watch all the girls stare at said hot guy behind me. I look over at Kevin, who’s sitting beside me. His hoody sitting lazily on his upper body as he takes notice of all eyes on someone else. He shakes his head with a chuckle and looks over his shoulder to see who they’re staring at. His eyes widen and sits up straighter in a flash, so I swivel in my seat to see who it is that everyone is looking at.
