AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Mandi tosses one of the pink stuffed rabbits at me, and I duck.
“I’m serious, Holland. He’s so hot!”
“Did he ask you out?”
“Well, no, not exactly,” she murmurs, biting down on her lower lip, “but he was really flirty. I’msurehe likes me.”
To my dismay, I suddenly feel a pang of protectiveness toward my roommate. Mandi might be super gorgeous, but she isn’t all that worldly.
She’s mentioned a few times how strict her parents are, so I don’t know if she’s ever even had a boyfriend. I can’t believe she managed to convince them to let her attend Oakmire. Though I’m pretty sure upstate New York is the furthest she’s ever been from her hometown in Connecticut.
“Mandi, guys like Eli...”
“Guys like Eliwhat?” she asks, tilting her head.
“Flirting is a sport to them, okay? I admit, I don’t know him, but I’m willing to bet he doesn’t have a girlfriend and doesn’t want one. I’ve seen him around, and he’s always followed by a herd of girls trying to get his attention. He just gives off total player vibes.”
“Well, he is a hockey player.”
“Notthatkind of player,” I scoff. “The kind that sleeps with a lot of women. You should be aware of what you’re getting into if you set your sights on a guy like him.”
“Holland, I know when a guy is being flirty for the sake of flirting, or if he’s flirting because he’s interested,” Mandi declares. “And trust me, he’s interested.”
“Okay. Well, have fun then,” I reply, shrugging. She's obviously not going to listen to anything I say, so I’m not wasting my breath.
Mandi picks up one of the stuffed bunnies and wraps it in a bear hug. “Don’t you think he’s hot?”
“He’s not hard to look at.”
I’m not going to lie to Mandi. After all, anyone with eyes can see that he’s smoking hot.
“By the end of this semester, I’m going to make him my boyfriend,” Mandi tells me, a determined look on her face. “Mark my words.”
“Good luck with that.” I put my earbuds back in and open my textbook, making it clear I’m done with my side of this conversation.
I almost feel bad for Eli Donnelley. He might be a brilliant defenseman, but I’m not sure there’s any way to defend against an incredibly determined Mandi.
The poor bastard.
* * *
Jiggling my leg, I glance around the lecture hall. I’m a little early, so I have a few minutes before my World History class begins. Tapping my phone screen, I quickly fire off a text to my best friend, Penn.
It sucks that she lives all the way on the other side of the country in Washington state. As far as I’m concerned, it might as well be another planet.
We haven’t seen each other since I moved away to New York five years ago, but thanks to video chat and text, we’re still as close as ever. She’s like a sister to me, and I really miss her.
Someone takes the seat directly to my right, and I glance up, straight into the light brown eyes of Eli Donnelley.
“Hey,” he says, flashing a smile that shows off his dimples. “How’s it going, Holland?”
Well,thisis a surprise. I never expected him to sit next to me. Hell, I didn’t think he’d even remember my name.
“Uh, hey. Good, thanks.”
Up close, I notice that his light brown eyes have golden flecks around the pupils. And wow, he smells really good. Like fresh soap with a hint of something bright, like mint.
I glance down at his desk, which is empty of a computer, notebook, or textbook. “Where’s your stuff?”
