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Jasmine is petite and gorgeous, with dark skin and huge brown eyes. Her makeup is always flawless, and she’s the most fashionable person I know, which makes sense because fashion design is her major. I can’t help but envy her style because it seems effortless.
She and Beckett, who is tall, with long-ish, dark blond hair and bright green eyes, always seemed to be laughing and sharing inside jokes while we were working on our group project. Turns out they had dated for a very short time as freshmen, but had an amicable split and remained close friends.
There’s no way I could ever be friends with an ex. Not that I’ve had more than a few, but still.
Lately, Jasmine has started hinting that Beckett is interested in me. Which I find hard to believe after he’s dated someone as stunning as Jasmine, but who knows? He does seem to always ask me a lot of questions, and he likes to joke around, but I just figured he was a friendly guy.
“All right, let’s get down to work,” I say, then sigh. “The sooner we get through some of these prep questions for tomorrow’s test, the faster we can enjoy the rest of this beautiful day.”
We spend 45 minutes quizzing each other before calling it quits. Professor Endwich is tough, and he always asks questions you never expect on his tests. It’s why we started the study group in the first place.
“Hey Holland, FearAttack is playing in that all-ages dive over on Third Street tonight,” Beckett says, leaning back on his hands. “What do you think? Can you make it out tonight to see us play?”
Jasmine shoots me a look that says “I told you so” before I have a chance to respond.
“You should totally go, Hol,” she says casually. “I’d go, but I have a date with Dante tonight. We’re going to dinner and a movie.”
I was planning on doing more research on Vikings for my history paper, but mostly just so I could escape to the library and hide from Mandi. “Um, sure. Why not?”
Beckett’s face lights up, and I feel a stab of guilt almost immediately. He’s cute, and we like the same type of music, but I’m just not sure I’m attracted to him. Still, I’d made a promise to myself to get out of the dorm and do stuff, and this counts as doing stuff.
“Great.” He smooths his hair down with his hand. “Do you want to ride over with us? We can probably squeeze one more in the van. We’ll have all our stuff in the back, but—”
“It’s okay, I’ll just meet you over there,” I tell him. “I have to finish up an assignment for my Journalism class before I head out.”
“Sure, that works. I’ll see you over there, then.” He closes his textbook and glances over at Jasmine. “You want to walk over to the cafeteria with me, Jas? I’m going to grab a sandwich before I meet John and Derek. They’ll bitch if I’m late to pack up the van.”
“Nah, I’m going back to the dorm. I want to grab a nap before I have to get ready for my date.” She stretches her arms above her head and yawns. “I’d sleep out here in the sun if I could.”
“Keep yawning like that, andI’mgoing to need a nap,” I mutter, stifling my own yawn.
“You two are a total party,” Beckett says, shaking his head. “All right, I’m off. Later, Jas. See you tonight, Holland.”
He smiles, and I lift my hand and wave. “Later.”
Once Beckett’s out of earshot, Jasmine grins. “See? He’s totally into you.”
“Maybe, but I’m not sure that I’m into him,” I hedge. “He’s nice and all, but—”
“Holland, just go have fun. Beckett’s cool, and who knows? Maybe you’ll see how hot he is on stage and realize youareinto him.”
“Is the band any good?”
“Yeah, if you’re into that kind of music, which I know you are.” She stands and stretches. “Okay, girl, I’ll see you in class. Have fun tonight.”
“Tell Dante hi for me.”
“I will.”
I stuff my Philosophy book into my knapsack and sink back against the tree.
Okay, I can do this. It’s just a night out seeing a band. It’s probably going to be super loud, so I’ll be saved from having to make small talk with strangers.
That’s literally my biggest fear—having to sit around and yap with a bunch of people I don’t know.
The music will solve that problem nicely. At least I hope so.
* * *
