I know every girl on campus, andsheis definitely not one of them.
The girl, Cleo, practically jumps into Jace’s arms hugging him as if he wasn’t the cheeky bastard that I knew. She hugged him like he was someone who she’d known for a lifetime. When they pull back from each other, they’re still smiling and chatting about God knows what. I barely notice the daggers Georgia is sending Jace’s way as I stride towards them, standing next to him.
“Are you two coming to our party tonight?” I ask, smiling solely at the brown-skinned girl dressed like a sugar plum princess. Maybe pink isn’tsobad; I try to think and grimace viscerally but I have a feeling it’ll grow on me.
My confidence takes a small hit as she doesn’t give me the time of day. No, she turns back to Jace and gives him a small smile before focusing on the patient worker in front of her.
What theactualfuck?
“It’ll be small,” I try, my tone more hopeful than confident as I look to Jace for help. The bastard smiles at me but remains quiet.
“No pressure.” I look to Georgia for help next. Though she and I hadn’t talked a lot last semester, we weren’tcompletestrangers.
“If Jace isn’t there then yes but, if he is, you can count me out,” Georgia sasses, shifting her weight with folded arms.
“Consider him gone.” The joke is easy as it falls from my lips, the sugar plum princess quietly chuckles at that. I win.
One point Wilder, Universe zero.
“I don’t want her there either but CJ you’re more than welcome.” Jace shrugs, walking to the other counter.
“Um…we’ll think about it?” Cleo says more like a question than anything to Jace but it’s something. She glances my way fleetingly before focusing back on her order.
I watch as the girls leave. Jace chuckles from beside me, clearly finding my small interaction amusing. “Oh, Wilder, I’d pay good money to see CJ bust your balls. But forfree?You’re giving me an early birthday gift.” He grins, opening his small treat bag filled with donut holes.
“Oh, shut up and eat your fucking balls.”
two
Cleo
“Does this dress scream‘dick me down’ in a hot way or a street worker way?” Georgia asks from in front of her full-body mirror, eyeing me through the glass. She’d been dressed in an all-black mini dress with cutouts all over, it was sexy in a whore-ish way but she could make it work. She always did.
“Which one would you rather?” I look up at her for a moment then back down at my computer. Classes start in a few days, and I still haven’t organized my computer or Notion. I’m so behind that it’s not even funny.
My head starts to hurt just at the thought of falling behind in school. I haven’t had a bad grade since eighth-grade Algebra when my teacher was a full-time substitute who only gave us busy work. I scratch the back of my neck at the thought of that time and wince as Georgia tosses a pillow at me.
“Cleo…you’ve got to stop stressing about school. Classes haven’t even started yet!” she exclaims, moving her blonde hair over her shoulder to get a better look at her backside. Georgia purses her lips at the sight of herself and changes her dress for thethirdtime.
“All the more reason to stress about school… I need to get a good head start. Besides, I have you here with me this time around.” A smile dusts my cheeks as she turns to me brandishing one of her own.
“I know right, I don’t know how you survived two years of college in New York without me.”
I don’t know either, G,I want to say, but instead, I fix her with a tight smile and return my attention to my computer. The thought of Brighton University alone gives me hives. It’d been my dream to attend my mother’s alma mater tofeel closer to her. That dream became a reality turned nightmare all within the span of a year. I’d been so close to accomplishing all my goals and quickly lost sight of everything all because of a crazy son of a bitch who owes me my dignity and four thousand dollars—but I digress.
The original plan for my life that I’d created at the ripe age of ten years old went as follows: Graduate high school as Valedictorian.Check. Get a car.Check. Quit Figure Skating.Double Check. Attend Brighton Full-Time as a Comms major.Triple Check. Graduate Brighton Summa Cum Laude.Error 404.
Because of the incident, I hightailed my ass out of New York and ended up here in Maryland two days ago, now attending my father’s alma mater, Summerfield University. Dad used to play hockey in the NHL for the Washington Eagles and won three Stanley Cups before retiring. He retired while I was in high school and took up coaching for the Summerfield Men’s Hockey team. I sometimes believe that Dad wanted me to be a boy so he could have another hockey player on his hands. But instead, he has a daughter who loves wearing pink, with a strong obsession for Hockey and Formula 1.
“Why aren’t you getting ready? I want to get there around 11.” Georgia pouts, taking a seat at the foot of the bed now dressed in a shimmery navy blue dress that stopped around her thighs. The dress highlighted her every curve and brought out the deep green hues of her eyes. She looked over my computer screen for a brief second before shutting it.
“Hey—”
“Don’theyme.Ow!Don’t pinch me either! I’m trying to get you ready for your first party at SFU and you’re sitting here worried about a syllabus that doesn’t drop for another four days!” she whines, jutting out her plump bottom lip in a glossy pout.
“I’m not going, I have to help Dad tomorrow with training.” I half shrug, opening the screen back up only for it to be shut again. Helping my father with the first training of the season had been hisfirststipulation for me to attend Summerfield, I wasn’t going to disappoint him any further by not helping. Besides, what’s the worst that can happen by helping a few hockey players?
“Oh, yes you are. I haven’t seen my best friend for more than a week in overtwo years!I don’t know what happened in New York and I won’t pressure you to tell me because you will when you’re ready,” she starts, turning her full body towards me. Her bright green eyes are sincere as she says, “Cleo, I know whatever it is has to do with that guy and fuck him! Well—don’tactuallyfuck him…you get the point.” Georgia waves a hand.
