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“Yeah, of course. We’re good.”
I breathe a sigh of relief when Kate walks into the kitchen, a bright smile on her face. “Morning,” she hums. She’s obviously in a great mood, undoubtedly because she got laid last night. Too bad I never got that far. I’m such a freaking fool. Who pines after their high school crush? Carter was never even my boyfriend, and it’s been two whole years since we last had sex. Why am I even remotely surprised he’s moved on? I need to work harder to make sure I move on too, or I’ll end up ruining our friendship all over again.
Chapter 14
Emilia
I can barely focus on what the professor is saying and yawn again.
“You’re Emilia, right?” the girl on my right says. I turn to look at her and smile.
“Yeah. Dawn, right?” I remember her from my first week here. She was super nice at that first mixer Kate and I attended.
She nods excitedly. “I’ve seen you in class a few times before, but you’re always so focused during lectures I’m scared to talk to you, even though we sit near each other all the time. This is my twin brother, Lucas.”
I glance over her shoulder at the tall blonde guy next to her, the resemblance between them is striking. He leans over his sister and offers me his hand.
“Hey,” he says, a friendly smile on his face.
“Hi,” I murmur awkwardly as I shake his hand. He grins at me and leans back in his seat.
“Looks like you’re struggling to pay attention. Can’t blame ya, this lecture is boring as hell,” Dawn says. I laugh and nod in silent agreement. She scrolls through her social media and holds her phone up for me. “Are you going to this? I don’t think I’ve actually seen you out since the first week.”
I glance at the Facebook post with raised brows. “Looks like a house party at some jock’s place?”
She looks at me open-mouthed and shakes her head slowly. “You’re kidding, right? Please tell me you know who Noah Johnson is?”
I shrug. “Never heard of the guy.”
Dawn fans herself and shakes her head. “No way. He’s a football God. You’re coming tonight. I cannot believe you don’t know who he is. Impossible.”
My first instinct is to say no, but then I think about Carter. I promised myself I’d try harder to move on. “Yeah, sure, why not?”
Dawn squeals and grabs my hands. “Oh my god, I’m so excited!” I chuckle and squeeze her hand slightly. She reminds me a little bit of Kate. Not the estranged Kate that she’s become, but Kate before Gabby. I grab my phone and decide to text her. Lately she’s been really into parties, so she might want to come tonight. Unless we’re with Carter and Asher, we don’t really spend much time together lately.
Emilia: Hey, do you want to come to some Noah guy’s party tonight? One of the girls in my lecture invited me.
Kate: Oh my god, Noah Johnson?
Hmm, seems like I really am the only one that hasn’t heard of this guy. But then again, I’ve purposely been avoiding all mention of the football team… of Carter.
Emilia: Yep, that’s the one
Kate: Shit, I would’ve loved to, but Asher told me he booked a hotel for us tonight
I sigh, discouraged. It would’ve been so much more fun with Kate there. I want to try to step outside of my comfort zone, but I selfishly wanted her with me to give me that final push.
For the rest of the day, I’m anxious just thinking about this party. By the time evening comes around I’ve changed outfits eleven times, and I’ve straightened my hair so many times that I’m not sure it’s ever going to have any texture again. I ended up deciding on a little black dress that doesn’t make me look overdressed but still makes me feel sexy. I paired it with red lipstick and the eye makeup Kate taught me to put on. It’s not quite the metamorphosis I undergo when Kate dresses me up, but I’m happy and I feel confident.
That confidence doesn’t last long, though. By the time I reach Noah Johnson’s front door, I’ve already had to convince myself to go in a handful of times. I agreed to meet Dawn inside, yet I can’t quite make myself go in. I make it as far as the porch and just give up. I end up walking around the corner of the huge house and lean back against the wall.
What am I doing here? If it’s this hard just to show up at a house party, how will I ever find someone to hook up with?
“You look like you’re deep in thought.”
I jump when I hear a voice; I thought I was alone. I look around and lay eyes on a tall, muscular guy that looks vaguely familiar. He’s leaning back in a dark corner, as though he’s hiding.
“I’m sorry, I thought I was alone here,” I murmur. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. I can go.”
