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“Lou! There you are, I was starting to get worried. Did you have problems finding the car?” Saved from answering the idiot in front of me, I turn to see my mother heading our way. The guy follows my turn and lets out a low whistle.
“Now there’s a woman who only gets better with age.” Dimples flash at me as he hastily scoops the box from my arms and saunters over to introduce himself.
I would say I’m disgusted, but I really can’t blame the guy. Even from a familial perspective, I am well aware my mother is an attractive woman. Her chestnut-coloured hair hangs in loose ringlets around a heart shaped face, and even though she’s put on a few pounds over the years, she wears them well. I got a bit of my mother’s curves, though not enough to hit the curvy status. And other than the average five-six height, my misty grey eyes are the only thing I inherited from my bombshell of a mother. Not to say my father is any less attractive, the two of my parents make a striking pair for sure, but his towering six-two frame and pin straight blond hair leave me with genetic features that don’t seem to fit any category. Not blonde but not brunette either. Not tall but not short. Eyes that aren’t blue, green, orbrown.
The sad fact of the matter is I am the embodiment of an in-between line: the surface area that is always there but doesn’t truly belong anywhere.
“You must be Lou’s older sister. Wes Williams, at your service.” I snap back to the present as Wes gives my mother a shit-eating grin and shakes the box he stole from me.
An attempt to prove his helpfulness, perhaps?
My mother laughs and slaps his box-carrying arms good-naturally. “Your charms won’t work on me, young man. However, thank you for helping my daughter with her things. She hates doing more than one trip to unload.” Wes shakes his head at the revelation.
“Well ma’am, I guess it was a good thing I happened to be walking by.” He shoots me a wink and my scowl grows deeper.
I will never admit it out loud, but Wes ended up being a lot of help. The extra set of hands made it so the three of us emptied the car without difficulty. And as much as it pains me to admit, Wes distracting my mother with his charms definitely worked in my favour. He single-handily brought her stress levels down from a tense twelve to an easier eight.
Setting the last box down on my questionable sleeping arrangements, Wes gives me a nod and bends to kiss the back of my mother’s hand with a flourish.
“It has been an honour making your acquaintance, Mrs. Mackenzie. Have a safe drive home and I will make sure Lou settles in nicely here at Taber. Speaking of which,” he whirls around and thrusts his phone towards me. “Put your number in. The lacrosse team is throwing a party tonight, I will text you the details.”
Being careful not to accidentally brush his fingers, I gingerly take the phone from his hand and type my number in. After tucking it back into his pocket, Wes bids us a farewell, and with one last flash of his dimples, he heads out.
I exhale a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. My mother, meanwhile, cannot contain her excitement. She flits around the room, folding clothes and putting them in drawers while talking nonstop about her new best friend.
“Oh, Lou. Wasn’t that boy lovely?! It was so sweet of him to help us carry in your boxes. My goodness, did you see those dimples? And to think he’s also a varsity athlete. What a dedicated boy! Imagine trying to juggle all that trainingandclasses…” I tune her out, turning my attention to unpacking and doing my best to ignore the knot growing in my stomach.
The discomfort isn’t from the interaction with Wes, funny enough he made me feel comfortable for the first time today, but rather it’s the knowledge that in a few short hours my mother will leave and I will be left to fend for myself. Thanks to the confident rookie, I already feel more welcome at Taber than I ever did at Brooks Academy, but a sole acquaintance isn’t enough to set the tone for my university experience. It’s time to put myself out there, face my insecurities, and plunge into the deep end.
Let’s hope this time I come up swimming.
Chapter 3
Wes
This party isbumping.
Gripping a red solo cup in each hand, I hold them high above my head as I weave through the throng of people milling around our team captain’s living room. Besides the school’s lacrosse legend, Maurice O’Brien aka Mighty Mo, Cody Ellsworth is only the second sophomore ever to be voted team captain. Cody was lucky enough to play on the same field as Mo during his final varsity season last year, and just like the all-star attackman who broke the school’s undefeated record with a fifth consecutive championship banner, Cody plans to lead the team to victory once again this season.
The rookie-of-the-year award is typically given to offensive players or goal keepers, yet Cody’s outstanding performance as defenseman managed to claim him the title last year. And as you probably guessed, it is the same trophy Mo won his freshman year. Two outstanding rookies, two sophomore team captains. A recipe for success and one I plan to see through.
Tucking the beers close to my chest, I duck past a groping session and arrive at my destination. I hand one of the beers to Taber’s freshman goalie, otherwise known as Nico Montez, or as I like to think of him, best friend since second grade. He nods in the direction of the couple fumbling against the wall.
“I think we can check off Hunter’s virginity after tonight,” I snort into my drink while Nico holds up his beer in cheer. Other than Nico and me, Hunter is the other newest addition to the team. An awkward but genuinely nice guy, Hunter never had a girlfriend during high school and claims the reason he’s still holding his v-card is because he’s not into hookups. So, unless he met that voluptuous redhead sometime before tonight, his attitude towards hookups has changed.
Ah, nothing like freshmen year to break people out of their comfort zones.
“Taber truly is an educational institution. The place where horny men and women come together to experiment, learn, and grow.” I place the solo cup against my heart in prayer to the alcohol-infused laws of attraction.
Nico laughs and shakes his head, “Glad to see your afternoon tumble didn’t affect your love of theatrics.”
I grin, “Hey, someone’s got to intimidate your boyfriend contenders. If they don’t have my flair, they don’t stand a chance.” Nico rolls his eyes.
“That was one time. How was I to know Brad’s ego wouldn’t be able to stand being your understudy for the sixth-grade play?”
“The fact his name was Brad should have been the first clue,” I chuckle at the memory. Our school’s sixth-grade spring drama production was a sad re-enactment of The Pirates of the Caribbean, and I wanted to be Jack Sparrow. The casting roles for our middle school production was voted by our fellow students, so to increase my chances of winning, I started the rumour that I was the descendant of Blackbeard and had real pirate blood coursing through my veins. The funny part is I ended up winning the part thanks to my swash-buckling sword skills rather than a fear of Blackbeard’s revenge. Oh, and the fact half the sixth form had a crush on me – Nico can confirm – probably helped as well.
Anyways, long story short, the infamous Bradley never forgave me for stealing his pre-pubescent spotlight, and Nico was cut off by association.
