“Hey, guys.” I gave a curt nod to the group and frowned when I recognized one of them—Cindi’s friend Jill. Jill was hot, and she knew it too, but that wasn’t why I disliked her. It was the way she looked at me. She studied me, with her phone pointed right at me.Great. More gossip about me. She’s not even trying to hide it.
“Hilly, have a seat, man.” Cory pointed to the chair next to him and gave me a smile. He was a nice guy. So was his girlfriend, Lisa. They were why I’d agreed to this session. “We split up the assigned Chapters to create cheat sheets. I can’t believe he’s testing us over six chapters. What, does he think we don’t have lives?”
“Obviously.” Lisa rolled her eyes and handed me a list. “You’ll do the first two since they’re short. We’ll take three through five and Doug here will do the last one. Does that sound okay?”
I eyed the key terms and concepts I had to create a cheat sheet for. My heart sank. This would take hours and I wanted to be on the field or at the bar with my friends. The craving to drink had gone away. It was the atmosphere and Greta, if I was honest with myself. I took too long to respond and Lisa cleared her throat. “Sure. Sounds great.”
“Good. Upload into Google Drive when you’re done and we can end by going over our Chapters. Happy note taking, y’all!”
I dove into the Chapter and ignored Jill. I finished the first chapter, feeling proud of myself for buckling down. Maybe I needed to do study groups more to hold myself accountable. I stretched my neck and saw Jill licking her lips at me. I cringed. Her small sighs and paper shuffling had annoyed me the entire two hours and I wanted a break. “I’m going to grab a coffee. Anyone want anything?”
“If you have a cigar, I’m not above trying it in the library.” Doug chuckled and shook his head. “I’ll take a black coffee.”
“Yeah, me too. Thanks, Hilly,” Cory replied and went back to his notes. I prayed I would walk there alone but I should’ve known Jill would follow.
“Aaron,” she purred. “I’ll join you.”
I didn’t respond. I quickened my pace to the coffee shop on the main floor and ignored her. There was a fine line between being polite and telling her to get the fuck out of my face. I was so close to breaking that point. Her steps tapped on the floor and I knew she stood right beside me. “Aaron, why are you being so rude?”
I wiped my face with my hand, turning to look at her. “What do you want, Jill?”
She had the gall to look hurt, which annoyed me more. “I-I don’t want anything.”
“Doubtful.” I went back to the line and she followed. Ignoring her little sniffs, I ordered the drinks and paid the barista. I hated being a celebrity on campus because I had no choice but to offer her one. I turned, jaw tight, and hated asking, “You want anything?”
“Oh, you’re so sweet!” she squealed and put her arms around me. I froze, the wall probably more comfortable than me. She pulled herself off me and I pinched the bridge of my nose. The last thing I needed was any more goddamn pictures. The barista narrowed her eyes at Jill and I swore I saw a little pity there, but she masked it and handed me the drinks.
“Thank you.” I took the small carrier and left Jill standing there. I didn’t doubt she was tweeting or Snapchatting me. I saw the angle she held her phone andShit. I’d never cared before and now I wanted to smash her phone.Could she be the one posting the photos of me, ruining my life? Maybe Cindi?
Fuck, if I ever found out…
“Thanks, Aaron.” Cory clapped my back and took the drinks from me. He lowered his head, his voice dropping, and forced us to turn the other direction. “Just wanted to give you a heads-up about Jill. She’s…she’s uh, she’s trying to get with you. Lisa is friends with her and she mentioned it to me. I didn’t know before today, man. Sorry to put you in a bad spot.”
I just nodded. Cory wasn’t a bad guy—he was solid, so I trusted him. “No worries. I’m probably gunna take off. I’ll send you the second Chapter tomorrow.”
“Sounds good. Sorry again.”
“See you.” I picked my stuff and got out of there as fast as I could. I felt used—the irony wasn’t lost on me. I’d used girls for sex and nothing else my first year. This was karma. It had to be. And it sucked.
I had a couple of hours before Greta’s show and I preferred to see her than do homework. Hell, I preferred her over about anyone else. My brain went straight to what we’d done two nights ago—her hair spilling over my pillow, her nails digging into my back. Greta was a spitfire.
Great. Now I had a boner in a library.
My thoughts eventually pushed Greta and her body to the side and focused on the project. I buckled down and dove into the material, knocking it down in two hours. I sighed in relief. I could finally go to the bar.
Cheap beer it was. I walked in, the crowd larger than it had been the past two times. It was a packed house. My chest filled with pride. I hoped Clyde was giving her at least three hundred dollars, because it sucked waiting in line for a drink. I briefly thought about how chill it used to be here on Saturday nights where I could enjoy a drink in peace. Good for Greta, though—her talent brought everyone here.
“Hilly!” Zade yelled to me, his arm around Callie. “Come join us. I bought some pitchers.”
“Thanks, man.” I took a sip and Tanner gave me a nod. I wasn’t certain, but I would bet money Tanner had either heard Greta and me the other night or guessed it. He hadn’t been cool with me since but, hey—it wasn’t his goddamn business. “How was her opener? I got caught up with some work.”
“I’ll say.” Callie smirked and rolled her eyes at me.
“What does that mean?” My chest pinched. The anxiety I hated filled my lungs each second as I waited for her answer.What now?
“I saw some pictures of you online. Getting chummy with Jill, eh?” She raised her brows and the sinking feeling in my gut came back.
“Whatever she posted, it’s false. I went to a study group and she followed me, getting all in my space.” I wanted to leave, to get away from my friends and their accusatory glances. Callie’s eyes softened, her body relaxing. I knew she believed me. But I still hated to talk about it.
