Page 8 of Chance
Now that I was sitting there, with the seats around me almost completely full, the minutes ticking away until class started, I felt the claustrophobia begin to choke me.
Not good.
I was either going to run out of the room screaming or sit there as still as a statue in a silent freak-out, unable to hear a single moment of the lecture.Screaming and running away would be embarrassing, but the panic attacks that left me frozen, locked in my head with only William’s voice telling me that I was nothing, were so,somuch worse.
Those were the ones that pushed me back into the darkness again, that unreachable place deep inside my head that no one could save me from.Not even my sister.
Sensing movement to my right, I glanced up, thankful for the small distraction, just as a girl sat beside me.I blinked at her a few times before I could move, my muscles taking longer to release me from my inner demons.She was effortlessly pretty with her big blue eyes and her russet-red hair pulled into a simple low ponytail.She was wearing jeans and an oversized Trinity hoodie, and it wasn’t until she put her hand on her belly that I realized she had a thickening midsection.
It slowly clicked in my head that she was pregnant.And then I realized that she must have moved seats because she hadn’t come through the door.
The still-closeddoor.
That wasnotlocked.
I can leave whenever I want to.
I can leave.I can leave.I can leave.
“Hey,” she greeted, giving me a smile that instantly eased some of my nervousness, enough so that my panic began receding.It didn’t matter why she’d changed seats.I was simply glad she had.
Relaxing a little into my seat, I returned her smile.“Hi.”
“I’m Abi.”
“Evie.”
Her smile grew brighter.“How are you liking Trinity and Creswell Springs?I’m assuming you’re new.I haven’t lived here long, but I can kinda tell the locals from the transplants and students.There’s a whole vibe thing.”
“A very recent transplant.I used to live in Seattle.”
“Ohh, nice city.I’ve been a few times with my parents and then once with my husband, but that’s a story for another time.”She rubbed her hand in a gentle circle over her belly.“Are you settling in well here?Small-town life is a lot different from the big city.”
“I love it,” I told her honestly.“We’ve only been here for a few days, but my sister and I are enjoying the area.Our neighbors are…nice.”
Warmth filled me, thinking of Chance, and it was only because I was excited to make friends with Abi that I didn’t check my phone.I couldn’t help wondering if he’d liked the picture I’d sent him, or if he’d texted me again.Although I hadn’t known how to respond to his messages earlier, I’d gotten a thrill each time I’d seen his name pop up on my screen.
Something flickered across her face, too brief for me to decipher, but her smile barely dimmed before it was back.“Are we talking nice, as in you wouldn’t run and hide in terror from them if you saw them coming, or nice, as in you would hang out with them on the regular?”
“I would definitely hang out with him again,” I said with a laugh.
“Him?”She focused on that, leaning in with a cautious kind of amusement.“Tell me more.Someone you’d hang out with orhang outwith.”
“Yes.”Abi snickered, and that warmth spread through my body again as I pictured Chance touching his lips to my forehead.“I would hang out with Chance all day, every day if given the choice.”
“Chance.Chance Reid?”Before I could respond, she shook her head at her own question.“Of course Chance Reid.There isn’t another person in this county named Chance.Big guy, maybe six-four, dark hair, blue eyes, broody, wears a lot of flannel.”
“You’ve met him,” I murmured, glancing down at the rings on her hand as she continued to rub her belly with it.Something that I suspected was jealousy twisted inside me.I wasn’t sure I liked that feeling.
“Chance is my sister-in-law’s cousin, so I’m familiar with him.It doesn’t surprise me that you would be up for hanging out with him.He’s…” She paused, considering her words before shrugging.“…popular.”
That was definitely jealousy rolling around inside me, damping the warm glow that had been building.Even as socially inept as I was, I understood what Abi was trying to tell me.Chance Reid was a player.Of course he was.My eyes worked just fine.The man was freaking yummy.All those muscles under his flannel shirt that I could only imagine were as hard as stone, his face with that strong jaw and straight nose, and those eyes.
I’d fallen the instant I’d seen those electric-current irises.His attention had been intense and addictive, something I already craved more of.Nothing about our interaction had felt rushed, despite the very short amount of time we’d spent with each other.
But that was probably howpopularguys worked.They didn’t take things slow.They conquered.
Warm, soft fingers touched my arm, and I lifted my gaze to meet Abi’s.“You’re young and beautiful.One of the fun things about college is finding yourself.”She winked at me just as the door opened, our professor entering.“Sometimes you find yourself beneath a hot guy.”
