Page 14 of Steeling Her
“It’s hot outside, right?” I shift my eyes back to her and see her leaning on her elbow, giving me an eyeful of her goods.
I resist and turn to face the front once more. “Yeah, a little,” I tell her, trying my best to keep my thoughts locked inside my brain.
“You play football for the college right? First string quarterback?” she keeps the conversation going with me, but I’m praying for class to start soon. I don’t want to talk to anyone. I barely got any sleep last night since my mind was racing so much. I’m tired, cranky, and in dire need of coffee.
“Yup.” I pop my ‘p’ at the end and she stays silent for a few moments, almost thinking of something else to talk about.
“So there’s a pool party at my sorority house this weekend, you guys want to come?” she asks and it immediately catches Reggie’s attention. Diverging his time between her and his phone, he smiles at her with a nod.
I reply with, “I already got the invite, but thanks.” She starts to scribble down something on my notebook and once she’s finished, I see it’s her number with a winky face and her name next to it. I send her a tight smile and lean back on the uncomfortable wooden chair linked to the ones either side of me. I feel the loose screws protruding through my clothing and into my back. This building is old, but it’ll get renovated soon with hi-tech equipment for ‘productive learning’ as the faculty like to call it.
“Alright class, we’re going to start now. Apologies for being late! It won’t happen again. Although, if you’re so much as five minutes late for my class, you can forget about coming altogether! You won’t be allowed in.” Our professor starts the class off with warnings and the syllabus for the semester, showing a breakdown of the assignments and the exams that will help us pass.
He’s kind of scary for a guy who has an outrageous beer belly spilling over his brown leather belt that isn’t doing its job. The blue collared shirt shows small sweat stains underneath his arms, and it’s all paired with brown slacks that are a little too long for him. Salt and pepper hair matches with his moustache. This guy would almost scare you into joining a gym. He’s one hamburger away from a heart attack.
If my mom heard my thoughts, she would smack me so hard.
Listening tentatively to the lecture, I scribble down some notes on the page in front of me. Listening to him was proving difficult thanks to the gossip queens sitting next to me. Next time, I’ll come in on time so the people who are late won’t be allowed in and I can sit away from these girls. I won’t be able to hear anything if I sit next to them.
They’re not so subtle when I can hear them calling me hot. I roll my eyes at their words but continue to listen as much as I can. If I fail a class, Coach will be on my back constantly reminding me people on scholarships lose them if they fail a semester. Failing a semester means you have to fail some classes, meaning you fail one class, you might fail another. My mom also would kill me, so I need her off my back. I’m more terrified of my mom beating me to a pulp than I am of Coach. I think he’d agree too. He’s met mama Jackson before, and she wiped him on the floor in a disagreement. She’s a force to be reckoned with.
I let my eyes wander around the room to look at the types of people in this class. I find it amazing that people from different backgrounds come to the same class as me. I’m not one for stereotyping, but it’s interesting to know that me, a football player, would have something in common with a goth girl or a nerdy guy who sits at the front of the class with a million pens lined up for him. I know, I’m deep. Not really, but I find it cool to see people who have different interests from me can wind up in the same course as me, with the same investment as I have for it.
Looking at the clock above the door, I see his time is up and I’ve to get to my next class in the same building. “Alrighty, so I will be handing out your first assignment this Friday. It’s due for next Friday, so you have exactly one week. I will be giving you another one every Friday due for the following Friday. It’ll help you study for the exams and also give you some percentage going into it to ease the pressure!” he yells at us just as we pack all our stuff into our bags as we’re ready to leave.
“Call me, Nick!” Amelia bites on her lip as I stand up. I part ways with Reggie and those annoying girls and jog down the hallway, trying to take my phone out of my pocket. Taking my eyes off the floor in front of me to see it’s caught in my pocket.
“Oomph.” I collide with a small body and I immediately react, taking hold of them before they could fall. I look down to see her staring up at me, her blue eyes almost cutting me in half through the thick black rimmed glasses perched on the bridge of her nose. The strong pulse in her eyes as they dilate. I hear my phone meeting the tiled floor but I don’t move to pick it up. My arm is wrapped around her waist instinctively pulling her closer to me. She feels so good with her body pressed against mine.
Carter.
“I-I, um, sorry! I wasn’t looking w-where I was going,” she stutters out nervously, pushing her glasses up so the settle better on her face. She’s so cute. Glasses look so cute on her.
No!
Stop that.
I shake my head and release her, feeling the coldness on my body and arm. “No, it’s cool! It was my fault. I, um, I shouldn’t have been rushing and not looking. Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you did I?” I realize my embarrassment hits me square in the face. I sound like a girl. Feeling my hand rubbing the back of my neck, I feel my body pumping adrenaline through me.
Her head starts to shake from side to side rapidly, making her hair whisp around in the air. Smelling a hint of berry diffusing from her hair, I instantly take in a breath to savour the smell.
God, I sound like such a creep.
“No, no. I’m so clumsy anyway. I’m pretty sure I walked into you. I’m sorry . . . But I’ve got to get to my class . . .” She points behind me and I snap myself out of my daze, turning my body around to see where she’s pointing to. Once I do, I see Maya strutting up the hallway with her friends like she’s on a mission. I whip myself back around hoping she doesn’t see me. More like pleading.
“Oh, sorry, sure! I’ve got class this way.” I point behind her and she sends me a tight smile, walking around me and I blurt out, “Carter?” She turns back around on the heels of her Vans to face me. I can see Maya in the distance staring at me but I focus back on Carter, taking her figure in. Damn, she looks good today. All without even trying. “Haley, TJ, and I have lunch at one if you’re free?” I bend down to pick up my phone off the floor. I see her eyes widen at my phone as her shoes squeak, stepping closer to examine what’s in my hand.
“Shit! Did I break your phone? I’m so sorry!” She awkwardly looks down at it and I flip to see the screen with no scratches on it. Seeing relief wash over her face, I smile at her making her eyes widen for a second. She clears her throat.
I shake the phone nonchalantly. “No, it’s good. I dropped it while I was trying to get it out of my pocket before I bumped into you.” She sends me a genuine smile that knocks the wind right out of me. She starts to walk towards the room I had just come out of and puts her hand on the handle.
“I’m not free at one today. Sorry! Another day?” She turns her head towards me but her body’s facing the door. Opening it, she sends me another tight smile like she did that night. I bob my head just as she walks inside. I turn around to avoid Maya.
I race to my next class so I’m not late. I get there with two minutes to spare, once again making my way to the back of the hall. I sit down next to a group of my teammates and some of them sit next to me. No annoying girls to sit next to me this class. Here I was, thinking I could focus.
Nope.
All I could think about was her—Carter. The blue-eyed nerdy girl who owns the damsel in distress physique. Remembering her in her short shorts and baggy baseball top with navy vans, she looked so effortlessly striking.
