I met Robbie Mulligan in my first week of college, and it’s not an exaggeration to say I instantly disliked him. I was late for my first class of the year. I’d set out in plenty of time to get there but had gotten lost and ended up on the wrong side of campus. I was only about five minutes late when I finally found the lecture hall, but I had visions of everyone turning to stare at me and the professor humiliating me in front of everyone for being late.
The doors were already closed when I got there, and I was just contemplating walking away when another girl came rushing up next to me. She looked at the door. “Shit, we’re late.”
I nodded at her, biting my lip. I was never opposed to ditching in high school, but I didn’t want to start out on the wrong foot at college.
She looked at me for a minute, trying to decide what to do. “We should just go in,” she decided and pushed the door open. I followed her in, and we both froze just inside the doorway. The lecture room was packed completely full, and my stomach flipped as every head in the room turned to look at us.
“Hello.” We both turned to see a tall blonde woman at the center of the room. She had wide black-framed glasses sitting on her nose and she peered down at us. “I’m Professor Smithson.”
“Hi,” I managed to squeak.
“I’m so sorry we’re late,” the girl next to me said sincerely. I glanced to my side and saw she had long black hair and an olive complexion. She was about my height, and just a quick glance at her told me she had curves to die for. “You know how it is, first day and all that.”
I pressed my mouth together while Professor Smithson looked at us. Suddenly, her face broke into a huge smile, and I knew she wasn’t the ogre I feared. “I’ll let you off, as it’s the first day.” She turned to face the rest of the class. “For future reference, if you’re late from now on, don’t bother coming in. Just get the notes off me later.” She looked back at us, her eyes twinkling. “Now, come over here and tell me your names. I have a seating chart so I know who you all are.”
The girl next to me gave me a wink and stepped up to the professor, stating that her name was Maddy Richards. Professor Smithson pointed her toward the back, and I saw there was an empty seat three rows from the back, second seat in. Then she pointed out mine, and I barely managed not to groan when I saw it was halfway up the steps, right in the middle of the row. I forced a smile at the professor, knowing I couldn’t exactly request to sit somewhere else when I didn’t know her and had just arrived late for my first class. I quickly followed Maddy up the steps and smiled apologetically at the girl on the end as she stood to let me in. Everyone else stood too, some giving me sympathetic smiles, some just flat-out ignoring me. I was almost at my seat when I had to stop for a second. A tall, broad, dark-haired guy stood just next to my seat, only he didn’t step back against his chair like everyone else had. No, he just held his ground. I paused for a second, waiting for him to move, but he didn’t do anything but smirk back at me. I glanced to the front of the room and saw Professor Smithson waiting patiently for me to take my seat so she could begin. I was holding everyone up now. I looked at him once more and he didn’t move, so I had very little choice but to squeeze by him. The entire back of my body brushed against his front as I passed, and I swear I felt his right hand reach out slightly to cop a feel of my ass. I dropped into my seat, jaw tense, feeling pissed off. Professor Smithson began the lecture, and I turned and glared at him. He was already looking at me and gave me a wink. My lip curled in disgust, and I turned to face the front of the room, refusing to look at him again.
At the end of the lecture, I waited for him to stand up before I did. I pretended I was busy on my phone, and I waited until he exited the row before I got up and filed out in the opposite direction, staying as far away from him as possible. He reached the front of the room before me, and I saw him greet a couple guys who had been waiting for him at the door. Finally, he turned and walked out of the room.
“I’m Maddy Richards.” I looked up to see the girl who was late with me standing on my right.
“Becca McKenzie,” I told her, returning her smile.
“Dammit, why can’t my last name start with an M,” she said, and I screwed my faced up, confused. “McKenzie, Mulligan.”
“What?”
“You know who that guy was, right?”
I hitched my bag farther up on my shoulder. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She stopped dead and turned to face me, completely disregarding the fact that she was now making all the students behind us file around her. She waved her hand down the hallway to the main exit. “That fine specimen of a man is Robbie Mulligan.”
“Who?”
She waved again. “The guy you were sitting next to is Robbie ‘I have the best abs in the world’ Mulligan.” I stared blankly back at her. She shook her head at me in disbelief. “He’s the quarterback of the college football team? The Southern U Kings? He redshirted last year, but he’s starting this year.”
“Oh.” That didn’t mean he wasn’t an ass. “Well, if he’s a sophomore, why’s he with us in English lit?”
She looked at me like I was crazy. “Who cares? The dude is beautiful.” I pulled a face. Sure, he was good-looking, but he wasn’t my type. Messy brown hair, piercing blue eyes, and a cocky smile were the only things I’d thought about in months.
“Seriously? You don’t know who he is? He’s rich too. His daddy owns most of the state.”
I rolled my eyes. I couldn’t care less about money, and I knew I was fortunate to say that. My parents both earn good livings, and my grandfather left my dad a good inheritance, so I’ve never known what it’s like to struggle. Regardless, rich entitled pigs like Robbie Mulligan flat-out do not interest me.
“The guy with the brown hair? He’s a jerk. Did you see him not move out of my way?”
She smirked at me. “He can make me squeeze past him any time.”
I groaned and she laughed. It was the start of our friendship.
After that I always made sure I got to class early. First impressions stick with me, and I just didn’t like the dude. I could tell he thought way too much of himself. He walked into the room and looked around to make sure people were noticing him. He nodded at the guys and flirted with the girls, patting their asses as he walked past them. The sheer arrogance and entitlement of the guy made me feel sick, and we didn’t really speak to each other. I think it was obvious to him that I disliked him, but he seemed to enjoy it, and it pissed me off that he always found an excuse to touch me, which just made my skin crawl. If my arm was leaning on the armrest, he’d put his arm right next to it so our skin was touching. He’d spread his legs wide in his seat so his right leg would be touching my left, and I’d end up shifting so far to my right-hand side, I swear the girl who sat next to me must have thought I was coming on to her.
It was a couple weeks into the semester when I was in the cafeteria on the main campus with Maddy after class. My roommate Tina had joined us, and I could already tell Tina and Maddy were kindred spirits. They were both outgoing and bubbly, and strangely enough, I loved being around them.
We’d just picked up our food, and I was staring down at the sad-looking beef burrito I’d decided to risk when Maddy piped up. “That is where we need to sit.”
I glanced in the direction she was looking –there was a huge group of guys near the back of the cafeteria, taking up a whole bunch of tables.
“Hell yes,” Tina agreed, looking excited. I looked at her and raised an eyebrow. She rolled her eyes. “It’s the football team. I swear you don’t know anything, Becca.”
“We can’t sit over there,” I told them, taking in the scene in front of me. “Let’s not feed their egos any more than necessary. Their heads are already so big, I’m surprised they fit in the door.”
Tina laughed but completely ignored me and stepped closer to them.
Maddy glanced sideways at me. “As long as they fit in my bed, I don’t care.” Despite myself, I burst out laughing. I was starting to realize she had no shame.
She grinned back at me and started walking toward them. “Wait,” I hissed at them. “There isn’t even space over there.” There really wasn’t. Their table was jam-packed, and all the tables surrounding them were full too—mainly of girls who were glancing over in their direction with interest, which made me want to sit on the other side of the cafeteria even more. It kind of reminded me of high school, where the popular guys were the football players, but on a way bigger scale. Southern U was a massive football school; I knew that before I came. It was why Ryan was considering coming here, but I don’t think I fully understood just how worshipped the guys on the team were. I barely noticed or thought about it, but Tina and Maddy had mentioned it a few times, and looking over at that table and all the people around them, I knew they hadn’t been exaggerating.
Maddy led the way, swaying her hips like a pro, slowing down as she approached their table, hoping someone noticed her. Tina did the same, and I swear I saw her stick her chest a little farther out. I almost burst out laughing just at the sight of them. No one even looked up, and they slowed down in disappointment and glanced over at me. I cocked my head toward the empty tables on the other side of the cafeteria, and Maddy sighed and nodded her head in agreement. We were almost clear of the table when I heard a familiar voice.
“Yo, McKenzie!”
I froze in irritation but then kept going, pretending I hadn’t heard anything, but Tina and Maddy stopped immediately and turned to face the table.
Laughter rang out. “Don’t try pulling that shit, McKenzie. I know you heard me.” I rolled my eyes and turned to see Mason Blackwell grinning at me. I smiled back at him—I couldn’t help it; Mason’s smile was kind of infectious. “Get over here,” he told me, cocking his head.
I shook my head but walked over regardless.
“You know Mason Blackwell?” Maddy hissed in my ear. God knows how she knew his name, surely not just because he was on the football team—right? She and Tina were right behind me, and I knew they’d be wondering why I didn’t mention I knew Mason when they spoke about the team.
Mason stood as I approached, taking the tray from my hand and wrapping me in a big hug, even lifting me up off the floor. “Where you been hiding, McKenzie?”
“Away from you,” I answered with a smirk as he dropped back into his seat. I had avoided Mason for most of high school. He was one of the most popular guys there, and I always thought he looked down on me. I couldn’t have been more wrong. He was one of the nicest guys I knew, and one of Ryan’s best friends. The more I hung out with him, the more I liked him, and now I considered him one of my best friends too. I knew we were both coming to Southern U together, but I hadn’t had time to see him yet. I knew he was on the team and would be busy with practice and all that.
He gave me a lazy grin and then turned his attention to Tina and Maddy. “Who’re your friends?”
I narrowed my eyes playfully, suddenly realizing why he was so keen on getting me over here. “Keep your eyes to yourself, Blackwell.”
“Hey, just being friendly.”
I raised an eyebrow. “I’ve seen your friendly.” Mason had been, and still was, a total player. I’d seen more than one girl get burned by him.
He chuckled at me, and before I could stop her, Maddy stepped forward.
“I’m Maddy, this is Tina.”
Mason winked at me and then formally shook their hands. I knew he was trying to determine whether or not he had a chance with them. I’d have said it was pretty likely, from my viewpoint.
“How do you know Becca?” Tina asked him.
“School. All the way back to middle school,” Mason replied. “And you?”
Tina points at herself. “Roommate.” She points at Maddy. “They’re in the same class.”
Mason flashed them a cocky smirk, and I may as well not have been there. Clearly they were not as keen on keeping their virtue from Mason Blackwell as I was of protecting it from him.
“Who’s your friend, Blackwell?”
I turned to see a big guy sitting opposite him. He was looking at me in that way all football players seem to look at girls, like they have a right to, but he had an easy smile and his eyes were twinkling. I later found out he was Bernie Matthews, and I rarely saw Mason at college without him.
“Don’t waste your time, man,” Mason told him. “She’s locked down. Practically married.” I flipped him the finger as he grinned at me. “Oh, come on. I bet you’ve already spoken to him twice today, and it’s not even dinnertime.”
Three times actually. What could I say? We missed each other.
“You’ve got a boyfriend?”
I looked up and noticed for the first time that Robbie Mulligan was sitting farther down the table.
“Yes,” I told him coldly.
“So why do you keep eye-fucking me every time I see you?”
My jaw fell open in disbelief. “ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE?” I exploded. The people who hadn’t been listening certainly were now. “You have got to be the most delusional—”
I stopped abruptly as he burst out laughing. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding,” he said, holding his hands up in a surrender. “Got you to talk to me though, didn’t I?” My eyes narrowed as I heard chuckles from around us, and I glanced at Mason, who was looking at Robbie with a strange look on his face. I recognized that look; he was not a fan of Robbie’s, I could tell. “Feel free to eye-fuck me any time though.” Robbie continued looking me up and down appreciatively, and I wanted to punch him. “And it doesn’t have to stop with the eyes.” What an asshole!
I turned to Mason. “Your friend’s a dick.”
Mason didn’t say anything, but the look he gave me told me he agreed.
“How do you guys know each other?” Mason asked, looking between me and Robbie.
“We have English lit together.”
“Yup,” Robbie agreed. “Four hours a week I get to sit next to the lovely Rebecca McKenzie.”
I scowled at him. “Dude,” Mason said, sounding like he was joking, but I could hear the warning in his voice. “Seriously, her boyfriend is one of my best friends.”
He rolled his eyes and dropped his arm around the girl on his right, brushing his hand just above her cleavage. Ugh, I thought. What a pig! “Clearly, I have options,” he said, indicating the girl with his head.
“So, why didn’t your boyfriend follow you here?” Bernie asked.
I shrugged. Actually, it was me who didn’t follow Ryan to Cal State, which is what he wanted. He could have come to Southern U. He got offered a scholarship, but Cal State had a better football program. I didn’t think this was the best group of guys to explain every detail to.
“He got another offer.”
“He got a scholarship?”
I nodded.
“To where?”
“Cal State.”
They perked up with interest. Cal State was a big rival of Southern U, but they knew it was an elite sports college and respected anyone who went there.
“He’s an athlete?” Mulligan asked, suddenly interested.
Mason smirked at me and I grinned back. We both knew they’d probably know who Ryan was.
“Yup.”
“What sport?”
I glanced at Bernie.
“Football.”
They were all listening now. “What position?” This was from one of the older guys down the table; all athletes took an interest in their rivals.
I turned to look Robbie in the eye. “Quarterback.”
The table erupted in noise.
“Damn! Your boyfriend is Ryan Jackson?”
“Did you see that touchdown he made in the state final?”
“Is he starting or redshirting?”
“That boy can run!”
“Man, I wanted him here so bad.”
“Coach nearly cried when he declared Cal State.”
“We’d be unbeatable with him.”
“He’d have been perfect to take over from Sampson.”
I watched Robbie’s face as his teammates salivated over Ryan. I’d always heard how good Ryan was at football, but it wasn’t until we got together that I realized he was a unique talent and had been heavily recruited by a bunch of colleges. I even visited some with him, and it was when we came to Southern U that I fell in love with the school. Something about the lush greenery and the welcoming locals made me want to come. By then I could tell Ryan was leaning toward Cal State, and I didn’t want him to make a decision based on what I thought, so I just stayed quiet and let him choose on his own. He kept asking me where I wanted to go, and up until then, I hadn’t really had a preference, but the campus visit had changed my mind. I think deep down, he thought I’d go where he went, but I was never going to follow him somewhere I didn’t want to be. I applied for Southern U and got in, but I didn’t tell him until after he declared Cal State. I wanted him to do whatever was best for him and whatever would make him happy. I didn’t want him to make a decision based on my choice. The day I told him, it was like I’d punched him in the face. I would never forget the hurt that crossed his face. He didn’t talk to me for a week, and I genuinely thought we were over. It was the worst week of my life. The thought of us being over broke me in two, but whenever I tried to talk to him, he’d just walk away from me. When he eventually did show up at my house, he started talking about seeing if he’d be able to switch to Southern U, said it might still be possible, but I told him to stay at Cal State. He’d looked at me, heartbroken, and that’s when I’d realized he thought that meant I wanted us to break up. Eventually I convinced him that separate colleges didn’t mean a breakup, and we went back to normal. It was still a sore point with him, but I’d known we could make it work.
Bernie turned to me with a big grin on his face. “You couldn’t get him to come here, huh?”
I shrugged. I wanted Ryan to go where he wanted to. There was no way I wanted my choice to affect his future.
Suddenly the table seemed to remember Robbie, who was seething with anger and watching me with narrowed eyes. I got the feeling he knew I enjoyed that.
“Well, hey, you better tell your boy to watch out, ’cause we got Mulligan now, and he’s gonna show your man up.”
“Yeah,” one of the older guys down at the end piped up. “We don’t need him anyway. Mulligan’s gonna tear it up.”
“We got this. Cal State ain’t seeing no title this year.”
I grinned at them. It was all fairly good-natured, but it was always good to hear how highly thought of Ryan was. I was really proud of him.
“Yeah, yeah.” I laughed. “We’ll see.”
Mason shifted so there was space next to him on the bench. “You sitting?” he asked me. I shook my head even as Tina and Maddy stepped forward.
“We’re good,” I told him, sending them a look. I did not want to spend my lunch break discussing football. “I’ll leave you all to plan Ryan’s demise.”
The guys who were still listening chuckled, and I took one last look at Robbie, who was glaring at me like he wanted to kill me. Then I turned and walked away, with Tina and Maddy grumbling about how I’d just ruined their chances.
I kinda thought that would end Robbie’s interest with me. I was hoping I’d pissed him off so much he’d think I was a bitch and be done with me. It didn’t work. If anything, it made him more interested, like he had to prove he could have me now that he knew I was with Ryan, one of his rivals. It got to the point where I ended up asking Professor Smithson if I could move seats, making up a lie about my eyesight. After freshman year, I didn’t have any classes with him, and I rarely saw him around campus. When I showed up at Mason’s birthday one year, I stayed for one drink and then left because of the way he was looking at me. Robbie Mulligan had done nothing but piss me off my whole college career, but I never, ever would have dreamed he’d do what he did.