Chapter 14 (Asher)
His face is pensive as he scans over my quiz.
I look around the library and my stomach twists. He doesn't even have to tell me the bad news...I know I bombed it.
But then again, it's not like I actually tried or read the material. So there's that.
He makes a mark with a red pen on my paper and opens his mouth. He's cut off by the sound of his phone vibrating against the wood of the table.
I don't mistake the way his eyes light up or the slight smile he attempts to hide. In the mere four days I've known him, I've never seen him look like this.
My stomach twists for a different reason entirely then.
He's obviously seeing someone.
Not that I think I had a chance with him in the first place. And it's not like I'm looking for anything more than a few nights complete with a few blowjobs...but there's a disappointment now settling in my chest that I wasn't prepared for.
It mimics the disappointment on his face when he checks his phone, reads his text and frowns.
“Trouble in paradise?”
He slides his phone into his pocket. “Huh?”
I stretch my legs out on the table and cross my ankles, trying to remain unfazed.
If Landon doesn't know I want him in the sack by now, he needs a better prescription for those glasses of his. That said, it doesn't mean I'm going to keep hitting on him. He's already made it clear he's not interested and that his dick is as straight as an arrow.
But he seems like a cool guy, and whether or not he ever lets me fuck him shouldn't deter me from trying to be his friend.
Friend?
Christ, the term is so foreign to me. I haven't had an actual friend since...nope not going there.
“Your phone. It was your girl, no?” I waggle my eyebrows and fold my arms behind my head. “Or rather, it wasn't your girl and that's why you look so upset.”
He bites his pen. Something I notice he does whenever he's uncomfortable. Which is a good 90% of the time around me. I hide my smirk, because I like Landon being uncomfortable around me. I take great pleasure in making my adorable nerd hot under the collar.
Shit. And now I have a fucking boner.
I quickly take my legs off the table and push my seat in, hiding the evidence.
When he doesn't respond, I decide to press. “What's her name?”
He snorts and glares at me. “Like I would ever tell you.”
I place my hand over my heart, feigning offense. “Wow, that hurts. And here I thought we were friends.”
He rolls his eyes and points to the back of the library. “The first time I met you, I caught you with not one, but two girls. There's no way in hell I'm telling you her name so you can work your voodoo on her when she gets back.”
I lean in. “Afraid of a challenge?” I grin, purposely showcasing my dimples. “Don't worry, nerd. I'm most definitely not opposed to threesomes.”
“Jesus.” His jaw hardens. “Is that all you think about all the time? No wonder you keep bombing your quizzes.”
He shoves a piece of paper in my face. I can't help but notice the mocking 49% circled in red.
“It's better than last time,” I note and he pinches the bridge of his nose.
“It's still a big fat F. It's only higher this time because I threw you a bone and asked you what the two main characters' names were.” He peers at me from underneath his black rimmed glasses. “Which is a given considering it's the name of the goddamn book.”
I bite my lip, I'm digging this angry side of him.
However, he's not wrong about my poor performance during our tutoring sessions. I have no desire to read this book or do the assignments. It's boring as fuck.
“I don't understand why Mrs.—” I scratch my head, trying to remember the professor's name.
“Mrs. Sterling,” he says through clenched teeth.
I snap my fingers. “Yeah, her. I mean no offense to you fuddy-duddies who enjoy this crap, but I remember reading this shit back in high school. Why the hell am I still doing it in my senior year of college?”
He closes his eyes, the vein in his neck all but bulging with restraint.
And fuck if that doesn't make my dick even harder.
Just when I'm about to excuse myself to go rub one out, he says, “You obviously weren't listening when I explained everything to you.”
I lift a shoulder in a shrug. “It's not you. It's just...this shit is of no interest to me. Therefore, my brain automatically tunes it out.”
“What kinds of things interest you?”
I lick my lips. “Football. Sex—” You. “I like games and challenges.”
He thinks about this for a moment before he pulls some papers out of his backpack. “Okay, here's the breakdown. Mrs. Sterling loves the classics. Shakespeare is one of her favorites. It's why the first assignment is a paper along with a test on Romeo and Juliet.”
He snaps his fingers. “You still with me? You're getting that faraway look in your eyes again and this is important.”
I nod, trying my hardest to give him my undivided attention.
“Anyway, the first assignment and test is an easy one. And it counts for 20% of your entire grade, which is extremely generous of her. She knows you're all familiar with Romeo and Juliet already—it's basically her way of giving you all a curve. This way, when she moves on to the harder stuff like Poe, Austen, Brontë, and Aristotle...you can concentrate and actually get something out of it instead of figuring out how to pass a test. Understand?”
“Not exactly. You're basically saying that she's doing us a favor by adding on to our course load. How the hell does that help anyone?”
He lets out a frustrated sigh. “Because Romeo and Juliet is easy, Asher. It's an easy A which will help you maintain your grade for the semester. She's trying to help you. All you have to do is read the fucking book, do the assignment and take the test.”
“It's boring,” I argue. “Heck, it's probably why they ended up offing themselves in the end.”
He cocks his head to the side. “So you did read it?”
“No, I saw the movie.” I grab the edges of the table and shake it. “I'll never let go, Jack.” I give him a wink. “Chick had a killer rack by the way.”
“That's Titanic,” he mumbles, looking even more frustrated now.
“Guess that explains why the old lady lived then.” I glance at my watch, practice starts in 15 minutes. “I have to get going. See you tomorrow?”
He studies my face for a moment too long. “How’s practice going?”
Shit. I guess I let my guard slip for a moment.
“Fine,” I lie through my teeth.
The truth is the last two days have been hell on earth for me. In addition to failing every quiz Landon had given me, my new teammates hate me. Especially one in particular. One of the wide receivers named Theo O'Connor.
And because he's been on the team longer than I have and isn't part of a sex tape scandal involving another guy...everyone flocks to him and he does a good job of riling everyone up in the locker room.
For the most part, I've been ignoring it. But I can feel the thin thread inside me snapping like a rubber band, and I'm not sure how many plucks I have left until I snap completely.
“You planning on going to that party tonight?”
“Of course. Why wouldn't I be?”
The sports team might not be big around here, but apparently the first party right before classes officially start is.
The campus is still half empty, but the students who moved in early, including everyone on the football team; get together at one of the fraternity houses.
I wasn't planning on going, but if I don't? It will put an even bigger target on my back.
He shrugs. “I don't know. Just asking.”
He closes his eyes and reaches around for something in his pocket. I have no clue what happened in the last minute, but obviously something did because he looks out of sorts.
“Hey, man. You okay?”
He swipes his books off the table and into his backpack. “Fine. We're done here, right?”
Before I can answer him, he jumps to his feet and starts heading for the door.
I grab the guitar case that he left behind and run to catch up to him. “Landon.”
When he turns around, he looks paler. He's also sweaty and squinting.
“Are you okay?” I ask again.
He snatches the guitar case from me. “I'm fine. I just have a headache and need to get home.”
Before I can press any further, he runs off. For a moment, I debate calling Coach Crane and asking for his address since I know for a fact that he doesn't live on campus. But then I look at my watch and curse. Practice starts in 10 minutes and I'm not even in the locker room yet.
I give one last look in the direction of the parking lot and make a mental note to shoot him a text after practice ends.